Archive for the ‘Dinosaurs’ Category

There's goes next month's games budget

Posted on in Dinosaurs, Miniatures.
HLBS Pachycephalosaurus

HLBS have released some new additions to their dinosaur range – mostly smaller critters this time, some (Velociraptor, Ornithomimus, Compsognathus) are replacements for the now OOP older range, others (like the boneheaded chap above) never before done in this scale.

Meanwhile the confusingly similarly named RLBPS (who also stock HLBS in the USA) have added some more figures to their Dazed Miniatures range. Wow, they’ve added pictures between me checking their page this morning and writing this post. Anyway, you can now get a miniature Dodo.

Both sets of releases have been added to the index of 25/28mm Dinosaurs and other prehistoric miniatures and I’ve also created a 20mm Dinosaurs and other prehistoric miniatures index, so far just housing David Krentz’s stunning Antediluvia Collection.

Dazed Miniatures Dodo

Mini Dino Updates

Posted on in Dinosaurs, Miniatures.

Richard Deasey of HLBS/DZ/DeeZee fame has sculpted a new range for RLBPS in the States: Dazed Miniatures.

Dazed Mammoth Family

On the other side of the world, Gary Hunt has some very nice looking feathered raptor greens.

Back in Blighty, Magister Militum have posted some new pics showing painted examples of their DinoMight range.

And finally, Jeff Valent Studios are offering their T. Rex at 33% off.

Oink! Grrr!

Posted on in Dinosaurs, Miniatures.

Dinosaurs in Miniature has been updated with all the latest releases: Some cavegirls from Reaper, some running dinos from Hasslefree and a Megatherium and Smilodon from Rattrap.

And at long last someone, Amazon Miniatures as it happens, has made the killer pig itself, an Entelodont:

Amazon Miniatures Entelodont
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Venice

Posted on in Dinosaurs, My Life.
The Campanile in the Piazza San Marco

Venice was simply amazing. Lovely weather, great food (especially the seafood), amazing sights.

We stayed at the Hotel Rivamare on the Lido, which meant we took a boat across the lagoon into Venice proper everyday. In the city itself we saw all the big names: the Palazzo Ducale or Doge’s Palace, the Basilica di San Marco, the Piazza, the Bridge of Sighs, Rialto Bridge, the Grand Canal.

Things that appealed more directly to me included the Museum of Natural History was only partially open but we did get to see the excellent Ouranosaurus and Sarchosuchus; The Museo Storico Navale or Naval History Museum which only costs €1.55 and is packed full of relics from Venice’s and Italy’s seafaring history; The Rome and the Barbarians exhibition in the Palazzo Grassi was a ten times more expensive (and I really wanted the exhibition book but at €48 it was too much) but much more extensive than I’d expect for a temporary exhibit.

We also visited some of the other lagoon islands: Murano for the glassmaking; Burano for the lace making and painted houses; and Torcello for the eleventh century cathedral.

For one day we got the train to Verona, passing castles and vineyards on the way. There we visited the Arena and the Castle and had another fantastic lunch. One day wasn’t enough and we plan to go back sometime.

Venice photos and Verona photos.

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Mammoth tosh

Posted on in Dinosaurs, Doctor Who, Films, Science.

Went to see 10,000 BC this afternoon. Oh boy, history, biology, geography, astronomy – they all get a hammering in this film. I can’t be bothered to even start listing everything that was goofy here.

It was one of the most by-the-numbers renditions of (the easy to understand bits of) Joseph Campbell’s monomyth that I’d seen in a while. I smiled at the bemusement when hunter-gatherers first came across the evidence of agriculture, but of course in Campbell’s scheme there has to be a ‘boon’ to take back home at the end (sorry, that was a spoiler). There were also bits lifted from the Bible, Stargate, Conan and 300, just in case the mention of Campbell misled you into thinking there were highbrow sources being used.

The action and CGI were very good, the actors managed to keep straight face. It’s not a bad movie in the sense that it’s exciting and visual, but it’s certainly one to watch with the brain switched off.

Oh, by the way, the Doctor Who and Star Trek trailers look amazing on the big screen.

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Collecting Little Things

Posted on in Dinosaurs, Doctor Who, Miniatures.

