Following on from the recent review of the Papo Oviraptor by a fellow blogger, let us look now at a radically different interpretation of the same dinosaur from the good folk at Safari. This is actually the second Oviraptor released as part of the Carnegie line; the original, released in 2005, featured less elaborate plumage with a simpler colour scheme and no tail fan. As such, many collectors like to envisage it as the female and this 2007 re-release as the male. It’s 1:10 scale, by the way, and about 15cm (6 inches) long.
This Oviraptor is certainly a handsome beast (whether it’s actually Citipati or not), sporting a bright blue and red head with a yellow crest and beak and small wattle. The plumage, with short display feathers on the arms and an impressive tail fan, seems to be based on the oviraptorosaur Caudipteryx (a Carnegie stablemate) while the colouration is reminiscent of the work of paleoartist Luis Rey. Overall, this brightly-coloured and very birdlike image of this animal couldn’t be more different from Papo’s retro-1990s lizardy egg-snatcher – this is pop-culture Oviraptor reborn for the 21st Century.
That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. Quite why the arm feathers aren’t attached to the second finger, as accurately portrayed in the Carnegie Caudipteryx, I don’t know; could be that Luis Rey influence again. In addition, the creature’s covering of basic, downy feathers does not extend to its underside, which is completely bald. That said, all matters pertaining to the feathers are a matter of personal opinion, as no skin impressions for this particular animal have ever been found. Besides, better this than an inappropriately scaley monster (possibly playing basketball with a giant egg).
Perhaps more troubling than any plumage issues is the fact that this is Yet Another Tripod from the Carnegie line, balancing as it does on two feet and the tip of that gorgeous tail fan. This puts the animal in a slightly-rearing pose that, although still making it quite clear that Oviraptor spent most of its time in a more horizontal position, will put some people off. It’s something I’ll jump to defend again, as it doesn’t terribly much detract from the attractiveness of the model (not as much as, say, giving it an enormous prop to lean on…or something).
If you wish to split hairs, or indeed feathers [You’re fired – Ed], the tiny teeth inside the mouth are neither sculpted nor painted on, although there is a small lump inside the otherwise finely-sculpted mouth – otherwise the tongue, nostrils, ears and other small details are all present and correct, and the paintjob is wonderful, with not the tiniest splash in the wrong place.
The Carnegie Oviraptor, then; a fine figure of a feathered flightless dinosaur, and one to brighten up anybody’s collection.
Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)
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[…] Carnegie line by Safari Ltd. It is seen by many fans as the “female” counterpart to the newer 2007 version, due to its more subdued plumage, but it really was never intended to […]
Another question: how wide/long are the feets away from each other?
[about how tall are the legs: (or ground till the last top colored feather under the arms?)]
Hi, could you tell me the height of the legs? (or ground till the last top colored feather under the arms?) And how wide/long are the feets away from each other?
Height of leg: 56mm
Distance between feet (minimum): 26mm
Thanks, I think I have found the legs for my Baba Yaga Hut. 🙂
(Sorry for all the posts, I got unusual message from my browser and didn’t saw that the posting was successfull.)
Hi, could you tell me the height of the legs? (or ground till the last top feather under the arms?)
[…] finesse, this Dilong is certainly a worthy addition to a lineup that now also includes Microraptor, Oviraptor and of course the aforementioned Beipiaosaurus and Caudipteryx. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a […]
El color del plumaje del Oviraptor Carnegie es impresionante me recuerda a un guacamayo en cuanto a su colorido. Sin embargo a pesar de su exactitud y de la forma que han adoptado Carnegie vanguardista, me parece que se hubiera mejorado totalmente si le hubiese añadido dos dientes en su boca. Como el Oviraptor de dinodiscoveries de la coleccíon Safari.
[…] who’s read a dinosaur book or two (a classic case of mistaken identity – nobody tell this guy!), but it made for an odd early entry among the chunky theropods with painted-on […]
“The Oviraptor was a relatively small member of the Velociraptor family”….I love your site, Noah, but…come on mate, get yer facts right! 😉 (As I always do impeccably of course, cough.) Keep up the good work though, I check your blog on pretty much a daily basis. Love the photos and infusion of humour throughout. The ‘male-female’ bit in my review was a reference to your site.
Check out this longer review: http://www.dinosaur-toys-collectors-guide.com/oviraptor.html
I still think this one is better. The real thing has a pygostyle. It has tail feathers.
The Carnegie Microraptor review: http://www.dinotoyblog.com/?p=103
I realise that the Carnegie Caudipteryx’s feathers were still wrong, but they were attached to the correct finger at least.
And yes, the Microraptor is awesome. But someone got there before me!
Surely this version is better than the old one for acknowledging the pygostyle present in oviraptorosaurs at least? Or perhaps I was just distracted by the pretty colours and the fact that it’s, like, actually feathered at all.
The feathers attached to the third finger completely killed it for me. The 2004 version in my eyes is still better than this one.
The carnegie caudipteryx is also one with incorrect arm feathers. It should look more like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Caudipteryx2mmartyniuk.png
The carnegie biepiaosaurus seems to be the only one with correct feather placement, along with the (awesome) microraptor.
Infinately better than the Papo version. I have the 2005 version of this fellow, but if I ever stumble across this newer one, I’ll have to scoop it up. Love the tail fan.