Legendary Captain Jack Sparrow 3D Print from Pirates of the Caribbean: Interview with Sunggon Park

The unforgettable adventures in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series are filled with romanticism, sword fights and beautiful scenery of the Seven Seas. The main protagonist of the series, one of the nine Pirate Lords, is an iconic fictional character that continues to live even outside the movies. A fantastic Captain Jack Sparrow 3D print can decorate your shelf or collectable ship because he knows how to captain the Black Pearl or another supernatural vessel.

Jack Sparrow is a famous pirate who became a subject of many spin-off novels, children’s books and craft projects. Making Captain Jack Sparrow 3D print is a must for any fan of 3D printing who loves the films as much as Gambody enthusiast Sunggon Park does. The hobbyist was kind to share his tips for making the iconic figure in resin and painting one of the most charismatic and fashionable pirates in history.

Jack Sparrow 3D Model for Printing

As she is dashing through the waves, the Black Pearl is captained by a charismatic adventurer who is so-well portrayed by actor Johnny Depp. Many people love this pirate character. Jack’s wit and love for negotiation, funny jokes and outrageous behaviour make him an outstanding candidate for a 3D printing model.

One of Gambody’s contributing 3D artists, Jarek Kučera, chose to turn a legendary pirate into Jack Sparrow 3D model for printing. The artist paid much attention to every detail that makes the impressive Captain Jack Sparrow figure for 3D printing stand out.

The fantastic Jack Sparrow 3D model for printing features the dreadlocks, a tricorne hat, scarf, many intricate beads and ancient coins that decorate the figure’s hair just as in the Pirates in the Caribbean films. The highly-detailed clothes, long frock coat, belts, high boots, numerous accessories, famous sword, and scabbard add style to the unique appearance of the pirate 3D printing figure.

Captain Jack Sparrow Figure

Explore the secrets of making the iconic Pirates of the Caribbean 3D print, Captain Jack Sparrow figure, shared by Sunggon Park. This maker has just started his journey into the adventurous world of 3D printing, and his first steps impress with fantastic results.

1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself to Gambody readers? How is 3D printing popular in South Korea?

Hello, I am Sunggon Park. I am 45 years old, and I live in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea. I run a small company. As a hobby, I love to paint figures.

As you know, the quality of 3D printers has gone up, but the price has been going down a lot. 3D printing is expanding to various fields because Koreans tend to enjoy accepting new things and using them. I think many people are starting with hobbies like me, and many 3D artists design and print figures through the ZBrush software.

These days more and more schools teach 3D printing in after-school classes beginning from elementary school. It may be a global phenomenon, but we are learning various technologies related to 3D printers as a part of our future careers. We even have a domestic qualification test for 3D printing.

2. Your Instagram account mentions that you are a software developer. Is 3D printing your hobby? How much time do you devote to making 3D printed figurines?

Yes, I have been working on various software for the last 20 years in Korea.

My hobbies are to make characters with Sculpey Polymer Clay and draw pictures. The downside of them is that it takes much time for my wife and me to see the finished product.

My hobby of 3D printing started two months ago. 3D printing is about printing, assembling, and painting. I love it.

When I first started printing, I didn’t know how to add supports to the model, so I kept screwing it up. I was wondering if it was because of the printer I bought was bad. But I learned how to add supports in a domestic 3D printing cafe. I remember I was delighted when I printed the model out as I was told and succeeded for the first time.

Software development is often about having to think about complex algorithms. When that happens, I take the character that I printed out from the desk that I used to make the program for a short time and paint it for 20 to 30 minutes and then re-coding it. I love the pleasure of printing it out and colouring it like it’s real. The pleasure seems to be the energy to make the program exciting again.

3. You created an impressive Jack Sparrow 3D print. Why did you choose this pirate model among many others? Do you like the Pirates of the Caribbean films?

I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series.

I think such a great pirate movie will be hard to come out for a while. Everything in the film is made up of adventures, myths, and fantasy that most people like – besides, you hear great music. My phone call connection melody hasn’t changed for years and is a Caribbean pirate.

My Instagram account photo of Jack Sparrow is the one I drew myself. I like Jack Sparrow’s character very much. He doesn’t take a difficult situation seriously, and I think he’s similar to me. I want to be like him, “If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.”

4. You shared images of two Jack Sparrow 3D printed figurines plus several “Johnny Depp” heads painted by you. Do you make an army of iconic Pirates of the Caribbean?

That’s not true. I shared the first pirate 3D print I made in the 3D cafe, and someone in the comments said, “I’m so sorry to see the joint in the hair. It would have been better if you filled it up.”

I don’t want to get stressed over a hobby, so I tend to do it roughly. But what that person said was also on my mind. So, I made another Jack Sparrow 3D print. The reason why I made various faces was to attach the best-drawn hair.

I’m thinking of putting all the heads in the “face mask tower in Game of Thrones” because I often pull out two or three more heads.

