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Brachiosaurus (Replica-Saurus by Schleich)

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Marc Vincent | 1 Comment

Schleich have attracted a lot of derision for their often diabolical theropods (knuckle-dragging Spinosaurus, anyone?), but – for whatever reason – tend to fare somewhat better when it comes to herbivorous dinosaurs. This brachiosaur sculpt dates from 2007 and really isn’t too bad at all. If nothing else, it’s certainly an impressively hefty hunk of plastic.

This is, of course, another model of Giraffatitan brancai, which is something that I would never consider tediously explaining in a review. Nope, not me. Never. In terms of proportions it is, by and large, easily as respectable as the majority of Giraffatitan figures out there; granted, the head is a little large and certain details of the anatomy such as the feet are incorrect (most obviously the forefeet) but there is nothing glaringly, horribly wrong about this figure. Good start. It is a little on the chunky side, granted, which adds to its rather retro air.

The head may be a little misshapen – that muzzle should definitely be shorter, and the nostrils are placed in a rather old-fashioned position directly over the bony nasal openings – but one can’t fault the attention to detail and careful paintwork here. While it’s not unusual for sauropod figures to have closed mouths, the protruding teeth are more out of the ordinary – it seems to be the norm for sauropod toys to have ‘lips’ (probably ‘cos it’s easier to pull off). The jury’s still out on which restoration is more likely for certain species. However, the combination of the teeth and a darkened, depressed area around the eye (probably intended to correspond with the orbit) give this brachiosaur an unusually menacing air, in contrast with the typical ‘smiley dope’ look that such figures seem to often have. It’s quite fitting, really, as an adult Giraffatitan – around 25 metres long and weighing in excess of 20 tonnes – would not be an animal to mess with.

Aesthetically, what’s most pleasing about this figure when compared with some others (the old Carnegie, for example) is the crispness of the details, none of which is lost under the paint. There is a convincing indication of muscle mass, particularly at the base of the neck, while details such as skin creases and folds help give the model a suitably organic look. If there is one criticism to be made here, it’s that some of the detailing is a little strange-looking. For example, it would’ve looked much better with far finer scalation – the huge scales on the flanks of the creature look a bit odd, like it has a football for a belly. The paintjob is a little uninspired – brown and more brown – but at least still looks naturalistic enough, with a subtle, pleasing blending of shades. One could also criticise the pose for being a little static, but perhaps ‘statuesque’ is a better word. There’s a very good impression made of a huge, heavy, powerful creature.

Of course, this is helped in no small part by the model’s sheer size. At about 31cm tall it towers imposingly over other 1:40 scale figures, and this is definitely part of its appeal. Unfortunately, it’s being retired this year and receiving a somewhat smaller replacement. Grab one while you still can – although a little expensive it’s very common (duh – it’s Schleich), a worthy addition to anyone’s brachiosaur lineup, and one of the best of what is all too often a bad lot in the Replica-Saurus series.

Available from Amazon here.

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Posted in sauropod, Schleich

Tagged Brachiosaurus, dinosaur, Replica-Saurus, Schleich, toy

Diplodocus (1988) (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd.)

Posted on March 31, 2012 by gwangi | 5 Comments

Diplodocus is one of those all American sauropods every kid grew up with, right alongside Apatosaurus and Brachiosaurus. Described in 1878 it is still the longest known sauropod from a complete skeleton. It is no wonder then, that the Carnegie Collection would include this animal in their original 1988 lineup of museum quality replicas. In 2008 a new and improved version would be released but this oldie is still a goodie and well worth seeking out. In fact, fans of Jurassic Park will have no doubt noticed this figure displayed in the trailer at the dig site in the beginning of the film.

At 24” in length and 9” tall this is a behemoth of a toy and truly conveys the length of these animals. The tail in particular is extremely long and accounts for about 16” of the model’s length, making the tail itself longer than Carnegie’s current representation. Though overall they match each other in scale this Diplodocus has a shorter neck than the new version and despite representing the same animal looks dramatically different. The pose is certainly a relic of another time, when dinosaurs were first leaving the swamps and we were starting to come to grips with how they looked and functioned. The tail is swung low and almost dragging on the ground while the head is held high up in a vertical position. Serious dinosaur buffs will notice inaccuracies like these. The common depiction for this animal these days is the more horizontal position with the tail held high and the head at shoulder height. They certainly may have been capable of lifting their heads higher even if not quite as high as the old Carnegie does. The head itself is fairly crude, like the other original Carnegie sauropods. The eyes are yellow with black pupils. The mouth is a simple black line. The nostrils are placed high on the head though these days we know this too was incorrect. The feet are outdated as well with five nails painted on each. Only one claw should be evident on the forelimbs and three on each of the hind limbs. This is a common mistake even among toy companies today and I must stress that the age of this figure all but justifies inaccuracies like these.

In texture the model is mostly wrinkly, with few scales. Though a more scaled texture would have felt more appropriate this is common among dinosaur toys and Carnegie in particular. In conjunction with the feet the wrinkled skin gives the dinosaur a very elephantine quality. The choice in colors is subtle but convincing with the majority of the body covered in a light sandy shade of brown, large splotches and spots of a darker drab brown form patterns down the neck, back and tail. This choice in color helps convey the image of an animal that lived in dry, dusty sun baked environments as opposed to the humid swamplands these creatures were once thought to have lived in. There are probably other versions of this toy with different paint jobs but if so I’m not aware of them. This brown one is certainly the more abundant one if that is the case.

Though outdated in nearly all its major features this figure serves as a reminder of how far we’ve come in understanding these animals and is a fantastic retro piece for any collection. It stands in nicely displayed with the other old Carnegie sauropods or displayed next to the older Invicta model and newer Carnegie. Seeing the two Carnegies next to each other, it is amazing to think these represent the same animal. Who knows what these animals will look like another 20 years from now. Though not as common as the old Apatosaurus and Brachiosaurus, this Diplodocus can still be found on places like eBay from time-to-time.