Dinosaur toy forum diorama contest 2013 - poll now open!

[Takama]

My favorites were down with the Tyrant, and patience is a virtue.  I am shocked to see that the number one winner was Three angry chicks at work.   I would liked it more, if the Pterosaurs was absent.


good thing I did not enter this year

[sauroid]

i voted also for Grandeur and Siesta but they didnt make it

[tyrantqueen]

I voted for Tiny Giant, and Sic Semper Tyrannus.

I'm really surprised Tiny Giant didn't win.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

I too voted for Tiny Giant among the others i selected. I also would like to know what model that is and where to acquire one if the creator of the diorama feels inclined to share. It is a gorgeous piece and I would love to have one for my egg display.
@ Sauroid, thanks for your consideration. Did you have an entry as well?
@ Gwangi, did you wish to reveal your entry? I was trying to guess it, but came up unsure.

[Takama]

I too voted for Tiny Giant among the others i selected. I also would like to know what model that is and where to acquire one if the creator of the diorama feels inclined to share. It is a gorgeous piece and I would love to have one for my egg display.
@ Sauroid, thanks for your consideration. Did you have an entry as well?
@ Gwangi, did you wish to reveal your entry? I was trying to guess it, but came up unsure.

That egg is a Christmas ornament from Sideshow collectables.

http://www.dinotoyblog.com/2009/12/06/brachiosaurus-in-egg-dinosauria-collection-by-sideshow-collectibles/

Its long retired so it could be a pain to find.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

I too voted for Tiny Giant among the others i selected. I also would like to know what model that is and where to acquire one if the creator of the diorama feels inclined to share. It is a gorgeous piece and I would love to have one for my egg display.
@ Sauroid, thanks for your consideration. Did you have an entry as well?
@ Gwangi, did you wish to reveal your entry? I was trying to guess it, but came up unsure.

That egg is a Christmas ornament from Sideshow collectables.

http://www.dinotoyblog.com/2009/12/06/brachiosaurus-in-egg-dinosauria-collection-by-sideshow-collectibles/

Its long retired so it could be a pain to find.

That is alright Takama, thanks for putting me on the right track. Least now I know where to look first. Thanks for the information

[sauroid]

@amargasaurus cazaui: no, but maybe next year.

[postsaurischian]

More revealments please !

[Nebuloid]

More revealments please !

Ok ! My first choice was Multispinus mudbathers, closely followed by Vagaceratops at sunset, and Lost World.

[Megalosaurus]

Hi there!
Congratulations to the winners!
Two of my favs won.

There's just one thing i don't like about this contest. Its about extensive use of photoshop like the 1rst place. I belive its unfair for people that doesn't have (or know how to use it). I TOTALLY agree with using it to correct color, or to vanish wires, poles or bases that support figures.
Don't get me wrong. 1rts place is amazing, but i give much more value to dioramas that doesn't use photoshop (or similar apps). Last year winners are a good example of this.

Just sharing my thoughts.  Happiness to all of you !

[Turret]

Congratulations to the winners from me aswell. Out of the ones i voted for only The lost world made it to the top three.

My entry (17 Dancing with Death) preformed worse than I expected but I would like to thank the people that voted for me anyway.

[tyrantqueen]

Hi there!
Congratulations to the winners!
Two of my favs won.

There's just one thing i don't like about this contest. Its about extensive use of photoshop like the 1rst place. I belive its unfair for people that doesn't have (or know how to use it). I TOTALLY agree with using it to correct color, or to vanish wires, poles or bases that support figures.
Don't get me wrong. 1rts place is amazing, but i give much more value to dioramas that doesn't use photoshop (or similar apps). Last year winners are a good example of this.

Just sharing my thoughts.  Happiness to all of you !

I agree with that mostly. Slight touching up is the best use for image editing programmes in this case. The most important part of a diorama should be telling a story, not fancy effects.

And if you can't afford Photoshop, there is Gimp as a free, excellent alternative (I've used Photoshop myself in the past, but Gimp is good for what it is)

[irimali]

Congrats to the winners!  Though I really like "Siesta".  Good lighting, unconventional pose. 

[Gwangi]

I thought "Siesta" was going to be the winner, that or "The Lost World". Although I did reveal my picture Amarga must have missed it. Mine was "Theropod Showdown", number 22. I figured "Grandeur" was yours Amarga, it has your style to it. It is a great shot but I confess I did not vote for it simply because of the tall grass in the background. I'm picky like that though.

