2003, pre- preliminary conference for “The Relic” (2004):

Martin: “We need dinosaurs”. 20 pairs of eyes swivel in my direction.
Me: “Erm... no problem. Perhaps a kind of T-Rex...”
Martin: “No, you don´t understand. We need a herd of dinosaurs”.

This can´t be done singlehandedly. We agreed upon a two- raptor- band, I took quarter in Hamburg for a week and still accomplished only a tiny part of the project.

The advantage when somebody else plans the undertaking is you can better concentrate upon your part in it. One is allowed to suggest ideas but but you have to live with it if something else is done.
Above left: Dino- head (see drinking glass for size reference). Carved from a foam- box glued together out of mats. Surface fused with a soldering iron. The monster´s head will be worn on the head like a hat with the snout protruding from the forehead and the puppeteer looking through a hole in the neck just under the lower jaw.
Above right: Fitting. Head and body must go together. “Skeleton” is made of foam mats.

Above left: If you build two identical models without a blueprint you don´t finish one, then start the other but every few production steps you repeat them with the second one- otherwise nobody will remember how we did it.
Above right: The “skeletons” filled with “flesh”. The “ribs” are reinforced with cloth to make them tear-proof where necessary, volume was generated with open- pored foam.

How shall the dinosaurs attack? It was clear from the beginning that the puppeteers wouldn´t be able to outrun players. So of course they get big claws, but the main plan was another: When the dinosaur is surrounded by monster-hunters, it will turn. Whoever is struck by the tail gets hit- points (for non- larpers: wounds are “measured” in hit-points. When they equal or surpass your armour- and lifepoints, you´re dead).

Above right: 4 hind- legs (open- pored matress- foam). The outlines have been drawn on a piece of cardboard laid against a wall with a human standing in profile in front of it. We want the “wrong- jointed” digitgrade- legs of a bipedal lizard.
Above right: The cut- out silhouettes with sides. Notice where the cloth strengthens the foam. This makes it possible to carve it to very thin layers while still being tear- proof.

Above and below: Fitting- again and again. The human leg must be able to stand normal- nobody can bend his legs over the required period.
I reacted violently allergic to this foam (that never happened before or after) - but after having slobbered all over the atelier for a while the solution shown below left presented itself...

Above: The finished substructure. Closed with foam- plates and velcro. Not yet self- adjusting, but the fastenings did their job.
At this stage - around forty working- hours later- I left Martin (no more holidays available).
And he did this with it:

Above: 2 Masks, same specifications, 2 artists but 2 different styles. That´s why one person should do the finish.
He´s good, isn´t he?

Above middle & right: The puppeteer sees through a slit just under the head. When the dinosaur holds his head so far down that the snout covers sight on the faces of his opponents, the opening becomes invisible and one cannot percieve how the creature finds its bearings. But it can very well see you....

Above: a workshop in Hamburg long gone now... You can show Rux any dried colour and he´ll mix corresponding paint. And he does things with foam,
Claws and tubes for upper arms.

Above: And there they are. Photos just can´t describe the game.
Anytime again. With pleasure.

Above: Dino-logistics. The two critters require awesome transport space.
But I´m sure he would have preferred a herd.

last edit Jun17