A Rainbow Boxer in Tennessee: How We Built the Giant Peacock Mantis Shrimp

—Mira Bryant; Tuesday, November 7, 2025

If you’re visiting the Tennessee Aquarium, you may meet a new splashy neighbor—our Peacock Mantis Shrimp sculpture! It’s bold, it’s bright, and it’s 500 times larger than life, but every curve and color started with science and craft.

Step 1: Dream it (and measure everything)

We begin in our Texas studio with research, sketches, and in-house 3D modeling. The mantis shrimp’s shapes are wonderfully complex—leaf-like antennal scales, segmented armor, and those famous raptorial “boxing gloves.” Our artists block out the form, then refine every plate line, joint, and proportional cue until the digital maquette passes an internal accuracy review. We also consult subject-matter specialists to confirm the details that make this species unmistakable.

Step 2: Scale it up—way up

When the model is approved, we scale it to a show-stopping size—roughly 500× its real-world length—and prepare it for large-format printing. The digital shell is sliced into printable sections with hidden keys and structural mounts so it assembles precisely on our shop floor.

Step 3: From prints to perfect surfaces

Large prints arrive with seams and layer lines, so the real artistry begins:

• Heat-weld & epoxy the internal seams for strength.

• Body-fill and fair the exterior, then sand through multiple grits (think 80 → 120 → 220 → 320+).

• Apply high-build primer and a light guide coat, wet-sand, spot-fill, and repeat until the surface is buttery smooth and museum-ready.

It’s meticulous, hands-on work—the difference between “big” and believable.

Step 4: Color that shimmers

Peacock mantis shrimp aren’t just colorful; they’re layered. To echo that look without over-glossing, our painters use a multi-pass airbrushing workflow:

• Opaque base tones to map the pattern.

• Transparent glazes to build depth.

• Iridescent/pearlescent accents in select panels to suggest that famous structural shimmer.

• Micro-mottling, speckling, and edge-softening so nothing reads “flat.”

• A durable clear coat tailored to the exhibit’s light and traffic conditions.

Step 5: The tiny things (that make a huge difference)

We finish with hand-placed hair-like setae on key features and layered eye details for that “alive” sparkle. These touches are subtle, but they pull guests closer—and that’s where curiosity takes over.

Why we build this way

We’re relationship-first. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with our team and outside specialists keeps the science honest and the storytelling strong. When the details are right, families notice, children ask better questions, and everyone leaves with a little more awe for the wild world.

Thank you, Tennessee!

To our partners at the Tennessee Aquarium: thank you for your vision, hospitality, and passion for inspiring the next generation of ocean advocates. We loved seeing this rainbow powerhouse find its perfect reef in your lobby.

Built in Texas. Crafted with care. Made to spark wonder.

Learn more about us: billingsproductions.com/about