Archaeopteryx rounds out Papo’s prehistoric assortment for 2014 and it does seem fitting that their first feathered dinosaur should be the legendary Ancient Wing itself.
Our recent review of the 2017 Bullyland Archaeopteryx prompted me to search through the Dinotoyblog archives to compare the new version with the old…only to discover that we’ve never reviewed the original Bullyland Museum Line Archaeopteryx. That immediately helped me settle on which figure to review next.
Photographs and review by ‘Resurrection of the dinosaurs,’ edited by Suspsy
Back in my review of the Bullyland Smilodon, I had mentioned that Bullyland had released nothing special or new for 2017, just resculpts of their past Triceratops and Archaeopteryx models. And for 2018, unless I am mistaken, Bullyland has released nothing, which is disappointing.
Many toy or model kit lines have that one figure that is a centrepiece for the line, often far larger than the others, such as the Aurora Tyrannosaurus. If not a large predator, it will often be a sauropod, which makes sense given the enormity of many of that clade.
The age of Imperialism truly wrecked the ecosystems of the world. Of all of these, island ecosystems were the most at risk, as the animals there were often unique and unable to deal with humanity and the creatures that often accompanied them. The island of Choiseul in the Solomon islands is one such example, as it was once home to the spectacular Choiseul Crested Pigeon, a relative of doves that was endemic only to Choiseul.
With their gorgeous plumage and startling intelligence, parrots are some of the most incredible birds alive today. While varied, they were once more so. One such place that did, and still does, have an array of parrots is Cuba, home to the species in this review: the Cuban Red Macaw.
Some of the hardest prehistoric animal groups to find are birds, second to sharks. The light weight bones are subject to breaking easily, so it’s usually only in lagerstatten. There are features that can indicate a bird, and so identify them as that and not a dinosaur.
