Question for longtime collectors...

[CARN0TAURUS]

First off, hi everyone I'm new to posting but I've been reading here for a while.  I don't have a big collection and I only buy whatever really appeals to me regardless of scale, size, and sometimes even accuracy.  Allow me to explain.  If two companies put out the same animal, I'll usually buy the one finished better (shading, washes, and realistic scheme) and with a more accomplished sculpt (wrinkles, scales, etc).  But my buying is so sporadic I'm not sure I can call myself a collector yet.  I own 20 existing animals like lions, tigers, and bears etc.  I also own 15 prehistoric animals split between dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals.  So a very small collection so far.

I hadn't bought anything for a couple years and then this summer I saw images of the Safari Giganotosaurus and the Eofauna Mammoth.  I knew I had to have both and I got them both.  I love them both but the paintwork on the Giga I really didn't care for very much.  The blue grey paint reminds me of colors you see on sharks or whales.  Almost as if the factory told Safari they had surplus paint from some shark toy and they convinced Safari with a lower estimate on paint costs.

So when I bought my Giga I fully intended to repaint him, repaint his base, and add some ferns plus fake water puddles to his base.  Then last night I took him down from the shelf and started my project.  But then I noticed something, he has leaned over a lot in the 4 months I've owned him!  Like the tower of Pisa, he is slowly collapsing to his left away from the leg that is stepping forward.  So imagine my surprise, I've had pieces for 15 plus years that haven't done this and none of my animals are sitting in front of a window in direct sunlight or anyth8ng like that. 

So my question is, is this pretty typical for modern plastics (PVC) to warp this much in such a short time even in cool room temperature type situations?  It just seems like the plastic is giving way under it's own weight as the left leg which is pushing off in the rear of the sculpt is too far aft to keep the animal standing upright.   He has 'leaned' over a good 3/8 to 1/2 inches from center in only 4 months but the kicker is the base is still perfectly flat on the shelf without any warping so I had no idea he was doing this until yesterday.

I've come up with two solutions and please let me know what you guys think.  AFTER I get him standing upright again I was considering adding a 'shiv' along the left side of his base to counteract his tendency to lean that way.  It's the least 'invasive' option but it may not work or maybe even create 'new problems with warping elsewhere.  OR I've also considered a metal rod support hidden behind his right (forward leg) propping up his mass on the front left to the the base.  It'll be noticeable but only from the front or the left side. 

I never expected to need to do this for a dinosaur with a molded on base, but I wonder if the manufacturers used cheaper softer plastic assuming that the base would keep the figure from warping?

I thank you guys in advance for any advice you can spare

[Lanthanotus]

Hi CARNOTAURUS,

I do not onwn that specific figure but I'd guess it's the same kind of plastic Safari used for other figures. At least all my Safari models feels somewhat same to the touch, while for example CollectA clearly uses very different materials for different figures. A Safari figure I experienced a leaning issue with is the feathered T. rex, but that one is really heavy and does not come with a base. I'd recommend trying the hot water method first and observe if the figure keeps its stand or if it begins to lean again. If this method is not suitable to sustain the stance indefinetly, I'd personally go with an invasive method as drilling and placing wire or a metal rod within the leg, starting from the underside of the base upwards.

[CARN0TAURUS]

https://imgur.com/a/cNCGK

[CARN0TAURUS]

Oh wow!   I think the link works, it's the beginning of the repaint without anything added to the base yet. 

Where do you guys find good ferns and plants to use in vignettes like this?  Michaels? 

[Lanthanotus]

^ Fixed that for you

Woah, fantastic repaint, improves the figure so much.

I make the plants for my bases and dioramas myself (from sculpey, paper, tyvek, glue etc.), sometimes using natural material for the stems.

[Jose S.M.]

Great paintjob! I agree it's much better then the original.

[CARN0TAURUS]

Hi CARNOTAURUS,

I do not onwn that specific figure but I'd guess it's the same kind of plastic Safari used for other figures. At least all my Safari models feels somewhat same to the touch, while for example CollectA clearly uses very different materials for different figures. A Safari figure I experienced a leaning issue with is the feathered T. rex, but that one is really heavy and does not come with a base. I'd recommend trying the hot water method first and observe if the figure keeps its stand or if it begins to lean again. If this method is not suitable to sustain the stance indefinetly, I'd personally go with an invasive method as drilling and placing wire or a metal rod within the leg, starting from the underside of the base upwards.

Thanks Lanthanotus!  I'd really appreciate it if you could teach me how to post the image instead of the link

I haven't been able to get him straight and will be doing something very unconventional to prevent more warping.  I'm going to suspend him from a fishing line one behind the armpits and one from base of the tail.  The base will be grazing the shelf so it wont look like he's flying but hopefully he'll stop warping.

As for the paintwork, thanks for the kind words, it was a very lazy deal using some old canvas paints and paint brushes.  I didn't prime him and I didn't do any fancy preshading or anything.  I even left his original countershading on him

I simply used straight raw ochre to paint over all the blue grey and brown stripes.  Then I washed the ochre with raw sienna.  Then I made the stripe patterns with burnt umber, I detailed the head with the burnt umber.  I then took my permanent black marker and made spots of different sizes.  Most of the spots are on top of the modeled scales.  I muddied the base with the burnt umber mixed and raw sienna wash.  Then I muddied his legs with the same mix and splashed him from the bottom so he looks like he got dirty running in the mud.  Then I washed him with burnt umber to blend the colors and get all the wrinkles on the skin to stand out. 

