T-Rex.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

So would you be cool with the rather loose GB definition Mike?

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

I have just had some fun with a sanding stone fitted to my mini-drill

You wouldn't know from looking at this photo that I had created a big pile of dust.

 

 

I decided to try and paint the thing with my homemade soup which is just a load of plastic left to melt in a bottle of liquid poly.Hope it dries.The bottom leg hasn't been done but was included to show that the soup settles to its own level which hopefully will fill in the trenches.

It looks like this.

[Gimme Shelter]

Hi Scimitar

 

Good to see new pictures of your work - this will be a fun topic to follow now that you have ventured into modifications. One things is for sure, the model can only look 100% better than when it came out of its factory moulds now that you are adding dino-lib to your work.

 

Keep calm and Cretaceous era on..

 

John

 

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

8 hours ago, Gimme Shelter said:

Keep calm and Cretaceous era on..

Gremlins at work here as I just popped in to edit last post to find it wasn't there!

 

I certainly will need that John .

The soup mixture worked well and will probably need about three applications,so I won't bore you with that bit.

Whilst working on her for about an hour tonight,the Airfix Victor kept giving me dirty looks so I ignored that and started chopping up the Airfix Shackelton to make an MR1A as used by MOTU.

See us Britmodellers..always cutting something up!

Richard

 

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

Continuing with the cutting up theme,I cut off the nose and tail from the Airfix Shackelton so while I still had saw in hand I got stuck into T-Rex.

I am making the tail longer hence that cut.

The neck looked wrong so cut that. The neck where it joins the head looked so artificial that I cut off the front of that too.

Not content with that,I thought that the upper body looked as if she was twisted and deformed so a cut was made there too. This will be wedged to straighten it vertically and horizontally.

Some rough sanding and filling completed about an hour's work.

Unfortunately grey filler on grey plastic doesn't show up too well but I can assure you that she has been re-contoured a bit.

So tonight's work saw me get a bit carried away but where's the fun in a straight build ?

Richard

 

 

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

Life got in the way of modelling again but spent a couple of hours yesterday and again today.

I used scrap plastic in copious amounts and got this

 

I then mixed Milliput and this is the outcome

 

 

Unfortunately despite mixing to ensure that it was all the same colour,it hasn't hardened properly.

What do I do about that?

Richard

(and I'll need to do something about her feet)

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

Re the  milliput staying soft. I decided that I would try covering the whole lot with my 'soup' only to find that the lid is welded solid and no amount of molegrip action will unscrew it.

So for all of you who have got shares in greenstuff here's what resulted. Strangely enough the milliput has now hardened after 3 days.

I am still working on her left arm area by lowering the left arm so that it is level with the right.

You will see that I have cut off her claws. She will have new ones later.

So much for the quick out of box fun build

I'd appreciate any advice from you guys and guyesses out there on whether or not she looks ok so far.

I am not too worried about having a perfect finish at this stage as 90% of her is going to be covered with her plumage.

Richard

 

 

[gareth]

If you're still interested in making her as accurately then you'll have to change the posture. I think most current research suggest that the head should be near or at the same level as the tail, similar to this:  http://blog.dopeawards.com/?p=992                                               

 

For feathers i remember reading a paper recently that suggests T-Rex would have had a "downy feather" covering, however i still think it would have had a covering much closer to that of an emu personally. FYI this is how most current research is showing the feathers however this dinosaur is a very distant relation of T-Rex so probably would have been different on T-Rex. https://phys.org/news/2016-12-amber-specimen-rare-glimpse-feathered.html

 

Also if you are really interested in making her as accurate as possible, there was a seminar recently that suggests dinosaurs would have had some kind of gums/lips to cover the teeth. This idea is based on teeth not being able to deal with drying out so realistically there must have been a covering of the teeth see here  https://mic.com/articles/144100/tyrannosaurus-rex-probably-had-giant-full-gums-and-lips-that-covered-its-ferocious-teeth

 

BTW she's looking good ! Before seeing this i never realised dinosaur kits had ever been made, may have to add one to the stash !

 

Gareth

 

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2017 by gareth

[wyverns4]

Hi Scimitar,

 

I have just caught up with the real world and have found your build! I like the conversion/correction/updating/modification/rebuilding, (delete as required), that you are doing to this rather uninspiring relic of the old world view of dinosaurs.

