Spinosaurus (PNSO Scientific Art Model)

Review and photos by Bokisaurus

Wow, I was not planning on reviewing another Spinosaurus so soon, but when I got this figure, I was blown away and I jumped on the opportunity. With so much history included in my last review, I will skip all of that and really focus on this magnificent new Spinosaurus from PNSO. Enjoy.

When Ibrahim/Serano published their new reconstruction of Spinosaurus back in 2014, there was a lot of skeptics and many believed that this new reconstruction will quickly fade into oblivion. The firestorm that followed after the publication, and polarizing effect on the paleo world was looking like it may indeed doom this new controversial interpretation.

So it was understandable that the majority of the major toy companies would be cautious and wait on the sideline while the dust settles before considering producing a new updated model figure based on this new reconstruction.

CollectA was the first out on the tracks, releasing 3 models back in 2016 right in the middle of the debate. Since then a few companies, mostly from Japan, have released toy figure of Spinosaurus in this new reconstruction.
Five years later, this new reconstruction had endured and had now become the new standard reconstruction of this magnificent beast.

So, those companies that had initially sit it out on the sidelines are just now playing catch-up.

This year, we can call it the year of the Spinosaurus as these companies try to outdo each other by releasing their own interpretation. This year, we are bombarded not by two or three, but four and potentially a fifth Spinosaurus figure (that I know of and who knows how many more our planned out there!). That’s a lot of Spinosaurus in just one year, I don’t think even Tyrannosaurus had that many new figures in just one year! It’s like the Game of Thrones!

Today, we will take a look at PNSO’s take on this new Spinosaurus reconstruction.
Be prepared to be amazed by this figure! If you own or seen a PNSO large figure in person, you know how impressive they look. This is no exception, and I have to say, it has fast become my favorite PNSO figure.

Before we go further, it is worth mentioning that this figure was actually a few years old. It was originally intended to be a 2017 ( I think), part of the follow up to their initial releases. But as we all know, Chaos engulfed PNSO for a while and temporarily halted production and release of any are figure for 2 years. Back then, we did see a sneak peek of those figures and Spinosaurus was one of them.

So it’s alike a dream come true to finally be able to own this figure after 2 years of uncertainty. In this figure, PNSO have definitely upped the quality to a whole new level.

Part of their rebranded line of large figures, it is large, officially listed at 1:35 scale, but perhaps closer to 1:30. It is long, measuring 20 inches with the curvature of the tail and neck. But straightened out, it is around 22 inches. 

The head is beautifully sculpted and pretty much true to what the skull looked like. It had the distinctive long narrow snout that the family is known for.
The notch on the upper jaw is well pronounced with pretty much the correct number  and shape of teeth. And speaking of teeth, they are nicely sculpted individually and are pointy. They are small and delicate compared to other features of the figure, so a little care in handling is in order so as not to damage them. They are painted cleanly with no bleeding at all.

The jaw is articulate so you can pose it however you like, and the joints move smoothly. The articulation is well done with hardly any distracting joints visible. There is a little shrink-wrapping on the head but not bad at all. The scales on the face varies in sizes which is nice to see and looks very natural. In addition, there are skin fold as well  as osteoderms on the face just after the eyes. The eyes are small and painted yellow.The crest is painted orange with some yellow highlights.

The neck is long but muscular, it has the S shape. The details are absolutely amazing. First, on the back of the skull, the first of the many spines starts, just after the crest.They form a single row of varying sizes as it travels down the neck towards the back and sail.

Just behind the eyes, osteoderms of varying sizes and width  begins and form a single row going all the way down the neck before connecting to the body where it joins a bigger mass of osteoderms that are packed more tightly. There are plenty of skin folds on the lower neck as well and you can see the musculature underneath the skin scales

The body is long and very well proportioned. There is a little bit of shrink-wrapping going on in the torso, where you can see the ribs sticking out. It’s a skinny animal for sure, but not in the starved way.
The distinctive sail have the correct two-hump and a dip between them. In this figure, PNSO decided to give it a really “spiny” look. The spines that starts on the back of the head continues up the the sail. Here on the sail, these spines join some much larger and longer spines which are the tips of the neural spine.

This mixture of spines in various sizes really give it a nice and natural look.
What I really love about the sail is how the scales vary in sizes as they travel up the sail. In addition, the tall neural spines are visible under the skin and are covered in osteoderms that are different in size and shape of the regular scales. Its not exactly shirked wrapped, its just that these osteoderms are more pronounced than the regular scales so they stick out. This look really sets it apart from all the other Spinosaurus figure currently out there.

At the base of the sail, we see again scales and osteoderms of various sizes. These osteoderms grow larger and are tightly packed on the base and form a distinctive large row that runs the entire length of the body until it reaches the back of the legs. At this point, they begin thinning out as it reaches the base of the tail, then completely disappear. 

The back legs are in a striding pose, with one leg further back than the other. It is known that Spinosaurus is both a biped and quadruped animal. What is not currently known is how the animal may have used and positioned its arms when in a quadruped stance. This is the big question that still have no satisfying answer.

So far the easiest way to avoid this dilemma is to give the animal a swimming or floating on the surface pose, where both the arms and legs are in a neutral buoyant position. After all, Spinosaurus is partly aquatic.

