Review and photos by Nathan ‘Takama’ Morris, edited by amargasaurus cazaui and Suspsy
When it comes to carnivorous dinosaurs that are larger than Tyrannosaurus rex, most companies go for the ever-popular Spinosaurus nowadays. When Safari released a Giganotosaurus for the Carnegie Collection in 2008, other companies took notice and started dishing out their own chosen carcharodontosaurid species. In 2010, Schleich released their first version of Giganotosaurus to compete models with Safari and other companies. The large and expensive size of the model was possibly hurting sales, so in 2012 they released a shrunken version for the then-new World Of History line. An articulated jaw was added to make the figure competitive with Papo.
This new version is not as big as the original, but it is still one of the larger models in the WoH collection, coming in second place to the Kaiju-like monster Schleich calls a Therizinosaurus.
In terms of accuracy, this model is not great. The head is not shallow as it is in the actual dinosaur, and the arms are pronated. The tail is in a curl which would be highly improbable given the stiff tail we generally accept would be correct for the animal. In terms of aesthetics, this model comes up lacking. It is not as detailed as the Pentaceratops, and everything about it feels too smooth and lacking in texture. The skull is pocked with tiny scales but the rest of the body is covered in irregular shapes, and there is a row of osteoderms running down the length of the spine.
Another thing I find fault with is the model’s pose. It is just simply boring and uninspired. Both the arms and legs are in the same position, which does allow the model to stand on its own (oversized) feet. The head is looking to the side and looks best when the mouth is closed. The chosen colors are quite drab. The oversized fenestrae are outlined with red and the tongue is a dark pink.
The model is primarily colored grey with dark red and yellow for effect on the sides. The osteoderms are colored white while the claws are black.
This is a rather drab, mediocre figure. Although it’s bound to have those who love it because of its size as compared to the other WoH models, I don’t feel it deserves the thirty dollar price tag. A new Giganotosaurus is set to come out this year, but it is in a tripod stance, and I have no intention of acquiring it as well. If you still would like to add this version to your collection, you can find it wherever Schleich products are sold.
Available from Amazon.com here and Amazon.co.uk here.
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[…] have not covered themselves with glory in the past when trying to depict this species (see here or here). The specimen described here is also a mixed bag, but certainly has its […]
Yes I’m the one who reviewed this model. Suspy just posts it here.
considering how this guy gushes over PLAYMOBILE dinos he really seems to have problems with these.
1) I didn’t write that review, as it clearly states at the very beginning.
2) What’s wrong with gushing over Playmobil? As toys that are both fun and educational, they succeed with flying colours.
Yes, it is a different reviewer.
Toy?