Haast,s eagle

Hello friends ! I start with my new sculpture. I'm excited because I have not been able to model new species for some time and now is the time.
It is the haast eagle "harpagornis moorei". It is a powerful raptor that lived in New Zealand. In its ecosystem it was the equivalent of the lion and the tiger, it fed on large prey (moas) reaching human hunting ...

..." Haast's eagles were one of the largest known true raptors. They had a relatively short wingspan for their size. Short wings may have aided Haast's eagles when hunting in the dense scrubland and forests of New Zealand.
It is believed that these birds are described in many legends of the Māori, under the names Pouakai, Hokioi, or Hakawai. Were huge black-and-white predators with a red crest and yellow-green tinged wingtips..."

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I add a photo of an impressive interpretation made by the sculptor Angel R. Moya, of how the head should be with its coloration accordin...

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The internal metal structure is almost complete. I have varnished the figure and covered with aluminum powder so that the modeling clay can better grip ...

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Nice to see you back on sculpting and looking forward to see this exciting project! Those were surely quite impressive birds!

Incredible project and already a beautiful beginning! Can't wait to see more of this
Also, great to learn something new, I don't think I have heard about this species before

Very exiting and interesting

WOW ! Already the metal skeleton is beautyful

What do you use to cut the metal at those sizes?

this is gonna be good

Thank you Roger.   Yes, it has been a long season in which I have not been able to model and, in fact, since I put this post I have not returned to work on this figure. But this weekend I think I'll be able to continue with it.

Thank you Anna, Susanne, jhudstone, and spinosaurus. I'm glad you like this new project,

Jhudstone, To cut the metal sheet I use simply a pair of scissors, because the sheet is not too thick.

The process continues adding the modeling putty and marking the feathers, more feathers, more feathers ...

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Very exiting and interesting Miguel

Oh wow, it looks stunning already

Thank you Jean Luc and Julie

New phase in the sculpture of the Haast eagle. The process continues adding the modeling putty and marking the feathers, more feathers, more feathers ...
The morphology of this species was very peculiar. The wings were short and wide (for an enormous wing size, around 3 meters in span) and the large tail, to perform better in a semi-forestry ecosystem. In addition, the skull was more elongated than usual, so I wanted to represent these peculiarities in the sculpture of this huge beast ....

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A complicated work has been to make the little claws of this huge animal, with a heart of metal.

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This looks already awesome Miguel! Very nice work! I'm looking forward to the result

Wow, it is really, really impressive!

Thank you Stijn and Anne-Joke !

The figure is already complete, with its legs and claws added. The next step is to model a trunk that serves as a support in a subtle way for the eagle in flight.
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I love it! You truly are an high-level sculptor!

Such talent Amazing, thanks for sharing all your steps through the sculpting proces! And what an amazing creature! I think you captured all its features (and feather ) very well!

This is amazing, work of art. Thank you for the sculpting process.
Please tell the modelling putty/ clay you have used here.

Another masterpiece Miguel!

Thank you for your kind words , wow ! Megaptera, Julie, NRiyaz, Andreas and Joan.

NRiyaz, The resin I use for this figure is Super Sculpey. There are two varieties, the normal (pink) and the "firm" (gray). It is very comfortable to handle adding parts of the figure little by little and cooking it in the oven in between. It can be cooked as many times as you want.

Final photos of the figure, with the trunk added. The next step is to make the mold (which I think is going to be complicated too) .

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Thank you for the reply sir, its looking more amazing now, I really like the sharp talons

Wow! This is looking great!

Thank you so much NRiyaz and barki !

Miguel wonderful model