Interestingly enough, this years crop of new Spinosaurus mostly shied away from the quadruped stance.
Like the Shleich figure, this PNSO is really in a biped pose with the nail tips acting as a stabilized, although one hand is clearly folded inward in what appears to be an attempt to depict the animal using its knuckles to walk on all four. This using the knuckle to walk is another possible way it may have used its arms and hands to move on land.
CollectA opted for the palm on the ground when they did a walking Spino, and the only other walking figure that I am aware of is the TAKARA ANIA figure where it is clearly walking using the knuckle version.
Until further fossil material of the arms and hands is discovered, we may never know for sure.

Speaking of the hands, you may have noticed that one looks a little odd. If you look closely at the right hands, the first digit, or the thumb, looks far up, too separated from the others.

It’s an interesting look, it reminds me of how a gorilla hands looks like. I am no expert in theropod hands, but this definitely looks a little off. Perhaps this was how PNSO interpreted how it may have looked like based on how the animal would have used its arm to move on land (knuckle version). In this case, it make sense that this digit would be further up and out of the way of the other two when curled up. But who knows.

Anyway, the arms are nicely sculpted. There are big scales and osteoderms up and down the arms. The nails are big and nicely sculpted and colored,too.
The back feet  are all proportioned, and if you look closely, you will notice that they are webbed to help the animal when swimming and also to keep it from sinking in soft mud.

Now we come to the very long tail.This is perhaps one of the most eye catching part of this figure. The base is thick and muscular as it should. You can see good muscle definition on the base, as well as folds of skins.
Thank goodness that this figure was sculpted way before CollectA popularized the crocodile-like tail on Spinosaurus that seems to have become the default style! Yes, this bad girl broke away from that tradition in a unique way.

The tail starts off thick at the base and slowly tapering off. As it reaches the midway point, it starts to widen until it becomes a long, flat paddle-like shaped before it slowly taper off again into a pointy tip. It’s a nice design that looks natural for an animal that used its tail to propel itself in the water. There are prominent osteoderms in the tail marking where the taller bones would have been in this interpretation. The top of the tail is also populated with spines. It’s not crocodilian yet very much reptilian.

As for the colors, a word of caution: if you have never own or seen a PNSO in person and is attracted to the often bright and vibrant colors of the packaging and promo photos, be advised  that the final product is much more subdued that what we see in the box art and promo pictures., at least with figures that have bright colors.

The often complicated and multi-layer paint scheme we see in the promo figure is simply too elaborate to recreate in mass production. It simply isn’t feasible at least not without significantly adding labor and final cost to the figure.
That said, the colors are still nice and fitting the figure and species very well. The dominant body color is olive green, very much like the ones we see in the early Papo figures.
There are many shades and highlights all over the body, as well as a dark under wash to bring out all the amazing and rich details of the skin and scales.
The most colorful part of the figure is the sail with a combination of rust orange and yellows being the main colors.

If you have seen the early prototype figures way back in 2017, you may recall that there was another design that was considered. It was much browner in color and had a large eyespot on the first half of the sail. Too bad they didn’t go with that design, it was more striking and unique. Overall, although not as colorful as the promo images, I really like the color on this one.

Before we end the review, it is worth mentioning the dead fish that comes with the base.

It is a species of prehistoric sawfish, the giant Onchopristis that inhabited the vast rivers of the region. Too bad that it wasn’t given as much details as the Spinosaurus. From the looks of it, this fish have been dead for a while, it has that dried and shriveled look to it, even its dorsal fin is flopped down. Big slash marks can be seen all over its body leaving no doubt as to what animal killed it.
This is definitely a more appropriate fish species to add to a Spinosaurus, and thanks god its not another Coelacanth!

The base itself is simple but nice, in fact much better than the base that the mamenchi and Amargasaurus came with in terms of details.
The base have two footprints that the back legs of the figure fit nicely in. This helps the figure be stable. The footprints are darker in color that the surrounding giving the impression of wet sand. There are also ripple marks on the side where water would have reached.
The base really helps the figure stand. Without it, the figure, unfortunately can’t stand on its own even if the nails touches the ground. It is simply top and side heavy for that.
But once in the base, and with the dead fish as an added support, the figure is very stable.

In closing, well, be ready to be blown away by this figure. It really is, in my opinion, the best Spinosaurus figure currently out there.
The level of details is just amazing, it makes it hard to compare it with any other figures out there.
This is one solid PVC figure of a more harder type, so it is heavy. The spines are especially hard and sharp and teeth are delicate, so care should be practiced when handling the figures to avoid breaking them even if they are made of PVC.

And a caution for those of you who have little kids in the home, this is one figure that you may want to keep out of reach for safety reasons.
Although made of PVS, unlike the other PNSO figure, it is much harder and those spines on the sail are sharp and hard. I actually sustained a couple of puncture wound on the palm when I was photographing the figure. It toppled and I caught it instinctively with my hand and got impaled! So be careful. 

PNSO have, again in my opinion, successfully balanced the quality and durability of this new figures. They managed to combine the level of accuracy and craftsmanship of high end desktop model with that of affordable toy figure.
The cost is high, but worth it in my opinion, especially when you consider how much more detailed the figure is.
If you are looking for a showstopper to add to your collection, this is definitely a contender. And in a year where four and potentially even five new Spinosaurus models are going to compete with each other and for our cash, this is the one figure to get if you only have to choose one, in my opinion.

With Spinosaurus fatigue quickly setting in, this figure brings a breath of fresh air. This figure is an inspired and unique work of art, one that you won’t tire off looking at anytime soon.

Well, that concludes todays review. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading.

Until we meet again, take care and cheers!