Scientifically Authenticated Dinosaur Model Kits Now Online

By Doyle Trankina

The creator of all the works featured on this site is not only a gifted sculptor, but actually works with dinosaur fossils as a paleontological reconstruction artist, fossil preparator, and field technician at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. For the Dinosaur connoisseur and collector, you will find what you have been looking for at Dinosaur Model Toys.com. His artwork is based on the latest scientific research, real fossil material, and years of hands on experience. This is why the work featured is regarded as some of the most scientifically accurate available to the public.

The new Dinosaur Galleries at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles will feature many of the artist's creations. Most notable is the baby Tyrannosaurus rex estimated to have been two years old when it died, for which nearly ninety percent of the skeleton will be recreated for this mount. Thomas is estimated to be about seventy percent complete, making it one of the top five most complete in the world. Our initial offering will be a series of cast resin models and limited edition bronze sculptures with both a highly detailed exterior view, and a rendition of the internal skeletal anatomy of an adolescent T-Rex similar to the Thomas find. This sculpted reconstruction will be featured with two real T-Rex specimens, one a six-year old, and the other the sub adult specimen named "Thomas" which Doyle Trankina helped collect, and prepare.

Through his experiences with the museum with his private obsession with prehistoric life and the natural world, Doyle has produced several sculptures and illustrations for exhibition and publication. Doyle has an extensive list of sculptures to produce over the next two years. His work will require lots of observational study from the museum's collection, and extensive extrapolation based on the latest research, and modern analogues like birds, and crocodiles. As part of the Dinosaur Institute at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Doyle Trankina has attended several field excavations in Montana Utah, and Mojave. While in the field Doyle prospected, and assisted in the collection of several specimens, most notably Thomas the sub adult Tyrannosaurus Rex that will be gracing the museums new Dinosaur Gallery in 2011.

After completing the preparation of Thomas, Doyle embarked on a half skeletal, half flesh reconstruction of an adolescent Tyrannosaurus Rex at 1;24th scale. The detail and fidelity to the skeleton was accomplished by long study of the anatomy from several existing mounts, scientific publications, and photographs from the some of the best Tyrannosaurus specimens. The teeth were surfaced to provide the accurate thickness and semblance to where the tinny serrations would have lined the many teeth. Because the position of the serrations actually change on the teeth as they move back towards the throat, the ridge implies the appropriate location of the serrations. The scales were carved individually so that the skin wraps around the form in a realistic, and accurate way.

Doyle is currently working on a skeletal reconstruction of a baby Tyrannosaurus rex which will be mounted in the new Dinosaur Galleries with Thomas and an intermediate specimen as an illustration of age progression. The actual specimen is only known from a skull fragment from the snout of what is believed to be from a two-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex. There are no post cranial remains, and there are only a handful of examples that are believed to be that of baby dinosaurs. This project has just begun, and with Dr. Chiappe Doyle will be making history in presenting the worlds only mounted baby Tyrannosaurus rex specimen.

Fall of 2009 marked one of the biggest Paleontology news splashes, featuring N. America's smallest dinosaur, Fruitadens haagarorum. It is thought that the animal might have weighed as little as two pounds and measured only 28 inches in length. Fruitadens was discovered in Colorado in the late 1970s in a geological formation known as the Morrison, more specifically in an area called Fruita, for which the specimen was named after. Nearly 150 million year old, the tiny Fruitadens would have shared its life with such titanic beasts as Brachiosaursus, and Allosaurus in the late Jurassic.

The strange dentition of this animal implies that Fruitadens might have been omnivorous, eating plants and at least insects if not small vertebrates. Doyle has produced the first and most accurate illustrated and sculpted reconstructions of this animal. His work was featured on every major news source in the world, and five of the sculpted Fruitaden will be featured in the new galleries in 2011. In his studio, Doyle is currently working on a scale Fruitaden, which will be approximately 30cm long . This will be the only scaled sculpture of the animal, and the first and only for sale. The full scale version is not for sale and can only be seen at the Museum. Fruitadens belongs to a family of early dinosaurs called heterodontosaurids, which share many interesting features, one of which are the teeth. Fruitadens like other heterodontisaurids have varied dentition, and in the front of the mouth sits a canine like tooth on the lower jaw.

