Mrs PlaStix Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 (edited) Hi all. I've finally got around to posting about starting the building of my Triceratops. This is the second model that I'll have built for, well, many years. Back ground: Mr PlaStix suggested that I take part in the Starter Set Group Build and I found an Airfix Mary Rose kit to make. I really enjoyed making it, spending time with Mr P and learning different techniques for painting, putting on decals, etc.. So I decided to look for something else to have a go at. Mr P had mentioned that there were dinosaur kits and I found some at one of our regular model shops when we went to Birmingham. I chose the Tamiya 1:35 Triceratops Eurycephalus kit because of the scene in 'Jurassic Park' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JylK4HuKMvQ During my research I also found why the Triceratops's got sick... Anyway I bought the kit, finished off the Mary Rose and got started. I had a minor panic when I thought the instructions were in Japanese - but then found the English version underneath. There aren't too many parts and they're not too fiddly also there are no decals which was a relief after the tiny ones on Mary Rose. The surface is quite nicely detailed with lumps, bumps and creases in the right places. I like the expression on the face. Cutting it out after I'd washed it all was not as scary as the first attempts on the Mary Rose, I didn't break anything! After filing and sanding down I was allowed to use the 'proper' glue to fix the legs, head and body bits together. I was advised to use the tape to help support it until the glue dried. There will be quite a few areas which will require filling, that's the next thing for Mr P to teach me... The long weekend beckons and I'm avoiding the garden, so hopefully more progress to follow! Edited June 4, 2016 by Mrs PlaStix 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 A very good start on the dino, Mrs P! Since it'sr relatively simple to build, it seems the real challenge will be the painting stage Very curious to see how it turns out. Cheers Jaime 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share Posted April 29, 2016 Thanks Jaime, you're quite right - but when sticking bits together I managed to get quite confused several times! I have absolutely zero spatial awareness! Painting will be challenging, not just working out the colour scheme but also practising different techniques on a larger surface. Fortunately I've got Mr P plus all these excellent examples to help me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 I'm curious too Dinosaurs aren't normally my thing, but if you don't mind, I'd like to give you a word of advice: although the parts are "empty", I would add some metal pins to strengthen the bond between body and legs/head. Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share Posted April 29, 2016 Thanks for the tip Giemme, good to hear before I glue her together too! See this really is a great site for helpful support. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 I don't think you realise what you've let yourself in for with this kit. Once its done you'll look at it standing there and you'll think; it needs to be standing amongst jungly type plants ~~~~~ which leads you on to getting a board or frame and making a diorama scene for it stand in and be displayed. Just kidding [sort of] 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share Posted April 29, 2016 (edited) Great minds think alike Black Knight! I'd already got to thinking about that having seen some of the other threads. Am negotiating the acquisition of some of Mr P's palm trees and scenery. Having said that our garden is so overgrown I could just use It as a backdrop... Edited April 29, 2016 by Mrs PlaStix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red five Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 I did enjoy the old Airfix dinosaur kits. In fact I still have them in a big box in the attic with my Aurora monsters. Takes me back! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Hi Red five, I'll have to look them up... glad to have helped you reminisce ! I've been busy working on her this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 (edited) Post deleted due to errors. Edited April 30, 2016 by Mrs PlaStix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Time to get Triceratops out for next session... Taking off the masking tape I realised that there is a lot more filing and sanding required to get her looking good. There's quite a lot of flash - another term new to me, to remove and some bits which don't quite match up perfectly, Mr P says he'll teach me how to fill any gaps. I spent an hour or so filing and sanding my triceratops - not a sentence that I ever thought I'd ever write!! It was extremely therapeutic, sat in the kitchen chatting occasionally with Mr P as he worked on his kit. I was also watching baby squirrels playing in the tree in the back garden. She's not quite right yet and I haven't started on her legs, but it's a long weekend, so I should get her fitted together, especially if the weather stays so changeable. I want to give her a name, but all the ones I've come up with so far have been vetoed as supposedly sounding like 'Stripper' names... suggestions welcomed (?) - I'd really like the name to start with T ....so T........... the Triceratops. Later that same day: Mr P decided that she needed facial surgery as she lacked a top palate and a tongue... he initially suggested using filler but then, after a little thought, decided to use some spare parts from one of his builds. You can see it if you look very closely I'm not skilled enough to attempt this and so merely acted as his assistant during the operation. Since then I got on with giving her a major pedicure, cleaning up the joins on her legs. