The Dinosaur Toy Blog

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 three 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.

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!

Guest review by forumite Fooman666 – edited by Marc (Horridus)

Seeing as CollectA have taken many of us by surprise this year I think it’s fitting that I review one of their 2011 figures for my first review in quite a while. Today I will be looking at the CollectA Lourinhanosaurus, which in some aspects I believe is one of the best of the 2011 line up.

Lourinhanosaurus was a medium sized theropod from Portugal, more specifically the Lourinha formation which is where it gets its name. It was a member of the sinraptorid group of the allosauroid superfamily and was the first theropod found with evidence of gastroliths (swallowed stones used to grind up food). There have also been eggs found with fossil embryos that are believed to have belonged to the (only) species Lourinhanosaurus antunesi.

Now onto the figure. Simply put, it’s spectacular – apart from the head which we’ll get to later. It balances nicely on two feet which for once aren’t oversized as those on a lot of CollectA figures tend to be – they are suitably thin and birdlike with all the claws painted (even the tiny hallux). As we go up the legs we find the excellently sculpted body with quite possibly the best arms on any CollectA theropod to date. Finally, the wrists aren’t broken and the palms face each other (round of applause please).

Going back down the body we find the first problem with this figure – the tail. The tail looks fine from the side, but when inspected from above we see that it seems to lack any muscle at all, it appears as though the skin is simply hanging from the vertebrae. This isn’t a much of a problem as the other end of the body – the head. This is what lets the figure down. Perched on top of an overly skinny neck is quite a deformed head that simply doesn’t resemble the actual skull at all, the fenestrae are incorrectly placed and much too small and the pitiful excuse for crests looks more like two tiny lumps of clay put on as an afterthought. The skull appears to droop down and the teeth although actually individually sculpted appear more like block teeth without extremely close inspection. The bottom jaw lacks any muscle and doesn’t even attach to the neck properly, instead it’s sort of just hanging there. The inside of the mouth isn’t detailed either.

All in all, it’s a decent figure let down by a few small problems, whether these were sculpting issues or lack of research I’m not sure, but they certainly detract from what could have been a flawless figure of a rather obscure theropod. However, despite its flaws, it really shows how much CollectA have improved since their early days, and shows that they are at least doing some research on the subject matter. It appears that CollectA are going to a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.

The CollectA Lourinhanosaurus is available here

Photos by Niroot ‘Himmapaan’ Puttapipat

Ornithomimids are a horribly under-represented family of dinosaurs when it comes to dinosaur toys. For such fascinating animals, this really is a shame. Fortunately, the few ornithomimid figures out there are usually quite well-made. The Battat Gallimimus is one of these.

Made in 1994 (a year after the dinosaur’s appearance in Jurassic Park I should add), this Gallimimus is part of the now revered and rare Battat line, made for the Boston Museum of Science. Like the other figures in this line, the Gallimimus is an excellent sculpt and is quite accurate despite being almost 2 decades old. All the proportions are correct, and the wrists are not pronated (always a plus). The shape of the head is well-done, and the eyes are the appropriate size too.

In addition to being accurate, the sculpt is very well-detailed as well. The musculature in the hind limbs is well defined. For an animal that was probably a swift runner and relied on running as a method to escape predators, this makes sense. The skin detail is excellent as well, with realistic looking wrinkles and small scales. This is a detailed sculpt with no sloppiness whatsoever.

The quality of no sloppiness also applies to the paint job of this figure. Unlike many other massed-produced figures, the Battat Gallimimus is painted very precisely. The eyes and claws on the hands and feet are especially well painted. The color scheme of this figure is rather pleasant too. It’s just a sandy yellow with brown stripes that fades into a white underbelly, but it looks very natural for an animal that lived in a desert environment.

If there is one complaint to be made about this sculpt, it is the lack of feathers. Nowadays, it is thought that many theropods, ornithomimids included, had a covering of “protofeathers” on their body. However, Battat really can’t be blamed, as it was sculpted before this was known. The first feathered non-avian dinosaur was discovered in 1996, two years after this figure was released. If you can get past the lack of fuzz, this is still a very accurate figure.

All in all, this is an excellent and well-made figure. If you can get past the lack of feathers, it’s a very accurate figure as well. As one of the few ornithomimid figures (there are no more than 4 I can think of at the moment), it is a must-have for any fan of this family of dinosaurs. Unfortunately, this figure, along with the rest of the Battat line, has been retired for a bit over a decade and is rather rare. Luckily, it is only one of the moderately rare Battats, and pops up on eBay every now and then. If you have a chance to get this figure you certainly should; you won’t regret it.

Many thanks to Niroot Puttapipat for providing the photos for this review. He very graciously sacrificed his own figure by taking it out of its box. Besides being an excellent photographer, Niroot is also an outstanding professional artist. Show your appreciation by visiting his DeviantArt page, which features many wonderful dinosaur illustrations and much much more.