Velociraptor Haunted House Prop Pages: 1 2 3 <<First
Velociraptor Prop - Page 3
Velociraptor Prop Details - Repairs and a Repaint
The Re-Painted and Repaired Velociraptor Prop
When I got the prop back home, I decided I wanted
to fix the Velociraptor so it would appear more
realistic. (By "realistic" I am referring to the multi-million-year-old photos we have of
velociraptors.)
So I repainted the old girl. I figured that with the reference material, I could make her look a little less like Tony the Tiger than she did originally. In keeping with what I saw in Jurassic Park 2, I toned down the tiger strips and tried to make the whole effect more subtle.
OK, it was a bit more involved than a simple matter of repainting. You might be completely wrong. The poor girl had suffered some damage at the haunted house and it needed to be repaired. In addition, the tail had never actually been attached because it wasn't needed at the haunted house. So I wanted to add it to the prop. At right, you can see an interim pic of the fierce Bondosaurus. The back and tail have been freshly fiberglassed (if that's a word...) to finish the prop.
 Re-Doing the Velociraptor Prop - Note the Bondo Patches, Back Covering and Extensive Work to Better Integrate the Tail |
The Repainted Velociraptor - Front
Repainted Velociraptor - Back
In fixing the old girl up, I also needed to correct three broken teeth
(more damage done during haunted house), finish her gums, install glass
eyes and provide her with a covering for her back. While the hole in the back allowed me to string
the beast up on cables in the haunted house, it would look rather strange when she became a lawn ornament. I thought briefly about creating a removable cover so I could get at her innards, but I also wanted the prop to be waterproof since she had to be outside. (She was 12 feet long, after all!)
So I fixed the joints more permenantly and closed the hole in her back. I also permanently attached her tail as noted above. She also received a new coat of paint and some bondo for the cracks making her better than new.
Of
My Nephew Examining My Velociraptor Prop Rework in 2004
course the proof is in the pudding! (Whatever the heck that means.)
Working to make a dinosaur prop look more realistic based on non-existent
reference photos and The Lost World is one thing, but what happens
when you actually have to face a real critic?
I was one of those lucky few who got to find out. My 4-year old nephew (seen at left) came from the far away lands of Atlanta, Georgia and he's a dinosaur nut. Then again, what four year old boy isn't some kind of dinosaur fanatic? Anything larger than mom and dad is of great fascination to young boys. Fortunately for me, my hard work passed the test. As you can see in the photo, my nephew was awed by the velociraptor.
I set it up in my front yard for several months. We even put a Santa hat on it for Christmas, which is something I really wish I had a photo of here. Summer came and she became hard to mow around so she got relagated to the back yard for a while.