I'm planning on ordering my first bobcat form so I'm wondering who's forms most of you use? I was looking the McKenzies forms and found one I really like but I'm not familar enough with the bobcat's underlying anatomy to know if the form is acurate or not.
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They are the best ones on the market. You can order them from King's and Van Dykes also.
Research Mannikins also has some good bobcat forms. BP
Do they have a URL? I've never heard of them?
I know that few people can match the attention to detail that's gone into Jan Van Hoesen's bobcats PERIOD. Ken Walker has some excellent ones, but they are for the big northern cats and likely won't fit the smaller southern cousins.
Jan`s cat forms are one of the lowest forms on the market when it comes to facial detail and muscle structure. They don`t even have positive eye sets, which really helps a beginner. A pro can pick up Jan`s forms and make them come out fine, but a beginner would have nothing but trouble...I`ve mounted well over 200 cats in the last 5 years..probably closer to 300 now....it`s either McKenzie`s or Research for me...McKenzie has the best facial detail for accuracy...research has the best muscle tone but their facial detail is not accurate...Lou---take a look at my website if your looking at McKenzie`s and Research Mannikins. I have tons of pictures under the small mammal link...that way you can get a visual of the manikin allready mounted... www.travistaxidermy.net
best wishes
on the last one i mounted and was VERY IMPRESSED with anatomy plus ease of mounting
I guess we're back to "snap together" taxidermy, however Jan's forms are also McKenzie now. I'm guessing you mean Roger Martin's forms. And again, that's just your opinion. Just like the "art" argument, the "best" is only in the eye of the beholder.
Travis, I took a look at your site and you've done some excellent work!
THanks all for the feedback!
Then why is McKenzie asking her to re-sculpt her forms? I guarrantee ya it`s just not because they want the sculpted toes off. They want higher quality manikins/molds so they can remain at the top of the list..bottom line is I`ve probably mounted more cats in the last 5 years than most taxidermists do in 15 years...handled just about every style of manikin on the market..forgive me for not being clear on who sculpts the best manikins for McKenzie`s...course that would be Roger Martin...yes snap together forms would be nice---let`s just put it this way George---If I`m going to spend 65.00 for a manikin I`m going to purchase the best one with the least rework required...I only speak my mind on this issue because I`m tired of buying junk manikins..compared to high quality manikin`s for the same price...How many cats you mounted in the last 5 years george?
I`m not saying Jan doesn`t know her cats---I`m sure she does, but her manikins on a scale of 1 to 10 rank about a 4 in my honest hard working, bobcat mounting opinion! So can I do better---we`ll find out in the next year or two...I honestly think I could sculpt a cat with my eyes closed...not bragging---I just know them too well...
If ya have any questions about a particular manikin just drop me an e-mail...Take care
In FACT, they did NOT ask her to resculpt her forms. Get your facts straight. They asked her permission to modify the molds so as not to include the toes. I know Jan, I spoke to Jan about this at the WTC. Where did YOU come up with that cockamamie story? I looked at your site and I saw your pictures. I haven't mounted nearly as many as you and I don't have a website, but my cats look just as good as yours and I DO use her forms as those of Roger Martin. I clay ALL my mannikins and very few don't get modified in some way or another. But you've gone past your "opinion" into slander of an artist and her forms. There are lots of people who can "sculpt in their sleep" and for the most part, those mannikins look as if they were sculpted by someone who was asleep. Perception is the key here and because YOU don't like them and rate them a "4", doesn't mean squat to others. The market wins in the long run.
somebody not agreeing with your ego...bottom line is opinions are what one believes is the truth..based on credentials is how I make my decisions on other people`s opinions. If I knew somebody who mounted 200 deer a year I believe I would take their opinion on manikins as my own truth. I`m just trying to save a beginner from turning his 1st bobcat into a frustraiting mess of discouragement.I stated above that a pro could take one of Jan`s manikins and make it look great, but as for a beginner he would fight it to the end..Jan said this herself right here on the forumns a few months back that McKenzie wanted her to "resculpt" her manikins without the feet...quite frankly McKenzie`s is loosing their reputation for quality by buying up the market...now that is MY OPINION...I`ll bet ya that within 3 to 5 years alot of these manikins that they bought the rights too will be gone unless they are updated to meet their original quality...yea I`d like to see one of your comp cats compared to mine George...oh please send me a picture...please..slander? Give me a break...quite frankly I remember just a few months ago you and her were fighting like 12 year olds...guess ya guys made up uh? Giving my opinion of a manikin or manikins that are for sale to the public is hardly slander..you saying your cats are as good as mine is slander...lol...
perception is the key? How about 2 hours of reworking the facial detail---I`d call that alot of work compared to setting the eyes and getn`r done...George the bottom line is you can`t handle somebody disagreeing with you, or knowing more than you about a certain subject...I`m sure you or one of your klan could "make my name shi% in the taxidermy industry" if you tried...LOL...that rings a bell uh? If ever there was a guy on this forumn that constantly slanders somebody it is you sir...look in the mirror
I seldom let my personal opinions get in the way of my professional ones. And I can handle anyone disagreeing with me as long as there's some semblance of truth being used, but you talk about MY ego, maybe you're writing something that I'm not reading. I could give a damn if you do 5000 cats. I have a guy across town that does 200 deer a year in his shop and I wouldn't let my dog play with the best one of them. He doesn't have ANY advice I'd want to listen to. Repetition is one thing, but has nothing to do with quality. Since I don't compete, I don't guess I can come close to matching your competition cats, and I'm not going to give you my opinion of your work since I don't put a lot of faith in a picture. I do know that my cats ARE as good as those pictures if not better and I'm not about to start making mannikins nor patting myself on the back for being a proclaimed "expert". You can't attack me since I've admitted for years I'm not in the league with the "big guys" and since I voiced MY OPINION, you can call it slander if you want. I call it MY OPINION. I know that a beginner doing a cat is going to have problems whether he's using Jan's form, Roger Martin's, Tom Ray's, Ken Walkers, YOUR form, or one made by Ivan Harvey. The good thing about a bobcat is that the hide will always fit the form if the measurements are close no matter who makes it.
When I saw this thread, I scrolled through for 2 reasons:
1) your opinion, and that of wildlife-artist, are the only ones I would trust in the realm of bobcats.
Anyone else besides Jonas Bros. employees themselves, is just not as worthy.
You simply do so many of them, and SELL so many of them, that people should trust your opinion. There are others who might have mounted a lot of cats, but how many sell.
and 2) I wanted to ask you how your eye is! Hope all is well, that sure sounded bad.
BAR NONE.