At the end of October last year, just a few days before the Ueno Science Museum's main building closed for renovation, I went to say goodbye to the dinosaurs that had been a familiar part of the main building for so many years. It was my last chance to see the Tarbosaurus, which I secretly believe to be the mostかっこいい restoration in the world. Many of the dinosaurs in the dinosaur exhibition room, which I usually just glance at, had been there since I was a child, so I made sure to give them a thorough farewell. While feeling a sense of loss, as if my childhood memories were being taken away, I also fantasized about whether they might release an "Ornitholestes chasing an Archaeopteryx" that I could display at home.
And then... I was shocked to realize that despite visiting for decades, I had barely looked at the background paintings. I couldn't remember at all what was depicted. Only at the very end did I make the huge discovery that the Cretaceous landscape, with its long tree shadows, was set at dusk, representing the twilight of the dinosaur age.

That was a long introduction, but this is a continuation of the previous discussion about background paintings. This painting was not planned from the beginning; I decided to paint it on the spur of the moment after the diorama was completed. Considering I drew it purely from inspiration without any reference, I think it turned out pretty well. More importantly, I haven't drawn any proper pictures since elementary school, and the only time I pick up a brush is to paint models, so I think it's close to a miracle for someone like me. I remember painting it in a good mood while listening to idol LPs from that era (Photo 1).

To conclude this section, I'd like to introduce some rare diorama kits. Diorama models include the old Aurora Prehistoric Scene Series (Vol.10 The Entirety of the Treasure House ~ Part 4) and more recently, additions to the Favorite Collection, but the items I'm introducing here are quite unique.
Photo 2 shows a plastic model released in 1977 by a manufacturer called Lifelike. While the quality is extremely crude, it's fun that the bonus features models of plants and small animals from that era (if you look closely, there's a tree-climbing Hypsilophodon). In addition, a total of three types, Tyrannosaurus and Stegosaurus, were sold, each with different plants, small animals, and even hominids.

Photo 3 is from "Luna Models," an American garage kit manufacturer. It's one of a series that 3D-ifies famous paintings by Burian, Knight, Zallinger, etc. This one is a Tyrannosaurus vs. Trachodon from Burian's art book, which was the origin of my dinosaur life.

Photo 4 is a bottle dinosaur scene assembly kit, not a bottle ship, released by ADDAR in 1976. I haven't built it yet. For an enthusiast, it takes a lot of courage to assemble such a precious kit.