 

As for a feathery plumage. All the known examples of Tyrannosaurus rex are skeletal and remarkably incomplete, the most complete, 90%), being 'Sue', HMNH PR2081 recovered from South Dakota in 1990. Thus there is no direct evidence from the fossil record that Tyrannosaurus rex was feathered.  Rather it is inferred from other fossilised members of the suborder Theropoda which have been recovered showing evidence for feathers. These have mostly been recovered from China. As such these are flat impressions which give almost no information as to the arrangement of the feathers on the body other than some general size distribution, (some have longer feathers on arms, tail and dorsal ridge; shorter feathers elsewhere). An interesting specimen, a 3 D feathered dinosaur tail preserved in Amber, (mentioned above by Gareth), was reported recently from northern Burma/Myanmar. IIRC this showed that 3 lateral ridges of slightly longer feathers along the dorsal spine and approximately 120⁰ positioned from there. 

As for the teeth it has long been indicated that there was some form of covering for the teeth, as indicated by the medial ornamentation on teeth.

 

HTH! 

 

Christian, Britmodeller's tame(ish) Palaeontologist

[Gimme Shelter]

Hi Scimitar

 

Good work coming along there. Pleased to know your sticking with the build - don't let it get to you - I've enjoyed watching your prehistoric plastic surgery so far

 

John

 

 

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

19 hours ago, gareth said:

 

If you're still interested in making her as accurately

 

Those are good links Gareth but this was always going to be,I suppose, a 'what if?' T-Rex.

As the madness caught up I decided that he was to be she in a total role reversal. See earlier scribbles.

The reasons for that pose will all be revealed (hopefully)

Like you I never realised that there were decent kits out there but after looking at  the amazing builds on here I may yet be tempted .

10 hours ago, wyverns4 said:

Thus there is no direct evidence from the fossil record that Tyrannosaurus rex

Hi Christian.

Glad my build hasn't been an affront to your 'trade' and that I haven't driven you to drink.

I can safely say without fear of contradiction that what started off as an approximation of a T-Rex (Spaddad is having a good laugh!) now bears even less resemblance to what we think the real thing looked like.

She will not be feathered like a modern bird but she will have prototype feathers which I see as being like the quills without all the fluffy bits.By the time she's finished the term feather may even have disappeared.

Looking at the teeth (that's only a base white) I really think they're awful.I toyed with the idea of removing them and closing her mouth but that would defeat the purpose of her calling for a mate.

I'll need to research lips I suppose.

 

I appreciate all of you taking the time to assist

 

Thanks

Richard

(Still ignoring the Victor but working on the Shackelton)

[spaddad]

On 01/01/2017 at 2:32 PM, Scimitar said:

Happy New Year Mrs P (and Mr P of course)

Spaddad sent me a partially started kit so I don't know which one.

I don't know about you nicking my ideas though..a total beginner as far as dinosaurs go.

I think that I would be lynched if I was to paint her extra dark sea grey on top and white underneath..mind you she could wear a yellow and black checked scarf 

Richard

 

Tamiya

Doh! should have read whole thread before posting, when will I learn, it's not like it's the first time. I'll get me coat.

Edited January 18, 2017 by spaddad

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

On 18/01/2017 at 9:55 PM, spaddad said:

it's not like it's the first time

It's an age thing..trust me Dave 

Miss T has been subject to some sanding and more re-contouring so nothing to photograph. Share prices in greenstuff and humbrol continue to rise.

RG

[Gimme Shelter]

hey Richard

 

how's old rexy coming along at your end these days - keep up the prehistorically good work. Just in case you feel inspired to "go large" on another model and make of Rexy, try this link for some ideas that I added late in 2016

 

- these 2 are Rex's of a totally different bad-bottom nature but very costly - but quite superb if you can get your hands on them.

 

John

[wyverns4]

On 1/18/2017 at 10:09 PM, Scimitar said:

Hi Christian.

Glad my build hasn't been an affront to your 'trade' and that I haven't driven you to drink.

I can safely say without fear of contradiction that what started off as an approximation of a T-Rex (Spaddad is having a good laugh!) now bears even less resemblance to what we think the real thing looked like.

She will not be feathered like a modern bird but she will have prototype feathers which I see as being like the quills without all the fluffy bits.By the time she's finished the term feather may even have disappeared.

Looking at the teeth (that's only a base white) I really think they're awful.I toyed with the idea of removing them and closing her mouth but that would defeat the purpose of her calling for a mate.

I'll need to research lips I suppose.

 

I appreciate all of you taking the time to assist

 

Thanks

Richard

(Still ignoring the Victor but working on the Shackelton)

 

Hi Richard,

 

No affront taken and no need to worry about sending me to drink; exile in africa sees to that! It is great to see all these dinosaurs being built, especially so when so much attention is being applied to finishing them as accurately as possible. Makes me very humble.

 

As for lips, have a look at Iguana and Komodo dragon images, or any other 'lipped' lizard for inspiration, (that's what Paleontologists have done).

 

If there is anything that you would like to query or discuss, or if I can help in any way, please just contact me.

