Mei long (Age of the Dinosaurs by PNSO)

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Review and photos by Ravonium, edited by Suspsy

In addition to preserving their anatomy, fossils can also show us how organisms behaved. One example of this is the Chinese troodontid Mei long, the type fossil of which is a complete juvenile specimen preserved in a sleeping position. While this position has some significant implications (more on that later), only Paleo-Creatures (2017) and PNSO (2018) have ever immortalized it into plastic; the latter of these is the subject of today’s review.

The pose of this figure makes it complicated to precisely measure, but based on my multiple attempts to do so with a tape measure, this figure measures ~12cm from snout to tail, making it ~1:4.4 for the type fossil.

The figure is depicted, not unlike the type fossil, as being asleep with the legs and head tucked into the body and left wing respectively; this is also how modern birds position themselves when sleeping, making Mei good behavioral evidence of an evolutionary link between theropods and birds. Personally, I have mixed feelings on this pose. While I do get the desire amongst some for unusual or fossil accurate poses, depicting this species as asleep is a paleomeme at this point and it isn’t a particularly impressive display or play item.

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In terms of quality, this figure is decent. The sculpting quality, as is to be expected with PNSO, is excellent, with some of the tail and wing feathers having barbs clearly sculpted on them. The paintjob, however, leaves a bit to be desired compared to other PNSO figures, as parts of the tail are painted the same colour as the base, and the colours on the torso and tail are unevenly distributed. The colouration itself is mostly yellow, with some black and white areas; it is OK, but I would’ve preferred it if the yellow areas were darker than they are on the figure.

Finally, in terms of accuracy, this figure is almost perfect. The tail, wings, legs, and torso are all pretty much spot on, and while the head may appear a bit large, this is likely an illusion created by the pose the figure is in. My only strong accuracy complaint is with the base, which doesn’t particularly fit in with the environment in which Mei long lived. I would have personally liked to see a bit of vegetation sculpted onto it.

Overall, I would most recommend this figure if you either want a Mei long for your kid to play with, or want one in your collection that’s fairly cheap to get. However, if you’re a collector who has the money for it, I would get the Paleo-Creatures version, as the sculpting quality, paint job, and base are all better on that figure.