Commonwealth Games Raging Bull creator shares what it is really made out of
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Commonwealth Games Raging Bull creator shares what it is really made out of

Dec 09, 2023

It was assumed the 10 metre high Raging Bull is made out of steel but it is not

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The maker of the 'Raging Bull' have revealed what the stunning model is made out of. It could be assumed that the 10-metre-high red eyed structure which wowed millions globally when it stormed into Commonwealth Games opening ceremony was constructed from steel or other heavy duty metal.

But Mike Kelt, chair of special effects company Artem, has disclosed it is actually made from aluminium tubing, foam and plastic. The whole structure has been painted over to resemble metal and armour.

Around 60 workers constructed the bull in the firm's London workshop over five months. It was pulled into the Alexander Stadium by a gang of female chainmakers representing the Industrial Revolution and in an act of defiance broke free before being 'tamed' by a worker.

Read More: I went to Alexander Stadium ahead of the Commonwealth Games - and tested the food, seats, Wi-Fi and even the toilets

Mr Kelt said: "The structure of the Bull is lightweight, constructed of aluminium truss to give a strong frame from which everything is either hung, like the legs, or supported from below by the telehandler.

"The ribs are also made from thin aluminium which was all sourced locally around Birmingham. All this structure is clad with a dense foam, pattern cut, assembled and painted to look like steel.

"The horns and tops of the legs are very thin fibreglass to be light as well as structural. The tail, shaped like an anchor, and the chains that the women pulled the Bull into the stadium with, were made of very high density foam machined on our CNC router. (A computer controlled cutting machine.)

"The small chains from the Bull's throat to its belly are plastic designed to sway with its movement like the neck of a real bull. The eyes are resin and thin brass and nose ring fibreglass."

After the ceremony, it was transported along city road with a police escort to Centenary Square where it has been attracting crowds of tens of thousands of people who watch live shows on the hour.

It is only due to remain on public view for the duration of the games but a vigorous campaign is underway to find it a permanent home. Mike has said the beast was too big to easily store anywhere.

"There are bits in it that have to be taken out, so if it was going to exist forever, somebody would have to pay for those bits to stay in it," he said.

"That isn't an enormous sum of money, but I think storage is the problem. And to move it somewhere is also a problem. It takes quite a bit of effort to move it."

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