Safari are first out of the gate this year with no fewer than four new-for-2012 Wild Safari dinosaurs already available. This Acrocanthosaurus is one of them, and it’s easy to see it becoming the most popular of the bunch – not just because it’s a fearsome-looking, spectacular theropod, but also thanks to Safari capturing that so well in an excellent sculpt.
Like the two other new WS bipedal dinosaur figures this year, this Acrocanthosaurus stands proud with its undulating tail held well clear of the ground – no tripod cop-out here. It means that the figure is able to adopt an exciting, dynamic pose – while figures with the tips of their tails touching the ground can still look convincing enough, they cannot match the fluidity and movement that only a truly bipedal figure can convey. Basically, it’s a big plus. It does mean that the feet (or rather, the toes) are somewhat oversized in order to provide better stability, but it does work; this figure is very sturdy on its feet. Adding a base might have been one other solution, but these figures are meant for kids too (or even – whisper it – primarily), and bases do spoil playability.
Acrocanthosaurus was a huge, bulky, allosauroid predator, its silhouette made all the more dramatic by unusual, elongated vertebrae, which are of course present here and emphasised in black. The proportions are generally excellent, and the head in particular commands attention. Apart from the fact that the sculptor clearly did their homework – it matches up very nicely with the real thing – it’s excellently and immaculately painted, right down to the tiny, beady eyes, while the striking black and white colour scheme shows real flair, and draws the viewer’s attention to the tapering, triangular snout with its finely sculpted teeth.
It’s not perfect, of course. For example, the arms are too large as well as the feet, probably to prevent breakage – although they are not as dramatically too large as in last year’s Tyrannosaurus. In addition, the base of the tail might be a little too slim, lacking a well-developed caudofemoralis muscle. Minor complaints though, and still miles better than one would have any right to expect for under a tenner. Aesthetically, this is one of the best of all the Wild Safari models, which continue to show improvement year on year. The scaly covering, similar to that present on the Favorite ‘soft models’, may be a little controversial to some, as the scales would have been much smaller than this (in proportion) on the real animal. However, it at least gives a good impression of a scaly hide.
It’s a winning combination of decent anatomical accuracy and excellent sculpting and painting quality that make this figure a superb representation of this mighty theropod – one that’s eminently affordable to boot. Highly recommended! Available on eBay here.
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[…] of the skin is covered with small round scales, very much like the detailing on Safari Ltd’s Acrocanthosaurus and Ceratosaurus […]
[…] the 2012 release of the highly anticipated Wild Safari Acrocanthosaurus, I thought it only fitting to do a review on the older Carnegie model, which I have only just […]
I disagree with the commonly stated opinion that bases on figures affect the playability of a toy- I grew up with Marx playsets that all had figures with bases- cowboys, indians, armymen, etc. We certainly had no problem playing with these toys, and I think that it is a copout for current toy companies to use this excuse for not using the base option to allow for more dynamic sculpts for their prehistoric toys- the tripod tail option is a fail in my opinion as is the large Bozo the clown feet that ruin an otherwiae nice toy sculpt- I would ask anyone who does not agree with me that bases do not affect toys playability to look at ols toys-is it just that kids today are not able to play with imagination-does a base really stump their brains from being able to play with such toys? I find that hard to believe and it is just a copout from current toy lines who probably more likely just dont want to have to have more material costs involved in their profits if they went with bases for a figure such as this Acro-
As a kid, all of my favourite dinosaur toys were base-free. I bought some with bases (including – ouch – the Invicta Troodon, long lost unfortunately!), but they remained pretty much untouched, or only brought out when I wanted to put my collection on show. I liked the ones that I could manipulate, and having a base fixed to a figure means that a kid can’t approximate a walk, or have the dinosaur kicking out at an opponent/victim etc. Growing up in the early ’90s, my favourites were the Jurassic Park toys, as they were big, had high production values and could be used in a variety of situations. Therefore, I sympathise with the view that bases can affect playability, although one might question whether this should be such a concern for eg. the Carnegie collection, where it might just be a case of keeping costs down, as you say…
Bases, attached food and unusual poses (e.g. sleeping) are all things that limit imagination and a figure’s playability. I’ve always disliked bases on figures as they limit what can be done with a figure. When I was a kid, I was put off by figures with bases, and if I did get one with a base, I would remove it. When I would play with figures at a beach, it would be nice to see their footprints in the sand. It wouldn’t be possible if they had bases. Tripod tails can be just as bad as they can limit imagination and a figure’s playability too. Now as an adult I’m not interested in figures with bases as I like an animal on it’s own, without a base, food, or anything else.
I don’t have any Wild Safari figures, but this year they’ve impressed me. I’m planning to get this Acrocanthosaurus, the Kaprosuchus and the new Ceratosaurus.
By the way Marc, in the second paragraph of the review do you mean the two other new WS bipedal dinosaur figures, or do you know of another one coming out this year? I’d really like a great Utahraptor and an accurate Dilophosaurus!
Unfortunately, that was just a mistake…
🙂
Hm, it looks like he’s suffered some paint rub on his flank and thigh.
an excellent figure. must buy!
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Must get
Does anyone knows which is the Safari Acrocanthosaurus’s scale?
Thanks.
Andre http://www.urzeishop.de page Bacha as the scale is assigned to the 1:50 Acrocantosaurus not know if this information is reliable anyway can help but open and useful to consult Safariltd company to confirm
This Acrocanthosaurus puts it to shame that of Carnegie, on the other hand is a great model and I dare say that those colors that have inspired revolution Dinosaur give a more beautiful the animal against the reviews I have seen on their colors that are totally unfair.
I wasn’t as excited by this as, say, the Dracorex, among the new Safari releases, but it’s been growing on me and I think I may have finally been won over. I can’t wait to get it.
Actually, I will have to wait. Bah.
it sure is better then the carnegi model.