by MartinKJHB
This is model of a thunniform ichthyosaur. I've included caudal keels, which you don't often see in reconstructions. As far as I'm aware there is no really clear fossil evidence for keels, but seeing that they are present in large strong swimmers today it seems reasonable to me that some ichthyosaurs would also have had them. Theagarten Lingham-Soliar published a study on the convergence in thunniform anatomy in sharks and ichthyosaurs. I made the model in Blender and split it into four parts so it prints without any support. A study by Lindgren et al. suggests that at least some species were uniformly dark, but the coloration in this model is loosely based on that of the dusky dolphin.
Rafts:
Doesn't Matter
Supports:
No
Resolution:
0.25 mm
Infill:
10%
Filament: Avistron PLA
I stuck the pieces together with hot glue after printing and filled the gaps with acrylic putty before coating with epoxy and sanding. Painting after base coat was a coat of black, followed by opaque white on the belly and sides. Final clear coat was glossy acrylic
