Copyright Notice:

All mannikins/forms have been modelled by John Gordon and are protected by copyright. Casting or copying any of these forms or any parts of them is strictly prohibited.

© - John Gordon - All Rights Reserved

Cougar Form # 900 Sculpted in Clay

Dimensions: 3 1/4" X 17 1/4" X 52 1/2" X 30 1/2"
E-N X Neck X Length X Chest

In sculpting this cougar mannikin, consideration was given to the pose as well as the size.

Pose:

The goal was to create a natural look that would appeal to both taxidermists and their clients. The uphill positioning and the dramatic turn in the body of this form, were designed to impart some action, which has been momentarily interrupted, capturing the cat in mid-stride.

Size:

In our experience, most of the male cougars being mounted life-size, are from 52-54 inches in body length and have a chest circumference of 30-31 inches. Therefore, we chose a cat within this category for a reference subject and created a form that will fit these specimens with minimal adjustments.The form also includes the full feet for those that choose to utilize this feature.

Our objective was to produce a mannikin that was user friendly,had artistic flair and would fit many cougar specimens.

We encourage you to try this mannikin, you'll be pleased with the results.

Our Cougar Form # 905, is designed to fit specimens in the next size category up from our # 900. The chest and shoulders are larger than those on the # 900, which is where male cats gain most of their bulk as they mature.

Although the pose is similar to the # 900, note that the head is more elevated, the scapulars are more pronounced and there is slightly more turn to the neck. The final result is a distinctly different attitude with this, our newest addition.

The # 905 Cougar incorporates our # 101 Change-out head. As a user friendly feature, the front right (raised) leg is cast separately, allowing this paw and leg to be mounted on the workbench before assembly. Another feature of the separate front leg is that the relief cuts are already done.

As with the Cougar # 800, and our Front 1/2 Bear # 111, the attachment of this leg simply requires some latex caulking for adhesive and to blend the joint. At this point a few sharpened 3/32" braising rods are driven in to hold it in place until the mount is dry. These are counter-sunk below the hide during the mounting process and remain permanently in the mount.

This form also easily fits our Summit Wall Mount Base

Cougar Form # 800 was designed to fit either mature female cougars or smaller toms. The position of this form displays the cat in a manner that maximizes its perceived size. This is accomplished in two ways, first by keeping the body upright, showing the full depth and second by spreading the front legs, which increases the perceived width of the chest.

Features:

• Again, we've kept the taxidermist in mind when casting the form. Both the hind legs and the head are cast separately. This allows the rear legs and feet to be sewn on the workbench prior to mounting and the head can be done in this manner if you so choose.

• The hind legs are cast so that the relief cuts are already done for you. When it comes time to attach the legs to the form, you need only to apply some latex caulking, as both an adhesive, and to blend the junction, then simply drive in 2 or 3 sharpened 3/32" braising rods to complete the attachment.

• As a final feature, this form was made to fit the Summit Wall Mount Base, if you prefer to use it, instead of starting from scratch. In fact, the support half of our base alone, ($195.00) will work for this form, by adding a little to it (see photos above).

As with all of our other forms, this one has features that allow for ease of use, to save you time.

Features:

• Detached legs allow the taxidermist to mount the feet and legs on the workbench. This makes sewing and working on the feet much faster and easier. Once that stage is complete, the cape is sewn onto the form like a shoulder mount. The keyways make positioning of the legs easy, using latex caulking as the adhesive and simply driving in several sharpened 3/32" braising rods will make the final attachment.

• The form comes with a 3/4 inch plywood backboard installed, and another 3/4 inch plywood block in the chest to attach the habitat base. This gives you the choice of installing the wall hanger on either the bear or the base.

• The form comes with a T-Hanger which eliminates any problems with leveling the mount on the wall.

This form will add variety to the choices for you and your clients. It is a great alternative to a small rug, especially for those unique color phases. This form presents the bear in a relaxed and natural way that many find appealing.

It was our great love and respect for badgers that inspired us to develop this form. Having hunted and trapped many of these animals and spent countless hours observing them, allowed us to bring you a form that we believe expresses the essence of this unique little carnivore.

As with our other forms, we've designed it with user-friendly features.

Features:

• The front legs that are cast separately. This allows you to case skin your specimen, which reduces the amount of sewing needed and also allows you to mount the front legs on your workbench before you put the hide on the form. The keyways allow for easy positioning of the legs and as with the bear form #111above, some latex caulking and sharpened 3/32" braising rod is all that is needed to complete the attachment.

• A 3/4 inch plywood block poured in the area between the rear legs that allows the taxidermist to attach the mounted badger to its base by running a screw from the underside of base up into the mount.

NOTE: This form has a radical bend in the body and requires a number of relief cuts to accommodate the extra hide. Please refer to our technical support section for a picture of a prepared form.