As the prospects of obtaining a casting of the Chinese mamenchisaur skull proved too difficult, Doyle was charged with the task of reconstructing the skull from two dimensional reference and other dinosaurs like Camarasaurus for comparison, and to gain familiarirty with Sauropod skull anatomy. Doyle is also concurrently working on Mamenchisaurus, a long neck dinosaur and part of the branch of Sauriscian (lizard hipped dinosaurs) known as Sauropods. The rare skull was found in China and researchers provided a paper with a detailed description and several scientific illustrations. Sauropod skulls are rare because they are so frail in construction, have several small bones that usually disarticulated some time after the animal dies, and are not commonly preserved in fossilization, or are so disarticulated and in such small pieces that they are nearly impossible to find. - 31505

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About RC Cars

By Carl Galley

Things to Think about: Two Kinds of RC Cars

Do you enjoy speed? Do you consider underground racing a tad too hazardous for your tastes? Do you think that playing the latest racing game on your Computer is simply too tedious for you? If this is so, then you have to pursue RC car driving. This is among the fastest expanding hobbies today. This is because it is attractive to the kid within people while at the same time challenging them to develop their skills. If you imagine that RC car is only about getting the priciest model on the market, you are wrong. Listed here are the fundamentals of RC cars:

THE TWO VARIETIES

There are 2 general categories of RC cars in accordance with their power source:

1) Electric powered- This RC car variety is the most common variety in the market today. This could be because of the fact that nearly all toy businesses produce this kind of RC car for kids or beginner RC car enthusiasts. A handful of advantages of the electric RC car are:

a) Noiseless- This signifies that an electric-powered RC car may be used without leading to lots of disturbance (except, obviously, the number of people who will unwittingly trip over your machine).This means that you can use it stealthily. Quite a few movies have showcased the use of electric RC cars in recording conversations or taking hidden videos. Make your spy fantasies come true!

b) Smokeless- Given that this variety of RC car employs electricity to power it, there is no smoke output when the engine is running. This is due to the fact that absolutely no combustion occurs within the engine of this type of RC car

Disadvantages:

a) Minimal running time- An electric RC car runs on electric batteries. Because of this, the power it will be able to work with to run is constrained to the capacity of the electric battery. A person who picks this sort of RC car will have to deal with the holdup of charging batteries as well as changing them every time that they run out of energy.

b) Limited power- The power of electric RC cars is relatively limited not only with regards to time, but also with regards to intensity. Simply said, electric RC cars just can't run as fast as gas powered models. If you're seeking speed, this is not really the RC car for you.

2) Gas powered- There is just one thing that needs to be stated about gas powered RC cars: you cannot put gasoline in it. Gas RC cars utilize a unique mixture of fuel in order to run.

Benefits:

a) Speed- Lots of people are picking gas powered RC cars primarily because of the fact that they are significantly faster compared to electric powered RC cars.

b) Longevity- Gas powered RC cars can run for quite some time before they need to be refueled. This signifies that you get to use your remote control car for a longer time. As a result, you are able to have more fun.

Disadvantages:

a) Smoke- Since gas Rc cars run due to combustion; it is natural that there will be smoke blowing out of the car. This means that you will not be able to use the Rc car indoors.

b) Noise- Gas RC vehicles produce a lot of noise. This could either be a good thing or a bad thing, based on your mindset. For certain individuals, the noise that this type of remote control car creates can help them get attention from other people (Hey, certain people do get remote control cars to obtain noticed). - 31505

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Used Car Dealers - Good, Bad And Very Ugly

By Adriana Noton

Not everyone can afford a brand new car. And for many who can, they simply choose to buy a used vehicle once it has gone through its initial steep depreciation of the first year. When it comes to making that used car purchased, it's frequently done from used car dealers.

These car dealers have garnered a pretty bad reputation over the years. Even movies tend to depict them as a bunch of losers selling vehicles that should for the most part have been sent to the junk piles. Consumers have lodged many complaints over the years alleging everything from failure to live up to guarantees all the way up to fraud.

But are they really that bad? Depends. Sure, there are plenty of dealerships out there for both new and used vehicles that operate on the fringe of the law. They make promises that they won't put in writing. They outright lie to the buyers, and they rarely point out important details in the fine print. Is this all their fault, however? What about being an educated consumer and understanding the deal you are entering into?

One of the most common problems consumer have is the type of financing available. Even though there are many credit worthy middle class families who make a conscious decision to buy a good used car, finance companies typically charge higher interest rates no matter what your credit rating. Even someone with an excellent FICO score can expect to pay 2% more on a used car loan than on a new one. Many dealerships thrive on these loans because they get commissions, or kickbacks, for each buyer who finances through them.

Some dealers do nothing but buy and sell used trucks; it doesn't matter what make or model. You might be able to find a decent car, but you can't expect the sales person to know much about each vehicle. They aren't experts in all models ever made. Perhaps they aren't expert in any model at all. All they know is how to sell you a car from their lot.

When you are buying a car, any car, it's a normal assumption that you'll be able to ask questions that pertain to that specific model. To compound the issue, many used cars aren't even sold with their original owner manuals. You might find a car you absolutely love, but don't buy it on looks or price alone.

Before making any commitments at any dealership, and that includes even making a "refundable" deposit to hold the car, do some research. Go home and check out that particular make and model. Look for recalls, consumer reviews, and pricing information. Run a CarFax report if the dealership won't do this for free. You'll need the VIN for that vehicle, and by law they have to give it to you.

Take it for a long test drive. Some dealers like to steer you around their parking lot or maybe around the block. Make sure you get it on a highway, test the brakes, test the pickup, and then call your insurance company for a quote. - 31505

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