Dinosaur kits.

Modeling Subjects Figures and Misc.
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Not sure if this is even the right topic forum, but it isn’t sci-fi and technically they are figures, so… [:D]

Thinking of having a little fun and building a dino kit. Looking on Squadron.com it looks like I have three options:

Lindberg: Scale unknown but decent size. Described as vintage kit. Vinatage and Lindberg are two very scary words in the modeling community, but anyone have first hand experience. Mostly looking at the Stegosaur and Triceratops.

Revell: All snap tite. Don’t know if I want to make the effort at trying to make these look real good, but the scale is nice.

Tamiya: The scale (1/35) sems like it might be small. And the skin texture on the Stego looks a bit odd. But perhaps workable.

So, anyone worked with any of the above kit manufacturers and their dino kits? Appreciate any comments or suggestions of other kits if they are out there.

Brian

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glencoe had released some dinosaur skeleton kits a few years back, those might interest you. dave

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The Revell dinosaur kits are the old Aurora kits, which have, through the years been re-released at intervals by Monogram(?).

Big and chunky, most with limbs that swivel at the hips/shoulders so there is some work to do filling and re-texturing if you want to build them in a fixed pose with a natural appearance.

Most came with a “diorama” base plate which snapped together with others in the range to create a large scene, but I’m not sure if these bases are included with the current Revell boxings.

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Tamiya’s appear to be based on more recent (not the MOST recent) research and thinking on dino anatomy. I’d go with those over the others.

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If I may just add a little more.

T-rex: Tamiya has two models. The older one has the T-rex standing upright like a kangaroo with it’s tail dragging on the ground. More recent research from looking at the attachment points for the muscles/tendons on the bones we have suggest that the T-rex walked with it’s back held nearly horizontal -tail held out straight to counter-balance it’s powerful head. The film ‘Jurassic Park’ shows the more modern interpetation. The more recent Tamiya kit also reflects this. I’m not sure about the other kits.

Triceratops: There is some discussion about were the front legs held straight under the animal or extended to the sides? The Tamiya kit goes with the former, which looks ‘better’ to me. I’m not sure about the others.

Stegosaur; I’m not sure if there is much difference between the kits here. The plates are believed by some to run in two parallel rows down the back and by some to run in two staggered rows. I think all the kits show the former though.

Anyway, my two cents for what little it’s worth. At least you can paint 'em any colour you please!

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Airfix have also done 2 dino kits each featuring 3 different creatures, My then 8YO daughter (with a tiny bit of help) did the “Dinosaurs 1” kit about a year ago. It was nothing fantastic, but didn’t have any real issues.

Excuse the other “stuff”;

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Good stuff here fellas! I just did the math and it appears the 1/35 Tamiya would wind up larger than the Lindburg kits are…SWEET! Looks like I will go that direction. The skeletons are a neat idea too, and I may grab one too and try for a “weatehred” look…you know, make them look like the static museum pieces with the bronzed colored bones.

Gamera, your absolutely right about any paint scheme I want…thats what will make this fun. Using the airbrush to just let my imagination go wild!

Brian

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Steer clear of the Revell>Monogram>Aurora kits, if you’re looking to build models accurate in the sense of incorporating serious paleontological data. Same goes for the old Lindberg kits, which I think were originally by Life-Like. I built those as a kid, and while they’re fun, especially to a 7-year-old crazy about dinosaurs, they’re not really good kits, whether we consider accuracy or the quality of the kits.

I can’t speak to the later Lindberg kits, which were produced in the wake of the relase of “Jurassic Park”, if I’m not mistaken. But I think they incorporate the more recent interpretation of the fossil record (as an aside, the “more recent interpretation” actually includes an older interpretation. In the latter half of the 19th century, the idea that dinosaurs were active, agile creatures was quite current. Only later, in the 20s and 30s, did the view of them as big, lumbering, swamp-dwelling, tail-draggin lizards gain the upper hand).

I’ll second AJ about the Tamiya kits, especially the newer ones. I have the later T-Rex kit, and it’s a good kit. I’m not going to build it as the sprinting Rex, because I think Horner’s interpretaion is more likely than Bakker’s, but it looks like more modern museum models that I’ve seen, than Tamiya’s older tail-dragger. And it includes a figure, too. You can make a little JP dio, or use him someplace else.

Also, if you’d like to see some excellent resin kits, have a look at Link and Pin Hobbies’ site, and their dino kit page:

http://www.linkandpinhobbies.com/Dino.htm

Though be forewarned-these kits can be pricey. But you’ll find subjects not tackled by the styrene makers, including theropods other than T-Rex, horned dinos other than Triceratops, and the marine and flying reptiles.

Hope that helps!

Brad

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Hey Brad,

I did indeed go with Tamiya. My LHS had a few in stock so I picked up the Triceratops (which is actually all assembled now and ready for paint probably tomorrow) and Stego. They also had a 6 pack of velociraptors, but I skipped them because I just can’t get over the gross discrepancies they (and for that matter any kit maker makes) about the lack of feathers. But I guess to be fair this discovery was not really confirmed until 2007, probably much later than most these kits were released. Still, it had been speculated for a while so…

Brian

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You can always add feathers:

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Ajleafleche: fantastic Torok dio. Is this your work?

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I have to add a note about what I said about the old Lindberg/Life-Like kits. I saw a pic recently, I think at Modeling Madness, of a model entered in a recent show. It was the old Lindberg Corythosaurus, in a nice diorama, and it was very well executed. That was one of the better kits in the series, with texture to the hide, and if you apply our standard modeling techniques, you can turn it into a nice-looking model, even if it is a tail-dragger. This one had the seams cleaned up and was painted carefully.

The T-rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Brontosaurus kits (yes, I said “Brontosaurus”! Back off, genera Nazis!) all had smooth hides, if I remember correctly. The T-rex came with a little caveman hurling a stone, too, if memory serves.

I’m getting the itch to break out my Tamiya T-rex kit…

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Thanks and yes, it is. I had a lot of fun with it and had to go into my wayback memory mode for this. It started with the rider. I couldn’t come up with a story for him. Tried to find a running bison with no luck. Then thought about Turok and a stegosaur. I found a pack of Tamiya raptors at AMPS East and the rest fell into place. When displayed, I use a dowloaded copy of a Turok cover so viewers will understand, if they aren’t of a, ahem, certain age. [:D]