Doug Watson's collection

[smashtoad]

I wish they would have produced your Doedicurus much larger.  What a cool beast.

[Doug Watson]

I wish they would have produced your Doedicurus much larger.  What a cool beast.

Thank you, we tried to keep the series in similar scales with the Smilodon being the big exception.

[Archinto]

Wow such talent! Your models are awesome! How cool to be a sculptor for Safari. this is a pretty rad collection. I lime your vintage stuff. That miller ramphorynchus is superb! Makes mine look totally trashed haha! Looking forward to more photos

[Doug Watson]

Wow such talent! Your models are awesome! How cool to be a sculptor for Safari. this is a pretty rad collection. I lime your vintage stuff. That miller ramphorynchus is superb! Makes mine look totally trashed haha! Looking forward to more photos

Thank you, I really like the vintage stuff as well, partly because I grew up with some of it and partly because it is amazing that they have survived this long and I want to preserve them until it is time for someone else to enjoy them, to paraphrase Chuck Heston "when they pry them from my cold, dead hands"  It is funny my Rampho's lower jaw is broken like the upper jaw on yours but I have the piece temporarily attached. Someday hopefully when I get a chance to retire I plan to restore all of my Millers. I have done one that had a lot of damage but it takes a long time to do it right, matching the resin colour and consistency but I hope to do it someday.

[Gwangi]

Wow such talent! Your models are awesome! How cool to be a sculptor for Safari. this is a pretty rad collection. I lime your vintage stuff. That miller ramphorynchus is superb! Makes mine look totally trashed haha! Looking forward to more photos

Thank you, I really like the vintage stuff as well, partly because I grew up with some of it and partly because it is amazing that they have survived this long and I want to preserve them until it is time for someone else to enjoy them, to paraphrase Chuck Heston "when they pry them from my cold, dead hands"  It is funny my Rampho's lower jaw is broken like the upper jaw on yours but I have the piece temporarily attached. Someday hopefully when I get a chance to retire I plan to restore all of my Millers. I have done one that had a lot of damage but it takes a long time to do it right, matching the resin colour and consistency but I hope to do it someday.

I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that I hate the thought of you retiring.

[Doug Watson]

I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that I hate the thought of you retiring.

I appreciate that but I have now been working for 40 years and I do have a pile of personal projects piling up that I never seem to have either time or energy for. But I still have some more years left as long as Safari Ltd wants me and then there is that annoying need for money to buy food.

[suspsy]

Speaking of which, Doug, Michael's keeps sending me all these wonderful 30%, 40%, and 50% off coupons. Oh, if only they would carry a wider selection of your work!

[Archinto]

Wow such talent! Your models are awesome! How cool to be a sculptor for Safari. this is a pretty rad collection. I lime your vintage stuff. That miller ramphorynchus is superb! Makes mine look totally trashed haha! Looking forward to more photos

Thank you, I really like the vintage stuff as well, partly because I grew up with some of it and partly because it is amazing that they have survived this long and I want to preserve them until it is time for someone else to enjoy them, to paraphrase Chuck Heston "when they pry them from my cold, dead hands"  It is funny my Rampho's lower jaw is broken like the upper jaw on yours but I have the piece temporarily attached. Someday hopefully when I get a chance to retire I plan to restore all of my Millers. I have done one that had a lot of damage but it takes a long time to do it right, matching the resin colour and consistency but I hope to do it someday.

Wow crazy they have the opposite beaks broken. As far as reglueing the bits that break off, there's a new glue that can glue polyethylene... W all know that stuffs impossible to glue... It worked wonders on my millers putting the broken bits back on. It's Loctite Plastics Bonder. Comes with a chemical pen and superglue. I've yet to try it on my broken Dino riders harnesses but it's what I used to repair all the newer damage my millers had. What kind of resources do you have for restoration? I'd like to try and make some parts for my Smilodon. It'd be nice to fix away the old silicone repairs on them too.

Vintage dinosaurs have an artisticness to them that new ones just don't possess. I think it's why I'm drawn to them so much. You should showcase your vintages and take some good pics, I'd love to see them.

[Doug Watson]

Speaking of which, Doug, Michael's keeps sending me all these wonderful 30%, 40%, and 50% off coupons. Oh, if only they would carry a wider selection of your work!

