The Dinosaur Toy Blog

What’s this – the Carnegie Dilong again? Haven’t we seen it around these parts before? Well, yes, we have. Unfortunately, the original reviewer left the blog some time ago and, for whatever reason, deleted all his posts upon departure. As such, what you are reading now is a replacement – written by me, I’m afraid. So, without further delay, let’s take a good gander at the Carnegie Dilong from 2005. Again.

Dilong paradoxus lived in China in the Early Cretaceous, as did Caudipteryx and Beipiaosaurus (although perhaps not at exactly the same time), both of which have also subsequently made it into the Carnegie Collection. While it’s definitely a plus that this Dilong and the Beipiaosaurus are sculpted at roughly the same scale, Dilong was a somewhat more diminutive creature than Beipiaosaurus (or at least, the type specimen was). As such, fine details are a little more fudged than on the therizinosaur, particularly around the head; the teeth are indistinct while the eyes, apart from probably being a little too large, have asymmetrical splodgy pupils.

Of course, Dilong is most famous for having been preserved with evidence of a fuzzy ‘protofeather’ covering, and fortunately this is far more attractively rendered. The details remain very crisp up close, giving a pleasing impression of a ‘furry’ fluffiness. While the colours could be considered a little conservative, in this case it’s probably actually a good thing – a bright blue (for example) Dilong would actually have been incredibly unlikely, as the nature of ‘protofeathers’ all but prevents this colouration from being physically possible.

Anatomically, this model is very good even if it’s not perfect, and certainly excellent given its very cheap price tag. Perhaps most obviously, the hands do not match up especially well, the real Dilong having quite long hands and fingers of more differing lengths. The tail is also rather thin where it joins the body (not allowing room for muscles), although this was common in palaeoart until fairly recently. Other than that, the proportions are good – the legs are nice and long and the head is deep and narrow, with the characteristic low Y-shaped crest evident.

The Carnegie Collection has, since 2005, been so far ahead of the pack as regards feathered (nonavian) dinosaurs that it’s been a little embarrassing  (although that naked Velociraptor is a very unfortunate black mark), with Collecta only now catching up. Although certain aspects of the sculpt could use a little more 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 lot more of them – starting with a Velociraptor resculpt!

Recently described in 2009, Kaprosuchus is one of the latest additions to the extensive and continuously growing roster of known toothy prehistoric devilry. And that means nothing but good things for us paleo toy fans! With a name which aptly translates to “boar crocodile” (for obvious reasons), the 20 foot Kaprosuchus was an interesting terrestrial crocodyliform from Cretaceous Africa. The animal is known from a single complete skull which exhibits a variety of features that suggest a primarily land-based lifestyle, such as binocular vision and sharp, straight teeth which differ from the slightly hooked teeth of fish-eating, water-based crocodyliforms.

Safari have really been exercising their muscle and capability to produce fantastic prehistoric replicas in recent years, and their Kaprosuchus, which is new for 2011, is exceptional. I applaud them on all of the more obscure, but no less cool, genera which they have been reviving in plastic form. It takes some balls to go out on a limb with animals no one in the target market has heard of, but Safari’s sure got ‘em! The first pictures I saw of this figure made me skeptical of the quality of the paint application, but after receiving one as a gift I am happy to say that no picture could ever do justice to how good this figure really looks, and I would have gladly bought it myself.

This figure is pretty sizable, at almost 8 in. (20 cm) in length, though it would be about 9 in. if the tail were straight. It’s about 2.5 in. (6.5 cm.) tall at the hips. As such, it’s far too large to be in 1:40 scale and fits much better in 1:30, meaning it’ll look good next to the two new Carnegie figures coming out this year! (Time periods and geographical locations aside.) The texture and detailing are top notch on this guy, with the whole body being covered in osteoderms and scutes reminiscent of modern crocodiles. Since only the skull is known for Kaprosuchus, some artistic license has been taken with the post-cranial anatomy (that is, everything but the head).

