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Archive for March 2008

Microraptor (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

March 18, 2008, 3:46 pm Posted by plesiosauria

The recently discovered and described Microraptor is known from a number of specimens from China. Not surprisingly, given the short scientific history of this feathered dinosaur, there are very few models or toys of Microraptor. The Carnegie Collection introduced a bunch of feathered dinosaurs in 2005, including this Microraptor, to reflect the recent surge in the number of fossil feathered dinosaurs discovered over the last decade.

Microraptor (carnegie Safari)

Because the actual animal is so tiny, the Carnegie Collection Microraptor is produced at a 1:3 scale (most other Carnegie’s are scaled at 1:40), and the figure is 19cm long. The most striking feature of this figure are the colours of the plumage – bright orange with red, yellow and black highlights. The wings of the arms and legs are spread out and the animal is twisting to look to the right, as if the animal is mid-jump between two trees. The underside of the wings is much paler in colour and the claws are grey. Only the tips of the enlarged sickle-shaped claws are painted, so they look a lot smaller at first glance than they really are. The mouth is open and a big juicy tongue can bee seen protruding.

Microraptor (carnegie Safari)

The sculpded details on the surface of the body are very impressive, the entire surface is feathered, the wings have distinctive layers of feathers. There is a tuft of feathers on the head too. When the figure stands, its right leg rests on the feathers, but this is because the animal is in a leaping rather than a standing position.

It makes a change to see a really delicately built animal become a part of the Carnegie collection. While many toy companies continue to ignore skinny dinosaurs, and overlook the scientific evidence for feathers on theropod dinosaurs, (probably because they are much more dificult to sculpt than smooth scaley skin), Safari have endeavored to embrace these new animals in all their glory, and they haven’t skimped on the details!

This toy review was sponsored by, and is available from Atomic Elephant

Tags: Carnegie, dinosaur, feathered, Microraptor, safari ltd, theropod, toy
Category: Carnegie, Safari Ltd, theropod | 6 Comments

Amargasaurus (Battat)

March 15, 2008, 3:19 pm Posted by emperordinobot

This was my first Battat. Back then, 10 years ago, I wasn’t aware they made dinosaurs this detailed, and I didn’t know of an Amargasaurus. When I crossed with my mum into that little specialty shop so long ago, I knew I had hit the jackpot. Not only was it the first time I had ever seen Battat, but I was immediately mesmerized by their amount of detail. I was looking for Carnegie but I became a Battat fan, too. I was looking for rare dinosaurs I hadn’t come across before (And if not, I’d simply buy a Carnegie Euplocephalus, which I did). Amargasaurus fit the bill (I could have gone for the others…heck I just wanted to buy them all, especially the Diplodocus…)

Back then, Battats came in little boxes. I went to great efforts to keep the box, but, I lost it recently. It gave these dinosaur a sort of…superiority that Carnegies just didn’t have then. Battats are also in scale with Carnegie dinosaurs, which makes it more fitting.

Amargasaurus itself is detailed beyond belief. For the time it was made in, this is what you would call top notch. The texturing is perfect, and it breathes a sense of realism into each dinosaur. The shades of grey over the animal are perfect. This Amargasaurus is depicted as having a sail supported by its tall spines (which is now a cause of debate, and new figures are depicted as having naked spines that don’t support a sail).

Now, I don’t know whether this is a production error, or just mine, but, the right side of the spines that lay on its neck are a little shorter than the left side spines. It…creates a visual annoyance. At 20cm long, this figure is quite small for a sauropod.

As for Amargasaurus itself, this was a quirky looking dicraeosaurid from Argentina that was described rather recently. Gondwanian sauropods like these further prove that both South America and Africa were together at some point in the past.

Review by Emperordinobot

Sometimes avaiable here

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Amargasaurus Battat