Alchemy Trachodon

[malinkh]

Here are a couple pictures of my recently completed Alchemy Trachodon:







Here is a link to the rest of the pictures in the album:

Ken Malina's Trachodon album

The last number of pictures are the Trachodon base connected to the painted Tyrannosaurus Rex base and the Spinosaurus base. I am presently painting the Spinosaurus. After that I'll tackle the T-Rex.

[TAY666]

Oh wow!
That looks great!
I love the eyes, and the base work is outstanding. That looks like real water.
The other bases look equally great. I love the dry, cracked earth look you achieved.

You are really tackling some big projects right now.

[malinkh]

Thank you Tay!

I don't know if you can see it in the pictures, but the Trachodon base actually has a texture of a sandy beach. I got this effect by spraying a rattle can upward over the piece and letting the paint particles fall onto the base. I also used this technique on the crack earth of the T-Rex base. For the water, I painted the colors and let them blend in, then used a light coat of a product called "Still Water" as a finish.

These three models that I am concentrating on now are three of the largest in my layout. The other larger one that I haven't built yet is the Alchemy Brontosaurus. The Iguanodon, Parasaurolophus, Stego, Kronosaurus, and Brontotherium are also significant in size. It takes time to complete these, especially with other things going on in my life, that I don't get to work on them as often as I would like. I also have a number of other model kits, cars, motorcycles and trikes, etc. that I have in progress. I have been working on the Spinosaurus for quite some time now since I first started it. That is the next one of the three that I am focusing on completing. Just primed it yesterday. Next is starting the paint scheme for it. The T-Rex is put together, but not glued and the seams are not filled in. I don't like how the legs move too freely so I may decide to glue them in one position before gluing the body halves together. Much fun remains...

[malinkh]

Oh one more thing that may not be evident on the Trachodon unless one looks at the pictures closely. When I first put the creature together and glued the limbs and tail on, he would not stand upright. In other words he was top heavy. I remedied this by adding clay under the feet until I got him to balance and stand upright. Then it was a matter of letting it completely dry, coating it with expoxy glue, priming it and blending it in so that it was not as noticeable on the base. It solved the problem that was not easily otherwise remedied once the legs and tail were glued.

[TAY666]

Ooo.
Thanks for that tip.
If I ever actually own one of those it will come in handy.

[prescenes2]

Great work Ken! The bases look awesome and the Trachodon is HUGE. I've seen the giant Sauropod up close and personal but not this beast. How is it all held together? How much super glue and putty? Thanks for the tips too!