The colors are very natural and I’d say they probably aren’t too far from what it really looked like, but that’s just my opinion. The figure is molded in light tan plastic, which serves as the color of the underside. Along the back, flanks, limbs and skull it is painted a darker tan-brown color, becoming a much darker brown toward the tip of the tail. Select individual scutes along the sides and tail are painted black, sort of mimicking a modern saltwater crocodile, but some are painted more sloppily than others. Luckily it doesn’t detract a whole lot from the figure. Its claws are dark gray, the eyes are green with black slit pupils, and its teeth are white. The inside of the mouth and tongue is that kind of washed-out pinkish tan you see inside the maws of modern crocodilians and looks good.

In terms of accuracy to the fossil material, Safari has done as good a job as possible. Aside from the large crests over the eyes which may or may not have been present, the skull is flawless. Even the pair of horns jutting from the back of the skull can be seen here. The skull is broad, short, and powerfully built, reflecting the diet of an animal which likely attacked dinosaurs on a regular basis. The deadly dentition looks perfect here, with the teeth individually sculpted and of correct lengths. There are notches in the upper jaw to allow the large lower caniniform teeth to slip past when the jaws are closed. The eyes are angled to give slight binocular vision.

Like I said before, the rest of this animal’s anatomy is unknown, but I think Safari made a plausible effort here. The terrestrial lifestyle suggested by its skull indicates an active predator, one which would have needed the locomotory capabilities to run down other animals adapted to living on land. The positioning of the limbs here, being held more erect like a dinosaur or Rauisuchian, are far more likely to be correct than the splayed positioning of an aquatic crocodyliform’s limbs. The tail is reminiscent of an aquatic crocodile, but who’s to say this guy wasn’t a fair swimmer and didn’t enter water periodically? No one knows for sure, but the specialization in the skull already sets Kaprosuchus apart from most other crocodyliforms so I think it’s plausible for it to have had significant adaptations in its limb anatomy as well. And the massive amount of details, right down  to the cloacal opening, brings the whole thing together quite nicely.

I can’t ever resist the chance to add new animals to my collection, and even if you consider yourself an exclusively dinosaur collector, I’d still urge you to splurge on this one, especially since Kaprosuchus coexisted with dinosaurs which means you can believably have it attacking them (at least your Late Cretaceous African dinos) in dioramas It’s really too beautiful to pass up, and pieces like this one show why I think Safari is solidly leading the paleo toy market right now. It’s not too pricey either at around $10 on average and can be found from a wide variety of retailers online since it was just released in January. Now available here.

In 2005, Safari LTD produced a line of 4 figures for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, IL. Among these is one of the best hadrosaur figures of recent years. Most famous for its role as the hapless victim of Tyrannosaurus in the classic Walking With Dinosaurs series, Anatotitan was a large hadrosaur that lived 68 – 65 million years ago in North America, coexisting with more famous dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and Ankylosaurus. This figure does justice to the outshone species, and is quite accurate to boot.

One thing that the dinosaur toy collecting community is often quick to note is the lack of hadrosaur figures. Since the Wild Safari Hapacrosaurus, there haven’t been many mass-produced hadrosaur figures of good quality. The Field Museum Anatotitan changes that. This small 6 inch (15 cm) figure is one of the most accurate hadrosaur figures available. The proportions are all correct, the tail is properly stiff, and the head is the correct shape. There is even a row of small spines running down the back of the figure. Hadrosaurs were discovered to have these spines from various mummified fossil specimens that preserved skin impressions. If there is one complaint to be made, it is about the hands. Hadrosaur hands, similar to titanosaur hands, had no claws on their hands. Despite this one inaccuracy, this figure is still one of the most accurate hadrosaur figures available.

The detailing on this figure is some of the best I’ve seen. It’s better than that of the newer Wild Safari figures, and second only to the detailing on Papo figures.The skin consists of a very well-done pebbly scaling texture, which is also consistent with mummified hadrosaur remains. The musculature is very well defined, and are there are even small wrinkles below the eyes, similar to reptiles today. There’s even a cloacal opening (as another reviewer here once said, I check these things so you don’t have to).

