Little Plastic Dinosaurs

[steve_pickstock]

I am always amazed by the effort that goes into the design of model dinosaurs. Not the big Papo ones, but the cheap toy ones - you know - a bag of dinosaurs. Some aren't that spectacular but these ones were in a Jurassic Park playset, along with some other useful wargaming bits, but I looked at the dinos and I thought I'd paint them up.

First up a nice spinosaurus with some lovely detail on the hide crying out to be defined by paint.





I was trying for a for tiger-like scheme on this one, I think it could stand to be re-done but it will do for now.





These guys are likely to end up in a Lizard Men army along with the figures from the 1625 project. They're count as Greater Warbeast and act as a kind of fire-and-forget monster.

[PaulRPetri]

Great work Steve. I may have to seek out a bag of plastic Dino's in my neck of the woods. I have a large plastic King Kong and a host of natives and tramp steamer toughs that need some paint and a game! Great inspiration!

[sberry]

I love those beasts, and your paintjob on them is a real upgrade!

I have accumulated a number of plastic dinos over the years, from my own childhood days and from my kids. The problem is that these creatures in a bag rarely have an identifiable scale – neither 1/72 or any other. I suppose this is no big issue for gaming, but it prevents me from doing more Romans vs Dinosaurs dioramas…

[Santi Pérez]

Wow, Steve. As sberry says, your paintjob on these cheap China-made figures has improved them a lot.

Santi.

[Rich W]

Nice work Steve!

[MABO]

I just saw Jurassic Park again!

[steve_pickstock]

I love those beasts, and your paintjob on them is a real upgrade!

I have accumulated a number of plastic dinos over the years, from my own childhood days and from my kids. The problem is that these creatures in a bag rarely have an identifiable scale – neither 1/72 or any other. I suppose this is no big issue for gaming, but it prevents me from doing more Romans vs Dinosaurs dioramas…

At the moment I'm not working on anything because Mrs P wants the bathroom upgrading, and I'm busy with that, so I'm not doing anything in the way of modelmaking.

Anyway to address the scale thing, it doesn't really matter. I just place them next to a figure and if it works, visually, that's fine for me.

Here is a model that came from a collectable series - and it was purple.

But again lots of detail just an awful colour.

I went with a paint scheme to match the Caesar Miniatures lizardmen. There is a logic behind that but it doesn't matter.


And here are the three of them with the rest of the army. Top left hand side.

[Peter]

Excellent paint conversion on that dinosaur Steve!

[Santi Pérez]

It’s hard to believe that the original purple dinosaur is the same one you painted, Steve. You’ve achieved incredible realism!

If it weren’t for the fact that everything is done digitally these days, I’m sure the special effects team on a new 'Jurassic Park' film would be interested in your figures.

Santi.

[steve_pickstock]

It’s hard to believe that the original purple dinosaur is the same one you painted, Steve. You’ve achieved incredible realism!

If it weren’t for the fact that everything is done digitally these days, I’m sure the special effects team on a new 'Jurassic Park' film would be interested in your figures.

Santi.

I don't think so, but thank you for the compliment.

I actually like the new digital age dinosaurs. I doubt we shall ever get to see living sauropods or theropods, so what we're seeing in films and documentaries are the next best thing.

HOWEVER ...

When you think back to the George Pal movies or films like Journey To The Centre of the Earth etc, - the one with James Mason and Pat Boone from 1959, they used live reptiles filmed with cameras running slightly faster than normal, they then played the footage back at normal speed and this had the affect - combined with a scaled down set, of making them appear bigger and slower, so that they could stand in as dinosaurs.



Of course any child with any knowledge of dinosaurs promptly said, "Nope! That's a lizard."

Anyway, the other day I picked up some lizards in one of those toys packs, where you get a handful of toys for pennies. I was looking for insects but picked the lizards up in error. But it was a happy accident because they look great - apart from the colour as usual.

So when I get a chance I will paint some up in the same way I paint dinos, and use them in the table top as George Pal lizards.

[MABO]

I am looking forward to!