Review and photos by Paul Carter, edited by Suspsy
Chilantaisaurus (Ch’i-lan-t’ai lizard) was a large late Cretaceous neovenatorid theropod related to Allosaurus. It is estimated to weigh between 2.5 metric tons and 4 metric tons and was probably 11 m (36 ft) to 13 m (43 ft) in length. It probably hunted local species of sauropods and ornithopods.
This 2018 figure by Vitae is the first ever done for this species in toy form as far as I know. It’s very small at about 7.5 inches long, which puts it nearly on par with the Wild Safari Allosaurus. Unlike that figure, however, Vitae’s Chilantaisaurus stands perfectly balanced on just its two feet, even though one of them is raised in the process of striding forward.
Speaking of which. I’ve had this figure almost two months now and it hasn’t fallen over. It’s very light, made of a PVC plastic that feels both soft and very sturdy at the same time. It is also well-proportioned, with normal-sized feet, a long tail, non-pronated hands with the correct claw length. Also, there’s no shrink-wrapping on the skull.
The figure is nicely painted in a basic brown that fades to a pale tan underneath. There is darker brown on the limbs, the top of the head, and running down the length of the spine. The mouth and the nostrils are decked out in fleshy pink, the teeth are well-painted, and the animal is striped in a lovely contrast of teal with a darker teal core that really adds a nice contrast to the earthen hues. The eyes are simple glossy black dots.
At its small size, the Chilantaisaurus‘ skin detail is almost non-existent, with some hints of skin wrinkles and scales. There there are prominent scales and scutes running the length of the vertebrae, though. I understand that some collectors may be put off by the small size of this toy, but I am pleased with my purchase of it. Especially as it sizes up so nicely with my smaller sauropods, as you can see in the photos. This to me is a plus when doing my photography. It also makes this figure a fine choice for diorama artists.
Overall then, I recommend Vitae’s Chilantaisaurus. It’s well made, very accurate, and fits in nicely with various other toys.
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Recién lo adquirí, la figura para el tamaño es muy detallada, con el paladar y pintura brillante al interior de la boca, por el tamaño y forma me recuerda más a orkoraptor… La figura es excelente
I have this figure and I’m very impressed with it, I highly recommend it. It’s elegant and very well formed, quite an accomplishment at this scale. Viva Vitae! Here’s hoping more figures are forthcoming
Wow! Nice model. Any idea if it will be made widely available in the US?
You can get it on AliExpress; I got mine from a seller called Model Toy Center. It should be the first result when you search “Chilantaisaurus” on the site. They are also showing up on eBay, but they average a little bit more.
Nice review…. that critter is already on the way to me, especially because of the said feature of the comparable small size…. there’s so few figures of theropods that bring these into just the right size to be displayed with most sauropod figures 🙂
Lovely little guy, definitely planning on getting one asap.
A very gorgeous little masterpiece from Vitae. Quite sad of the shrink-wrapping on the skull, but apart from this, a very well done figure. Nice to see new companies such as Vitae and Eofauna emerging on the market and launching figures of some obscure species such as this one. The colouration is unusual, but beautiful. Great review and photographs, especially the comparison with the other dinosaur figures.
I utterly adore this figure and am so proud to own one. The small size doesn’t bother me at all and the paint job is simple yet beautiful.