In February of 2019, I was standing in the middle of the exhibit of the T rex growth series at The Natural History Museum Los Angeles County. On display were a baby, juvenile, and sub adult T rexes, the only series of it’s kind in the world.

I was really taken with the baby T rex, actually toddler, at two years old and studied it for quite some time that day.

Fast forward to the present, kids have repeatedly asked for larger dinosaurs in the museum. The Museum's Mission has always been to keep the exhibits kid sized and kid approachable. For instance the allosaurus skull and the velociraptor, actually all of the exhibits, are kid’s eye level. 

How could we fulfill the kids' request and keep it logistically practical to tour with a T. rex ?

Last year, working with a wonderful paleo sculptor, Thomas Clinch, he expertly created Vela the full sized velociraptor for the museum. It was such a successful project, we started kicking around ideas for a second project. Thomas has a quite a process as a sculptor. After his research, he sculpts the bones in foam, then using a 3d pen scans the pieces to digital. He then 3d prints each piece, sands, and airbrushes. His genius comes in as he figures out the skeleton support system and how the pieces assemble in sections for for assembly, and come apart for travel storage.

I asked Thomas "Have you ever wanted to do a T Rex, and what about a baby, a 2 year old?" Yes, was his immediate reply and so began an 10 month project to create this stunning replica and new addition to Traveling Dinos.

A Young T. rex is not surprisingly that small, at 12 feet long and 6 feet high. Wow!


How unusual is it to have a complete T. rex skeleton in a Touring Exhibit?

Very! There is an amazing touring exhibit from Australia, (that I got to see last year in Atlanta) and the American Museum of Natural History in New York offers one, other than that you have to travel to a museum to see a T. rex. They don't normally come to you, but they will with Traveling Dinos.

The T. rex will be ready to start wowing kids and their families debuting in February 2024. Plan to invite Traveling Dinos, and then your kids and families to meet “Junior” the young Tyrannosaurus Rex!