In early November, Sue and I welcomed Ben Thomas and Doug James to our offices and warehouse.  Ben has a Master’s degree in Palaeontology from the University of Portsmouth (England). He and his friend Doug create popular science videos for their YouTube channel which has nearly three-quarters of a million subscribers.  They wanted to visit Everything Dinosaur and to learn more about the Everything Dinosaur Evolution Tyrannosaurus rex model. Is this model, designed by award-winning palaeontologist Dr Dean Lomax, in collaboration with renowned palaeo-reconstruction artist Bob Nicholls the most accurate T. rex reconstruction to date?

The Most Accurate T. rex Reconstruction to Date – Video Review

We were joined by digital sculptor Glen Southern who provided Ben and Doug with a guide to how our figure was created.  The duo interviewed myself, Sue and Glen.  In addition, they shot plenty of footage of the model and of the Everything Dinosaur warehouse.  They even flew a small drone around to get some intriguing aerial shots.

Ben and Doug have created a most informative video.  It provides insights into the design and highlights the digital sculpting process. Furthermore, I got to discuss the complex painting scheme. Bob Nicholls devised an extremely complicated colour scheme for our model.  It is perhaps, the most complicated painting scheme devised for a replica of a dinosaur.  Bob wanted to give our theropod countershading, an ability to blend into its background (crypsis camouflage) and in addition, to hint as motion dazzle and other aspects of behaviour.

Video credit: Ben G Thomas

It is a fantastic video.  Rarely has such a Tyrannosaurus rex figure been given so much attention. With all the work that has gone into our range, there is plenty to talk about.  Ben and Doug create popular science videos.  They wanted to learn more about our first dinosaur model.   Their YouTube channel is extremely popular!  They aim to educate and inform.

To visit the YouTube channel of Ben Thomas and Doug James: Making Videos About Life and Science.

Sue from Everything Dinosaur discussed with Ben our eco-friendly packaging.  Our T. rex is the first dinosaur model in the world to have a digital product passport. Single use plastics have been removed, all the packaging materials are recyclable.  The beautiful box is green and so is our dinosaur!

Sue Judd from Everything Dinosaur in discussion with influencer Ben Thomas highlighting the fully compostable product tray into which the T. rex figure is packed. All the Everything Dinosaur Evolution packaging is fully recyclable. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Examining the Digital Design Process from Artwork to a Finished Figure

Acclaimed digital designer Glen Southern of SouthernGFX explained how he created the three-dimensional figure by referencing theropod anatomy.  He provided an outline of the complexities of sculpting such an iconic animal.  His role in the team is to sculpt and produce the final digital output that then forms the basis for the production model. Glen worked closely with Bob Nicholls. Bob created “turnarounds” views of the figure from numerous angles. From the blocking out phase Glen explained how he gradually developed the model and created the figure based on the fossil record.

The project to create this Tyrannosaurus rex has already received an award “Excellence in Collaboration” with the Chamber of Commerce. It is already an award-winning dinosaur model

Sue from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“It was fun working with Doug and Ben making video.  I enjoyed talking about the sustainability of our product and how we selected materials to reduce waste and remove single use plastic.  It was great to see their reaction when they unboxed our Tyrannosaurus rex.”

To view the Everything Dinosaur Evolution T. rex figures (Collector’s and Founder’s edition): Everything Dinosaur Evolution.