The Guy Who Built a Monster
for a Smithsonian Museum
Lives Right Here in Ridgefield
I found Jason Morris the way you find a lot of things — scrolling Reddit late at night, jaw dropping. A Ridgefield guy. A data analyst. A 6'9" gentle giant who built a life-sized Deathclaw in his barn and got it into a Las Vegas museum affiliated with the Smithsonian. So I sent him a message on Instagram, and two hours later I knew I had to write about him.
The Deathclaw, now permanently installed in the World of Fallout exhibit at the National Atomic Testing Museum — a Smithsonian affiliate — in Las Vegas.
Jason Morris does not consider himself an artist — he said so plainly, and with a kind of humble certainty I found surprising, considering his creation.
"I don't think the art world would call me an artist either. I'm just making things I think are cool."
A Printer, and Then a Barn
In 2023 Jason Morris got a 3D printer and started, well... printing stuff. Magnets, little toys, you know - the 3d output we now see almost everywhere. But soon Jason's projects got bigger. Bigger meant more space. Eventually the Morris family built an actual barn on their Ridgefield property just to house everything Jason has made. The hobby required a dedicated structure. That tells you most of what you need to know.
His process is more involved than it sounds. For large pieces, he welds a metal skeleton first — an internal armature that gives the work its scale and structure. Then he designs, prints, and assembles hundreds of individual 3D-printed sections like an enormous puzzle. Once assembled, he paints and finishes by hand: spray paint, detail work, weathering, whatever the piece calls for.
The barn holds a life-sized Alien xenomorph, a giant fork, a T-rex skull large enough to genuinely startle you, a Velma head from Scooby-Doo, and much more. He is currently working on a giant banana — very much a banana, very much in progress, very much giving Andy Warhol energy.
Velma, mid-process — not yet painted, but already unmistakably Velma.
How a Ridgefield Guy Ended Up in a Smithsonian Museum
When Jason heard that the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas — a Smithsonian Institution affiliate — was building a World of Fallout exhibit with Bethesda Softworks, he called the curator. He had already started building a Deathclaw on a whim (because of course) . The museum said yes. They worked together through the process, and his piece now stands in the exhibit permanently.
Jason and Deathclaw in various stages of growth.
Vegas local news outlet News3LV covered it. His Reddit post about delivering the piece crossed one million views. He seemed, when we talked, genuinely still a little overwhelmed that it got as far as it did — not false modesty, just honest surprise.
Magnets, a Skull, and First Saturdays
You may have already seen Jason, his magnets, and his T-Rex already. In the past he has brought his art (yes, art because yes, Jason is an artist) to a First Saturday tent downtown. Just for fun.
The magnets he brings to First Saturdays. Cheerful, small, and very much at odds with his other output.
That detail, more than anything else, told me who Jason Morris is. He is not building toward a storefront. He is not trying to monetize the barn. He just likes showing people things that surprise them.
- Jason is open to custom projects — reach out via Instagram or his website.
- He sells smaller pieces on Etsy at dragonfoot3d.
- This is a passion, not a shop — be a decent human about it.
- Find him at First Saturdays from time to time, usually with magnets and a dinosaur skull.
The Timeline, in Brief
Gets into 3D printing. Falls completely down the rabbit hole.
Builds a life-sized Alien, a giant fork, a T-rex skull, and a growing collection of large-scale pieces.
The collection outgrows the house. The family builds a barn to hold everything.
Hears the Atomic Museum is doing a Fallout exhibit. Calls the curator. Has already started building a Deathclaw on a whim. Museum says yes.
Delivers the Deathclaw to Las Vegas. Vegas news covers it. Reddit post hits one million views.
Deathclaw officially unveiled in the World of Fallout exhibit.
Working on a giant banana. Very banana. Not yet painted. Already great.
Follow the Journey
Jason documents his work on Instagram as @dragonfoot3d. His website is dragonfoot3d.com For custom work: [email protected].
Ridgefield has a guy who built a barn for his hobby, got his work into a Smithsonian museum, and still shows up at First Saturdays with a dinosaur skull just to share it. I thought you should know.
Know someone in Ridgefield doing something remarkable? We want to hear about it at meanwhileinridgefield.com.
