Mososaurus Diorama

[YesIAmaDinosaur]

Hey all!

So the Mattel Mosasaurus is a huge toy and I've been looking around to see if anyone has done anything with it aside from a small diorama reflecting the shark feeding.

I am working on a big park 'playset'/diorama combo and I'm trying to make it my own but take some liberties with sizing where I can. Obviously the Mosa lagoon/aquarium is massive in the film so it will have to be much smaller with what I'm doing, but I'm wondering if anyone has done anything with this at all? I actually haven't seen much done here in the way of setups/photography and I think it's just because it's so huge and kind of a complicated idea (compared to say the new Dreadnoughtus which can just be set up in someone's backyard or whatever).

Has anyone used a tank or an aquarium, or really in general what are people's experiences with using water? Even if it's with smaller aquatic reptiles.

[Kapitaenosavrvs]

In my Opinion, Toys/Figures/Models do not look good in real Water setups. Realistic (also painted uprealistic with lots of Detail) Models can look wonderful in a good Photograph in natural surroundings. If the Lighting ist done right. Toyish Figures and real Stone/Water/Plants just have so much differences in shades and detail overall, that it feels really off to me. Thats why People create fake water of fake stones and paint them up to fit the painted figure.

But if that is not a problem for you, why not. It you want a Diorama with real water that stays this way for longer, you have to think about the water getting bad. If there is Light shining in it, algae will build up and it will start to smell. The small amount of nutrients in Tapwater is enough to feed Algae and other nasty stuff. Even if you would have a small filtration system that keeps the water moved, bacteria needs to build up in the filtration system that eats up and "cleans". This is really really simply said. I have heavyly planted aquariums (just one now, because of the high costs :( ).

If it is just for a photo, i would ripple the surface with a fan or similar. Water without any colouration also just looks not fitting in that scale i think. Just my thoughts on this.

Maybe you can create just an artificial Water surface, where the Mosa is swimming beneath and viewable through a tinted window, o sticking out of it a bit through a hole. You could also add Water effects and so on. I would stay away from real water where you place your Toys/Figures long term.

But maybe someone has a different view on this and even some experience.

[Lynx]

If you want a long-term display, I would advise getting a tank or frame large enough for the mosasaurus, and a couple inches wider. Then with those couple inches to spare, put anything clear that doesn't melt too easily between the mosasaurus and the gap, then fill the gap with resin.

Unsure if that makes sense, I can add pictures if needed.

[Halichoeres]

I agree with everything Kapitaenosavrvs says. I'd just add that if you're using resin to replicate water, you might want to add a bit of blue color to it. Water is obviously transparent in low volumes, but larger volumes of water scatter a lot of light, and look blue as a result.

[YesIAmaDinosaur]

Thanks for the thoughts and opinions!

I'm a little bit less concerned with photography, knowing that gets to really minute and intense detail and more just thinking about playability/fun as I map this out. I definitely want details in there, hopefully slightly better at least than what usually makes it into mass produced playsets. I was already considering/thinking about the messy concerns with using real water was Kapitaenosavrvs says, so I was thinking more like a kids' water table that I could sort of 'build' into a setup...something that I could change water on, empty, not get too messy, etc, but still have that level of fun interactivity. I would definitely alter the table to make sure the water appears to have a decent aquarium/lagoon style color as best as I could. I also don't want the toy to be stationary so resin type water is probably out.

With resin water in mind, though, and thinking about aquariums or even filtered water ponds, I think that is something I have in mind for other species and is maybe a little bit easier to figure out for 'animal exhibits' on a smaller scale than the Mos tank which is of course just so grandiose. I don't want to lose that 'massive feel' is kind of my concern but I'll for sure have to take liberties with scale, but I'm ok with that because I know the JP line is kind of perfectly imperfect. Even the fact that the Mos is sold is kind of amusingly odd to think of for me as there's no real place for a kid to play with it other than the bath, the pool or the lake I would think? I know as a kid I would have been very particular about where this dinosaur can exist haha. Not everyone's like that though, of course.

I think in general I'm just more curious as to what anyone has seen in regards to aquatic species in general and what people have done. I see loads of figure photography, even just setups for fun and they very rarely include aquatic species. There isn't a ton of precedent for it in the films or even the cartoon (other than Mos). I know what my imagination is telling me, but curious as to what others have seen and thought.

Happy to see anything you have, Lynx, or anyone else!