Takamas Question Thread

[Dinoguy2]

Estimating the size of an extinct animal is not an exact science. It always just boils down to a best guess and who's best guess you choose to follow. It is not as simple as measuring a skeleton. You still need to take into account things like cartilage between bones and the musculature and fleshy bits that would alter the proportions of the animal. You also need to consider that the fossil record is extremely fragmentary and even if you have a complete skeleton it hardly represents a species as a whole. Even if you have 15 skeletons you're still only scratching the surface of what you can know. Just look at the variation in size with extant humans. You have the pygmies in Africa that average 4-5 feet tall and then you have people in the Netherlands reaching 6 feet and up. That's not taking into account genetic abnormalities. Basically what I'm trying to tell you is, don't get too bent up over the little details here. The difference in scale between a 2 and 2.5 meter Velociraptor is negligible and both size estimates were probably represented by at least some individuals in the genus. If you want a Eoraptor in 1:32 scale, just commission it. You won't be wrong, you'll just be choosing to use a particular size estimate over another.

The other thing to keep in mind for s when estimates differ based on few or only one specimen, then people are simply guessing proportions differently. If you make Eoraptor 1.7m and another 1m but the skull length is bigger then n the first one, then one is definitively wrong. Better to figure out the size of the complete skull in each scale and see which is actually right, rather than going by total body length which is totally dependent on unknowns, like amount of cartilage, length of the tail, etc.

The skull of Eoraptor is 12cm, so any scale model at 1:40 needs a 0.3 cm head. Whether or not it's 1 or 2 m in total length, the rest of the body would be longer or shorter but known elements should be the same.

[Takama]

Eoraptor is a ways off. so theres plenty of time to figure it out.

As for Triceratops. I will just have Brandem base it on Tatankaceratops and say that its a rare instance of dwarfism on the mainland. Do you think Tatankaceratops is a good guide for makeing a little people Triceratops?

[Dinoguy2]

Eoraptor is a ways off. so theres plenty of time to figure it out.

As for Triceratops. I will just have Brandem base it on Tatankaceratops and say that its a rare instance of dwarfism on the mainland. Do you think Tatankaceratops is a good guide for makeing a little people Triceratops?

I don't think it really matters... Whether a dwarf Triceratops, a juvenile, or a new species, won't affect its appearance.

[Takama]

I finally figured out a way to make a T.Rex that Stands out from the rest.

A Dying Emaciated Adult whos lived through the meteor impact 65 million years ago.

I wish for it to be a Fully grown adult Tyrannosaurus thats starving so much that it would appeared shrink-wrapped a little bit.   The reason is is because the Meteor had strikes, and the world is in ruin, and food for the carnivoires is now becoming scarce. So much so that some survivors are starving.

Does this seem likly for a T.Rex to Grow full size and start to starve to death due to the Lack of food brought on by the meteor?

[DinoLord]

It's certainly possible. Most animals are capable of surviving quite a while without food before dying.

[Takama]

Do you think that some of its feathers might be missing due to illness from lack of food

[Dilopho]

Do you think that some of its feathers might be missing due to illness from lack of food

Probably!
Although I feel very sad for him. If I had a figure like that I'd place him next to all my dead dinosaurs so he can eat his fill.

[Takama]

Well i could do this, or make two T.Rexe participating in the first steps of creating life.

[DinoLord]

His feathers would probably be at least thinned out from malnutrition. Integument like that is relatively costly to maintain.

[Takama]

Would it look like the Rebor Yutyrannus? only malnourished?

Or like this?

 

[DinoLord]

That would depend on the original distribution of feathers along the body. We know that tyrannosaurs did have some portions of the body that were scaly (from skin impressions) and likely didn't have as extensive a feather covering as a chicken or other extant bird. In a case of malnutrition only the portions that were originally feathered would look scraggly.

I think it would look somewhere in between the Rebor Yutyrannus and the chicken you posted. First, envision what kind of feathering a healthy T. rex would have had. Perhaps the feathers were primarily on the upper torso and neck with the rest of the body scaly, similar to the Rebor Yutyrannus or the Saurian T. rex:



A malnourished individual would have the same overall distribution of feathers and scales, but the feathers would be more scraggly where they are (like on a bird losing feathers). However I don't know if the underlying skin would necessarily be pink as in the chicken pictured - probably having the underlying skin close in color to the scaly parts of the body would be appropriate.

[Gwangi]

I'm inclined to think that the exposed fathers under the skin would be pink like the chicken and not the same color as the scaly parts. Notice that the chicken's skin is not the same color as its scaly legs. The same would probably hold true for T. rex.

