Dimetrodon (Revell/Prehistoric scenes by Aurora)

Aurora seemed to be quite an interesting line. Though showing most of the dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures in the form of movie monsters, they still provide great figures with articulation and scenery to match. Their models were later reissued by Revell, allowing people to get a selection of their models again. Here, we look at their rendition of Dimetrodon.

What I like about this set is that it comes with a few things to help build it without having to buy more separately. This set comes with a double edged paint brush, plastic weld in a handy container and four paints. I recommend poly filler, nail files and more paint, as loose plastic will need to be filed down and you can do a lot more with more paint.

Before we get to the main figure, a quick note on what the rest of the set contains. The stand is a rocky escarpment, with a small ledge bellow. There is also a sign containing information on Dimetrodon, but with no way to balance it without leaning on something.

Like with Tamiya sets I have reviewed before, there are also smaller species included in the set. One is contemporary amphibian Diplocaulus, which comes to 2″ long and 1″ wide, looking as if it’s pacing along quite nicely. It is a little skinny, with a lack of tail extension for propulsion, but is quite well done, would fit with a lot of different lines. Then there is the spider. This seems an oddity, as spiders were practically non-existent during the Permian. One was known that is a contemporary of Dimetrodon and Diplocaulus, Permarachne, though it lacks the thin tail it would have, plus Permarachne is known from Russia, not Texas like the other two. But all came from around 275 MA, and at 0.5″ long and 0.6″ wide, it’s not a bad size. There are also a bone and the partial skeleton of some creature, likely dinner for Dimetrodon.

Now to the main event! This Dimetrodon features eight points of articulation: all four limbs, the tail (which gives it a slight wag), the neck (slight up and down motion), the upper jaw and the tongue, thought the latter two are the best of these. It’s a good sized figure, at 10.8″ long and 4.4″ high, and features far better moulding than the last Dimetrodon figure I reviewed.

Accuracy on this figure has some similar failings to the Lindberg version, namely the head, being too lizard like rather than the more slopped head it should have. Another feature that, while a neat one, is the assumption of them having a forked tongue, owing to a perceived similarity to varanids rather than their actual relatives, mammals. Otherwise, this isn’t too bad, as the rest fits quite well to the actual skeleton.

As I’ve mentioned many a time, I love being able to paint these figures however I like. In this case, the Dimetrodon is based on the model from Walking with Monsters, or at least a loose approximation. The Diplocaulus is based on a model from Dinopedia, while the spider is based on a black widow, featuring it’s red making that I am overly pleased of getting right. I used the earth brown from the set for the base, and added a pool to the lower edge (would be cruel to have an amphibian in a dry desert, after all!).

This is the better of the two Dimetrodon sets I have so far, giving a great variety of animals and environment, as well as a great version of the animal in question (though, based on the images, not quite beating the Airfix version). Though a tad more expensive than the Lindberg model, I say this would be the one to get over the two. It is a great set, likely to please any collector.