Euhelopus (Age of the Dinosaurs by PNSO)

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Review and photos by Bokisaurus, edited by Suspsy

In the summer of 2016, the dinosaur collecting community was introduced to a new line of prehistoric figures that was little know outside of China. The PNSO ( short for Peking Natural Science-Art Organization) line of prehistoric figures started with six large dinosaurs and a set of six little baby dinosaurs. The large figures has a strong emphasis on Chinese species. And when I say large, these figures are HUGE, roughly in the 1:20 – 1:38 scale. So far, the six figures released are Huanghetitan(a true giant figure), Lufengosaurus, Mandschurosaurus, Shantungosaurus, the obligatory Tyrannosaurus rex, and the subject of this review, Euhelopus.

Euhelopus zdanskyi (meaning “good marsh foot”) was a huge sauropod from the Late Jurassic period. It was first discovered in 1913 in Shandong province in China and was originally named Helopus. It has the distinction of being the first sauropod to be found in China. Unfortunately, the name Helopus was already in use (given to a bird). It was therefore renamed Euhelopus in 1959.

A unique feature of Euhelopus was that it had longer forelegs than hind legs. This feature originally placed it with the camarasaurid family of titans. With further discoveries of other long-necked Chinese sauropods from this time, such as Omeisaurus and Qiaowanlong, and with further studies, it is now believed that these long-necked giants share enough unique characteristics to warrant their own separate family. Thus a new family named Euhelopodidae was created for Euhelopus and many of its long-necked relatives.

There is nothing more awe-inspiring that a rearing sauropod. This dramatic pose has captured the imagination of legions of artists, museums, and the public. Although not all sauropods can realistically rear up on their hind legs, there are some species for which this is a really possibility based on skeletal features that would allow such huge beasts to rear up at least for short periods of time. In the toy world, one of the first, and still is, most beautiful figure of a rearing sauropods is, without a doubt, the rearing Diplodocus from Battat. This particular figure has inspired other companies to release figures of rearing sauropods (although this is still a rarity in the industry). Companies such as Safari and CollectA have at one point released a figure of a rearing sauropod. And now, PNSO has joined this club with their rearing Euhelopus figure.

And what a beautiful figure it is! Standing at 18 inches tall, it easily towers over all the other rearing sauropods in my collection. Stretched out, the figure measures 23 inches long from nose tip to tail tip, roughly putting it at around the 1:26 scale. The figure is beautifully sculpted and jam-packed with details. Based on the amount of visible bones on this figure, this animal looks a little on the thinner side.

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There are lots of different textures on the skin, from minute wrinkles to larger and more visible skin folds. In addition, there are also osteoderms of various sizes scattered along the back. At first glance, the dark brown colour may seem unremarkable and boring. However, if you look closely, you will notice a lot of layers and different shades of brown. These multiple layers add dimension to the whole colour scheme and the resulting effect is very pleasing and natural-looking.

The rearing pose can be interpreted multiple ways, from fending off a predator, protecting young, an aggressive encounter with a rival, a mating display, or simply browsing off tree tops. The right front leg is stretched forward while the left leg is slightly bent inward. The tail offers additional support to stabilize the figure. The long neck is held high up in a swan-like curve. The head is nicely sculpted with the mouth open and the teeth visible. The small eyes are painted yellow.

From the looks of it, the feet on this figure look accurate. On the left back foot, the “Made in PRC” label is stamped along with the year of release(2016). The name of the animal is not stamped anywhere on the figure at all. The figure is hollow, which makes it super light compared to other sauropod figures. The only drawback to this is that the figure is made by attaching multiple parts, six in total. These parts are the head, the neck, both the front legs, the body and back legs as one, and the tail.

Unfortunately, the seams, though flawlessly attached to each other, are visible and distracting at times. Fortunately, the paint application and multiple dry-brushing has made them less visible.

Overall, this Euhelopus is a figure that should be celebrated as it truly is an amazing one. For the sauropod fans like myself, this is a must have figure to add to your collection. This is the long awaited partner for the Battat Diplodocus, and they sure display nicely side by side together.

For a while, all PNSO figures were almost impossible to get outside of China. Those few that were available were often sold for around $75-$100, plus shipping. Thankfully, PNSO now sells directly via Amazon, and the price is much more affordable. My hope is that this line of prehistoric figure will grow and be more readily available, and it seems that is the directions right now.

Available from Amazon.com here.