Customized Pacific Giant Salamander

[stemturtle]

Several years ago, my wife and I went on a camping trip in the North Cascades.
A little boy who was fishing told us how to spot rough-skinned newts swimming in the lake.
He could not help us find a giant salamander.


Pacific giant salamander, Dicamptodon tenebrosus (T.M. – customized)

A model of the awesome Pacific giant salamander has not been issued by any toy company.
I modified an unidentifiable mole salamander, dated 1996, found on eBay.
Total length is life scale at about 13 inches or 33 cm.
I used Das Modeling Clay to smooth the back and flatten the tail. 


I do not know about the manufacturer, T.M., and would appreciate information.

Before:



After:

[Newt]

Excellent work!

[brontodocus]

Wow, congrats, stemturtle!  Amazing result, especially since we now see how much work you actually had to put into it. Hehe, and now it's life size, too (I guess that was the reason you wanted to convert it into a Pacific Giant Salamander?).

[sbell]

There's always this goofy little one:



The one in the middle, obviously!

[stemturtle]

Thanks for your comments, newt and brontodocus.
We all had favorite species when we were kids: Komodo dragon, Gila monster, Galapagos tortoise.
These may continue as favorites all of our lives. One of my favorites is the Pacific giant salamander.

Sbell, thanks for posting the photo of the goofy little salamander. I have that figure, but I wonder if
it is meant to represent a Japanese giant salamander because of the lasagna skin flaps along the sides of its belly.
In that case the coloration would be incorrect. It is an example where inaccuracies made identification difficult.

[sbell]

Thanks for your comments, newt and brontodocus.
We all had favorite species when we were kids: Komodo dragon, Gila monster, Galapagos tortoise.
These may continue as favorites all of our lives. One of my favorites is the Pacific giant salamander.

Sbell, thanks for posting the photo of the goofy little salamander. I have that figure, but I wonder if
it is meant to represent a Japanese giant salamander because of the lasagna skin flaps along the sides of its belly.
In that case the coloration would be incorrect. It is an example where inaccuracies made identification difficult.

Given the 'high quality' of it,I just go with the paint scheme. I have lots of Japanese Giant salamanders after all.

[Ana]

So much nicer than before, great work! It's amazing salamander

[stemturtle]

So much nicer than before, great work! It's amazing salamander

I appreciate your comments Ana.
It is an honor to receive encouragement from a professional of great talent.