The Guardian of Temasek, Merlion

myminifactory

Human: Back Story of the creature : Many centuries ago, a fishing village named 'Temasek' was discovered by Prince Sang Nila Utama of Palembang. He was hunting on Bintan Island when he spotted a magnificent creature with the body of a lion and the tail of a fish. The prince gave chase but the red-breasted creature vanished up a hill. As he stood on the summit, he noticed a fishing village on a beach far across the water. His chief minister informed the prince that the fishing village on that island was called 'Temasek'. The prince decided to hunt on the neighboring island, so he prepared to sail across the sea. During the voyage, a fierce storm hit them hard and the ship was tossed about in the turbulent waves. Water poured into the ship and everyone worked to prevent it from sinking by throwing their belongings overboard. The prince was advised to toss his crown into the water as an offering to the sea. Just then, the mysterious creature that the prince had chased leaped out of the water and rescued Sang Nila Utama and his crew. They landed safely on the sandy beach of Temasek. The prince asked some locals about the creature and they shared that this creature was known as the guardian of Temasek, Merlion. The red-breasted creature had a glorious yellow mane and was renowned for saving drowning victims in the choppy sea. The prince was grateful and later decided to develop the island into a city, naming it "Singapura", which loosely translates to "Lion City", as an homage to the mythical creature that saved him. Concept of "Merlion, the guardian of Singapura" : The creature has a lion's head and a fish's tail, hence its Chinese name "Yu Wei Shi", which translates loosely into "Fish-tailed Lion". The head of the Merlion was designed to resemble the mythical creature in Chinese culture, also known as "Nian Shou", and the scales on the lion's body introduce a nice blend of the two animals: fish and lion; it is also derived from the amphibious nature of the merlion. The inclusion of a fish tail completes the appearance of a creature that resembles a lion and a fish. I was also inspired by the dragon in Cosmos Landromat, an open movie, for the proportion of the creature overall. The Model The model consists of three sections. The first is the lion, followed by its fish tail and lastly, the base as a foundation. Printing the model in three sections allows simplicity in design as well as a reduction in necessary support, thereby saving resources. Software : I modeled the shape of the Merlion using Luxology's Modo and sculpted it with Pixologic's Sculptris. Print Setting software: Simplify 3D printer: Flashforge Dreamer temperature: 200 layer height: 0.2mm shells: 4 print speed: 2400 mm/min infill percentage: 20% with raft and support. Its painted by Sean Suchanya Follow me here: ► Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/73ck ► Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/73ckng ► Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/73ck