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Acrocanthosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Marc Vincent | 16 Comments

Safari are first out of the gate this year with no fewer than four new-for-2012 Wild Safari dinosaurs already available. This Acrocanthosaurus is one of them, and it’s easy to see it becoming the most popular of the bunch – not just because it’s a fearsome-looking, spectacular theropod, but also thanks to Safari capturing that so well in an excellent sculpt.

Like the two other new WS bipedal dinosaur figures this year, this Acrocanthosaurus stands proud with its undulating tail held well clear of the ground – no tripod cop-out here. It means that the figure is able to adopt an exciting, dynamic pose – while figures with the tips of their tails touching the ground can still look convincing enough, they cannot match the fluidity and movement that only a truly bipedal figure can convey. Basically, it’s a big plus. It does mean that the feet (or rather, the toes) are somewhat oversized in order to provide better stability, but it does work; this figure is very sturdy on its feet. Adding a base might have been one other solution, but these figures are meant for kids too (or even – whisper it – primarily), and bases do spoil playability.

Acrocanthosaurus was a huge, bulky, allosauroid predator, its silhouette made all the more dramatic by unusual, elongated vertebrae, which are of course present here and emphasised in black. The proportions are generally excellent, and the head in particular commands attention. Apart from the fact that the sculptor clearly did their homework – it matches up very nicely with the real thing – it’s excellently and immaculately painted, right down to the tiny, beady eyes, while the striking black and white colour scheme shows real flair, and draws the viewer’s attention to the tapering, triangular snout with its finely sculpted teeth.

It’s not perfect, of course. For example, the arms are too large as well as the feet, probably to prevent breakage – although they are not as dramatically too large as in last year’s Tyrannosaurus. In addition, the base of the tail might be a little too slim, lacking a well-developed caudofemoralis muscle. Minor complaints though, and still miles better than one would have any right to expect for under a tenner. Aesthetically, this is one of the best of all the Wild Safari models, which continue to show improvement year on year. The scaly covering, similar to that present on the Favorite ‘soft models’, may be a little controversial to some, as the scales would have been much smaller than this (in proportion) on the real animal. However, it at least gives a good impression of a scaly hide.

It’s a winning combination of decent anatomical accuracy and excellent sculpting and painting quality that make this figure a superb representation of this mighty theropod – one that’s eminently affordable to boot. Highly recommended! Available on eBay here.

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Posted in Safari Ltd, theropod, Wild Safari

Tagged 2012, Acrocanthosaurus, allosaur, dinosaur, safari, theropod, toy, Wild Safari

Tyrannosaurus rex (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd. – 2011 sculpt)

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Marc Vincent | 11 Comments

A number of dinosaurs in the Wild Safari line have been subject to resculpts, but the most famous dinosaur of all is unique in having been revised twice. The iffy original was replaced by an abysmal Jurassic Park-esque affair back in 2006; it was almost reminiscent of the Papo T. rex, but with none of the high-quality detailing or copyright-infringing charm. This year Safari are back for one more try and – although flawed – the resulting toy is a huge improvement over its predecessors.

This toy caught people’s attention when it was first announced thanks to its bipedal stance, which remains quite unusual in Tyrannosaurus figures. The pose is indeed an uncommonly dynamic one, and the figure is very steady on its feet without any assistance; the feet also look less awkward than in the similarly-posed Favorite model. This has come at a cost, however, as the feet are also noticeably exaggerated in size. That said, it doesn’t detract from the model too much and the attractive stance is probably worth it. Unfortunately, the anatomical flaws don’t end there.

Tyrannosaurus‘ highly specialised mega-head is what often draws people’s attention (and with those arms, it’s hardly surprising). Here a respectable effort’s been made to make the head lifelike, with plenty of scaly detail and all facial features (nostrils, ears etc.) present and correct. However, the mandible appears to be dislocated, as muscles that should attach it to the cranium at the rear just aren’t there. The result is that the skull appears to have just been stuck on the end of the neck without too much thought as to how it would all work. (The eyes are too low down and large too, but I’m more willing to forgive them on that one. Being the lovely man that I am. At least the face is nicely symmetrical.)

As can be seen in the above picture, the arms – while not broken (HURRAH!) – are still far too long. It seems like everyone makes a big deal of T. rex‘s small arms without ever realising how comparatively piddly they actually were – although T. rex could totally have taken an abelisaur in an arm-wrestling contest (or indeed a human), describing its forelimbs as ‘highly atrophied’ is probably not hyperbole.

Still, and in spite of all this, the figure has a lot going for it. The low price is an important factor, but just as with its neo-Wild Safari contemporaries it’s a lovingly detailed and scaly figure, with some well-defined musculature (even if the shoulder area looks a bit bony), a barrel chest and a paint job that is, for the most part, nice and subtle as befits such a huge creature. While the overall paint application is praiseworthy it does seem that the guy who painted the teeth was retiring the next day, as in that area it is rather sloppy. At least it gives Tyrannosaurus the opportunity to star in the next ‘Got Milk?’ ad.

In the end, though, I’m disappointed that this figure didn’t live up to the standard set by the Wild Safari Allosaurus. And that’s not really fair – the Allosaurus is a truly exceptional figure, and given their track record it was unlikely that Safari would produce a T. rex to match it. This is a good figure in its own right, and given its bipedal stance and correctly-positioned arms it’s one of the best in the 1:50 – 1:30 scale range.

Available from eBay stores here