Fauna Casts Animal Models

[dinonikes]

Thought I would share some of the models that I have of extant animals- so far they are all life sized models, but have been working on scale models of animals that are more in line with Safari, Papo,etc. in scale- have a 1/20 scale Sable antelope finished sculpted- will post photos of that soon have other antelopes in progress as well-

Here is a life size Great Horned Owl- cast in resin/fiberglass-

[dinonikes]

Here is a life sized display that I have sold to a few collectors showing both male and female Pileated and Ivory billed woodpeckers the females have their heads poking out of nest holes in the trunk of the tree-

[dinonikes]

Here is a life size rabbit-

[dinonikes]

Here is a greatly enlarged orb spider- the body measures 12 inches in length-

[brontodocus]

Wow, Malcolm, these are amazing!
I don't know, the photos look familiar, have you posted them somewhere before? Ah, I found them on your FB site!

[Jetoar]

Wuoooo I like Owls ...... I like this Owl  .

[Takama]

Here is a life size rabbit-

bark bark bark  get off the screen you filthy varmit  (I have been chaseing these things out of .my masters yard . Now its on his screen)

[dinonikes]

Any suggestions as to animal figures you might want ot see me make in the near future? Also what is the best scale to make them in? I started some antelope figures in 1/20 scale-so far I have a finished sculpted 1/20 Sable others are just armatures.
I plan on making a series of figures of recently extinct animals, by this I mean to say ones that arent prehistoric- for example- Passenger Pigeon, Carolina Parakeet, Great Auk, Stellers Sea Cow, etc. I have a couple of books out of the library right now on extinct animals. It is sort of sad how many of the birds in the book went extinct where the last one was shot by a collector. I wonder if they still would have shot them if they knew it was the last one.
Anyways, hope you can help me get a sense of what would be more desirable, things to focus on more than others, you know.

Malcolm

[sbell]

Any suggestions as to animal figures you might want ot see me make in the near future? Also what is the best scale to make them in? I started some antelope figures in 1/20 scale-so far I have a finished sculpted 1/20 Sable others are just armatures.
I plan on making a series of figures of recently extinct animals, by this I mean to say ones that arent prehistoric- for example- Passenger Pigeon, Carolina Parakeet, Great Auk, Stellers Sea Cow, etc. I have a couple of books out of the library right now on extinct animals. It is sort of sad how many of the birds in the book went extinct where the last one was shot by a collector. I wonder if they still would have shot them if they knew it was the last one.
Anyways, hope you can help me get a sense of what would be more desirable, things to focus on more than others, you know.

Malcolm

Many of them were shot/caught by collectors because they were the last one (or close to it). I know that this was certainly the case for the great auk.

As for species--carnivorans. Not just wolves and lions but good ones--brown hyena, civets, tayra, ratel.  Good, unique colours and looks, and not common as figures. 1:20 to 1:40 would be good. Ideally, keep them in scale with the prehistorics where possible!

[tyrantqueen]

Any suggestions as to animal figures you might want ot see me make in the near future? Also what is the best scale to make them in? I started some antelope figures in 1/20 scale-so far I have a finished sculpted 1/20 Sable others are just armatures.
I plan on making a series of figures of recently extinct animals, by this I mean to say ones that arent prehistoric- for example- Passenger Pigeon, Carolina Parakeet, Great Auk, Stellers Sea Cow, etc. I have a couple of books out of the library right now on extinct animals. It is sort of sad how many of the birds in the book went extinct where the last one was shot by a collector. I wonder if they still would have shot them if they knew it was the last one.
Anyways, hope you can help me get a sense of what would be more desirable, things to focus on more than others, you know.

Malcolm

Personally I'd like some reptiles or amphibians please. A lace monitor or even just some nice geckos.

As for extinct animals, how about a moa?

[OkapiBoy]

You already know what I like, antelopes! and it looks like you are already working on some! Can't wait to see the finished Sable. Please make a Bongo antelope

[Ana]

Beautiful works! I love the owl in particular Looking forward to see also other animals and in smaller scales

[brontodocus]

Hmm, since you are planning to make recently extinct animals and OkapiBoy likes antelopes, Bluebuck comes to mind.

[sbell]

How about a Saiga antelope? They are almost extinct anyway, but very cool--and would fit well as cross-promotion for Pleistocene fans!

[dinonikes]

I plan on making a moa- they are a must on the list of extinct animal figures. I definately had  the Bluebuck in mind- had wondered about the coloring on it- was it really as blue as shown in paintings? I wonder.
I had another request for a Bongo, and do plan on one, have the armature made for that one in fact.

I like the idea for the Saiga antelope, it is an interesting one, and yes, unfortunately will most likely be extinct soon enough.

I was researching passenger pigeons and dodos. Want to make a dodo as the first extinct figure- I guess there were two dodos, the usual one depicted and also a White dodo. I might make the White dodo to be different.
I was reading about passenger pigeons, and it is really mindblowing to think how many there were and that they wereall wiped out in the span of like 50 years.Here are some random things I read about passenger pigeons-

-It is approximated they accounted for 40% of the bird population of N. America
-In 1870, when their numbers were greatly diminished by hunting, a flock 1 mile wide by 320 miles in length flew over Cincinatti.
-In 1806 ornithologist Alexander Wilson went to a passenger pigeon breeding ground in Kentucky and described an area covering 40 miles in length by several miles wide.
-Wilson estimated in 1806 a single flock containing 2,230,232,000 birds. Audubon estimated some years later a flock of 1,015,036,000 birds.
-In 1850 a New York merchant reported selling 18,000 pigeons a day for meat.

One thinig that puzzles me about these huge flocks of pigeons flying around in the 1800's- there abviously were still sizable flocks by the 1870 sighting in Cicinatti- so how come I have never read of any of these huge flocks being a factor during the American Civil War? I picture one of  these huge flocks descending on a battlefield causing mass chaos.

[Varanus]

I would love a moa figure, as well as many other recently extinct species!  Have you considered some of Hawaii's many extinct birds?  They are quite bizarre and could easily be done in 1:1 scale.

[Himmapaan]

Want to make a dodo as the first extinct figure- I guess there were two dodos, the usual one depicted and also a White dodo. I might make the White dodo to be different.

The so-called 'white dodo' was a mistaken idea, I'm afraid. It arose out of the confusion with the (also extinct) Réunion Ibis and paintings of apparently 'white' dodos that were never painted from actual specimens.

[brontodocus]

Ah, the mysterious white Réunion dodo! Yes, that was probably an animal that never existed and reports are now generally considered to refer to the (now extinct) Réunion Flightless Ibis, †Threskiornis solitarius. However, there's a reconstruction of it in the NHM, London (I took the photo in March 2011):

It's reconstructed as being generally very similar to the Mauritius Dodo but again, it's doubtful that it ever existed.

[dinonikes]

I would love a moa figure, as well as many other recently extinct species!  Have you considered some of Hawaii's many extinct birds?  They are quite bizarre and could easily be done in 1:1 scale.

Yes, I think that would a good bunch of models. I really like a lot of the extinct birds from Hawaii, and also New Zealand- and you are right that they would probably be best done in 1/1 scale, a scale I prefer over any other scale to sculpt in, to be honest.

[dinonikes]

Want to make a dodo as the first extinct figure- I guess there were two dodos, the usual one depicted and also a White dodo. I might make the White dodo to be different.

The so-called 'white dodo' was a mistaken idea, I'm afraid. It arose out of the confusion with the (also extinct) Réunion Ibis and paintings of apparently 'white' dodos that were never painted from actual specimens.

Oh well too bad- will just make a dodo.