I guess it is time for a review of Bullyland Deinotherium.
It is a highly sought after figure, not yet a myth, but quite close. This is due to the relatively little number of Deinotheriums that have been produced and delivered.
Deinotherium (“terrible beast”) was a large prehistoric relative of modern-day elephants that appeared in the Middle Miocene and continued until the Early Pleistocene. Bones of at least three different subspecies have been found in Erurope, Africa and Asia. In life, it probably resembled modern elephants, except that its trunk was shorter, and it had downward curving tusks attached to the lower jaw. The tusks may have served as tools for abrading the nourishing barks off the trees.
Bullyland always made fantastic mammal figures, and their Deinotherium makes no exception. It is a heavy and massive figure, measuring 11cm in height and 21cm in length. Its sculpt looks like a monument. I can´t deny the charm of the figure; it is a proud bull caught in a protruding walking pose. It is, however, probably not scientifically correct. In the original skeleton, the back declines more than the Bullyland version reveals.
The reconstructions of the animal vary from rather slender to really fat and hippo – style. Bullyland took the golden middle – massive legs and feet on the one side, obvious ribs on the other. The ears are a matter of discussion, too. Were they as big as the ears of an elephant or were they smaller? The Bullylands version tries a compromise that is not that good: The ears do not really seem to fit to the rest of the overall look of the figure. Sorry, they remind me of the ears of an aardvark. But this is the only downer, really. Maybe the feet are a little too massive, too.
Unfortunately Bullyland paint uses to wear off quite quickly. My Deinotherium probably had a long slumber in a toy chest and has been moved very often while the child looked for other toys, and collided with other figures, toys or even sharp objects.
Some collectors thus decided to do fantastic repaints. You find those in our forum. As for me, I love the worn-off style of my own copy, showing it had a life before my cabinet episode. The toy chests and children who underestimate the value of the figure are the chance for collectors. Sometimes Bullyland Deinotherium shows up in lots with other animals, also recent ones. People then seem to consider it an elephant.
I bought mine on ebay, where a seller wrote “Dinotherium”. It was a snip compared to the value this great figure seems to have.
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Manuel buenas tardes, espero que veas este mensaje después de tanto tiempo, si de favor me pudieras ayudar e informarme en donde se puede comprar esta figura del Deinotherium aquí en México? mi hijo lo ha querido desde hace mucho tiempo y la verdad no lo he podido conseguir, saludos y ojalá y me puedas ayudar con la información.
[…] major in my opinion. There are some other Deinotherium toy versions out there from companies like Bullyland and Mojo so this isn’t the rarest of mammal toys though I wouldn’t say it is common either. I […]
Excellent review Libraraptor. This is truly a fantastic figure from Bullyland despite its poor paint quality. In my case, a repaint brought my figure back to life! and even better-looking than original. I consider this deino as a must for collectors. Hope Bullyland reissues all its mammals this year.
I don’t know much about elephants and nothing about deinotherium. How is it known that it had a shorter trunk?
Para qué engañarme es una de las figuras que más me gusta de los mamíferos prehistóricos de Bullyland y es quizás una de las mejores piezas de Bullyland en cuanto a animales que no son dinosaurios. La única objeción que encuentro en este elefante que le han puesto unas orejas como si fueran las de un ratón. Sin embargo es una de mis piezas más preciadas. Lo que tampoco entiendo es que se vaya tanto la pintura si yo precisamente la tengo en una estantería bastante cuidada, para mí es otro de los fallos.
To deceive is one of my favorite figures of prehistoric mammals Bullyland and is perhaps one of the best parts about Bullyland animals are not dinosaurs. The only objection I find in this elephant ears you have like those of a mouse. However, it is one of my most treasured pieces. What I do not understand is that both go if I just paint on a shelf I have it pretty carefully, to me is another failure.