 

Christian, exiled to africa

 

 

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

On 20/01/2017 at 11:54 AM, Gimme Shelter said:

how's old rexy coming along at your end these days

She was staring at me when I was in the loft (aka workshop) at 0300 whilst investigating strange rustling noises which I thought were mice.

Turns out it was a couple of Starlings building a nest. It's January..what calendar are they using ?

 

Once I've finished my coffee I shall climb the ladder and do a bit more work on the Shackelton and then have a look at her.

I found some very thin sponge type membrane which I am considering using to give skin texture on her legs and undersides.

Her topsides covering remains classified at moment so as to tease you all a wee bit (or more likely so that I can bin it without embarrassment)

Richard

Not worth starting another part so updated this one.

Spent a couple of hours earlier on both Dino and Shackelton.

The very thin membrane for her skin didn't work but I found an alternative which I will photograph later. I got a bit carried away ..you know how it goes..just a little bit more !

RG

 

[Gimme Shelter]

 wot .... no more Rexy ..... Starlings nesting this early ..... they must be very tough Scottish birds .... get the bird feeder loaded and stocked up. My Sherfield starlings are still in hibernation or overseas enjoying a bit of winter sun

 

GRRRRRR

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

4 hours ago, Gimme Shelter said:

Sherfield starlings are still in hibernation

46 of them on the wires at back of house this morning.

Dino and other models taking a back seat at moment due to family issues but she will appear from time to time.

Richard

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

Not much in the way of modelling this week due to mother-in-law taking ill last weekend. She died peacefully in her sleep early yesterday morning. She was almost 93 and was active right up to the start of this year.

So as a distraction...

I decided to cover her in something to save my sanity and supplies of model filler.

I tried using some very thin foam which came off an old ironing board cover but that didn't work.

Got a fake leather jacket from charity shop and this is being used for her skin. Long way to go but this is where she is at

You will see that I have removed all of her claws. New ones are being made from milliput.

Richard

[Mrs PlaStix]

Sorry to hear about your loss, glad that modelling is helping to keep you occupied. 

 

Okay this is going to be an extremely fashion conscious Dino! First the scarf and now the biker jacket... What next - High heels and sequins?  Don't forget to give her claws a layer of nail varnish!!  

 

She's still looking tons better than the original kit.

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

4 minutes ago, Mrs PlaStix said:

Don't forget to give her claws a layer of nail varnish!!

So you noticed the tip of her tail then?

Her tail tip has a spike at the end. The base coat is white but I will age this to look more like old bone.

Of course this may change and her tail will be part of her display which she can wave about and mesmerise her suitors 

Looking at that picture again and I have decided that having the join underneath will not work (you can also see a join up the side of the tail which I didn't notice on the model)

I will probably take that off and do another starting underneath so the join will be down the spine which will be covered with her plumage.

Richard

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

Having been working on her for an hour this evening I removed the 'skin' as shown earlier and recovered her so that most of the joins are on the top of her back as this will be covered later.

I also covered her head and tried to make lips. The one on the right side needs a bit of tweaking but I am happy that she is now showing less teeth.

The lump on the top of her head is deliberate as this is the base for something later.

As she is now looking less like a T-Rex I am wondering whether or not just to carry on with a new species loosely based on a T-rex. I was thinking about making her arms longer.

I will be using PVA glue to smooth out her legs/body join lines

Here's what she looks like at moment

 

 

I would value any opinions before I go any further.

Richard

[Gimme Shelter]

hi Scimitar / Richard

 

sorry to hear about your MIL passing.

 

Old Rexy is looking hmmm, well lets just say, it reminds me of when Olivia Newton-John stepped it up in the closing scene of Grease - tight black leather trousers and all....

 

I must say, your are taking this to a new level so I shall eagerly await the next instalment - although still unpainted, you have taken the base model a thousand leagues further than the horrible bits of plastic that came out of the kit box to begin with. I await to see the final transformation...

 

John

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

Thanks John

Funeral is tomorrow so hopefully life will slowly resume after that!

 

I started on her plumage last night and in a fit of madness I decided to log exactly how many individual pieces will make up her plumage (or proto feathers as I'm calling them) The novelty wore off after the first 50 of which probably 30 fell off again.

No photos as lost interest!

Hope to get back to her at weekend

Richard

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

Worked on her for a couple of hours today,mainly on her covering (she no longer has feathers) but didn't take any photos as I don't want to spoil the surprise when she appears in all her splendour.

A few questions if I may?

She is no longer a T-Rex as I have modified her too much. She is now a previously unknown species evolved from T-Rex and was to be found in Northern Europe 150 million years ago. I am not going to change the topic header as that was what the kit allegedly was so I hope this is OK with you?

What should her genus be?

I need advice please on how to make her eyes.

Richard