Libraraptor´s "Saurierschaukasten" in Ostentrop, Germany

[Libraraptor]

Hey folks, remember me introducing my display case project as a part of a bigger nature trail project?

Well,  it made progress over the last months and I´d like to present you a kind of "making of" of this case. I proudly mounted the figures on sockets today in a barn and probably in two weeks we´ll mount it along the nature trail. I´m so proud!

At first there was a thought of how to give home-grown and tourist strollers and wanderers around my home village an insight into how nature works and how culture deals with it.

The "Heimatverein" and a biology class from secondary/grammar school from a provincial town nearby drafted around 25 presentation boards dealing with "nocturnal animals of Germany",  "water supply of Ostentrop in the past" or "life in a stump" and many, many other topics for example.

In the course of this draft work they had thought of me as a "prehistory specialist" and had asked me for a contribution.

At first I thought of a cladogram of prehistoric animals from Germany and the transition to birds of some of these. The pictures would come from the Internet. But the table would have become too full, since in the beginning I wanted each and every prehistoric animal to be on it.

Then came the idea of a bigger and more ambitious three dimensonal weatherproof case displaying the animals in front of dioramas.

So I made a concept, forgoing the cladogram concept, presenting five iconic prehistoric animals from Germany "only", three of them less than 100 km away from my hometown and the display case.
So I talked to the leader of the Heimatverein about the budget.
So I met with local artist Jenny on two caffeine-rich Sundays who then painted the backgrounds in oil and acrylic,  tailor-made for every figure.
So I talked  to a friend of mine, a local carpenter.
So I talked to Bullyland in Spraitbach for replacement for the figures taken from my cabinet.
So I talked to a graphic artist. He scanned the original paintings, embedded them into a Layout, respecting the corporate design of the whole trail.
So I talked to a mason for the fundament.
So I wrote enthralling and informative texts for each animal. If you want me to translate them for you, please let me know.
So I called it "Saurierland Deutschland", meaning "Germany, saurian country"


And voilá:

Testing the Archaeopteryx´ position on the artwork. In the final version, I turned the figure around which looks a lot better.


Testing the Europasaurus´ position on the artwork


Coordinating the Iguanodon with the artwork


The big and heavy display case laying on its side in our garage. The figures will be stuck to the hinged backside of the case, one does not need to open the window glass itself.


Coordination


The board without the figures


Figures and transparent pedestrals waiting for final assembly


Finished mounting the acrylic glass sockets to the board


The animals in detail. Procynosuchus and caption:


Protochirotherium


Iguanodon:


Europasaurus:


Archaeopteryx, corporate design, sponsors. I´m particularly proud of finding a connecting passage for the text hinting at the birds in the woods today, thus feeding the case back to the recent fauna.


Should I ever find my original concept drawing under towering papers I´ll be presenting it here as well. And of course you´ll be informed about the day it will finally be mounted at the roadside.

How do you like the idea and its implementation?

[Newt]

This is a great idea and nicely executed! Well done.

[ceratopsian]

Very enterprising of you!  Lots of thought and effort has clearly gone into this.  Well done!

[Lanthanotus]

Woah, that is a very unusual and intersting contribution to such a nature trail (I know a lot of these and would really love to see more like that one of yours). I especially like the story-like texts you wrote for the several creatures. Well done!

[Halichoeres]

That's such a cool installation!

[Neosodon]

Great idea! There is no end to the things you can do with dinosaur figures.

[postsaurischian]

   Lovely thing!
      I would be so surprised if I'd see something like this during one of my forest walks.
      I hope nobody is going to steal the figures .

[Libraraptor]

  Lovely thing!
      I would be so surprised if I'd see something like this during one of my forest walks.
      I hope nobody is going to steal the figures .

For that he or she would have to break the security glass. You´re never safe from vandalism and thoughtlessness, especially in times when cruelty and dumbness are being rewarded with highest charges and final stage capitalism leads to brutalization.
But I trust in trust. And control: The case is built up just opposite of a house with five inhabitants. Two of them can see the case from their sleeping room. This comforts me a little.

[ZoPteryx]

Genius project!  Well done!

[Libraraptor]

Thanks for all the kind words and the enthusiasm on my project, which I can now proudly announce as finished!



We took a tractor shovel to place the heavy display case at the concrete fundament...


...then angled it and fixed it... (my son was very dedicated at the beginning, but it took some time and I took the picture after one and a half hour)


...and toasted the new display case!


Have a seat!

I am really proud of it! I informed four of five museums involved (Solnhofen will be the last one soon) of which three answered very benevolently.
Thanks to carpenters, a brick layer, a graphic designer, Bullyland, an artist, a dinosaur enthusiast and the honorary work of members of the Heimatverein Ostentrop, strollers in the Sauerland can now expand their general education with information about animals in  prehistoric Germany!

[Lanthanotus]

May it last and inspire

[Jose S.M.]

Congratulations of finishing the project! It looks really good, it's a great idea and great job.

[Halichoeres]

What a treasure! I hope many find and appreciate it.

[Joey]

Now this is what makes me want to go to Germany!

[Libraraptor]

Thank you for the kind words! I walk there nearly twice a week and sometimes put book recommendations behind the screen.
As soon as they´re endangered to become yellow, I change them.

[Lanthanotus]

Thank you for the kind words! I walk there nearly twice a week and sometimes put book recommendations behind the screen.
As soon as they´re endangered to become yellow, I change them.

Nice move... and I am happy for you that the "Kasten" seems to stay unvandalized.

[Libraraptor]

Thank you for the kind words! I walk there nearly twice a week and sometimes put book recommendations behind the screen.
As soon as they´re endangered to become yellow, I change them.

Nice move... and I am happy for you that the "Kasten" seems to stay unvandalized.

Indeed it stayed unvandalized so far. Since Bullyland Iguanodon was too heavy,  the arcrylic platform bent. So I changed the Bullyland one for the much lighter,  hollow WWD zebra style Iguanodon.

[eion129]

We can find some new toys from Germany and most of them comes with new designs.

[Shonisaurus]

Beautiful Libraraptor project is sincerely very educational and my greatest desire to prosper and spread in other parts of Germany and the world. My sincere congratulations.

[Megalosaurus]

I'm sure this display will sow the love for dinosaurs into several people. Thanks Stefan.