Not used for Contest 2013

[RockyMountainRex]

Great looking images; very inspiring, thank you for sharing!   

[DarkPhantom]

I would like to say that your work on this diorama has been an inspiration to me to make my own.

I plan to make a triceratops herd go to a watering hole where a family of tyrannosaurs are waiting to ambush a juvenile. The work you did with the scenery and the coloration is awesome!

Basically, I'm saying thank you for showing me how awesome a diorama can look, and making me want to create one myself.

[Arul]

I wanna ask what is the trike fossil brand ? Im looking for a fossil model now for my diorama hehehe thanjs 

[Federreptil]

@ DarkPhantom
I'm glad to be such a inspiration for your planing of dioramas. I will be very curious to see the results. A combination of juvenile t-rex and the herd of trikes was also in my thoughts but was too much story for one picture. So I can't wait to see your version of this idea. Thanks for this kudos to my work.

@ Arul
The trike skeleton in the diorama is a 'no name' in a plastic bag from the "Dinosaurier Park" in Münchehagen, Germany. But similar easy snap-together-kits are made by geoworld, kosmos, clementoni –sometimes as a excavation set. I don't know what you can get at your local shops. This sets are always a little rough in details but the fine model via shapeways is very expensive.

[Arul]

Ohh but i think that skeleton is look realistic from here  great job..

[Federreptil]

Before I share the details I will show the complete session 2015 in four setings.

First is a triassic scene with a flock of Coelophysis:



Second a Dilosophosaurus family resting (this was the first plan for this year, but it came too late for the finishing line of the contest):



The next is the entry of this years contest: The feathered Dinosaurs of Laoning in action:



The last one was the first in this shootings: A Caudipteryx as a chinese dragon in trouble:



Maybe you will agree with me, in all motifs are a similar spirit. All look very artificial in the landscape and lighting. Maybe a little bit like a display in a museum. This feeling grow because in every landscape are a lot of actors and it's always also an overview of the species of this period and area. If you combine the last two chinese sceneries you get a catalogue of the famous feathered fossils of the last years: Sinosauropteryx, Microraptor, Caudipteryx, Beipiaosaurus and Yutyrannus. And the Psittacosaurus in the foreground is the only reason, why we get Ceratopsids with fibrills on the hips. So I hope this is not too didactic and the stories in the four setting have lost the fun.

[Ezikot]

Brilliant!!!
you are very talented and you have your really own style.
[maybe, if i had to something off in your diormas that would be the flying creatures
but i cannot say why they look in some way wrong to my eyes...
(i hope it doesn't sound harsh, imho you're really an artist)]

[Federreptil]

One Reason, why the chinese chain reaction has an artificial look, is – the photographic installation is this year so artificial.
The base is only 1.2 meters in square, made by 18 red transportation boxes. In this area every landscape of the four shootings find place. You will find the most of the plants in every scene just new arranged. For the lighting I used a cheap industrial spotlight and two LED-torches. This give overdramatic effects on some details. In the background gives an old bed sheet the screen for the sky-projection. The perspective is shorten and a little home-disco fog machine fends for the merciful blur in the last third of the setting.



This year the setting is very home-made.



The stand of red boxes and a provisional mounting for the Microraptors.



The Microraptors got a new dress and this was my first attempt with acrylic paint.



One of the lost details: A climbing Microraptor



The whole chain reaction in the overview.



The most necessary tool this year – the fog machine

I never use so little Photoshop for the diorama motifs like this year. Most of the staging is conventional photographic crafting.

[Federreptil]

Brilliant!!!
you are very talented and you have your really own style.
[maybe, if i had to something off in your diormas that would be the flying creatures
but i cannot say why they look in some way wrong to my eyes...
(i hope it doesn't sound harsh, imho you're really an artist)]

I wonder myself, what's the impression. And what is so different to the last year. And I think it's really the feeling of looking at a display, a museum style setting. You have never the sense of being outside. And this is maybe the combination of a very narrow scenery, the extreme cold lightspots and a little to much touch of plastic (with high reflections) in the leafs. And at last – in opposition to the horn horde – a zoom for more focus on the leading actors will help. But I'm just in my learning curve of this year. So suggestions and critics are very welcome.



Some more details (unfortunately with German text) are here: http://heinwerken.blogspot.de/

[jooooo]

How do you make those plants.

[Gwangi]

Fantastic behind the scenes shots. That is one heck of a diorama, very impressive.  One of my favorite things about your entries is your attention to detail. There are always little things and added touches to look for. I really like your other dioramas here too, the Triassic one especially.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I really liked your entry and thought for sure that it would win. Just trying to be constructive here, but I think the only real downside to yours is that the models were static-looking, that is, the didn't look like they were moving, but unless you sculpt them yourself, that is very hard to achieve. I really like the idea, though. In fact, I had a similar idea at first.

[Dinomike]

These are absolutely brilliant! Love your work!

[Libraraptor]

I always enjoy your behind the scenes - shots! I consider you an artist and have great respect for your work. I already wondered which of this years dioramas was by you and guessed it would be the Chinese thing!

[Federreptil]

How do you make those plants.

Most of the plants are just bought. The big ones are cycads, palms, wiliiamsonia and monathesia from CollectA. The trees are baobabs from Schleich. For the ferns I cropped the trunks from three sorts of small palms in the scale of 1:100. Single palm leaves came from a Preiser palm kit. The bamboos are material for architectural models. The smallest green is a package of strand plants for HO-trains. Like you can see at the trunks, some models are painted afterwards and for the ferns I used a spray can for a dull finish. The next step will be leafs of laser-cutted paper and the finished cycads from the Tamiya kits. The advantage of this instant collection is an easy storage property of all. As drawback some plastic leaves are too thick and some elements look too slick before you matt them.

[Federreptil]

Thank you Gwangi, Pachyrhinosaurus, Dinomike and Liberator for your stimulating and constructive words. It is very satisfying to find an own style and it's obvious recognizable. And not simply because there is always something in the air.

[Kovu]

Bro! You have some seriously mad talent in the diorama department! Props!
They're all great, but I'm loving the Coelophysis and Dilophosaurus ones in particular. They have a real Smithsonian-esque vibe going on.

[Bokisaurus]

Wow! You went all out on these guys, impressive work as always.
For some reason, I really like the one that did not make it to the contest, in particular, the first two ones. Great dioramas!

[Arul]

Stunning set i love it !! Just like your diorama for last year, it can be enjoyed from many angle btw, i thought your entry is number 33.Here comes trouble, because it little bit looks like your last year diorama especially the sand and the plant hehehe

[Federreptil]

No, not No. 33 'Here comes trouble' – this would adorn me with borrowed plumes The gifted creator is here EarthboundEiniosaurus (see reply '227 at the contest poll.)
My contribution to the contest was No. 61 'Chinese chain reaction'. If You look upside to the four dioramas, You will find it there again. This has some elements, which are typical. E. G. the flying Microraptor.

Here is the whole motif with more details and less focus: