Heavily Monitored:  Alonso Studio’s Crylophosaurus

In the last year, I have been doing a series of build ups for Prehistoric Times magazine featuring movie dinosaurs.  However, in issue # 90, the dinosaur of the month was Crylophosaurus.  It just so happened that I had a client who wanted a rare and excellent Crylophosaurus kit from Alonso Studios done, so it was a perfect opportunity.

I have experimented with black and yellow dinosaurs for a while, but never been fully happy with the results.  Yellow is especially hard to get right and still make it look natural.  It is the most likely color to clog up in an airbrush and can look green or dingy on one hand or too unnatural on another.

But still, it is a common color for lizards and I had been looking for something with a manageable mix when I came across a picture of a monitor lizard and got an idea . . .

THE BUILD:  Because this was originally done for a magazine with limited space, I did not take a lot of in progress pictures.  However, the buildup is very straight forward.  First, wash the parts with soapy water first and allow to dry.  This helps the paint adhere properly and evenly

I used pins (nails) to support the legs and hold the arms in place, securing with 3 minute epoxy and using Aves two part putty to fill the gaps.  In the photo to the right, you can see the nail hanging down from the body.  There is a corresponding hole in the arm.

And before you put the arms on, do the claws (see below) and lay in a base coat.  Originally, I thought yellow would be the base coat as you can see from the photos.  However, when I realized that the monitor lizard would be the inspiration I switched to black. Black is a great base color to work with because it helps unify the kit, even where you apply putty.

Finally, I drilled a hole in the base and into the lower leg and used a drywall screw to secure it.  Pre-drill your hole and go slow or you can split the leg.

PRIMING:  I airbrush in FW Inks Cool Gray as a primer.  It gives me a great base and controlled application.  I shoot at about 10-15 psi through an Iwata HP-B for all coats.

BASE COAT:  The lower part of the body gets Badger Freak Flex Banshee Shadow Gray as does the base coat for the claws.  The rock where the dino’s leg adhered is primed and then based with Gargoyle Gray, also from Badger.

Again, originally I thought yellow would be the base, but I switched to FW Inks Black and then sealed with Testor’s Dulcote.  However, the red on the crest remained.  I used FW Inks Flame Red to spray in a basecoat.  Ultimately, black trim was shot around the edges as well.

DRY-BRUSHING:  Once the black was on, the crest and fleshy pockets around the nostrils are dry-brushed with FW Inks Flame Red.  To dry-brush, dip a flat tipped brush into a small amount of paint.  Pull off the paint with a cloth and then lightly brush it over surface details until it gives you the look you want.

The top of the body is dry-brushed with a mix of Createx Pearlized Blue and FW Inks Purple Lake, which gives the black skin a proper sheen.  When done, seal with Dulcote.

THE SPOTS: After several disappointing painting sessions, I found the solution—a yellow paint pen! The key is to use a fine point pen and don’t space too closely except where the body has a pronounced curve.

CLAWS AND TEETH: After a few experiments, I used Americana Buttermilk, thinned with a little water to base coat the teeth and claws, then went over that with some slightly thinned Detailer Rust acrylic wash. Good stuff!

THE EYES: The eyes are easy. Base coat with white and put a black dot in the center. When that is dry, coat with Tamiya Transparent Red.

OIL WASH:  When all this was sealed and dried, I put in a black oil wash to add depth to the lighter areas.  Mix about 5% oil paint to 95% paint thinner to create the wash.  You can see the effect on the nose and crest in the shot to the right.

THE ROCK:  Before securing the foot to the base permanently with epoxy, I mottle in Cursed Earth, Lifetone Transparent Burnt Sienna, and Createx Transparent Gray and drybrush Apple Barrel Dolphin Gray.  Then it is sealed and gets a black oil wash.

This was done for a client, so alas, it is out my door.  If you have questions or want build ups done, let me know at editor@creaturescape.com.

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