Review and images by PhilSauria, edited by Suspsy
To many in the general population (for want of a better description) and particularly in popular culture, the appearance of Apatosaurus, though in these terms usually known as Brontosaurus, is almost synonymous with the word ‘dinosaur.’ So many comics, cartoons, and iconic graphics in a variety of applications need only to use a silhouette of this animal to signify dinosaurs, no caption needed. Such is the brand identity of the stately sauropod.
If anyone were to ask me what my favorite dinosaur is, were I to think of prehistoric animals in that way, I’d probably say Apatosaurus or sauropods as a group, so it is a source of frustration to me that there are so many poorly made figures of this creature out there. The subject of this review is better than most but not perfect, as I’ll get to in a moment.
Nanmu Studio is one of the newer brands to start producing paleo figures, though it might be more accurate to also describe them as producers of movie tie-ins given the number of their figures depicting creatures from the Jurassic Park/World franchise. But they are not the first to go down that path ( I’m looking at you, Papo). Moreover, what they do is done very well and clearly aimed at the collector market.
The figure arrives in a classy white cardboard box with a monochrome illustration of the Apatosaurus, some Chinese writing, and the dinosaur’s name, Bastion, following in the PNSO tradition of giving them names. Inside the black foam packing are two postcards and a small human figure for scale, similar to what CollectA provides with its Deluxe figures. Here we get a small JW character in plain white plastic. In this case, it’s Dr Henry Wu standing with his hands clasped in front of him. The Apatosaurus comes with the tail separate, which makes sense given the length of the figure once the tail is attached and the potential for damage to the narrow tip. On the back of one of the postcards are assembly instructions, unfortunately printed in Chinese, but luckily the diagram is self-explanatory. So, as they say, some assembly is required. And an English version can be found online with even more info. Application of a hair dryer to soften up the tail joint, some glue for a tighter fit, and a bit of effort will soon see this one ready for display.
As befitting a large sauropod, we get a large figure, listed as 1/35 scale and measuring about 80 cm/31 inches long (depending on the amount of curl in the tail of your specimen) and 17.5 cm/7 inches high. It is sculpted in a walking pose with the front left foot having just been placed down and the back left heel beginning to raise. The neck is in a very natural curve, with the head at about the height of the back and looking to one side. (Too many Apatosaurus figures have the neck standing up, periscope-style, which to me looks odd). For the most part, this is a very naturalistic and accurate depiction of the animal in regard to its proportions–until we get to the head. Then it suddenly becomes a depiction of the JW version. Leaving aside the correct head (ironic as many museum displays did so for nearly a century!), the figure is remarkably similar to the magnificent Sideshow Collectables Apatosaurus, but at a (relatively) much more affordable price.
It is made of firm, but hollow vinyl much like the large PNSO figures, which is just as well as it would take a lot of plastic to fill out that considerable stomach! Bastion is available in two colour versions, one in shades of brown, the other in green and grey. Both have subtle banding along the body and legs. The feet, along with the rest of the body, are quite accurate, with the claws painted in a dark grey. The tiny eyes are nicely rendered with a glossy finishs and we have a closed mouth (for once).
This is one of the most accurate Apatosaurus figures available, and one of the largest, and though falling a little short on the science as outlined above, it will do for me until (and if) that perfect figure ever comes along. The head is the only fault that I can find with this one and even so, I would still recommend it to anyone after a real showstopper of a sauropod figure
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This is my first Nanmu figure, and I like it.
The colour might be a bit dull, but perhaps I will repaint it someday.
However, there is a single thing that extemeley annoys me more and more: the huge head!
I know this is based on the Jurassic World animal, and not on an actual fossil, but the head is way to large. It should be only half the size of the figure.
If I ever find a proper 1/35th head for this figure (or develop the skills to sculpt it myself) I will change it in a heartbeat.
Got mine this week, surely an impressive figure! I’m impressed by how well the tail fits.
Buena revisión luego de meses de ansiedad recibà el mÃo, concuerdo con la cabeza, es muy grande, creo se verÃa más sublime con una acorde a la escala, de todos modos es la mejor figura se apatosaurus “accesible”, se ve muy bien con otras figuras y de verdad lo hace uno sentir pequeño el imaginarse al lado de semejante animal. Saludos y gracias
Immense and recommendable figure, but on the other hand I would prefer that the apatosaurus were made of a single piece.