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Hmm, exactly how did Mr Stix become so familiar with 'stripper' names, I'd like to know? Off to an excellent start there Mrs Stix, and filling will be a useful lesson to learn for any later builds you might do. Sanding and filing too, though they aren't the most enjoyable parts of the hobby, are worth learning how to do properly and you have an extremely competent teacher in Mr Stix. I look forward to seeing your progress, Cheers, Stew 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Aye up Mrs P, That there tongue looks great! Interested in seeing this one progress and look forward to seeing how you tackle the painting stage. Regards, Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Thanks Stew, good question I have absolutely no idea !! I need to master the basics if I'm going to make half decent models... and as I said it's quite satisfying to do the filing and sanding for a while.Any suggestions for a suitable name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Hi Steve - glad you added your name, 'fatfingers' doesn't quite seem right as a salutation...Thanks for the greeting.and your interest. Mr P did make a good job of the tongue! Still working on the colour scheme, several ideas, but slightly sidetracked at the moment by trying to find her a name. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Thanks Stew, good question I have absolutely no idea !! I need to master the basics if I'm going to make half decent models... and as I said it's quite satisfying to do the filing and sanding for a while.Any suggestions for a suitable name? I just googled 'Famous British Strippers' to try to find a funny name for you; no doubt that will throw up some interesting choices in my future google search results, and I still didn't find a name... How about Dora? It's the name of my local Italian chippy in Dundee and sounds nothing like a stripper's name (I imagine) Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Cheers Stew, food for thought - I think that you may need to come up with a more convincing excuse than " I was trying to come up with a name for a triceratops" if anyone ever checks your search history!!! There's a few Dora's - 'the Explorer' , Dora Bryan, Dora O'Briain (oops no, Dara) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 (edited) Nice work so far (one can see Stix's hand here, great idea about the tongue). How about Tubby the Triceratops for the name? Doesn't sound like a stripper name to me, but then I'm not British... Ciao Edited April 30, 2016 by giemme 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 "Tubby" might make her a little self conscious...!! But it is quite apt I suppose. Thanks for the suggestion giemme. I'll add it to Dora on my list of possible names... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 'Tubby' the Triceratops does have a nicely alliterative quality Cheers, Stew 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadgaddad Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 I asked my children and they suggested Topsy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 Hi dadgaddad lovely name,thank them for me! It's one of my favourites so far. Great that you asked them to help! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) I've been called far worse than fatfingers I can tell you! What about Trixie the Triceratops? Got a nice ring to it don't you think? 😉 Regards Steve Edited May 1, 2016 by fatfingers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Hi Mrs P! Nice to see you're progressing. You're now in that part of the build I like the least: filling, filing and sanding... I can't say I have a sure fire method to deal with it... I just throw a combination of techniques at it and hope for the best: putty diluted in enamel thinner applied with a paintbrush, super-glue, sanding sticks, files, wet&dry... Whenever possible I try to use the melted plastic that oozes off the seams as a "natural" filler, but some kits or some joins do not "ooze" at all. I still have to try white glue, which I read could be simple to apply and to remove the excess. Hope you devise a method that suits you. Cheers Jaime 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs PlaStix Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 Hi Steve (fatfingers) Thanks - That was my original idea, strangely enough... So Dora, Tubby, Topsy or Trixie. Anyway I've got on and done a little more this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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