Tyrannosaurus (Desktop model by Favorite Co. Ltd.)

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Back in 2010, Favorite released a re-sculpt of the Tyrannosaurus from their resin ‘Desktop’ range, alongside Triceratops and Allosaurus. Once again, it is a huge improvement over its predecessor anatomically but is likely to strongly divide tastes.

Just as with the Allosaurus, a large, overhanging ‘lip’ covers all of the teeth in the upper jaw, with only the very tips visible on close inspection. This is in marked contrast with the majority of Tyrannosaurus figures, which – by design – appear to emphasise their subject’s huge, intimidating dentition (occasionally to an exaggerated degree, like the teeth are dangling from their roots). On the mandible, the gumline is drawn back to allow space for the upper teeth. On the whole, this is not unlike the Komodo dragon or indeed some modern carnivorous mammals (although the latter, of course, have muscular, mobile lips).

This is bound to be the most divisive aspect of this figure, especially from an aesthetic point of view. Some people are going to be seriously put off by the ‘lip’, believing that it makes  their pet monster look rather, well, toothless. Personally, I must admit to finding the look a little offputting at first. However, it is – for now – actually quite plausible. At the very least, it gives the figure a distinct, even distinguished look. The sculptor hasn’t tried to produce some dragon-like monster that they think will look cool to kids (and big kids) – they’ve done their best to sculpt a restoration of an animal that really existed. The only shame is that the teeth that are visible are somewhat rounded and blunted, presumably to prevent breakage, which detracts from the look somewhat. A little more finesse wouldn’t have gone amiss there.

That said, this is still a sculpt with excellent attention to detail. Thankfully, the ‘prodded with a coffee-stirrer/Biro lid’ look of the Allosaurus is not replicated here – instead, the plausibly bulky and muscular creature has been furnished with well-executed scalation, skin creases and sags. The painting is virtually immaculate, right down to the tiny hand claws and shark-black eyes. In terms of colouration, the model is perhaps best described as being a deep claret red on top, marbled with swirling black, and grey below. It is attractive and stands out while remaining suitably subtle and subdued, again in contrast with the bright blue Allosaurus.

From an anatomical point of view this is one of the best mass-produced Tyrannosaurus figures available, and very difficult to fault. ‘Lips’ aside, the body is near-perfectly proportioned – the arms are, for once, just as miniscule as they should be – while the barrel chest, huge thighs and thick, muscular tail are all true to the real tyrant reptile. Someone has really done their homework here. This somewhat robust rendition of Tyrannosaurus also stands in contrast with a number of rather skinnier models that have been produced down the years, and (although produced in 2010) the look of the figure fits neatly with recent research.

In the end, though – thanks to that ‘lip’ – you’ve probably already decided whether or not this figure is one you’d like to go for. The price is worth mentioning, too – at about 30cm (or a foot) long, this figure can be rather expensive to obtain for its relatively small size (mine was a Christmas present). In spite of such issues, I think this is a well-executed figure and I’d highly recommend it to anyone seriously into collecting up-to-date dinosaurs.