Chris Bucholtz Posted March 4, 2025 Report Posted March 4, 2025 I think it wouldn't be too much to say that I am the IPMS/USA's most prolific modeler of 1:20 prehistoric mammals. That's a niche within a niche, which allows me to dominate a field of one. 🙂 These are in progress shots of my newest diorama, starring Smilodon Fatalis, set somewhere in the Sierra Nevada foothills about 15,000 years ago. The mother is a 3D printed model (thanks, Roy!), while the cubs are 1:20 lion cubs - with docked tails - which are the right size. Smilodon's sabre teeth came in late - fossils of juveniles have the teeth rotated up on the jaw, and they would drop into place as the cubs matured, likely starting when they were weaned. I made the tree using Scenic Express's Sage Tree system (thanks, Mike Fleckenstein!). The trunk is a chunk of sagebrush, to which individual branches made of an arctic shrub are CA-glued. The tree was then airbrushed gray, and then sprayed with Matt medium. Three shades of "Super Leaf," also from Scenic Express, were sprinkled on strategically, dark to light, to get a good, scraggly tree look. I still have to flat coat the mom, add some two-part epoxy to the eyes for shine, finish the cubs, and add whiskers to all of them. 2
Mark Deliduka Posted March 6, 2025 Report Posted March 6, 2025 That rocks! I love it! Brilliant job on Mama's face!
Chris Bucholtz Posted March 6, 2025 Author Report Posted March 6, 2025 Thanks, Mark! If you can dry-brush, you can paint a furry critter. 🙂
Bert Posted March 8, 2025 Report Posted March 8, 2025 From the terrifying Hell Pig diorama to this sweet mother with cubs vignette. Quite a difference. What will you use for the wickers? Stretched sprue or some type of wire. Good looking model.
Chris Bucholtz Posted March 10, 2025 Author Report Posted March 10, 2025 On 3/7/2025 at 7:58 PM, Bert said: What will you use for the wickers? My secret weapon: actual cat whiskers. I pick up my cat Nemo's whiskers all the time; Tom Gaj's cats Barney, Bailey, Tigger, Callie, Molly, Nikki, Tootsie, Genny, Leo and Bella contributed a lot more (thanks, Tom!). I use just the end 3/4-inch or so. Drill some holes with an No. 80 bit, dip the end of the whisker in scenic glue (which dries matte) and insert one whisker into each hole. The rest of the whisker is great for stuff like aircraft landing gear position indicators in 1:72, camel drivers' whips in 1:35 and various antennas.
Bert Posted March 11, 2025 Report Posted March 11, 2025 21 hours ago, Chris Bucholtz said: My secret weapon: actual cat whiskers. I pick up my cat Nemo's whiskers all the time; Tom Gaj's cats Barney, Bailey, Tigger, Callie, Molly, Nikki, Tootsie, Genny, Leo and Bella contributed a lot more (thanks, Tom!). I use just the end 3/4-inch or so. Drill some holes with an No. 80 bit, dip the end of the whisker in scenic glue (which dries matte) and insert one whisker into each hole. The rest of the whisker is great for stuff like aircraft landing gear position indicators in 1:72, camel drivers' whips in 1:35 and various antennas. Very clever Chris. I never would have thought using the real thing.
steev Posted March 18, 2025 Report Posted March 18, 2025 Nice work Chris, that's the. . . "cat's meow"!
Chris Bucholtz Posted May 13, 2025 Author Report Posted May 13, 2025 Finally fully finished! The cubs are completely painted, the whiskers are on the mom Smilodon, and the tortoise still is totally over it. 🙂 This was a great learning experience for building terrain, making trees and getting the ground cover to look realistic. 1
Mark Deliduka Posted May 15, 2025 Report Posted May 15, 2025 That is so cool! Magnificent work on that incredible diorama!
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