Reproduction heads vs Bird skull

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http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,54694.msg335065.html#msg335065

http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,328962.msg2240705.html#msg2240705

 

Artificial heads save time, don't shrink, and the end result us the quality of your paint job. In a pinch I use actual head, but not very often.

 

Can't add much to that other than heads can be painted ahead of time,, before ducks for instance start coming in.I really like the way they paint up.

 

It's a matter of choice these days, however with some of my rare birds in my collection, I prefer to use the real head so that there value as a specimen is maximized because they are complete

 

I prefer the real head. yes, it's more work but, well to me, it's just cooler. I mean after a fake body, wires, and all the other crap that goes into a bird, it's nice to be able to keep as much of the real bird as possible. IMO

 

I've used only one artificial head and it was on a golden pheasant - I didn't have time to clean and dry the real head (which is my preference). Though it painted up nicely, I didn't particularly like the density of the material it was made with (very hard).
I much prefer using the real head, even on ducks. I use Redwolf's method: http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,247212.0.html

 

One important thing that is not often mentioned is head shape and anatomy. This is much more difficult to get correct with natural head. Often getting a puffy head with incorrect shape and anatomy.