I agree with  Megalosaurus' assessment about Photoshop.

[Georassic]

Did you have an entry Geo?

I was #27, Carno's Charge at the Creek. My first-ever entry. Feedback and critiques are sincerely and eagerly welcomed.

[Federreptil]

Thank for all the congratulations!
I'm very proud, that the first participation did it so well. When I discovered the forum last year, I am very sad, to see I was too late. So there was a longer preparation for this shot. And I'm happy, that a good friend of mine helped me at the shooting and know also this fantastic place in a retired quarry pond.

I know, that Gallimimus and Tyrannosaurus rex has different habits, but I think the herd of Gallis may a good replacement for Struthiomimus because both are very close related together and the interpretation of toy makers can differ here more than the known fossil facts. But I admit that I'm also infected by Jurassic Park like clearly some other members here. So here is a mind keeping interpretation of the scene with the running Struthiomimi chased by the hunting T-Rex. And like some TV-specials and Delgado show most of the time pterosaurs in the sky, there have also three in this picture. It's a head movie in this image.

In my profession I use photoshop so extensive, that this here is just a smooth impact. The sky is a little bit more dramatic, the pterosaur wires are vanished and the dust cloud is added. The rest is color correction and a little bit more contrast in the herd. Most of the subtile details between the running flock are made with a classical sunshader. But my goal for a diorama was a cinematic scenery with model dinosaurs which look not so toyish. So I am glad, that i. e. the incorrectness of papo T-rex models blurs in the unsharpness. And the dust cloud is essential for the action. This picture is just an ambition for the perfect visual of an idea and not the attempt to rule other entries out with unfair methods. When I see, how different the interpretation of the diorama contest can be and everyone get his fans and votes, it should be clear that someone must be is surprised about the results. I like the variety of sentiments in the forum and – without voting for the own– not every favorite of mine has got the expected high acknowledgement (especially 29. Multispinus mudbathers because of the little fellows in the foreground). But 'Siesta' and 'Grandeur' I liked very much for the fantastic models and 'Lost World' and 'Fatal Attraction' for the mood by reducing the colors in a awful scenery.

I will show some pictures of the making-of in a few days and everyone can see what's real and whether this without correction is a better image. Or why a second shot was not used.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

@ Gwangi, I actually really liked your choices. The only reason I did not click the select button for your photograph was the dinosaur in the foreground looked a bit.......Cartoonish...not sure of that is the correct word. The expression and demeanor of the dinosaur are so different from the predator in the background. I think if you had used just about any other foreground choice you would have placed. I even tested that for myself by forcing my eye to only view the dinosaur in the background.....the pose, lighting and angle..the indirect action are simply superb by itself. I did almost vote for it however.
@ Georassic....hardly one myself to place an idea or comment, but my own two cents for your scene was that you chose very dynamic angles and dinosaurs posed in realistic ways to convey a story or idea...but your use of glass bubbles for the needed river were not as realistic as the dinosaurs and scene itself.  I was also forced to ask myself if Carnotaurus and the horned species might have interacted. I am careless placing dinosaurs together due to the differences in time they lived...but I kept wondering if these particular species lived within the same geographical arena. Still a superb effort and one of my favorite dinosaurs..the Carnotaurus

[Balaur]

I voted for The lost world, Down with the tyrant, Youth gone wild, Fatal Attraction, and Swamp Monster.

I was so close to voting for siesta. What figures where in "Youth Gone Wild"?

[Gwangi]

Thanks Amarga! The dinosaur in the foreground is the Kaiyodo Deinonychus. I chose it because it was small enough to match the Acrocanthosaurus scale-wise, maybe not exactly but close enough. I also used it because the Acro and Deinonychus lived in the same time and place. The idea behind it is that the Deinonychus is protecting its eggs from the oncoming Acro. That Deinonychus to me looks like it is defending something what with it standing upright, arms spread. I used small white flowers as eggs due to a lack of anything else but in the end product they just look like, well...flowers. I agree that the Deinonychus was not the best model choice. It looks too fake and came out a little blurry too. I had to work with what I had. I love the Acro in that picture though. This was not my original choice for the contest, just the one that photographed the best. I will have to carry the one I wanted to do over to next years contest.

