Today we’d like to introduce you to Mario Taboada.
Hi Mario, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my 3D career creating architectural visualization projects for local clients. A few years later, I became increasingly interested in organic sculpting and character creation, so I decided to specialize in that field.
For several years, I worked mainly on advertising projects, and I also spent a couple of years working in the video game industry in Canada. After returning to Spain, I established myself as a freelance 3D artist, collaborating with clients from around the world, primarily creating characters and high-quality models for 3D asset libraries.
Following the 2020 pandemic, and thanks to the increasing affordability of resin 3D printers, I gradually transitioned away from freelance work while building what would eventually become vinciminiatures.
About a year and a half later, I made the decision to dedicate myself full-time to designing miniatures for tabletop wargames and collectors. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since—continuing to grow a little more each day while constantly learning, refining my skills, and experimenting with new techniques.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not entirely. I’ve faced several challenges along the way, and even today, new ones continue to appear.
The first thing I had to learn was the entire resin production process—its advantages and disadvantages, printing techniques, model cleanup, printer settings, supports, and everything else that comes with turning a digital sculpt into a high-quality physical miniature.
I’ve gone through periods of incredible growth and strong sales, as well as times when simply staying afloat was a real challenge. In my opinion, there are three major difficulties in the STL design and production industry.
The first is competition. It’s absolutely fierce. New companies appear almost every day, and you have to fight constantly to keep your place in the market. But that’s simply part of the game.
The second challenge is people’s mindset. I’ve never wanted to be seen as someone who just creates cheap proxies of miniatures that already exist. My goal has always been to offer my own interpretation of a unit—my own vision of how I would like to see it on my shelf or on the gaming table.
For me, making direct proxies is incredibly boring, even though I know it would probably be far more profitable. It simply doesn’t fit with who I am or with the way I approach miniature design.
Finally, one of the biggest problems in this business is piracy. It’s painful to spend weeks designing a set of miniatures only to see them shared in pirate groups just a few hours after release.
I’ve had my work pirated almost since the day I started selling and gaining a small following. But as a good friend once told me, “If people are pirating your models, it means you’re doing something right.” It’s a sad reality, but there’s some truth to it.
Fortunately, there are still plenty of honest people who appreciate the work, passion, and countless hours that go into every miniature.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Well, let’s start by saying that, at the moment, vinciminiatures is basically just… me.
Right now, I’m responsible for the entire process—from deciding what the next set for my stores and crowdfunding platforms will be, creating the initial concepts, gathering references, sculpting and designing every single part and miniature, placing supports, running print tests, creating renders, and promoting each release across social media.
If I still have some time left, I also paint a few miniatures because it’s something I genuinely enjoy and helps selling products. But let’s not forget that I also handle all the logistics for physical orders: printing, cleaning the parts, packaging everything, preparing shipping labels, and registering every parcel with the postal service.
And every now and then… I even find time to eat and sleep!
My main goal over the next few years is to be able to delegate part of this workload. Not because I want to stop being involved, but because I’d love to bring many more of the ideas I have in mind to life every month.
I’ve occasionally worked with freelance artists on specific projects, but right now my priority is to build a solid structure that will allow vinciminiatures to grow, both in terms of production capacity and the variety of miniature sets I can offer.
What matters most to you? Why?
Quality and Great Customer Service
Because I believe they are the foundation of both a great product and a satisfied customer.
A high-quality product is what makes your brand stand out and earn its place in the market.
A happy customer is someone who trusts your work and feels confident coming back for future releases, ultimately becoming a loyal supporter of your brand.
Contact Info:
- Website: vinciminiatures.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/vinciminiatures
- Other: https://myminifactory.com/users/vinciminiatures
