This looks rad. I love how the pilot's mechanised helmet fits the shapes of the beast, like us wearing an Eagle helmet. The teeth-beak at the top of that first image is killer.
Thinking silhouette tonight, played with the model blockout a bit too (not pictured, just color/proportions). Included is a diagram of how I will probably handle the feathers. Unrelated to the tech side, I want to illustrate their similarity/integration with potential scales by having them gradually fade out in…