This Ankylosaurus from Favorite is one of the best plastic ankylosaurs out there. It’s just not Ankylosaurus… A little background: in 2004, a paper by Ken Carpenter was published that redescribed Ankylosaurus and finally gave it a definitive modern ‘look’. Before that, restorations of the animal’s armour tended to be based either on the original description (like the Walking With...
In addition to their primary line of single-character maquettes, Dinostoreus produces a number of diorama-style pieces which portray prehistoric animals in their natural environment. One that undoubtedly draws attention is this model, featuring the beloved Spinosaurus snatching a snack from churning Cretaceous waters. At 13 inches in length, this is a pretty generously sized model, falling roughly within the 1:40...
Favorite’s ‘Soft Model’ series is the affordable, plastic-toy counterpart to their more expensive range of ‘Desktop’ polyresin statues, and gains frequent favour for the models’ modern look and the fact that the carnivores stand on their own two feet. So it is with the latest addition to the line, this Spinosaurus. It’s very orange. The pose and overall look are...
This year Favorite have released this resculpt of their ‘Desktop’ Triceratops, and from an anatomical perspective it’s a huge improvement. The ‘Desktop’ models are freestanding resin statues that also come with a wooden plinth to look all grown-up like. Since the plinth isn’t attached you are free to discard it and display them alongside your less worthy plastic toys, for...
I would love a Triceratops skull cast for my living room. Unfortunately, while such things look magnificent and provide a wonderful talking point for any bemused people one might have dragged in off the street, they also tend to cost a small fortune and occupy a rather large amount of space. How fortunate then for lunatics like me that Favorite...
Favorite (formerly Kinto) of Japan is known for their many “museum quality” pieces, which consist of both flesh-on reconstructions and skeletal models. Probably their most impressive line includes the finished models sculpted by Michael Trcic, the esteemed artist responsible for the Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus. While these mass produced statues might be a far cry from Trcic’s original sculptures, the incredible...
Following the split with Dinostoreus in the United States, the Japanese manufacturer Favorite (formerly known as Kinto) has developed several unique dinosaur collectibles. The most interesting of these can arguably be found in their desktop model line, which features detailed polyresin statues of popular species. Their first release for 2010 is a 1:40 scale Allosaurus, a well-known creature that stands...
I recently decided to give in to a long-lasting urge and purchased my first ever desktop dinosaur models. Given the considerable price tag on some of these statues, it can be a big decision, especially in these days of online shopping when it’s difficult to know if it’s really worth it, and when there’s risk of damage during transit. This...
As promised, we present today the second of the sauropods in Favorite’s ‘soft model’ collection – Apatosaurus, a real dinosaur toy staple. (For more Apatosaurus, see here (Schleich Replica-Saurus), here (the old Wild Safari), here (Great Dinos Collection) and here (Invicta).) Insert a line about “Brontosaurus” here as is obligatory. This Favorite toy is at a teeny-tiny 1:80 scale, which...
“Brachiosaurus” brancai comes to the Dino Toy Blog yet again. Of course, it isn’t really “Brachiosaurus” brancai, but rather Giraffatitan brancai, the big old brachiosaur from Africa having recently acquired a genus of its very own, albeit unfortunately a genus coined by Greg Paul on one of his off days (heresy!). If you disbelieve in the reallocation, I would suggest...
In spite of not having a name ending in ‘raptor’, Deinonychus remains a high-profile dromaeosaur in the public imagination, and rightly so for an animal that revolutionised our understanding of dinosaurs. This fairly small and affordable toy is manufactured by Favorite, and is clearly modelled on their larger (and somewhat more expensive) resin ‘Desktop’ model. Just as with the Desktop...
Review by Marc Vincent (‘Horridus’) Stegosaurus is one of the dinosaurs most frequently seen in toy form – although often cursed with any number of anatomical errors. Kinto have made a very decent stab at it with this model from their Favorite collection, which is quite possibly the best Stegosaurus toy currently available. Stegosaurus has an odd status in popular...