Unlike many other hadrosaur figures, the Field Museum Anatotitan has a very dynamic pose. It is in a quadrapedal stance with one leg raise, looking like it is prepared to run. The eyes are wide open and the beak is agape, as if startled by some unseen Tyrannosaurus. The head is turned toward the Anatotitan’s right, which could be to detect the location of a predator in hiding.

A pleasant color scheme is yet another great attribute of this figure. A simple tannish brown along with light red stripes make up the main color scheme of the Field Museum Anatotitan. The details, such as the spines, claws, and beak are grey, and the eyes are a lifelike shade of yellow. Unlike some of the Wild Safari or Carnegie Collection figure also produced by Safari LTD, the Field Museum line figures do not have sloppy paint jobs that other Safari figures may occasionally have.

One of the best hadrosaur figures in existence, the Field Museum Anatotitan is certainly worth acquiring. Unfortunately, the line is now retired. However, the Anatotitan is the easiest to find of all the figures from the line. It is usually available on eBay for no more than a few dollars. If you ever find yourself in Chicago, then you should probably pay a visit to The Field Museum. Besides the great fossils on display, the gift shop has every one of the Field Museum figures available. No matter how you get it, it’s still a great figure, worthy for the collections of hadrosaur and dinosaur enthusiasts alike.

A smaller, 20 foot relative of Triceratops, Styracosaurus lived about 10 million years earlier than its more famous ceratopsian cousin. The apt name, Styracosaurus (“spiked lizard”), refers to the elaborate spiked frill. It also bore a horn on its nose. It isn’t clear whether these large spikes were intended to ward off hungry predators or if they were exclusively for mating purposes. A mix of the two is likely.

Size comparison of Styracosaurus with a six foot man.

The advent of the Wild Safari line in 1997 was a thing of joy for me. I remember being a kid, going into my favorite toy shop one day, and seeing these displayed with the Carnegies. This Styracosaurus was among them. This figure is 6.5 in. (15cm) long and 3.75 in. (10cm) tall, which puts it at 1:40 scale. The three-point stance has always been a favorite of mine because it makes the figure so dynamic, and it has always been very sturdy too and not prone to falling over much.

The texturing is pretty good for a figure first produced in the nineties. The body is covered in pebbly scales, and there are wrinkles and folds of skin around the neck and joints. The colors chosen are very fanciful, to say the least. The first wave of Wild Safari dinosaurs were painted in very exotic colors, and this one is no exception. The figure is molded in dark purple plastic, with black stripes along its back and tail. The belly is painted pale yellow. The frill and rostral bone are both painted pale orange, and there is also a red design on the frill. There are two red spots on either side of the skull. The hooves are pale yellow, the eyes are black with a small drop of white in the center, and the nostrils and mouth are detailed in pink. Probably not the most realistic color scheme, especially the purple spikes, but whatever. My biggest complaint would be that there just aren’t enough fine details outlined on this one.

For being produced solely by Safari and without the guidance of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, I’d say that these early Wild Safari releases weren’t half bad. This is a pretty darn good sculpt of Styracosaurus. The skull is sculpted perfectly, no complaints there. This is how the animal would have appeared in life. Each foot has the correct number of digits, and the tail is the perfect length for a ceratopsian. The only real issue this figure has is that the forelimbs aren’t splayed out to the sides at all, but it’s passable because that information wasn’t available at the time this model was made.

This is definitely among the best of the first Wild Safari dinos. It’s still one of the better Styracosaurus toys that’s ever been made in my opinion, and there have been a lot of those! I like it mostly because of the perfect skull and awesome pose. I definitely recommend this to dinosaur fans, but I’m not sure there’s anyone on this site who doesn’t already own this one. It was only retired recently and can still be found for pretty cheap online.

Interestingly, Safari changed the color scheme in the mid-2000s, so later production figures were like the one pictured below. There were repaints of several other of the original Wild Safari dinosaurs around this time as well.