Tally ho, FossilPunk Fanatics!
We’ve got a number of our models for Sauriana in various stages of casting right now, but today we’re sharing something really special. Our friends at Antediluvian Miniatures were just as eager as we were to do a little cross-promotion. We developed the Antediluvian Megalosaurus sculpt, which we’ll be showing off soon, to accompany their Megalosaurus model, sort of a....Sauriana-fied version of the dino.
In return, Antediluvian Miniatures sculpted their own version of the Laelaps to accompany our venerable beast. We’ve received our first cast of it in the post, and set to work building this great prehistoric predator.
The kit came cast in resin, in 7 components with a 50mm round beveled base.
We started by cleaning off the mold lines, trimming the pieces off the resin framework and scraping away any flash we found - all pretty common stuff for a resin miniature. The model has some extremely nicely sculpted detail and was cast very cleanly. Antediluvian Miniatures did some great work!
Antediluvian Miniatures’ Laelaps is posed in a very exciting leaping posture, using a tree built into the base as support so the beast is basically airborne! Since resin is so lightweight, this is an absolutely phenomenal sculpting choice and works incredibly well. We started assembly with the tree base, it plugs right into two holes in the tail very discreetly, and then the tree itself is rooted into a dirt patch that will blend seamlessly into our basing material. We glued this sub-assembly together and waited about an hour for the glue to set.
Next we glued on the right leg and right arm - making sure to dry fit these components first. Resin can be a bit tricky sometimes when a model is cut for casting, so you occasionally get small gaps and the joins aren’t always perfect. It’s nothing a little GreenStuff can’t fix, but it’s always good to be mindful of it. On the Laelaps, the leg joins at the knee, with a small gap, while the arm joins perfectly at the shoulder in a raised posture.
We applied a good amount of superglue to the dirt pile piece and affixed that to the 50mm round base. We placed it as far back on the base as possible so the fairly top-heavy model has plenty underneath it and won’t be too prone to tipping over. It’s very well-balanced overall and both the base and the tree hold the weight well.
We glued on the left arm and leg, fitting them into their positions nicely, and the miniature is complete!
And there he is, big and beautiful! At our game’s 32mm scale, the Laelaps from Antediluvian Miniatures looks right at home beside our Rhinophile for Sauriana (as well as the metal Antediluvian Miniatures Gorgonopsid they sent along as a gift)! Our own Laelaps is due for 3D printing next week, and we’ll have a side-by-side comparison to show soon. Both versions of the Laelaps will be available on our webstore in the coming months, but in the meantime, keep an eye out as we paint the Antediluvian Laelaps in our next blog post!