Have you tried the store in Kanata. The one nearest me on Pinecrest has a lousy selection, they rarely have any of my dinos  but when I was looking for a few to give away to people I went to Kanata and they had a few of my dinos and my extant animals as well.

[Doug Watson]

Wow crazy they have the opposite beaks broken. As far as reglueing the bits that break off, there's a new glue that can glue polyethylene... W all know that stuffs impossible to glue... It worked wonders on my millers putting the broken bits back on. It's Loctite Plastics Bonder. Comes with a chemical pen and superglue. I've yet to try it on my broken Dino riders harnesses but it's what I used to repair all the newer damage my millers had. What kind of resources do you have for restoration? I'd like to try and make some parts for my Smilodon. It'd be nice to fix away the old silicone repairs on them too.

Vintage dinosaurs have an artisticness to them that new ones just don't possess. I think it's why I'm drawn to them so much. You should showcase your vintages and take some good pics, I'd love to see them.

I hadn't tried that glue, I'll look for it. When I do my repairs I melt a blend of polyethylene, microcrystalline wax & pigment. Then I add it to the piece by melting it on then I retexture the surface. I have also made moulds of missing pieces off of other ones that had the missing piece, cast the piece in my formula and bonded it to the original.

I have my vintage pieces posted here in this thread chronologically starting on page 4 reply #79.

[suspsy]

Huh. The one in Kanata . . . is that the one closer to Stittsville? I did pop in there over the holidays. The only recent dinosaur figures were ones I already own (Vagaceratops, Dracorex, Ceratosaurus, and Apatosaurus). Hopefully they'll get some more recent toys in this year.

I was at the CMN a couple of times over the last few months, once on Halloween and a few weeks ago to see that special exhibit on insects. The gift shop has almost no Safari product now aside from toobs. It's really sad.

[Doug Watson]

Huh. The one in Kanata . . . is that the one closer to Stittsville? I did pop in there over the holidays. The only recent dinosaur figures were ones I already own (Vagaceratops, Dracorex, Ceratosaurus, and Apatosaurus). Hopefully they'll get some more recent toys in this year.

I was at the CMN a couple of times over the last few months, once on Halloween and a few weeks ago to see that special exhibit on insects. The gift shop has almost no Safari product now aside from toobs. It's really sad.

Yes that is the one.

There used to be more but the guy that ran the store lost the contract or let it go and I guess it has gone down hill. Hate to say I haven't been back in years so I had no idea what they had.

[Gwangi]

I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that I hate the thought of you retiring.

I appreciate that but I have now been working for 40 years and I do have a pile of personal projects piling up that I never seem to have either time or energy for. But I still have some more years left as long as Safari Ltd wants me and then there is that annoying need for money to buy food.

Oh I understand, and we appreciate all you've done thus far. My comment was entirely selfish, I just want you to sculpt dinosaurs forever! Regardless of when you retire I agree that you've certainly earned it and I'm sure we'll get more of your outdoor pictures to make up for the lack of dinosaurs.

The stores around here lag behind by a few years with their Safari selection too. I could never understand why they don't have a higher turnover rate. Surely always having the same models in stock can't be good for business. I mean, I don't go in there to buy the same models over and over. But what do I know, I'm sure dinosaur toys are never their cash cows.

[Saurox]

Oh my! What an absolutely sensational collection. That library 

[Doug Watson]

Oh my! What an absolutely sensational collection. That library 

Thank you, and to quote Forrest J. Ackerman "I've read every last word in every book in my collection." And it's true! When I get a new book I turn to the last page -- and read the last word!

[Halichoeres]

Oh my! What an absolutely sensational collection. That library 

Thank you, and to quote Forrest J. Ackerman "I've read every last word in every book in my collection." And it's true! When I get a new book I turn to the last page -- and read the last word!

Ha! Until grad school I didn't even put a book on my shelf until I'd read it, and I never had more than a small stack of un-read books. Now, though, I have a backlog I'm not sure I'll ever get through.

[Concavenator]

Could you take photos of the 2016s originals,please?

[Doug Watson]

Could you take photos of the 2016s originals,please?

Here you go
Carcharodontosaurus


Masiakasaurus


Plesiosuchus


Shunosaurus


Iguanodon

[Viking Spawn]

Those are AWESOME Doug!   

[Doug Watson]

Those are AWESOME Doug!   

Thank you Inspector Gadget.