[RR_Raptor65]

So Facepunch, I've got a week to build a large steel sculpture of a Nanotyrannus lancensis. It's gotta be finished enough by the 9th to be a sure thing for delivery on the 14th at the latest.
The full size animal is about 6 foot at the hip and almost 20 feet long, I've got two 4x4 foot sheets and one 2x4 foot sheet of 20 gauge steel I'm ready to commit to the project, but I've also got some sheets of 16 and 12 gauge in 4x4 foot sheets as a backup.
I can't decide on a pose though, and I'm not entirely sure how big it'll be.

A


B


C


All three for comparison.


I'll make final tweaks to the fine details when I go to convert the model into a pattern, but it's up to you Facepunch, which pose should I use?
I may also do just a bust or the head and torso to make the relative size larger.

[OvB]

I like C but B might be easier because it has both feet on the ground.

[RR_Raptor65]

Mounting it won't be a problem, I can add an internal structure to the load bearing leg or add a support under the body if need be. That or chuck some lead ingots into the nose or tail.
But it'll be mounted on a wide base, probably with some dirt or sand with some fake plants placed around it.
That's if I do a full mount which I probably won't be able to do with the amount of steel I have, in which case it'll be on a plaque and I can either keep it that way or add the rest of the body later. I probably won't keep it for very long either, it'll be up for sale eventually.

[RR_Raptor65]

Alright it is officially go time. It will be a torso mount based on Pose B, no legs or tail. Looks like I'll be able to do it full scale, even with just the torso it will be 6 feet long and I'll put it on a display mount as if it were standing at it's full height.
80 individual parts and almost 350 feet of weld.



And in honor of Curiosity, thread music:

For me however it will be 7 days of terror.

[RR_Raptor65]

Parts cut, now bending and forming begins. Once the parts fit together in a reasonable fashion without welds it'll be welded solid, followed by grinding and sanding, then all that will be left is to mount it and call it finished.

[Dantai]

So what or who is it being made for?

[chipset]

Dantai posted:

So what or who is it being made for?

Making things doesn't require any specific reason, only that you want to make it.

[OvB]

If you're only going to do a torso wall mount you should spruce it up to make it look like a hunting trophy.

[RR_Raptor65]

Yeah, here's some footage from the hunt:

Sillyness aside:


That's enough for today though, way too hot. I'll wait till the firey ball of hell drops below the horizon before I start working on it again, it's not fun when you get the shakes and noodle legs. Tomorrow I'll focus more on getting the head done, or at least the upper jaw. After that I'll get to the arms I suppose, those will be a real pain, I had to cut them from 18 gauge too.
Been going pretty smooth though, definitely a lot easier than my last attempt at a steel sculpture this complex, course I had to make the pattern for that one by hand without the benefit of Pepakura and I used 16 gauge steel instead of 20. With the 20 gauge I can just about set a piece in my palm and hammer it into shape.

[RR_Raptor65]

Another update, another hot day. I decided to wake up at 10 PM last night to work on this, spent most of the night tacking the upper and lower jaw together and the head is now about half way done.



There's still a ton of welding to be done to fill in all the holes, followed by grinding and sanding to smooth the whole thing out.

Debating whether or not I want to plasma cut all 61 teeth from quarter inch sheet or go ahead and forge them from half inch rods. Hard to say which would be easiest, the plasma cutting wouldn't be hot, but the teeth would be slightly thinner than the 3/8" width of the largest tooth and I'd need to grind them to a rounded shape on the belt sander. Forging may be quicker, but then it'll be hot to work in there.

Oh and to those wondering, I'm going to Repoussé an eye into the Orbit plate, so it won't be left flat. The Antorbital and Temporal fenestrae will also be slightly dished rather than left flat.

[jaredop]

That's the best game ever by the way

[OvB]

So did you meet the deadline?

[RR_Raptor65]

Still got 4 days left till it needs to be delivered. It's gonna be really tight, I'm just gonna finish the head and neck to the point it can be mounted on it's own and then work on the rest of the torso. The upper and lower jaws are done now, I'll get pictures later.
Now what I need to do is make the inside of the mouth, weld the head and neck together then sand it all down smooth. After that it'll be tooth forging time, and after that I'll have a go at getting the arms together. I may make it in time or I may end up with just the head and neck, the arms are very complex parts if you look at the sheet I posted above and unless I can get them done in the next day or two I doubt it'll be possible. The torso is made of nice big pieces with few joints so it wouldn't take very long to do but then without the arms there isn't much point.
It'd be a disappointment to not have the arms since they identify what the animal is pretty easily for those not familiar with Tyrannosaur skulls.

[KillerTele]

Any pictures on the finished product?

[RR_Raptor65]

Didn't get it done in time, got the head welded together but didn't have enough time to get the mouth in and the teeth forged.

Right now I'm getting back to working on my .50 Flintlock pistol because I want to get that sold and move on. Next year I'll finish the Nano if I don't have my .50 Wender done by then (But I probably will, need a good competition and hunting flintlock). But that's kind of a whole new ball game since I'll need to get a mill for it as well and when that happens I'll probably have a whole lot more to post in this forum.

My other planned projects for the mill is a 1728 St. Etienne Musket, an early French musket which was also used in the French & Indian War, American Revolution and War of 1812. Also thought it'd be fun to machine a .454 Casull Martini Henry rifle, I've still got my original Nepalese Martini Henry here for a reference.

[ewitwins]

This is so awesome on so many different levels.

If you don't mind me asking, would you be willing to ballpark your annual income? Is this what you do as a profession year-round?

[RR_Raptor65]

Well I wouldn't quit my day job if I could find one.