Quantum Gothic - An Interview with Founder Rob Cirillo

Probably my favorite resin accessory and scenery companies is Quantum Gothic. Their scenery is simply amazing and shows real design sense. Well, no wonder, their founder, Roberto Cirillo is a professional artist who has worked extensively in the gaming industry. He is a super guy and he agreed to be interviewed.

So here is a bit about him:

Roberto, who was born in Pompei, Italy, started his carrier in 1992 when joined Core Design Ltd ( UK ), as an in-game lead 2d-3d artist/animator.  In March 2004, Roberto joined Games Workshop Studio Design Team as Conceptual Artist.  He was lead on concept art for Tyranids, Tau, Cities of Death, Space Orks and vehicles, LOTR, and more.  Since leaving GW in January 2007 Roberto has freelanced for various clients including : Privateer Press, GW, FW, Nival Online, Mantic, Studio Mc Vey and as the owner and designer of the Quantum Gothic scenery range resin kits.

''I Live for the Sci-Fi and Fantasy and those projects which will let my skills and imagination do all the talking!''

And now the interview:

1. How long have you been gaming and how did you start?  How did Quantum Gothic start?

It started as hobby and almost a bet.

Before joining Games Workshop I was quite simply a videogame artist/player addict!

Although I had always admired the level of skills gone into creating a physical miniature nothing would ever compete – in my head and heart of course - with the fact that I could create virtual characters, give them life and interact with…on a TV screen!...RELOAD!

It’s only after I started working at Games Workshop that I begun developing a great interest in miniatures and tabletop war-gaming kits. What’s more is that during that time at GW I was also given the chance to make muck-ups of Ork vehicles and what more that sparked a wild fire from within!

On top of all that I was heavily involved with the making of the Cities of Death concept work of building/scenery and so when later I left GW to go freelance I begun thinking to perhaps let all this ‘fire’ out and see what I could really make of all that, and so Quantum Gothic was born!

3. The look of Quantum Gothic terrain is unique and clearly from a more artistic angle. It rivals anything on the market. Is that because of your design background?

I have always been attracted by a more clean and high-end sci-fi style like you often see in Star Wars: beautiful futuristic clean and functional sci-fi structures and vehicles.

However getting to know better Medieval and Gothic architectures gave me the chance and the excitement to mix the ‘new’ and ‘old’ together to really appreciate a new level of sci-fi style generating an almost perfect balance between my clean artistic sci-fi side to my more technical and mechanical down-to-earth school/study backgrounds ( yes I have studied mechanics, technical drawing and Industrial automation back at high school! ).

4. What is the process you use to design and execute your models? Do you start with sketches and then move to 3D design?

It always starts with an idea or more like a flash or a vision which then I try to put it down on paper to see and study the feasibility not only from an artistic point of view but also practical. Usually if the idea stays exciting for longer than a few quick sketches then it’s worth developing it further.

Sketching the ideas on a piece of paper it can quickly show me the possible issues I could incur in to during prototyping and even production of the final kit. Once I’m happy about the overall key design and the virtual number of parts I then proceed in building it into 3D. Here I have to take into consideration the limitations of the tools which will mill the various parts: sometimes a larger part must be made into two or more pieces and then put back together before moulding it.

5. Do you outsource the actually casting of your pieces and if so, where is all the work done?

All the work is done ‘in-house’: from conception-design to casting, it’s really a lot of hard work but worth it when you see it all nicely packed and ready to be shipped to the next customer!

It’s almost like a ‘print on demand’ process but this will also allow us to Quality Check the kits before shipping them out, hence high quality kits: no warped parts, no miscasts and no annoying air-bubbles ( or at least not on visible areas ).

6. What is the process you use to come up with new models? Do you look at the market or is it more what strikes your fancy?

I tend to think on my own: I usually work out on what the Quantum Gothic range really could benefit from and then make it into a profitable/marketable product. I look around at what’s new out there but I only do what I feel is most appropriate for the range.

There are hundreds of ideas lined up ready for consideration and most of them will get made regardless of the game trends or what everybody else will release: the beautiful thing about owning your own business is that you get to make your own mistakes and not someone else’s!

7. What is coming down the pipe for Quantum Gothic?

Well, lots of new stuff, can’t tell more about it also because more often than not various reasons projects will be switched around or held up, so would not be wise to be too specific at this stage. What I would like to say is that now I feel like making something really BIG!

So, it may take a while but it’ll be well worth the wait. Meanwhile there should be some small add-ons for some of the Sentries and the Wall sections,….but it could all change ;)!

Power Generator

Armoured Bunker & Gun

Sentry Gun