Jurassic Park: T-Rex Escape Mini Diorama

Ever since I was a little kid, I always liked tiny versions of everyday objects. Before everything became a choking hazard, you could buy dozens of these types of items at the five and dime store or in toy vending machines which seemed to be all over the place along with Cracker Jack prizes. The “Holy Grail” item (for me at least) was a miniature deck of cards which measured about half an inch by a quarter. Although I must have spent a dollar or more in the vending machines (it only cost a nickel in those days), I was never lucky enough to 'win' one.

Fast forward to 2019 when idly browsing the model kits pages of eBay when I come across a neat diorama based on a pivotal scene from Jurassic Park (1993 – Gawd, has it been THAT long?) when the T-Rex breaks out of its paddock and attacks the two kids stuck in the theme park car. The kit was advertised as without any scale associated with it aside from a message that the T-Rex was 65 mm high which roughly translates into roughly between N and HO scale, a size of which I am very familiar. In any case, I plop down my thirty-four bucks and about three weeks later it arrives from China, fairly quick all things considered.

Close up from the right side showing the two kids trapped beneath the car.

There are about a dozen cast resin parts which have a surprising amount of detail. There are no instructions but careful examination of the pictures on eBay, one can pretty easily figure out what goes where although I had two parts that looked like I beams with small holes in them left over that ended up in my miscellaneous parts box.

As I said, the detail was pretty remarkable with even the Jurassic Park logo on the crushed car's doors and the two kids trapped beneath. I used the eBay photos as a color guide along with going on Youtube and running the scene a few times for color reference. Assembly probably took about one hour using AC glue and another ten for painting that includes drying time(s).

So, if you're strapped for space, you couldn't go wrong with this nice little beginner's level kit for price and great detail to add to your collection. 9/15/19

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