I finally got around to making it. The Aurora Jungle Swamp that I had saved for 25 years as a retirement hobby. The time before last, I showed you a Rhamphorhynchus, and then I jokingly said I might make this next, and it actually happened. The first time I introduced this in the Treasure House was in Treasure House Vol.10, so that was over 20 years ago. I'm not aware of it due to my profession, but given my age, I'm already well into retirement. In this world where you never know what might happen, I decided to make things while I still could as part of a stock-clearing plan. I've made many things this past year, but the Jungle Swamp holds a special place. Of course, it's a memory of appearing on "Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan". Let's start with that.

"Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan" aired on May 14, 1996, looked like this. The image quality is terrible because I played a VHS tape on a CRT TV and took a picture, but please bear with me. (Image 1)

When the female reporter opened the door, it was a dinosaur world! This was a delightful production where a female reporter was composited into my self-made diorama, which was introduced over four episodes starting from Treasure House Vol.15.

My introduction began with the narration, "From somewhere, the sound of a piano." After introducing amusing items like a dinosaur phone, I abruptly pointed to the picture on the box and said, "I'm looking for this. I'll pay 20,000 yen!" WANTED!

＊Please also see Treasure House Vol.10 and Vol.57.

I finally started making it.

Fresh out of the box and dry-fitted (Image 2). The plastic color is a bit discouraging, though...

Once assembled, it turned out to be quite impressive (Image 3). It took about 3 days to meticulously paint the small animals and plants, but it was a fun time.

(Image 4) Timeless small animals.

Rhamphorhynchus, Diplocaulus with only its head emerging from the pond, Kuehneosaurus, Eohippus, strangely shaped Compsognathus, a single Rhamphorhynchus, a snake, and four Archaeopteryx. I colored the Rhamphorhynchus and Archaeopteryx with Brian's colors in mind. Accessory sets like this kit were Aurora's specialty, and even with their monster models, they sold sets that included skeletons, rats, and bats.

(Image 5) These were items included as diorama accessories in other Aurora kits. The Kuehneosaurus that came with the Phorusrhacos is the same as the one in the Jungle Swamp. The Diplocaulus came with the Dimetrodon. I tried featuring these two alongside their counterparts from the Jungle Swamp.

The skull is from a cave bear, and from the "Prehistoric Scenes" series, it's a Smilodon skull lying in the cave from the "CAVE" kit, which was the last one left untouched. This cave kit truly is just for building cave walls; aside from traces of a campfire, the only biological remnants are a few Smilodon bones. I worry if it would even be fun to build.

I also collected small prehistoric creatures for dioramas from other manufacturers.

(Image 6) shows accessories from three types of Lifelike diorama kits introduced in Treasure House Vol.18. While the main dinosaurs in these dioramas are Pyro products from an even earlier era (Treasure House Vol.56), the diorama bases, small animals, and plants seem to be Lifelike originals. The plants, in particular, are better made than Aurora's.

There are tree-climbing Hypsilophodons, Cynognathus, Dicynodon, Dimorphodon, Henodus (?), Tanystropheus, and even primitive humans/hominids. They have a certain charm.

(Image 7) Tamiya's "Dinosaur World Series." As expected, they are very well made. Although they are from the 90s, they brilliantly redeemed the bad reputation of the old dinosaur series from the 80s, which were poorly made.

A non-tree-climbing Hypsilophodon and an Oviraptor. They show their age. The crocodile is also wonderfully made. The Parasaurolophus bones lying at the feet of the Tyrannosaurus also look great when properly painted, as you can see.

And now, to commemorate the creation of the Jungle Swamp, I have made the last of the three new Aurora brand kits released in 2000 (Treasure House Vo.l.57, New Treasure House Vol.57), a Triceratops. (Image 8)

It's better than the Pteranodon I made the time before last, but I still felt angry again.

Suddenly, I'm publishing a book.

"Japan Showa Tondemo Dinosaur Encyclopedia" is the title, and it's one of Tatsumi Publishing's "Showa Tondemo Encyclopedia" series of mooks. It will be released on the 14th of this month.

Click here for details>>

As the title suggests, it's a parade of dinosaurs from昭和-era boys' magazines, lame soft vinyl figures, and nostalgic dinosaurs that are indistinguishable from monsters. It's not a book that will help you learn about dinosaurs, but I did research and wrote a bit about the state of paleontology at the time Godzilla was released, and a chronology of Japanese dinosaur history from the Meiji era to the postwar period, so I think those who read the Treasure House will enjoy it. I hope you read it.