Lindberg

Stegosaurus

Kit Number: 70282

Reviewed by  Jim Pearsall, IPMS# 2209

MSRP: $10.00 Lindberg models are now available from WalMart, leading hobby stores and at their website, www.lindberg-models.com/. The Dinosaur The Stegosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur which lived some 155 to 145 million years ago, in the Jurassic period. This was an environment and time dominated by the giant sauropods Diplodocus, Camarasaurus, and Apatosaurus. The main carnivores were Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus. The animal featured a small head, large bony plates on its back and 4 spikes on the tail. The small head had only a small brain case, which gave the dinosaur, which weighed about 5 tons, about the same brain size as a toy poodle. The uses of the plates on the back are puzzling, with some paleontologists thinking they were decorative, some advocating protection for the back and spine, and others positing the idea that they were used as cooling panels. The spikes (now called "Thagomizers" by paleontologists, after a Gary Larson cartoon) were definitely used for defense, as a vertebra from an Allosaur shows damage which matches the end of a spike. The Model This is another Lindberg Classic kit. The molding is OK, there's some flash, and there aren't any tiny parts. The instructions are pictorial, and are aimed at the beginning modeler. I was checking fit of the parts when I discovered I was missing one of the leg parts. I went to the web site, and clicked on the link for Customer Support. It opened my e-mail program. Before I sent the e-mail I had to scan a section of the instructions. Seems the part numbers engraved on the inside of the parts didn't match the part numbers on the instruction sheet. I got an immediate automated reply from their mailbox, saying the message was received, and that I would hear from a human being soon. The next morning I got a nice e-mail from Mags, saying the part would be shipped the next day. That was on Monday. On Friday, UPS delivered the parts. Both leg parts, since there was some confusion about the part number. Lindberg is now owned by a company called J. Lloyd International, in Cedar Rapids, IA. They also own Hawk and Tootsietoy. I want to compliment them (and particularly Mags) on their good customer service. Construction Unfortunately I have lost the pictures from the first part of this build, as my hard drive packed up. So I'll give you a description, and follow up with the "post crash" photos. The basic construction is just that, basic. The dinosaur assembles in subassemblies consisting of the body, head, and 4 leg assemblies. Each of these is only 2 parts. The head and body fit pretty well, and the legs required only a little putty. The seams needed to be scraped to get rid of a line of flash which followed the edge of each part. There's a fair amount of flash at the tail, but it's easily dealt with. Here's a pair of pictures of the tail, taken only a few minutes apart.

I had some fit issues with the legs, particularly the right rear. But an application of putty pretty well put these behind me. This picture shows the main assembly completed. I think the installation of the back plates might be extremely challenging for the beginning modeler. Having a lot of experience, and being willing to cheat, I used gel-type CA with accelerator to attach them. All that was left was painting and attaching to the base. I used the "Jurassic Green" camouflage scheme. It's actually Testors Model Master® 602 Olive Drab. I airbrushed some highlights using their "Faded OD", but unless you look carefully in good light, it's pretty hard to discern. I used 36440 grey for the Thagomizer. I painted the base with 34079. Overall Assessment This kit is aimed at the modeler who has done a couple of snap kits, and now is ready for a "real" model. Except for the plates on the back, it's an ideal kit. And probably the back plates would be a great object lesson in "You can't hurry!" With tube glue, each plate should be given at least an hour to set up before moving on to the next one. That could certainly tax the patience of a young modeler. Nevertheless, it's a lesson worth learning. Also, the kit instructions finish with the idea that the kit should have the seams filled and paint applied before it's complete. If you have a young "wannabe" modeler in your house, or just want to give a present to a grandchild, this kit is a good place to start. Thanks to IPMS/USA for the opportunity, to Mags for good customer service, and to Lindberg for bringing back a kit I never had a chance to try before.

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