Chicken wire may be your best armature.  Roll it and curve it for that long neck.  Two-inch mesh may be easier to manipulate than one-inch.  The head may be better formed over a plastic bottle or something, and attached to the neck before finishing.

See site owner Jackie's article on finishes at http://www.papiermache.co.uk/articles/w … ier-mache/  She found marine varnish to be the best sealer.  But you would need to make certain that you don't miss any tiny crack or hole, or your dinosaur will mold and rot from the inside.

I have never applied fiberglass over a papier mache base, although I have wondered how well it would work.  I don't know about applying color to fiberglass, either.  I think you need to try it and post your results here! ;-)

The marine varnish may do very well, but I would want to store it out of the rain in winter if I was fond of it. 

You may need to attach it to a base of exterior plywood, and weight it.  Plastic bags filled with sand installed in the base of the neck after forming the wire mesh would be a good way.  Or, if you wanted to keep the whole thing relatively light for portability, don't add the bags of sand, just set the plywood base on your table and set some 2-hole concrete bricks on the plywood.

Another thought for display:  firmly attach the neck to a suitable length of 2" galvanized steel pipe (thinwall), and allow for at least two extra feet of pipe to insert the base into the ground.  Dig a hole amid your shrubbery and bury a piece of 24" length of 3" galvanized with the top sticking out just an inch or two above the soil surface.  Insert the 2" pipe base of the dinosaur neck into the empty 3" pipe.  I think this way, you could occasionally turn the dinosaur's head so he faces in different directions.  I would cap the in-ground pipe when not in use, to keep water and debris out.

Oh, and Dino might need some head- and neckware.  Hats and ties? Deely-bobbers? Viking helmet? Woolly cap for cold weather?

Sue