Mosasaurus

Tim
Nice idea

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks. Now the boys are watching how the skeleton towers above them. Some parts are kept as a dry-fit because I have to change the glass brackets in the kit by something more realistic.

S M
Wonderful idea and well showcased the kit and references! Following!

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, SM. Now the walkway is constructed. I think I might not add the full-grown lady and child, they're from a MB interbellum civilian set.

Dash Rendar
That's very cool!

Tom B.
Interesting project! Liking the idea of the glass-walkway very much 👍

S M
It's like in actual good museum!

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, guys. Last week I ordered a contemporary of mosasaurus, a giant sea turtle called Archelon. This is a snap-kit "gashapon" toy out of a plastic ball dispenser, but it's extremely detailed. I got the white version and not the phosphorescent one, but it should arrive later this week. I hope it will fit well on the dio.

Brandon H
Very cool concept, looking forward to seeing the finished dio!

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Brandon. Archelon arrived today and it did only take some sanding to remove the fine casting marks. The material is not styrene, rather vinyl or PVC so gluing was done with CA. The dimensions were perfect to incorporate the turtle into the dio. I left the two main parts as a dryfit so I can paint the inside better.

S M
Wow! Archelon fits very nicely there with Mosasaurus. It seems to be as well detailed as the big fellow.

Steven Van Dyck
Yes, I'm glad to have found archelon. It is now painted brown and the mosasaur is painted bleak, like all mosasaur fossils I've seen. I made a glass partition but I need to build the armrest. The ammonites are painted in Greenstuff's Solar Anomaly and then Holographic on top, so as they would contain a labradorite layer like sometimes happens. But I saw the paint crackles on the Tamiya gloss black I used.

S M
Nice progress! Interesting to see how the Holographic stuff works.

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, SM. Now the walkway handrail is constructed from brass tubes that are drilled in my Proxxon for the connection holes. Washes and dry-brushes on the fossils are great fun.

Patrick Hagelstein
Prachtig! 🤩

Steven Van Dyck
Bedankt, Patrick.

I decided the room could use some vivid colors.

Steven Van Dyck
The scene is now drybrushed with mostly Vallejo colors.

Rando
This is a totally different aspect of modeling that nonetheless also pleases my 5 year old brain. I might just have to get into this some day

Steven Van Dyck
I can recommend it, Rando.

At the moment, the figures are almost painted, but I still have an idea to improve them.

Steven Van Dyck
This project is finished. I used some self-made decals to enhance the details. I first made the end pictures and then realised that I still had to paint the outside of the base that had some overspray. Some of the reference can be found here (I also ordered this book)

nhbs.com/ancient-sea-reptiles-book
dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Archelon
dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Mosasaurus

Rando
The finished product is incredible Steven, I absolutely love it.

Brandon H
Awesome work here, nicely done!

S M
Fantastic finished diorama! That's a kind of museum I would like to visit 😄 👍👍👍