05-07-2025
From junkyard to Jurassic dream: N.S. mechanic welds 12-foot dinosaur out of car parts
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A Nova Scotia mechanic is using spare parts destined for the junk yard to create larger than life sculptures that can be found towering above small businesses in Cumberland County.
Retired mechanic and painter John Choisnet, who now owns Choisnut's Tire and Auto Parts in Springhill, says he always felt guilty about throwing out a bunch of old parts.
'I said, 'I can build something out of that, I don't know what it's going to be, but I can build something out of that,'' he told CTV Atlantic's Mike Lamb.
His first creation was of the more futuristic variety.
'One day I had some spare time, so I laid it all out on the ground and I started building a robot, that was the first one,' he explained.
Then, he moved on to what is now known as 'Trexy.'
Trexy 2
Trexy the dinosaur is pictured before she was finished being painted. (Source: Facebook/choisnuts)
'I looked at my mom's PT Cruiser and I had to do a little imagining and I took it all apart and redesigned it and I came out with a t-rex,' he said.
Choisnet started his Jurassic creation in January of last year.
'(We) welded everything outside, she couldn't fit in the garage. I used several cars, two PT Cruisers,' he said. 'My grandson has a model (t-rex), that's what I used for inspiration I guess, to get my scale right. We spent approximately 3,000-man hours on this – painting, welding. A labour of love.'
Trexy stands 12 feet, six inches tall and 42 feet long, and even has a bumble bee painted on her 12-inch toenail.
Trexy
Trexy the dinosaur's toenail is pictured. (Source: Facebook/choisnuts)
'Her feet are three feet wide, five feet long. When you look at the specs of this dinosaur, he is life-size,' Choisnet says.
While some children are big fans of Trexy, others are a bit more cautions.
'There's certain young ones that will not come across the road. They'll view it from across the road, but just, 'No, that's good, that's as close as I want to get.''
The dinosaur currently stands tall outside Nelly's Grill & Dairy Bar in Pugwash, though she does move around from time to time.
John Choisnet
John Choisnet stands next to 'Trexy" the dinosaur. (Mike Lamb/CTV Atlantic)
'Every couple weeks to a month, I help out the other small businesses, good free advertisement for them and my store in town, too,' says Choisnet.
Trexy has also appeared in a few local parades this year.
'And the kids had quite the reaction, jumping up and down and really loving it,' Choisnet says.
'Nobody's seen a t-rex – not one that looks like this!'
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