Mailosaurus – paulspreshistoricpark.com

Dominic checks the Mail with Malcolm the Mailosaurus.

Is there a Mailosaurus Hiding in Your Neighborhood or Your Yard? There could be! They can camouflage to appear as an ordinary mailbox, so watch Your Hands and Arms!

Note: Check if You live in an area that prohibits painting Your Mailbox – HOA’s (homeowners associations) with restrictive CC&R’s local ordinances etc… Yes, they can place a dampener on creativity.

Can You release the Mailosaurus in Your Mailbox? Here’s how I discovered mine. The tools are much the same for the other Dinosaur preservation. Blue Nitrile Gloves, small to medium size wire brushes, sand paper and dusting cloth or brush. If you are starting with a new box all the better. Find out the type of paint that was used to determine which rust-oleum products will work best for painting over. If it’s a very old box, you may have to put in some extra effort with the wire brushes & sand paper. First remove any clip-on accessories (if possible). Mine had a plastic latch for the lid and the flag for mail pickup.

After cleaning the clip-on parts, I set aside while painting. After wire brushing & light sanding, I wrapped the post to protect from overspray. Black Gloss was used on the outside. This is the second time for painting the box. I never painted the inside before. After using the Rusty Brown Primer and letting set for a couple of days, Berry Pink Gloss was the choice for inside. This will be the inside of the mouth for my Mailosaurus – Malcolm. It makes it brighter and much easier to see if you forgot any mail. Hammered Verde Green is the primary color for Malcom’s head. No need to mask just spray to get a general shape for the mouth opening you want for the sides and front of the box with the lid closed.

After the Berry Pink Gloss has cured, l used blue tape to mask for tongue. Metallic Apple Red provides a nice look for the tongue. The plastic Clips are painted Hammered Deep Green the inside pieces Metallic Apple Red.

The Hammered Deep Green provides accents around the mouth. Gloss White creates the Teeth and Gloss Marigold for the Eyes. I practiced sketching the Eyes and Nostrils prior to painting them. With each sketch I became better aware of the look I wanted. Remember you can paint over anything you don’t like. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Frequently the mistakes give me additional ideas. More Hammered Deep Green to finish the details around the Eyes and Nostrils, that I sketched. Gloss Black made the Pupils in the Eyes.

Now Malcolm is ready to really enjoy the mail. Hey wait my arm! Malcolm is such a tease. I can’t wait to see the look on the mail-carriers face when she makes her next delivery.

After 22 years, Malcolm is hanging out in a special place in the Park with the other Prehistoric Pals. He received a makeover for his new perch, which we’ll cover next time. Mattie (AKA Matilda) took over Malcolm’s Street Watch duties. She arrived appearing as an ordinary gray mailbox, but that changed!

Remove Flag and mask off the Post. White Primer is applied in several light coats. If You rush the paint can run. After curing for 48 hours, I used a 2B pencil to sketch the Dinosaur. The Spinosaurus is the inspiration for Mattie’s head design. Hammered Verde is the main color for the Head and Berry Pink inside the Mouth. The cardboard sheet assists in deflecting any breeze while painting.

Artist Brushes dipped in the paint sprayed into the caps allow for completing detail accents. Hammered Deep Green provides accents around the Eyes & Mouth. Hammered Brown with Kona Brown for additional head treatments. With the 2B pencil, I sketched the Teeth & Tongue. Apple Red Metallic completes the Tongue. Gloss Marigold is a nice choice for the Eyes.

Like Malcolm, I masked off the inside of Mattie from back to tip of the lid to make a tongue to surprise those that dare open a Mailosaurus’ Mouth! Blue tape and some thin cardboard scraps provide the shape. Apple Red Metallic gives the tongue a sparkle as if it were wet. Hammered Black and Artists Brushes fill the gaps between the outside tongue & teeth. It provides for the pupils in the eyes and the center of the nostrils, as well.

Hammered Brown & Gloss Kona Brown along with the use of Artist brushes dipped into paint sprayed into the paint cans caps, make additional accent lines under the eyes. Gloss Berry Pink for the skin gap between the upper & lower jaws.

Mattie’s Flag needed a Prehistoric Concept – a Dragonfly! Dragonflies go back 325 Million Years Ago. During the Palaeozoic Era in the Late Carboniferous Period through the Late Permian Period the Meganisoptera glided over the waterways. With a 30 inch Wingspan this Dragonfly would have been a sight to see. Below my left thumb is at 30 inches on the measuring tape. I don’t think I would be happy if a Meganisoptera landed on me! These large wonders were lost in the Permian – Triassic Extinction 252 Million Years Ago. This was just before Dinosaurs began to roam the Planet, otherwise they might have made a nice snack for a young T-Rex. This Extinction killed off 96% of marine life, 70% of terrestrial vertebrates and 57% of insect biological families / 83% of all their genera.

