After a stroke, Joshua Hawthorn was told he wouldn’t work again – but cabin fever soon set in and he pushed himself to learn new skills while he applied for jobs. In 2015, he started a tech company called Grizzly Technical Solutions aiming to sell computers, but he didn’t sell a single one. What he did do is develop a phenomenal portfolio of 3D cosplays, after a request from a friend sent him down a brilliant new path.
As a self-taught tech specialist, Hawthorn started off freelancing via tech support and callouts, social media management and analytics, and as website design, but as a jack-of-all-trades, he was always looking for new skills. In 2017, plans for a “dream contact” with a security company fell through, leaving Hawthorn with a brand new 3D printer, and not much use for it.
As a hobby, Hawthorn started building 3D Pokémon figures to decorate his garden – but then he was approached by a friend, who asked him to print Tyrael’s Sword from Diablo 3. From there, the commissions started rolling in, and Grizzly Tech soon expanded its fleet of 3D printers to 12 to accommodate demand. In the last 12 months alone, Hawthorne’s company has created three phenomenal armour sets – the War Machine, King Anduin and Nordic Carved Armour sets you can view below.
You can check out more of Hawthorn’s work at Grizzly Tech’s website, or on Facebook.
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