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Aurora / Revell - 1/13 *Update 1* TRICERATOPS - full face & body lift !


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Hi

Inspired by some of the other great Dinosaurs on the forum, I recently decided to invest in the re-release of the old Aurora Triceratops from Revell.

I first built this back in the 70's when they came to market. Having followed mankind's expanse of dinosaur knowledge over the last 40+ years, I realised that Triceratops was not necessarily what the box art shows it to be. As we don't have any definitive indication of what these gentle old beasts really looked like, I decided to have a bash at making my own version of what I think they could have looked at.

The kit boxing still makes the kit look more like any angry dragon or reptile with Dino features, so this meant a lot of modifications and alterations - along with a LOT of filler - so much in fact that it is now about the same as a brick in weight.

I hope to get this finished for early 2016 - I hope you like it

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Toes sanded down from claws on the original, and leg poses changed

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Neck shield expanded and nose horn moved back and reposed

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Raising the back bone / spine - cheap plastic garden potting sticks worked well to create a new frame

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The kit offers a short fat lizard like tail, I've looked into the Triceratops skeleton and it looks like it would have used it for balance when running (away), so I cut and modified mine

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Thank goodness for cheap Halfords car body filler

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The new shape of the body coming together

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Limb work

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Still looking very messy

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London Natural History Triceratops Skeleton in the background which helped for some of the limb reworking and posing

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I cut out the fangs and moulded some molar type vegie munching teeth instead. I also remade the tongue and added a roof to the top of the mouth as the kit just has an empty head

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Wanting to make as many subtle differences as possible, I thought the kits horns could do with lengthening now that I have changed the beak and nose horn. I drilled some screws into the horns and added springs to help the filler attached itself to

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Adding a proper neck and extending the reach of the head forward

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Still missing most surface detail but showing modified nasal recesses and widened neck frill collar. The nose horn will be re-worked later on

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Extended Horns on

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Not really a clear picture but a flappy loos neck and chin is being built up here

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There will be more coming along soon - I hope to end up with something looking like this when completed

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  • 5 weeks later...

Hi Dino followers

Here are a few update pictures. I'm going to be working down in Gibraltar for the next 6 weeks so the workshop is being put on winter heat while I am away - Triceratops is re-posed but needs her top skin adding when I return to the UK. I've got 11 dino kits on the bench for 2016 - a few are half started and elsewhere on this forum

here we go ...

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patching up the face and adding cheeks

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adding a bit of surface detail to the collar frill prior to being given a scaley top skin

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building up the spine and body shape still - loads of sanding and dust

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adding some under skin muscle guidelines

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incorrect kit eye sockets filled ready for repositioning

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some marker pen notes to guide me through the skin application directions and the areas I need to detail as horn or beak / eye and nose sockets

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That's all now for the next month or so folks - thanks for dino alonging with this..

John

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Amazing!Will any of the original kit be visible :)

probably not ! perhaps the collar frill - I'm away overseas on business and missing my modelling grrr. Gibraltar has a model shop in the back of a newsagent here, nits normally well stocked so I had hoped to get a kit to make in the evenings but all they have in stock at present is a wooden paddle steam boat which is not my thing

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

Any progress? this build reminds me of one of those 'extreme makeover' shows!! :popcorn:

Hi Mrs P

not yet - I should start again once I have my model room set up later this month

that Triceratops of yours was great by the way

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The scope of your build is amazing. Basically you have used the original kit as the internal framework of your creation!

Keep up the fantastic work.

Greg in OK

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Considering what an awful kit you started with, that is darned impressive.

Me likey!

Where did you get the skeletal trike from?

I snabbed a few of the Glencoe skellington kits a while back but I never found a Triceratops.

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Considering what an awful kit you started with, that is darned impressive.

Me likey!

Where did you get the skeletal trike from?

I snabbed a few of the Glencoe skellington kits a while back but I never found a Triceratops.

Hi there

thanks for the comments - in answer to your question about the skeleton, its the British Natural History Museum standard issue cheapo snap fix from the gift shop - pocket money priced if I remember

bye for now - John

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