Topeka ? Most people recycle to help conserve the world around them. Jim Boydston recycles to help conjure up a world that once was.

Working out of his business, Shawnee Auto Trim, Boydston services automotive interiors.

Like any manufacturing process, he deals with waste material, but Boydston’s fascination becomes clear when walking into Shawnee Auto Trim, which feels more like a museum than an auto upholstery shop.

Sketches and fossils line the walls, and amid the extension cords and assorted tools, a variety of extinct creatures peer out of the shadows.

Utilizing leftover upholstery material, including foam and vinyl padding, Boydston has crafted models of prehistoric creatures, ranging from the diminutive Leptoceratops to the towering Pterosaur. Each varies in size from only a yard long to more than 10 feet across.

Boydston has been a self-proclaimed dinosaur enthusiast from age 4.

He has utilized these extinct beasts as inspiration for drawings, sculpture, murals and of course, models.

“In a nutshell, it’s good therapy for me,” said Boydston, who continued by saying his dinosaur passion acts as a release for him to escape and relax.

Each dinosaur is crafted on a metal skeleton, usually constructed from metal tubing, chicken wire or window screens. From there, Boydston attaches foam and cardboard to rough-out the look he is aiming for and refines the model as necessary. He finishes his creations off with vinyl padding for skin, upholstery tacks for texture and fishing bobbers for eyes.

The planning for each model can range from a few hours to several days, but the actual construction is something less of an exact science. Boydston said he has to find the right time, materials and mood for one of his models to come together.

“If I can do this with (the waste material) instead of contributing to the landfill, I’d much rather do this,” Boydston said.