WHO ARE WE?
HYBRID ARMORY is run by myself, Jon and I actually started out as a lifelong art student before I ever started designing airsoft models. I was much more interested in drawing, animations, and storytelling, with grand aspirations of creating the greatest artistic masterpieces...
So, I went to art school to study games and animation. To create beautiful art for grand projects. I whole heartedly believed that there was nothing better in life than that.
But, uh... after two years, I quit.
The industry was not the sunshine and rainbows I thought it was. Or, perhaps, it was the wrong time and place, and I wasn't ready for it. I still think about it sometimes.
However, there was at least one thing I took away from art school: I wanted to bring beautifully crafted 3D assets into real life. So, without any hesitation, I bought a Prusa MK3S 3D printer kit, which was the top recommendation at the time. And, to this day, I think it was the best decision I have ever made. To be able to turn an idea in your head into something physical in front of you within a few hours was, and still is, absolutely insane. Back then, the alternatives were either hacking away at wood and aluminium with saws and files, or sending your design off to a third party and waiting a week or two to find out whether it even came back correctly. To be able to refine your design in the convenience of your own home was game changing.
In 2020, I made the switch to engineering after leaving art school because... well, as the saying goes, you should do something you're good at and gives you a stable future. I had always been strong with mathematics and spatial reasoning, so it was the sensible choice.
Coincidently, I began the MOSQUITO project around this time.
The airsoft market had stagnated. Brands were releasing the same old M4 and AK platforms, often with the same old problems. As a run-and-gun player, I was looking for something lightweight, compact and practical, but most of the alternatives had some kind of fatal flaw: terrible proprietary designs, poor parts support, or simply being plain ugly.
So, with CAD and 3D printing skills, I decided to make my own. The MOSQUTIO was my opportunity to make something genuinely different that, not only competed against the big names in terms of performance, but also looked visually appealing as well, combining form and function.
Funnily enough, I actually hated CAD (computer aided design) in school prior to the MOSQUITO project. What changed that for me was the application of it. I realised that anything can be interesting given the right application. I was now absorbed and willing to learn it because had a purpose for it. Naturally, other skills followed over time as the project called for it, such as graphic design, product design, and rendering pretty pictures.
And so, with the spare time I had from studying, I was developing the MOSQUITO year after year. With each iteration better than the previous.
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The Closed Alpha model got the basics right.
The Closed Beta model revamped the aesthetics.
The Open Beta 1 model was made easy to 3D print.
The Open Beta 2 model shed unnecessary features.
And the MK1 model took everything to the next level, the design that brought HYBRID ARMORY to life.
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After finishing my Masters in Engineering with Distinction, the next logical step seemed to be a PhD in metal 3D printing, contributing to new advancements in the field.
However, I thought long and hard about it.
A PhD is a serious commitment, and one in metal 3D printing would mean spending four or five years in a lab, running experiments day in and day out, alongside the academic work and pressure that comes with it. Metal 3D printing is also still a relatively exclusive field, with very few people having access to the technology. Even if I were to complete the PhD, I wouldn't be sure where I would actually apply that knowledge. I simply wasn't passionate enough about the technology to sacrifice five years for it.
I loved 3D printing for the freedom and convenience of being able to make things at home, not necessarily the industrial advancements. I realised I felt the same with CAD; I loved it for the designs I could create, not necessarily the intricacies of the program itself. I realised that I was more interested in the application of the tools and the grand end product, rather than the tool itself. And thus, I stepped away from the PhD, for now.
By this point, I had been working on the MOSQUITO for around six years. Six years of design history, documentation, and results to prove its potential. Not only that, I had a dedicated community that believed in my vision and the way I did things. A community that kept the project alive even when I went silent for months at a time. The project was still going strong, and continuing to grow.
So, I decided to test the waters with by selling MOSQUITO kits. A simple way for people to get started on the project without the friction having to source all individual parts themselves. And, to my surprise, it received worldwide interest. That was the result I needed.
With the PhD off the table, the next obvious step was a conventional engineering job. Not exactly what I wanted but it would work out for now. However, if I did so, I knew HYBRID ARMORY would die. There would simply not be enough time to invest in it anymore. The current upward trend would fade out, fast.
I knew this kind of opportunity would not happen again. Therefore, I decided to take the leap and go full time with HYBRID ARMORY. To spend time combining artistic and engineering skill and experiences to create my greatest masterpieces, just how I wanted from the beginning, and I am only just getting started.