Tooth and Claw By Chris PeersI’ve just updated the Dinosaurs in Miniature pages with the latest releases and re-releases.

Wargames Illustrated have finished re-releasing the DZ Miniatures prehistoric mammals. They’re also selling a set of rules called Tooth and Claw to tie in with this range. Written by Chris “every other set of rules out there” Peers who has pedigree on this area with Saurian Safari. My copy is in the post, so with luck I’ll be able to post a review soon.

There are also new rules out from Magister Militum called DinoMight and MM continue to expand their range of 10mm figures, now including some non-dinosaurs.

Finally on the pre-historic front Reaper have released a “Jungle Girl with Sabre Tooth Tiger” which is okay-ish except for the huge mold line in the photo and the fact that it’s an idea that’s been done several times before. Very nice cat though.

Reaper Miniatures Jungle Girl with Sabre Tooth Tiger

Meanwhile… It was only a matter of time… Pre-painted, collectible (i.e. random sealed boxes) miniatures for Doctor Who (via Forbidden Planet). They’re by Character Options which is a good sign (they make the very nice DW action figures) and the price is the same as for the Star Wars minis. On the downside (apart from the collectible nature) is the scale, 35mm, and the lack of anything from the classic series. Will I be buying them? They’re Doctor Who miniatures!

Preview of Doctor Who collectible miniatures

Top 5…

Posted on in Dinosaurs, Memes.

…Dinosaurs

As tagged by . Post a comment with “top ten” or “top five” and I’ll give you a subject to base your list around.

  1. Stegosaurus

    Maybe because we start our names with the same three letters but I’ve always liked Steggy. One of the classic dinos that all the kids know, and one of the most fantastically strange looking creatures to ever walk on land.

    Stegosaurus

  2. Allosaurus

    A big mean predator, not as unbalanced to look at as T.rex but still big enough and toothy enough to give you nightmares.

  3. Brachiosaurus

    Of Lofty as we call him round our way. Not only is it one of the biggest dinos but it’s also unusual in having longer legs at the front than at the back (hence the name).

  4. Anklyosaurus

    Walking tank. My default user icon.

  5. Deinonychus

    Velociraptor : Deinonychus = Hobbit : Human

Bug Hunt

Posted on in Dinosaurs, Science, TV.

When I saw the trailers for yesterday’s episode of Primeval I wondered whether they were going to give any explanation of how the giant arthropods could survive in our atmosphere, and pleasantly they did – oxygen rich air leaking through the rift anomaly from the Carboniferous.

Then they go and spoil it by having the good looking bloke use a blowtorch right in front of the rift anomaly with no side effects what so ever. If the oxygen levels were high enough to affect the soldiers then wouldn’t any flames also be affected?

Oh, and they doubled the size of Arthropleura. There could be a larger species that simply hasn’t been found in the fossil record yet…

Science aside, it’s fun tea time nonsense, but the geek is very annoying and only Douglas Henshaw shows any signs of actually being able to act.

One last thing. We’ve all been conned. On the ITV web site for the series there’s a list of creatures. Have a look and see if you spot whats missing:

  • Coelurosauravus
  • Scutosaurus
  • Gorgonopsid
  • Giant Spiders
  • Arthropleura
  • Mosasaur
  • Hesperonis
  • Dodo
  • Parasite
  • Pteranodon
  • Agnurognathus
  • Predator

Not one of those is a dinosaur. No dinosaurs. Weren’t we promised dinosaurs? But all we get is arthropods, synapsids, and birds (I know birds are dinosaurs). Give us some proper dinos!

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Who's a pretty boy then?

Posted on in Dinosaurs, Miniatures.

New from Reaper, a mean look Phorusrhacid.

Axebeak, Prehistoric Bird

Obviously, I want. But do I need another?

Magister Militum dinosaurs and friends

Posted on in Dinosaurs, Miniatures.

Via TMP, Magister Militum have launched a new range of dinosaurs in 10mm (1/160 scale).

Magister Militum, DIN003, Suchomimus

Meanwhile back in 28mm, I discovered a while back, but forgot to blog it, that Das Schwarze Auge – The Dark Eye range available via Ral Partha Europe, contains a handful of prehistoric creatures.

Das Schwarze Auge, 17016,Devourer
A dancing T. rex, just don’t paint him purple…