How do you like your Spinosaurus? The reason why I ask, is that when it comes to Spinosaurus, there is still a lot of speculation and hypothesis about its actual anatomy, posture and gait. It leaves it wide open for interpretation for paleo artists and toy makers. Do you prefer the “classic tail dragging look, or maybe the Jurassic Park super predator that can take down tyrannosaurs. Why not contemplate a lean, mean, long legged hunter that spent more time hunting and fishing on dry land, especially during the dry season? Perhaps you envision Spinosaurus swimming in the channels during the high tide, then sliding on its belly over the mud flats during low tide, as the short legs are an advantage in keeping it from getting stuck in the mud. Do you imagine it doing laps in the river as a full time water baby, hunting the waters like a crocodile? Of course it could have hunted like a modern heron, wading in the shallows and picking off fish. If you chose the long legged fishing dinosaur as your choice of style for Spinosaurus, here is a figure that might appeal to you.
About the toy: The Favorite soft model Spinosaurus is all about style. It came out before the 2014 paper that proposed a shorter legged, water based animal, so it still retains the longer legs. It is a wonderful sculpt, that depicts it in a shrink wrapped style, with its head up, looking into the distance. It is over 9 in (26cm) long, 4in high at the tip of the snout and 4.4in (12cm)high at the spine.
This figure comes with a base. Mine stands with no problem without the base, but I have herd that for some people the figure can not stand with out the base due to leg warping. On the base, there are two indented footprints with pegs, for the figure to fit into. It is very basic with a sandy color paint and some lighter tan brushed across to give it some contrast. There are some rocks on it, but it is painted the same color as the rest of the base.
While the figure is rather gaunt, it is slightly stylized and exaggerated with lots of detail. The head is rather slender and inside the mouth there are different sized individually sculpted teeth. The eyes are beautifully sculpted and painted. The whole head looks really nice. Along the neck there are creases and folds. There is a wattle of skin hanging down from the throat. Starting at the back of the head there are a bunch of sharp spines that run the entire length of the figure all the way down the tail. Their is a small row of osteoderms on either side of spine. Thea arms shows some muscle tone and the hands have three fingers with different claw lengths and are properly turned inward.
The torso and sail are nicely detailed. There are some areas of skin on the flanks that are sculpted as being pulled taunt, while in other spots it shows the skin being compressed between the arms and legs, which is some fine attention to detail. The skin on the sail is so tight that you can see the neural spines underneath. The shape of the sail is not the typical even crescent, it is uneven, with little spikes on top, and looks rather interesting. The legs are slender but with strong muscles underneath. The tail is long, slender, and slightly undulates in a flicking motion.
The colorization is a glossy blue grey, and darker blue striping and spots. The glossy color is a shame, as it is slightly distracting. The underside of the animal is painted in white. The mouth is painted in a strange purple color, that blends very well with the rest of the colors. All the claws are painted as well.
Play ability: It is a safe toy, as the plastic is soft and bendy. The only danger may be the teeth and the spines along the back and sail as they are a sharp enough to get your attention, but not sharp enough to hurt anybody. The paint job is vibrant and that will get most kids attention. It has that fierce predatory look that kids find appealing. It can hold up to rough play, the paint job is especially robust.
Overall: I think this is wonderful Spinosaurus. The blue colorization really pops. The colors may not appeal to everyone, but I love it. The sculpt is rather skeletal, as you can clearly see the bones and muscles underneath, their is very little fat on this animal. It is a bit stylized, and perhaps a little over the top, but I feel that it enhances it more than it takes away from it. Due to the soft plastic, there are some areas that may be prone to warping, such as the legs. Where as I love this figure, and it is my favorite Spinosaurus (no pun intended), if you like the look, it is worth it, if you don’t, there are many, many, many other options out there.
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[…] series. We’ve preciously considered the original Series 1 orange version here and the updated Series 2 version here. However, this third attempt is the first to reflect new studies on the anatomy and posture of […]
No mention of how this figure’s jaws don’t look like any jaws classified as belonging to Spinosaurus, including the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus holotype’s lower jaw? This bizarre flaw is present in the Favorite soft model series 1 Spinosaurus too, as well as some other Spinosaurus figures made by Favorite. Their Spinosaurus skeleton has correct jaws though!: http://www.f-favorite.net/english/products/dinosaur/SkeletonModel/
I have the older, orange Spinosaurus by Favorite and I think I prefer it to this one but I don’t actually own this one. My Spinosaurus collection is abysmal though, I only have the orange Favorite and the Papo. I still need to at least get the Carnegie and CollectA Deluxe.
Shame it’s so shrinkwrapped. The Favorite V1 Spinosaurus still (AFAIK) the only toy of this species with a properly bulky sail/ridge (even if it too is now dated).