[DinoLord]

I'm inclined to think that the exposed fathers under the skin would be pink like the chicken and not the same color as the scaly parts. Notice that the chicken's skin is not the same color as its scaly legs. The same would probably hold true for T. rex.

I also gave this question some consideration, but then not all bird skin is pink. For example even some chickens have black skin, and some parrots that suffer from feather-plucking have more brownish or purple skin underlying. Personally I just find the idea of a thinning T. rex with exposed bright pink skin a bit too much to bear. 

[Gwangi]

I'm inclined to think that the exposed fathers under the skin would be pink like the chicken and not the same color as the scaly parts. Notice that the chicken's skin is not the same color as its scaly legs. The same would probably hold true for T. rex.

I also gave this question some consideration, but then not all bird skin is pink. For example even some chickens have black skin, and some parrots that suffer from feather-plucking have more brownish or purple skin underlying. Personally I just find the idea of a thinning T. rex with exposed bright pink skin a bit too much to bear. 

Well I suppose it doesn't have to be pink, just a different color than the scales. And if you were to make the scales green or something I wouldn't do the same to the skin.

I think chickens with black skin were selectively bred for it but you're right, I have seen other skin colors in birds.

[Takama]

Ok what do you guys think of the Scales on Our Scaly Dinosaurs?








Are they too big in to scale with the model? Or are they fine? This is a 1:32 Torvosaurus.  I was wondering if i should have Brandem do Sauropods with this Scalely detail or if i should have him do them with Smooth skin.   Do you guys think a Sauropod will have noticable scales like this?

[Dilopho]

Ok what do you guys think of the Scales on Our Scaly Dinosaurs?

[SNIP]

Are they too big in to scale with the model? Or are they fine? This is a 1:32 Torvosaurus.  I was wondering if i should have Brandem do Sauropods with this Scalely detail or if i should have him do them with Smooth skin.   Do you guys think a Sauropod will have noticable scales like this?

Ooh, I like them! Lizard-type scales, huh? Nice!
Personally, I think Sauropods would have been smoother because of their size. Look at, say, the Papo Brachiosaurus to see what I mean.
I love your Torvosaurus.

_{Edited to remove quoted images}

[Dinoguy2]

Ok what do you guys think of the Scales on Our Scaly Dinosaurs?

[SNIP]

Are they too big in to scale with the model? Or are they fine? This is a 1:32 Torvosaurus.  I was wondering if i should have Brandem do Sauropods with this Scalely detail or if i should have him do them with Smooth skin.   Do you guys think a Sauropod will have noticable scales like this?

The scales do look a bit too big. Not sure they'd be visible at all over 1:30 in most species except those with unusually large scales like Triceratops and Kaatedocus.

Carnotsurus pavement scales are 5mm each. In 1:32 that makes each scale 1mm across!

_{Edited to remove quoted images}

[Redonix76]

I also think it's  a bit too big, but it's not a deal breaker for me lol. It reminds me of a retro kinda style scales! Anyway, I think varying the scales sizes in different areas will help, so you dont necessarily have to re-do all the scales! You can also have some negative spaces where it's presumed that the scales are too small to see...Good luck!

[Kayakasaurus]

The scales are to big, but most dinosaurs in these scales don't have scales to scale. For example many of Doug Watsons sculpts are covered in individual scales, and they give the intended idea of a scaley creature. I think Brandem did a great job doing individual scales! Good job. I will also say that that color of sculpey makes it difficult to see details, just something I've observed.

[Dinoguy2]

The scales are to big, but most dinosaurs in these scales don't have scales to scale. For example many of Doug Watsons sculpts are covered in individual scales, and they give the intended idea of a scaley creature. I think Brandem did a great job doing individual scales! Good job. I will also say that that color of sculpey makes it difficult to see details, just something I've observed.

I don't know why more sculptors don't do smooth skin studded with rows of spikey scales or rows of big flat scales, you know, like what the fossils actually show... It would still give a nice impression of texture without making them look like lizards. I find the larger scale actually makes the model seem like it's of a smaller animal, if that makes sense, because obviously we see in real life that scales don't generally increase in size evenly with body size, so it makes a 1:40 model look like a 1:15 model of something really small.

People demand detail, and artists and sculptors go to a lot of effort to create the illusion of accuracy while actively making their art less accurate and less believable, which is why many newer figures have this vague vibe that they're more like fantasy or dragon figures than real animals.