Review of Issue 101 of Prehistoric Times Magazine
Prehistoric Times, the dinosaur fan and model collectors magazine starts its next one hundred issues with an edition that balances the latest dinosaur replica news, fossil finds and discoveries with some thoughtful retrospectives on the inspirational artwork of Charles R Knight, a countdown of the top ten dinosaur cinema battles of all time and a wonderful insight into the attempts of fans of the original King Kong film to recreate a lost scene from the movie. Dinosaur model collectors and makers will find much to interest the in this quarterly publication.
The front cover, shows part of the stunning painting of Tyrannosaurus rex in a confrontation with Triceratops. The artwork was created by Charles R Knight and the full mural can be seen in the Field Museum, Chicago. Charles R Knight was one of the most important and influential illustrators of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals in the latter part of the 19th and the first part of the 20th Centuries. His murals and other artwork can be seen still on display, providing a back drop to the fossil exhibits in a number of major natural history museums in the United States. Prehistoric Times pays tribute to his ground-breaking artistic endeavours and features an interview with Richard Milner author of a new book highlighting the great man’s contribution to prehistoric animal illustration.
Could Some Dinosaurs Climb Trees?
Amongst all the usual inclusions, letters from dinosaur fans and collectors, updates on new replicas and dinosaur models, plus some brief reports on the latest fossil discoveries there is the second part of the excellent “Tree Climbing Theropods” article written by Tracy Lee Ford. In this thoughtful piece, the author asks if some dinosaurs could perch, how did they get into the trees in the first place? In addition, there is a detailed feature on one of the best known Lambeosaurine Hadrosaurus – Corythosaurus, a dinosaur known as “Helmet Lizard”. This dinosaur was named “Helmet Lizard” after the bizarre, bony crest that stood on top of its head. There is also a special section featuring that Cretaceous, toothed sea-bird Hesperornis.
Most Popular Dinosaur Movie Battles
Tying in with the magazine’s social media activities there is a run down of the top ten dinosaur movie fights of all time as suggested by readers and the third part of the story of Invicta dinosaurs researched and written by the very talented English designer Anthony Beeson.
Packed with more things to excite a dinosaur than a palaeontologist’s rucksack after a visit to Lyme Regis at low tide, Prehistoric Times is an essential read for dinosaur fans and dinosaur model collectors.
Part of the Original King Kong Movie is Being Created
Worth a special mention is the fascinating but all too brief article on the dedicated work of a group of King Kong devotees who are busily re-creating one of the lost scenes that never made it from storyboard into the finished movie – the infamous “Spider Pit” scene. After being tossed into a ravine by the giant ape, the terrified men who have survived the fall; battle with an astonishing array of fearsome monsters. Having discussed the original 1933 film with colleagues, we think that the scene was never added to the final film as it was thought to be too shocking. I’m sure a number of science fiction film fans will be keen to see the finished result.
Hopefully, we will be hearing more about the work of the King Kong fans in future editions and for the time being issue 101 of Prehistoric Times has more than enough contained within it to keep even the most enthusiastic palaeontologist well satisfied.
