Velociraptors

by Ian Robertson

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For a change of pace I decided to build a dinosaur diorama using a couple of Lindberg Velociraptor kits. 

The kit, priced at around $8 (US), came out shortly after the first Jurassic Park movie back in the early 1990's. Compared to the dinosaur kits I built as a kid 25 years ago, this model, as well as Lindberg's Tyrannosaurus and Dilophosaurus, is excellent. 

The biggest improvement over older dinosaur models is that the animal is not molded with a stupified look on its face and with its tail dragging like some lumbering sloth (hardly fitting for animals that roamed the earth for around 150 million years!). Velociraptors and their kin were Cretaceous therapods, relying on their agility, intelligence (dare I say) and the rapier-like claw on each foot to capture and eviscerate prey. The tail was more-or-less rigid and acted as a counterbalance, much like a kangaroo's tail does.

The Lindberg model is molded in a rather static position with both feet of the ground and forelimbs outstretched. I decided to create a more animated diorama with two raptors chasing after (unseen) prey. Repositioning limbs and head involved a lot of melting plastic with a match, twisting, filling, and rebuilding using scraps of styrene. I used drywall plaster (joint filling compound) in lieu of modeling putty due to the magnitude of filling required.

References for dinosaur colors are more elusive than gaining consensus on color schemes for late war Bf.109s. My preference is to look to modern animals for inspiration, so I opted for a range of greens befitting of a predatory reptile. If you must know, I used Polly Scale RLM 70/71/83. 

Prove me wrong!

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2001 by Ian Robertson
Page Created 13 July, 2001
Last Updated 04 June, 2007

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