Georassic, I think where you went wrong with your entry was in your choice of species and the decision to make your diorama. There certainly seems to be a preference for pictures taken outside. That said I commend anyone who goes through the effort of making an actual diorama, it must be a lot of work. As for the dinosaurs you used, none of them would have ever interacted. All three lived in a different time and place in history. While it might work if you substituted a Gallimimus for a Struthiomimus like Federreptil did the deliberate choice to place a two North American ceratopsians (from two different time periods) with a South American theropod probably attributed to the lack of votes. That said, some very strange entries did really well considering so...who knows. This is advice from someone who has not gotten a lot of votes himself so take that advice for what it's worth.

[Bokisaurus]

Thank for all the congratulations!
I'm very proud, that the first participation did it so well. When I discovered the forum last year, I am very sad, to see I was too late. So there was a longer preparation for this shot. And I'm happy, that a good friend of mine helped me at the shooting and know also this fantastic place in a retired quarry pond.

I know, that Gallimimus and Tyrannosaurus rex has different habits, but I think the herd of Gallis may a good replacement for Struthiomimus because both are very close related together and the interpretation of toy makers can differ here more than the known fossil facts. But I admit that I'm also infected by Jurassic Park like clearly some other members here. So here is a mind keeping interpretation of the scene with the running Struthiomimi chased by the hunting T-Rex. And like some TV-specials and Delgado show most of the time pterosaurs in the sky, there have also three in this picture. It's a head movie in this image.

In my profession I use photoshop so extensive, that this here is just a smooth impact. The sky is a little bit more dramatic, the pterosaur wires are vanished and the dust cloud is added. The rest is color correction and a little bit more contrast in the herd. Most of the subtile details between the running flock are made with a classical sunshader. But my goal for a diorama was a cinematic scenery with model dinosaurs which look not so toyish. So I am glad, that i. e. the incorrectness of papo T-rex models blurs in the unsharpness. And the dust cloud is essential for the action. This picture is just an ambition for the perfect visual of an idea and not the attempt to rule other entries out with unfair methods. When I see, how different the interpretation of the diorama contest can be and everyone get his fans and votes, it should be clear that someone must be is surprised about the results. I like the variety of sentiments in the forum and – without voting for the own– not every favorite of mine has got the expected high acknowledgement (especially 29. Multispinus mudbathers because of the little fellows in the foreground). But 'Siesta' and 'Grandeur' I liked very much for the fantastic models and 'Lost World' and 'Fatal Attraction' for the mood by reducing the colors in a awful scenery.

I will show some pictures of the making-of in a few days and everyone can see what's real and whether this without correction is a better image. Or why a second shot was not used.

Congratulations, and you should be really proud of winning this years'  contest 
I voted for yours- Knowing what you now shared, I have even more admiration on how well you pulled off the entire thing, photoshop or not.
I personally have used photoshop in my earlier dioramas with mixed results. Of late, I have not used photoshop just because I wanted the challenge of trying to make my vision come alive with just the basics.
Your composition, choices of figures, and story, all came together. The addition of dust and changing the lighting put the finishing touches
The others I voted:
#28 Siesta - for it's simple yet effective composition
#16 Youth Gone Wild - What a classic diorama is all about! Love the story, figures, composition, and the overall execution of the piece
#2 Lost World - Again, for the simplicity of the composition and the choice of figures. Somehow it all came together
#13 Down with the Tyrant - The closeup (portrait)and focus worked really well with the story. It really focused on just the two figures and the story.

There are a few others that I really like -
# 18 Supremacy in the JUrassic - the only thing that I would suggest is that to eliminate the plant (?) on the right that really distracted from the brachiosaurs profile, otherwise, it would have been a really dramatic, simple and effective piece

#14 Dreaming of Sailing - I really like the simplicity of the composition. Love the water contrasting with the figure.  The scale also worked really well
#35 Grandeur- Love the majestic figure. The tall grass in the back, for me, distracted and reminded me of the scale of the figure. Otherwise, I can picture this giant in a dry riverbed!
#22 Theropod Showdown - I love the composition and the story. What did not wok for me is the leaves in the center and background. that really distracted me. I like the figures, they do look like they are interacting, and that look of alarm really worked for me
#5 Meeting at the River - again, the classic diorama. Composition worked for me, and really love how the one in the water turned out

Anyway, theres my notes 
As for my own piece, Fatal Attraction, Well, perhaps the choice of two species separated by time had a negative effect on the results
In the end, I felt that this was closer to achieving what I have envisioned when I came up with an idea. I will be must curios to hear what you all think of the two other pieces that were up for consideration.
Cheers!