Tyranid Monstrous Creature Project Advice

[blueshift]

*rubs head* ok how do i explain this without sounding crazy?

I killed a large arthropod in my home recently and want to use it as a Tyranid Trygon, but I have absolutely no idea how to pose it and possibly paint it?

*PETA DISCLAIMER* it bit/stung (yes these guys do both) my elderly mother. she is ok, but this aggressive little guy had to pay the ultimate price.

I've only thought a little about this but I thought if anyone would have any experience with this sort of thing, they would be here.

Attached is a pic of the subject.

Its still very limp and able to be positioned. My fear is that it may stiffen and become super brittle soon!

My strongest idea right now is running a thin wire along its underside, and pose it a bit like the forgeworld necron tomb stalker (attachment), but a bit more of a coiled look. Then plop the duder down on top of it, super glue the shit out of him and possibly reinforce with putty.

But how do I pose the legs that need to be elevated towards the front of the beast? more wire in "T" formations along the center wire?

*reviews post*

jesus christ.

thanks guys!

 

[PegaZus]

Eh, uh, yeah. Uh. Yeah.

No, no. I get ya. Cool idea. But... I've no clue.

Imagines running little wires inside each little leg, dying a little bit each time as my brain liquifies.

Yeah.

 

[QuietiManes]

Whoa, a six incher!

I'd uh, prolly google entomology and insect display boards or something. I'd assume there's more to it than letting it dry out. Especially if you want to game with it. But posing should be easy enough with some pins and tape.

 

[blueshift]

i found some poory worded threads on the intertubes about crab preservation. i'm going to try some of their techniques and i'll post an article as soon as i'm done! wish me luck!

 

[PegaZus]

Post some work in progress pictures. I'm sure someone eventually come around here with the same problem.

 

[Garshnak]

Woa what...seriously? People actually do this? Wow. That's going to be tough to make it still look alive, good luck! I'd watch out with priming it as well, as it might eat away at some parts and cause them to collapse (eyes, connections between limb segments are soft tissue)

 

[Verm1s]

I keep a few big creepy crawlies myself, and I have a wee bit of experience of when they pop their clogs.

Big meaty bugs like that can easily start to rot before they dry out. I'd say get it positioned and in somewhere quite warm and dry; but centipedes have a fair bit of soft skin between their top and bottom plates (definitely more than crabs) so the entire thing could shrivel and warp slightly as it dries. And then it can be very brittle once it's dried - legs snapping off when you look sideways at them, etc.
Maybe if it's in decent condition when it's dried out (or beforehand), you could paint or spray some kind of sealant over it. Give it enough strength to get a good cast or two. I'll be interested to hear what the crab-preserving people say too.

IIRC someone in the mini biz cast up a real scorpion, for giant sci-fi/fantasy scorpions, but I don't know exactly what they did. Let me test my google-fu...

... Pardulon.