The resin I use for 3D printing is susceptible to light. So, the current 3D printed models of the famous pirate are a little disappointing. But when the 4K printers I ordered a few weeks ago arrive, I plan to print out another Jack Sparrow figure and paint it once more.

5. Can you please recollect your 3D printing settings for the Jack Sparrow figure? Which 3D printer or printers did you use?

The resin printer I used is Creality LD-002R, which is currently the lowest price in the universe. I am now printing with two LD-002R. Everyone said that the low-end printers of this period had weak lights, but I don’t know.

And for painting, I used models in the FDM folder from a collection of STL files on Gambody marketplace.

The biggest problem was that the face and hair were separated. And my printer can print out all parts at 100% FDM size.

I think I put the supports in the ChiTuBox and gave it about 4 seconds per layer on the 0.05mm layer. At first, there were a lot of wobbles and failures due to the wrong attachment of the supports.

6. How much resin did you use for making one Jack Sparrow 3D print?

There are very few output failures these days.

When I first printed the Jack Sparrow figure, I remember that I used almost 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of resin.

These are relatively bulky 3D printing models, so I just started printing and didn’t have a concept of how much support to attach. I failed a lot.

What can I say now? It is best to add enough supports to Captain Jack Sparrow 3D printing figure and other models. That’s the best way to save resin.

7. How big are your 3D printed versions of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow 3D model?

The 3D printed Jack Sparrow figure is about 25 cm tall. I pulled the base flat intending to pull it out again later on. Still, if it were the original model, it would stand at about 27 cm after attaching the pirate figurine to the base.

8. Both Jack Sparrow figurines you made look identical and very life-like. Was it easier to airbrush the second model than the first pirate or not?

The printing time was shortened a little, but I think that the painting time was almost the same.

9. Your painting skills are outstanding. Where did you learn to airbrush so professionally?

First of all, thank you so much for the compliment on my skills. 

I didn’t learn airbrushing. Before I majored in software development, I wanted to study art. Now that I think about it, I don’t know how happy I am to be able to paint only as a hobby.

10. You achieved an amazing skin colour on 3D printed Captain Jack Sparrow face and hands. Can you share your secrets of mixing Vallejo paints for painting human skin?

I uploaded some pictures on Instagram and got DM messages from some people.

There are no special skills. I mixed colours and painted on my fingers to see the mixed colour. I also created bright, regular, and dark colours for light and shadows.

And the eyes were drawn and erased very carefully until they looked satisfying. I learned how to draw eyes by watching YouTube videos. Firstly, you should paint the whites. Then you have to fix the pupils a few times until you like the result. Afterwards, apply the upper eyelid, and then apply the lower eyelid.

Drawing faces is enjoyable. I want to do it like a face expert of a hot toy, but that doesn’t work yet.

11. The Jack Sparrow 3D print boasts many intricate details and 3D printing parts. Did you face any challenges while working on this Pirates of the Caribbean figure?

In my case, it could be a problem with the supports or resin. Among the joints, the part where the cloak is attached was the most challenging. I tried two or three times, but it was not easy to match the seams of the cape.

So, in the end, it’s still regrettable that I had to finish with the cape open. Other than that, the gun doesn’t go all the way into the waist. I thought of widening the hole with a drill in the pirate’s body, but it was cruel to drill a hole in the figurine’s body. So, I broke the gun and inserted it.

12. Where do you display all your Jack Sparrow 3D printed models?

I have two sons. One of them is only ten years old and loves toys.

So, the 3D printed pirates are among his displayed toys.

13. Are you planning to 3D print the Black Pearl ship model to let your Jack Sparrow 3D print captain it?

Was there a Black Pearl 3D printing model on Gambody? I don’t think I have seen it. But even if there is, I probably won’t print it out and paint it.

I have a sad memory of giving up while making a boat. The Titanic was a plastic model, but there were so many small parts that I remember making it over a long time and quitting it because I lost the details. Since then, I think that I only do my hobbies until I enjoy it.

14. What other models from the Pirates of the Caribbean would you like to add to your collection?

Um, I think Barbossa must be there. I also wish there was Tia Dalma. I think it will be cool if I could paint this figurine. She is wearing very bright clothes. It is a character that arouses the desire to paint.

And Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann, of course.

15. Is there anything you would like to advise to other 3D printing enthusiasts?

Since I am a newbie myself who has been 3D printing for only two months, I don’t think I’m in a position to advise anyone.

However, if you are afraid of resin printing because of the complexity, I would like to say that there is a bio-resin that is harmless to your body. Some resins can be even washed with water!

Also, do not wash with IPA! Even if the resin is not washable, you can wash it with alcohol (ethanol) as much as you like!

Thank you so much for requesting an interview, Gambody!

How much do you love Pirates of the Caribbean? Do you have plans to add the Captain Jack Sparrow 3D print to your collection? Please make sure to join Gambody 3D Printing Community on Facebook and share the photos of your masterpiece with other enthusiasts. Jack is back! Never trust a pirate, but always rely on your 3D printer and Gambody’s STL files!