13/10/2026
OVER A TONNE OF STEEL. ONE LIFE-SIZED TRICERATOPS. AND A LOT OF ENGINEERING.
At first glance, it’s a dinosaur standing in the middle of an immersive prehistoric world.
But bringing Thunderhorn Plains to life for Universal Kingdom at Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park meant turning a prehistoric giant into a real-world engineering and fabrication challenge.
Designed by Joe Blanck and fabricated by our team, the life-sized Triceratops was built around a structure made from over a tonne of steel. It had to command attention from every angle, creating a centrepiece that audiences could experience from all sides, day and night.
And this wasn’t a sculpture that could simply be built in one piece and wheeled out the door.
Its sheer scale meant the Triceratops had to be fabricated in sections - making the planning, construction and coordination just as important as the finished form.
Every section had to contribute to one cohesive creature. Every part of the structure had to work together to create the impact of a life-sized dinosaur, finished with illuminated coloured acrylic that transformed it into a striking centrepiece after dark.
Then came the next challenge: getting a build of this scale where it needed to be.
Large-scale fabrication doesn’t end when the last piece is finished in the workshop. Transport, handling, logistics and installation all form part of the bigger picture - especially when the finished work needs to become part of a live public experience.
That’s the side of creative production you don’t always see when you walk past the finished installation.
For Universal Kingdom, our team brought together design, engineering and fabrication to help transform Adelaide Zoo into an immersive prehistoric world for a second year in 2025.
Because building something this ambitious takes more than a big idea. It takes a team capable of working out how to make it real.
The result? A prehistoric giant, built for the real world.
What would you want to know about building something like this? 👇
