A Skull Built to Stand Eye to Eye With

Ronald Rex is a life-size, hand-sculpted Tyrannosaurus Rex skull standing 2m tall. It is cast in Unfound Creations' custom low-carbon, glass-fibre-reinforced concrete (GRC), finished in a sealed bronze powder that gives the surface the depth and patina of cast bronze, without the weight or cost.

The upper skull mounts to a powder-coated, matt black steel post welded to a heavy steel base. The base rides on polyurethane castors, so the piece can be repositioned easily on a smooth floor despite its scale. It is dressed in a rock-effect GRC covering, into which a bronze identification plaque is set. The lower jaw is mounted separately to the upper skull by hooks and rests on the base below.

No 3D printing, CNC machining, or moulds were used at any stage. Ronald Rex is a one-off work, sculpted freehand from numerous image references of the most complete T-Rex skulls discovered to date, its form and strength built up entirely in GRC over an internal wire and glass-scrim armature.

It was made with a more universal intent. In most museums, a fossil skull is kept behind glass, at a distance, viewed rather than encountered. Ronald Rex removes that barrier. Standing at true scale and at eye level, it invites viewers to marvel at the fact that what they are looking at is an anatomical match for what once lived: an actual Tyrannosaurus Rex, not a diagram or a model of one.

The skull was chosen as subject because it is anatomically complex, and because it rewards close, unguarded looking. Every socket, suture and tooth was sculpted to read as genuine fossil texture, with the bronze finish and subtle patina giving the piece the presence of a cast bronze work. Sculpted over several months through 2025, Ronald Rex was made as a showcase of what GRC can achieve in skilled hands, and as a means for Unfound Creations to push past what the studio had previously done with the material.

Built to Be the Room's Centrepiece

Ronald Rex is best placed indoors, within a predefined, well-lit space where it can be approached and enjoyed at close range: an atrium, a library, a lobby, a cellar door, or a living room with a view. It suits settings where family, guests or customers gather and where a single, arresting object can anchor the space, from a private residence to a hotel reception, a winery tasting room, or a hospitality venue with a natural connection to natural history.

Its castored base means that, despite its scale and weight, it can be moved and repositioned on a smooth floor without specialist equipment.

Some of the making-of process videos can be found on our Instagram profile @unfound.co.nz

Available for purchase. For more information, please get in touch!

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