Dragonfly by Andre’ Karwath own work

Dragonflies are fast agile fliers sometimes migrating across oceans. They often live near water in larva & adult stages. They are symbols of Courage, Strength & Happiness in Japan. But have sinister representations in European Folk Lore. Their Bright Colors & Agile Flight are admired in the poetry of Lord Tennyson and in the prose of H. E. Bates.

Wikipedia provided much of the information and some great pictures of dragonflies to inspire my project.

I made a number of sketches for how to paint the dragonfly body on the flag. I’ve added a little prehistoric imagining of my own for the mouth to increase the scare factor. I needed some sturdy plastic to make the wings. After an unsuccessful search at an Arts & Crafts store, I remembered the heavy plastic packaging for my paint brushes. It turned out to be the perfect choice for making the Dragonfly Wings. I love to recycle.

An X-Acto Knife and Scissors were the Tools for cutting out the Wings. I used the X-Acto Knife to make Line Details in the Wings, as well. With a 2B pencil I made a sketch of how I wanted to paint the Dragonfly Body. Hammered Black covered parts of the FIag to provide emphases on the Dragonfly. Gloss Real Orange for the compound Eye with Sunburst Yellow for great body accents. The Apple Red Metallic gives the tongue extra shine. Gloss White makes the Teeth. I tried wiping the wings with mineral spirits and rubbing in a little Apple Red Metallic to add some transparent color found on many dragonflies. I’m not 100% with the results I’ll give the idea more thought before attaching the Wings to the Body.

After painting the reverse side of the Dragonfly Flag and adding additional accents to the Wings, it was time to assemble.

Recap Painting Steps: Hammered Black to hide the parts of the Flag that won’t be part of the Dragonfly Body & accents for the Eyes. Real Orange for the Eyes, Body and Wing accents & Sunburst Yellow for Body accents. Apple Red Metallic Tongue & Head accents and Gloss White for the Teeth.

An X-Acto Knife makes the holes on the Wings for the fasteners to attach to the Flag. A pencil marks the areas to drill holes in the Metal Flag. After the holes have been drilled the Brass Fasteners are inserted to make sure everything fits properly. Then temporarily disassembled to allow clear coating of the Flag & Wings.

After reassembling the Fasteners are painted to bend in with the Flag & Wings. The flat pointed portion of the Fasteners are painted Sunburst Yellow on one side and Real Orange on the other. When folded flat the Yellow blends with the stripe on the Dragonfly body. The reverse Orange portion that extends past the body blends with the Wing Orange.

Meganisoptera glided over the Waterways with a 30 inch Wingspan! Today’s Dragonflies are between 1 and 4 inches long. These creatures are incredible predators catching their prey in flight at speeds of 31 mph or 50 kph. Check out the video:

Sky Hunters, The World of the Dragonfly – The Secrets of Nature is a great YouTube video on the Dragonfly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knlXTU1R_rE

Darius the Dragonfly joins Mattie the Mailosaurus to Greet Our Mail Carrier! Darius means “He Who Holds Firmly to Good”. What better name for the receiver of news each day for the Park.

Stay Tuned for More Dinosaur Fun Facts, Fiction & Crafts!

Consider a Membership with the Museum. In addition to Supporting Their Valuable Work there are Benefits to You. Special Preview Events for Members Only as well as Virtual Access Exclusive for Members. Below are 3 of my favorites Museums. For more information and access to general public eLearning check out the links below.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County www.nhm.org under Research & Collections / Digitized Collections will allow you to browse their Collections. Check out the latest Activities on their site. Look for Gnatalie the Green Dinosaur! Plus T-Rex in 3D a Prehistoric Movie!

The American Natural History Museum www.amnh.org You will find eLearning for Families, Students & Educators. Explore the Museum Virtually. Check Out SciCafe: Video Talks and Meet the Icons: Stories behind the Exhibits! There are Video Series covering Behind the Scenes at the Museum with Space & Dinosaur Explainers.

Chicago’s Field Museum www.fieldmuseum.org You can talk to “Maximo the Titanosaur” online, Yes Really! Visit Sue the largest T-Rex discovered! Check Out “Brain Scoop” and the Learning Resources – many are also in Spanish.

Check Out Your Libraries eBooks. My local Library has over 900 eBooks on Dinosaurs! Here are four books for Drawing Dinosaurs that you might find at your Library. Ask your Librarian about others.

1-2-3 Draw Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Animals A step by step guide by Freddie Levin (2001)

Draw 50 Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Animals by Lee J. Ames (1977)

Draw it Dinosaurs by Patricia Walsh (2006)

I Can Draw Dinosaurs by Terry Longhurst (2003)