Here I am again with another review for another Favorite dinosaur. No, I don’t mean it is my favorite but rather made by the Favorite Company who it seems feel so confident in their models that they changed their name from Kinto to Favorite. It still feels weird to say the word favorite not as an adjective but as the name of a company. Regardless, the dinosaur being discussed is among my favorites and its model representation developed by the Favorite Company is one of my favorite Favorite figures. Enough of that non-sense though, I’m just typing filler material. Let’s get on with the very serious discussion of this magnificent Parasaurolophus released this year and sculpted by Kazunari Araki.
I know from my last review of the Favorite Stegosaurus that it was not a model as well received by some of my fellow collectors as it was by me. You could say, it was not their favorite Favorite. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I’ll try to stop. But this Parasaurolophus is a different model and I think you will all agree that it is among the best in Favorite’s new line and one of the best Parasaurolophus on the market. Perhaps you will find it better than the Battat Parasaurolophus? I won’t go there; those are big shoes to fill. I will at least say it is the best since the Battat model, and lacking a good Parasaurolophus in my own collection I had to grab this guy up.
Before we discuss the required accuracy component of this model I should point out that I am not a professional paleontologist. I have some fancy books and a lifelong interest in the subject but aside from that I’m just an adult man who collects dinosaur toys. I try to do the appropriate research before writing my reviews but I wouldn’t be surprised if I missed some glaring inaccuracy. With that out of the way we can FINALLY get on to the review. I needed to mention that because looking at this Parasaurolophus model and comparing it to skeletal drawings by the likes of Scott Hartman and Greg Paul I cannot find anything wrong with this figure! All the proportions and features of the animal are there. The tall neural spines run along the back with the tallest at the hips. The hands are correctly sculpted with the animal supporting its weight on three fingers. There are even cheeks on this animal for those who wanted them on the Stegosaurus (or the original Favorite Parasaurolophus for that matter). The only nit I can pick is that the small finger on each hand has a claw and I’m fairly certain they should not but seriously, that is a tiny nit to pick. There is also a speculative webbing of skin between the crest and back of the head and while I normally don’t like that addition it is small enough to work well here. The model is also a bit on the skinny side but that is Araki’s style. Seriously, have you seen his Kabaya Seismosaurus?
This figure measures 8” long, putting it at about 1:40 in scale. Though not as flamboyantly painted as the original Favorite model this is still a colorful character, but not in an off putting way. Though we don’t know for certain it is thought that Parasaurolophus lived in floodplains and swampy forests. If that is the case than the mix of greens looks appropriate on this figure. You could see it disappearing into the ferns and conifers of a humid wet forest with the mottled dark and light greens on this figure. The webbing on the crest as well as the throat is painted pink, outlining the likely display function of that crest. The eyes are orange with black pupils. The beak and nails are brown but the nails also have a bit of pink outlining them as do the corners of the mouth. Overall the paint scheme is pleasing and unlike the new Favorite Stegosaurus the application a lot less sloppy. Like all the Favorite models both new and old the smaller details did not get neglected. Small scales are present over the entire body as well as appropriate musculature, skin folds and wrinkles.
I can’t sing the praises of this model enough but unfortunately the review must end. If you’re a fan of model ornithopods and Parasaurolophus in particular than this is a must have figure, even if you’re not you should probably pick one up anyway. A fantastic sculpt combined with accuracy and an interesting color scheme all help to make this model among the best of its kind. This is a newer release so get one while you can but keep in mind that although it is a great model, you should still avoid some of the high price tags attached to this thing on eBay.
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It might be the “toyishness” of the paint jobs on the new Favorite figures that is offputting to some. With even companies like the much maligned Schleich (whose figures i have always found charming on their own terms) putting out models with subtle, naturalistic paint jobs these figures are garish by comparison, recalling the early Carnegie Collection efforts. A really nice sculpt, though.
This is a good looking figure, but I really like the Schleich Replica-saurus, 2007 much better.