Diplodocus repaint 2020 (CollectA)

Diplodocus is one of the most famous and iconic dinosaurs and has been around for some time now. Its graceful form is easily recognizable so it has become one of the staple species in pop culture, from merchandise and films.With that, information about it already saturate the forum as well as the blogosphere so we can skip all that. 

This Diplodocus figure we are reviewing today is a repaint of CollectA’s first version that was released way back in 2013 if I remember correctly.This figure is in a rearing pose; a pose made iconic by the legendary Battat Diplodocus way back in the mid 1990’s and has yet to be surpassed despite a few attempts through the years from various brands.

Perhaps CollectA was inspired by this pose so when it was time for them to release their own, they, too went with a rearing pose.It is also worth noting that this is the third rearing sauropod from CollectA, the others being the small delightful Rhoetosaurus and the big Jobaria.On the plus side, this rearing pose is actually flexible in that the figure can be displayed on all fours if that’s your preference. In a quadruped position, it looks like its actively walking, the foot is not perfectly planted on the ground of course. 

Overall, the figure is really nice and viewed from the side, looks well proportioned. Unlike the graceful and very fluid-looking Battat figure, this one actually managed to capture the awkwardness that one would expect to see from a giant animal trying to rear up on its legs without looking contrived. The biggest flaw of this otherwise nice figure is that the neck is ridiculously thin especially halfway up towards the head! As I said, this is not obvious from the side view, but becomes really obvious when viewed from the top.

Despite this flaw, the overall proportion looks good and the head is small as it should be, we often see sauropods with heads that are just slightly bigger than they should for the sake of being visually more proportioned.

So, is there any merit at all reviewing a figure that is just a repaint of the original? The answer you will get varies depending on who you ask. In my case, I find enough variation and improvement on the figure to justify giving it a second review.

There are many reasons why the majority of companies keep on re-releasing repainted figures. The two reasons I want to focus on are : a company is capitalizing on a good seller and improving on the original lackluster paint scheme. I feel that in the case of this figure, both reasoning can be applied appropriately.

Capitalizing on a good seller: We all know that almost all the major brands have been re-releasing repainted figures of some of their top sellers. This is just good business with good return and fairly little investment.Although I don’t know for sure about how well this figure actually sell/sold, it would be safe to assume that it sells pretty well to warrant a repaint. It’s dramatic rearing pose is a rare one for a sauropod, and the familiarity of the general public with the species are sure guarantee that it won’t go unnoticed. I for one love this little figure and have two, one I have been wanting to repaint.

Improving an otherwise lackluster original paint: I suppose this could be two-fold depending on how often the same figure is re-released with new paint job. But for this figure, I think it was more to “improve” on the original, which I actually like.When I first saw the figure, I thought that there was some retooling done on it. It just seems there are more detailed than the original one especially on the tiny head. But there is no facelift done on it, it’s the exactly same sculpt but the new colors made a huge difference in giving it a new, fresher look, so let’s take a closer look.

The original color : mostly various shading of green (dark and olive) and some light-yellow green highlighting the underside. There is also a dark brown stripe that starts from the neck and runs all the way down the tail. On the throat area we see a splash of red that contrast nicely with the green colors, it is outlined by a white vertical stripe.The face is given the dark brown color and you can see some red mixed in as well as a small white stripe just below the eyes. I like to call this patters the CollectA tribal design phase as many figures around these times were given this interesting designs mostly on the head or frills. The eye has those early CollectA yellow “cat eye” that are so distracting and weird looking.

I personally like the original colors since I’m a big fan of creative colors on dinosaurs. As nice as these colors are, the downside was that the multi-layer of paint obscured many of the delicate details on the figures. this is especially true of the head, where you could hardly see those delicate details that abound.

New look: The difference between the two colors is striking. While the original is dark, the new color is light. At first glance, it may seem like the new tan/gray colors are boring. But far from it if you look closely and notice the subtle layers of colors.The dominant tan color is given a dark wash that really transformed and brought out all those skin and scale details.

Nowhere is this transformation more prominent than on the tiny head. Here we can really appreciate just how much details there really are despite its small size.At first, I thought that they may have re-tooled the head since the details are so crisp compared to the original one. But it’s the same, just with thinner paint application. Now you can really see those tiny scales and skin lines as well as those individually sculpted teeth and even the inside of the mouth!The eyes are now just given a solid black color that works really well for something this small. The ears and nostrils are also now clearly visible. The paint application in this simple design also eliminated any sloppiness. 

The splash of red in the throat area on the original is replaced by a more subtle shade of orange that blends in better with the overall tan color.If you look closely, you will notice layers of various shades of brown, yellow, orange, and white carefully dry-brushed over the tan that gives it a nice depth. The row of dorsal spines is darker shade, and the feet are also darker with a nice transition from the lighter shade.

These two distinct color variations on the same figure could easily work as differences in gender, offering a rare opportunity without having to customize.

So, in closing, yes, this new repaint is justifiable and really improved the overall visual presentation of the figure. It brought out many of the subtle and delicate details that were obscured by the original, much darker and thicker paint.CollectA did the right call in giving this nice little figure a much-needed new look.

Until the next review, stay safe and healthy. Cheers!