I still have to detail his hands and his teeth and so far been trying to make ferns with paper but batting zero ATM

[Neosodon]

Yeah, Michael's is were I get my plant material too.

[CARN0TAURUS]

Great paintjob! I agree it's much better then the original.

Thanks Jose!  I've never painted a dinosaur before.  I'm surprised I actually like it and it's been a very fun project.  I took an art course in college almost 30 years ago, LOL.  I've been modelling WW2 airplanes and tanks since the late 1970s.

o7

[CARN0TAURUS]

Yeah, Michael's is were I get my plant material too.

Thanks Neosodon, I'm having zero luck with making paper ferns so a trip to Michael's seems inevitable.

[ceratopsian]

That's a beautiful repaint.

[Lanthanotus]

[...]

I'd really appreciate it if you could teach me how to post the image instead of the link
[...]

No problem.... depending on which sites/hosts you use for image uploading, they usually provide different kinds of links after the upload. What you are looking for is a BBC link or BB-code link for "forums and communities", it comes as in this format:
[ u r l = h t t p : / / h o s t s i t e . c o m ] [ i m g ] h t t p : / / h o s t s i t e . c o m / p h o t o i d n u m b e r b l a b l a [ / i m g ] [ / u r l ]
If you find this, you copy and paste it to your text here in the forum.

With the link you provided above, direct copy and pasting did not show up the photo obviously. What I did was following the link, right clicking the image and selected "show image". The site updated and showed just the image. I copied the link from the browser and pasted it in between the "Insert image" code provided here (the small square button with a Mona Lisa image in it) when writing a reply. Hitting that button inserts a
[ i m g ] [ / i m g ]
and you just need to paste the link in between the brackets:
[ i m g ] s p a c e f o r y o u r i m a g e l i n k [ / i m g ]

[DinoToyForum]

[...]

I'd really appreciate it if you could teach me how to post the image instead of the link
[...]

No problem.... depending on which sites/hosts you use for image uploading, they usually provide different kinds of links after the upload. What you are looking for is a BBC link or BB-code link for "forums and communities", it comes as in this format:
[ u r l = h t t p : / / h o s t s i t e . c o m ] [ i m g ] h t t p : / / h o s t s i t e . c o m / p h o t o i d n u m b e r b l a b l a [ / i m g ] [ / u r l ]
If you find this, you copy and paste it to your text here in the forum.

With the link you provided above, direct copy and pasting did not show up the photo obviously. What I did was following the link, right clicking the image and selected "show image". The site updated and showed just the image. I copied the link from the browser and pasted it in between the "Insert image" code provided here (the small square button with a Mona Lisa image in it) when writing a reply. Hitting that button inserts a
[ i m g ] [ / i m g ]
and you just need to paste the link in between the brackets:
[ i m g ] s p a c e f o r y o u r i m a g e l i n k [ / i m g ]

Thanks! And there are also instructions here: http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=173.0

[CARN0TAURUS]

Oh boy,the hangover

Happy New Year guys and thanks for the advice and I'll try posting the images correctly next time for sure.  Since my last post I went to Michael's and picked up some plastic plants and I'll start playing with the base later today once the headache goes down a bit

I also picked up some clear Elmer's and will experiment using It to simulate water on the base.  I'm looking forward to seeing how that turns out.  Worst case scenario, I'll have to buy another Giganotosaurus

o7

[CARN0TAURUS]

That's a beautiful repaint.

Thanks Ceratopsian!  First time messing around painting a dinosaur and I think I might be hooked

[sauroid]

that is a very cool paint job. congratulations.

[Bokisaurus]

Nice repaint, much better suited for that species

[CARN0TAURUS]

that is a very cool paint job. congratulations.

Thanks Sauroid!

Wow!  You folks are so nice in here.  I think I'm going to enjoy posting here a lot

I stopped posting on my old modelling website (I won't say where) because people were downright vicious and hypercritical about even the smallest details. 

I don't have a photo yet but I'm very excited with the plants on the base and how the elmer's clear glue looks.  I only put down a handful of plant items as I didn't want to over do it.  The elmers goes on very thick but when it dries it really thins out, it must have a lot of water in it.  So filling even a small puddle will probably take multiple applications.  This could be ideal if creating effects like cloudy muddy water and things like that as you could lightly color wash the clear areas several times over as the layers of water are built up.  Perhaps even putting in frogs or small fish swimming and things of that sort.  I highly recommend the clear elmer's (my first time using it) for anyone making bases and such.  You get the double benefit that it bonds things together all while creating water effects    

I'm currently working on Giga's claws.  I'm doing a manicure

Seriously tho, his claws looked like bananas coming out of the digits.  Using my exacto knife, I'm very carefully flattening and shaping the claws as best as I can by taking tiny shavings off one at a time on both faces of each claw.  Hopefully i won't end up ruining his hands. 

[CARN0TAURUS]

Nice repaint, much better suited for that species

Thank you Bokisaurus!

I'm glad to hear that it's okay for the species.  My only frame of mind on the repaint was to replace the color underneath the stripes and to make the stripe pattern simpler and less busy, that's it.  I wish I could say I did a ton of research and so on but I'd be lying if I did.  I felt the blue grey was better suited for a marine animal of some sort like a shark or a whale.  I'm a very hard on myself in my modeling (WW2 airplanes and tanks) and I rarely like the stuff I do, but I'm very happy with how this guy is turning out.  Maybe because he is my first ever dino repaint my expectations were super low to begin with and I've easily exceeded them at this point.