Perhaps the most highly anticipated (especially by me) Collecta release of 2012 is finally here, and it doesn’t disappoint. Highly speculative as it is, this might just be Collecta’s best dinosaur model to date.
It’s big, too – bigger than you might expect, at almost 30cm (1ft) long and 11cm tall at the hips. Collecta claim a 1:40 scale, but it’s somewhat too large for that. I’m not complaining, but some ‘scale purists’ may wish to take note. Of course, much about this reconstruction is informed speculation anyway, with Deinocheirus mirificus famously being known mostly from a pair of ridiculously huge arms and only rather fragmentary parts of the rest of the skeleton. That said, enough has been recovered to ascertain that the animal was most likely an ornithomimosaur, albeit an absurdly gigantic one (rivalling the biggest predatory theropods in size).
This is exactly how Collecta have restored it, and it’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into the sculpt. Although clearly an ornithomimosaur – with its long legs, arms (duh) and neck – the creature as restored here shows adaptations to accommodate for its large size, including much shorter feet and shins than would be expected for a ‘regular-sized’ ornithomimosaur. Some of the bones that are known from Deinocheirus point to it being an unusually ‘primitive’ (or more correctly, basal) ornithomimosaur for its time, and this is reflected here in the feet possessing four, rather than only three, toes. The head sports a crest clearly inspired by the much earlier ornithomimosaur Pelicanimimus, although unlike Pelicanimimus (and more in keeping with the other ornithomimosaurs of the Late Cretaceous) the mouth is a completely toothless beak.
Sculptural detail is impressive. The body is covered in a thin layer of hair-like feathers, entirely plausible for a theropod of this lineage and (yes) size. The head sports finely sculpted and immaculately painted eyes, ears (which should probably be a bit lower down) and nostrils; in terms of other orificies, yes, there’s actually a cloaca down there. The paint job on the head in particular is stunning, with wonderful, vibrant red and blue hues and bold white stripes. The animal is posed mid-stride with its tail most definitely aloft, and balances surprisingly well given that its feet are actually in proportion.
Of course, it’s not perfect; there are anatomical flaws, but they tend to be the same ones that plague the vast majority of dinosaur toys. For example, and as dino-rump obsessive Heinrich Mallison would point out to you, the tail is conspicuously thin at its base and lacking the required muscle mass. However, this is still a really very lovely figure, and one that’s available at a very reasonable price. Collecta are progressing in leaps and bounds by listening to their critics – it’s hard to believe that the same company made some of their earlier monstrosities – and it’s very heartening to see. If there’s anyone out there still not taking them seriously, now’s the time to start.
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[…] CollectA’s previous Deinocheirus was a Deluxe figure, and a particularly large one at that. This new version is much smaller, but still a respectable size, with a height of just over 11 cm and a length of just under 18 cm. The main colours on the body are medium and yellowish brown with beige for the underbelly, royal blue on the arms and back, black running from the shoulders to the end of the tail, white tail feathers, and medium grey claws. The head is dark red and black with bold white stripes, the tongue is a dull pink, the eyes and crest are black, and the throat is red. It’s a vibrant and attractive colour scheme, and quite similar to that of the Deluxe’s. […]
This is one big and beautiful model. Admittedly, there are some very small paint sloppiness, especially around its beak.
However, it’s a nicely painted and detailed dinosaur and its size is nothing to be sneezed at. It’s almost as big as the Papo running T-Rex. But the most amazing feature is the stability of its feet, which mind you, are not oversized. Just normally proportioned to the rest of its overall built, this model’s feet stands up well and stays up better than Papo running T-Rex, of which mine keeps toppling over.
A worthy addition to every dinosaur collection.
La figura es soberbia como ha dicho Jose Luis por otra parte aunque es especulativa es de las primeras obras de ornithomimusaurus decentes y bien hechas, año tras año Collecta se va mejorando y va puliendo las figuras ajustándolas al rigor paleontológico. Con el tiempo podrá codearse si sigue asà como empresas como Carnegie/Safari y Papo.
Por otra parte los detalles son inigualables es una figura realista aunque hay que apuntar que las figuras de Collecta aunque mejoran como ya he dicho cada año las hacen a una escala 1:40 que no corresponden a mi humilde entender a la realidad. Mi puntuación es sobresaliente
Estoy de acuerdo en que es una reconstrucción altamente especulativa,pues el registro fósil es muy escaso.Dicho esto considero que es una figura excepcional y de altÃsima calidad.El detalle y coloración de la cabeza me parece soberbio.Mi más sincera enhorabuena a Collecta por el gran esfuerzo en mejorar la calidad de sus productos dÃa a dÃa, ya no tiene nada que envidiar a otras marcas.Estoy deseando que llegue a España para adquirirlo.
Good to hear a postive review, although mine doesnt stand by itself and i do believe its far too big, I still like it.
Yeah, Marc, I’m one of those “scale purists”, hehe! I wish he were a little smaller if he’s suppose to be 1/40. It’s just nice for size comparisons. And except for the tail and maybe the slightly uninspired colors and patterns on the body, I really like this figure a lot!
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The Deinocheirus I think the work Collecta most anticipated and perhaps of other companies expected this year. This very well done and the paint is perfect, however, this figure has the disadvantage that only the front legs are known, so that the dinosaur in question is a mere speculation. Anyway looks like a cross Ornithomimus and Australian cassowary.
Apart from this I understand that size is too large, as expressed in a masterful way Marc’s comment
I love the paint job!
Great Review Mr. Vincent
CollectA’s evolution both in accuracy and aesthetics is certainly leaving me fairly agape. This, as with the Therizinosaurus shows a refinement quite unlike any of their other offerings, even among the more recent ones.