First look at the Dryptosaurus prototype, plus the revised Teratophoneus!
about 3 years ago – Sun, Oct 03, 2021 at 04:08:58 AM

Today we have our first look at the resin prototype for one my personal favorites of the series, Dryptosaurus aquilunguis! 

 For more info on the design, sculpt, and the package art for this figure, check out this Kickstarter update.

Big thanks again to Jeremy Monz for the molding and castings for this one.

 And now that we've seen the new Dryptosaurus, there's some unfinished business from yesterday's reveal...

Teratophoneus revised prototype

 After posting photos of the built Teratophoneus yesterday, it was brought to my attention by several people that the neck was looking a bit thin for this new head. And after considering the photos I felt that this observation was valid. I had hoped that Teratophoneus would share a neck with the juvenile T. rex figure, but it's obvious now that a unique neck will be needed for this figure. So I reworked the neck today and here it is with the beefier neck!

 Thank you to those who commented on this. I think it's a big improvement and I hope you all like the change.

Three down and one more left to build from this new batch. Alectrosaurus won't be far behind!

That's all for now, everyone- have a great Saturday night!

- David

First look at the Qianzhousaurus resin prototype!
about 3 years ago – Sun, Oct 03, 2021 at 01:27:52 AM

 I recently received the new castings for some of the mid-sized figures ( thank you, Jeremy Monz) and immediately got to work on putting them together. I chose to build the Qianzhousaurus first since it's the next stretch goal figure and we haven't seen much for it yet. So here's the first look at the figure!

 The standing method is still being developed. Because of the shorter 'heel' portion of this style of leg compared to the juvenile T. rex, the clip doesn't work so well as this area ends up being too wide. Though this set up here seems to work well. I also think a small toe peg will be helpful and will likely be added as well.

Here's how it scales with a human, at around 4" / 10.16cm tall.

I'll go into more depth with the development of this figure after the unlock, but I just wanted to quickly share these images. 

Still to build- Teratophoneus, Alectrosaurus, and Dryptosaurus. 

Talk to you all soon!

-David

Qianzhousaurus sinensis is unlocked!
about 3 years ago – Sun, Oct 03, 2021 at 01:27:30 AM

Another stretch goal funded! The 1/18th scale Qianzhousaurus sinensis  is now UNLOCKED and is selectable from the 'add-ons' menu to include in your pledge. Add-on price: $53(US)/ $55 (INT)

 Yesterday, I showed the first photos of the Qianzhousaurus prototype figure. In case you missed them, you can check them out here.

 Color Design

The colors for this figure were based on the blue Malayan coral snake.

As with several of the stretch goal figures, there's plenty of painting to be done and not enough time for them all to be shown during the campaign, but as with the Ceratopsians last time, the BackerKit survey after the campaign will remain open until all of the prototypes are finished in case anyone is having trouble deciding on their favorites.

 Parts Layout

The parts layout for this figure is most similar to Teratophoneus, but features a different head, neck and hands.

 Qianzhousaurus is part of the Wave 2 assortment and is estimated to deliver in March of 2023.

Head Sculpt

 Another great head sculpt by Jake Baardse for Qianzhousaurus. He also sculpted the hands as well.

And here's a look at the articulated model courtesy of Aaron Doyle.

In-progress Package Illustration 

 Shannon Beaumont is currently working on the package art for Qianzhousaurus, but in the meantime we can take a look at her process so far.

 Shannon came up with the pose by watching shore birds on the beach as they scratch themselves with their feet. She always manages to find ways to ground these amazing beasts in reality with so much personality. I'm really looking forward her final version!

That's all the news for now. Expect another new prototype build reveal later today and don't forget,  the 'Gore King' Lythronax is the next unlock at $350,000! 

And please remember to keep sharing the news, it's especially important around this time of the campaign.

Thanks everyone!

-David

First look at the Teratophoneus resin prototype!
about 3 years ago – Sun, Oct 03, 2021 at 01:25:31 AM

A bit later in the day than expected, but as promised, here are photos of the 1/18th scale Teratophoneus resin prototype!

Okay, I'm beat- that's it for now. Tomorrow I'll have new photos of the Dryptosaurus prototype.

Have a great night everyone!

-David

$300K and counting- Dryptosaurus is now UNLOCKED!
about 3 years ago – Wed, Sep 29, 2021 at 10:11:52 PM

WE HAVE HIT $300K! And with that, the 1/18th scale Dryptosaurus aquilunguis is now UNLOCKED and selectable from the 'add-ons' menu to include in your pledge. Add-on price: $73(US)/ $76 (INT)

The Dryptosaurus figure will measure 16"/ 41cm in length and will feature 22 points of articulation, three sets of alternate feet, base, interchangeable standing lower legs, and a bendable tail end.

Parts Layout

While I don't currently have a built prototype of Dryptosaurus, the parts are sculpted, molded, cast and on their way to me as I type this.  I expect to have a built prototype to show by the end of the weekend. For now though, here's a look at its unique parts layout. Sharing both feathered and non-feathered parts, Dryptosaurus is the only Tyrannosaur figure in the planned assortment that has a semi-feathered appearance, creating a very special look among the others that is sure to stand out.

I'd initially planned out the parts sharing for this one with a color layout. This isn't usually necessary, but seeing the parts construction in advance was very helpful in this instance.

Personally this is one of the ones that I'm most excited about simply because of its unique design. I'm really looking forward to seeing this one put together!

Sculpting

For the sculpting on Dryptosaurus, I had Jake Baardse sculpt a 'naked' head, devoid of scale details on the areas to be covered by feathers.  As with our Yutyrannus, I opted to hand-sculpt the feathers in order to maintain a consistent look with the other feathered figures in the Beasts of the Mesozoic assortment. That and I just like sculpting feathers.

Once I had the printed parts, I then sculpted the fine feather details in castilene wax.

On the final product, the feathered shells on the body will be made of a flexible plastic so as not to impede the articulation.

In-progress package art by Shannon Beaumont

As of this update, Shannon is working on the package art and she recently sent me this color study for her work-in-progress piece. Dryptosaurus here has just gorged on a big meal and now the local birds are helping clean up the scraps. 

I love how Shannon always finds a way to tell a story with her illustrations. Being so familiar with modern-day wildlife, she's extremely adept at seeing the possible parallels of behavior between the prehistoric and the modern wildlife. This one's character has been inspired by that of a Grizzly Bear, and I can totally see that. As with all of her work, I can't wait to see the finished version!

That'll do it for now, but stay tuned for another update soon about the color inspirations for the Tyrannosaur Series.  Thank you everyone for your support and enthusiasm thus far-$300K in just over 6 days is no small feat!

 Proceratosaurus is our next unlock at $315,000- let's keep it going. :)

-David