The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[Libraraptor]

I'm on the same boat. I don't buy a figure I don't like just to have a representation of an animal.

As to the Sbabam Mastodonsaurus, its squishy look fits the amphibian animal well. Did the Sbabam Mastodonsaurus replace the Bullyland one then? Or do you keep both?

It's Metoposaurus.

Oh I see.  I confused these two

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

I wasn't even aware of Metoposaurus until you posting about this curious figure of it now. Is this one that would be hard to track down?

@Faelrin I'm not sure, honestly. I had never heard of the figure until another forum member helpfully sent me an email link. Sometimes these things seem rare until people start looking for them, and then they're suddenly everywhere.

As to the Sbabam Mastodonsaurus, its squishy look fits the amphibian animal well.

Yeah, I generally prefer plastic to rubber, but an amphibian looks less ridiculous as a rubber figure than a dinosaur does, that's for sure.

I'm on the same boat. I don't buy a figure I don't like just to have a representation of an animal.

I like to reward companies for taking a chance on weird taxa, even if they do kind of a crummy job of it. Not that I think it makes much difference in the grand scheme of things; I haven't bought a Ty***nosaurus in three years, and yet a dozen more figures of it are being released this year.

[Halichoeres]

An eclectic update, featuring a variety of Paleozoic eukaryotes:


Aurora Plastics cf. Lepidodendron "cycad tree"
Scale: 1:20-1:40 based on trunk diameter.
Released: 1972
The Prehistoric Scenes Jungle Swamp set didn't come with any of its components explicitly labeled, but some of them you can kind of guess. DC guessed in the prehistoric plants thread that this was meant as a scale tree Lepidodendron, which is probably right. Those of you who are into paleobotany might know that it has parallel systems for nomenclature because leaves, stems, fruits, cones, etc. are preserved separately from each other far more often than together. Lepidodendron is a trunk taxon, named for its distinctive bark with diamond-shaped scales. Each scale is a scar from a shed leaf-cushion, which supported a shoot with many needle-like leaves. "But wait," you will say, "this tree doesn't have needle-like leaves!" Nope, it has fern- or palm-like fronds. Lepidodendron was a lycopsid, related to modern quillworts, and as such would not have had fronds or broad leaves. The branching pattern is plausible for a scale tree, but those leaves are nonsense. The combination of stem texture and leaf morphology is actually similar to some kinds of palms, like the genus Phoenix, but they can't branch like this. In fact, I think there is literally no plant in history that has looked quite like this. But until some company makes some proper coal-forest trees, it will have to do. My copy has some broken pegs, so if I want foliage at the top I'll have to glue it there. Maybe I'll get around to it sometime, but it's low on the list.
[Edit 4 Sep 2023 @Crackington has found that this was actually labeled "cycad tree" by Aurora. Branching is rare in cycads, but does occur, especially in very large, old specimens. Some cycads also have diamond-patterned bark, and many have palm-like leaves. Well done, Aurora.]


With the Safari Scutosaurus.


Long Ago Studio Tiktaalik roseae
Scale: 1:12
Sculptor: David Duck
Released: 2020
Upper Devonian
Higher on the list: I got this one as a raw kit from Mr. Duck, and he was kind enough to give it a coat of primer before sending it my way. I'm a little intimidated to paint it, so I'll have to practice on some crappy stuff first. My city is not doing too badly in terms of infections, but all the same I think I'll be staying home a lot this summer, and painting should be a good way to occupy my time. I have a lot of unpainted models to get through.


Chasing down Kaiyodo's Ichthyostega


Long Ago Studio Amphibamus grandiceps
Scale: 1:2
Sculptor: David Duck
Released: 2020
Upper Carboniferous
I sprang for the fully painted version of this tiny temnospondyl. This animal is from the Mazon Creek fossil beds about an hour's drive from where I live in Chicago, and is pretty close to the ancestry of the modern amphibians. A really beautiful piece. Mr. Duck has many more in the works, so stay tuned.


Alongside my beloved (and geologically younger) Diictodon. They may never have met, but they look good on a shelf together.


3d-printed Ctenurella
Scale: slightly larger than life-size
Designer: Rik de Wit
Upper Devonian
I paid Mr. de Wit a few dollars for the files for this design, and then had it printed through Shapeways. Another figure to add to my to-paint list. Ctenurella was a pytctodont, a lineage of placoderms with reduced armor and a morphology reminiscent of the later chimaeras. I don't think any ptyctodonts have been made as toys, and I don't think any will be soon. So needs must.


Lanier Climatius (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)
Scale: 1:1
Sculptor: Sterling Lanier
Released: probably late 1960s
Upper Silurian-Lower Devonian
One of the rarest pieces in my collection, I've been trying to buy one of these for years. It's part of a set of bronze-y pewter figures made for the Smithsonian gift shop. It was a really eclectic set, with something like 4 dozen taxa from the Silurian to the Pleistocene. There are a few that haven't been made since, like the dinocephalian Jonkeria, but I really only go for things this rare when fish are involved. At least one collector claims that there was a Birkenia in this line, but I'm not aware of any evidence that it was actually produced. I'd love to have one, though, so if any of you should ever catch wind of one, I hope you'll think of me.


With the mystery-brand acanthodian we Paleozoic fans all know and love.

[SBell]

Those are some super cool models. Glad you finally found your Lanier.

Is it possible for others to get those other models?

[ceratopsian]

Both the Long Ago models are beautiful. Hope the painting goes well!

[Crackington]

Beautiful models, you have a unique collection @Halichoeres!

It's good to see that you are fond of the old Aurora Prehistoric Scenes models too. I had many of the kits as a child, including the Jungle Swamp, which I knew was inaccurate even then, but loved the way you could use the plants and animals with the other models.

Very interesting to hear you identify the lepidodendron too, albeit with it's wrong leaves. I always wondered about the cycads, which I loved, but they appeared to have flowers growing on their sides. My 9 year old self then read about flowers evolving in the Cretaceous, so I was very confused about the cycads, which were clearly meant to be from earlier in time. Have you any thoughts on that? I still haven't figured it out to this day?!

[Faelrin]

Beautiful models, particularly the Tiktaalik, Amphibamus, and Climatius. Regarding the Tiktaalik, I'll definitely be eager to see how you paint that up. I certainly would like to acquire one of those, but it also obviously doesn't hurt for me to keep waiting until a plastic one shows up, considering the price of it. Still I'm glad to see it scales quite nicely with the Kaiyodo Ichthyostega and Acanthostega(?) though, so it's certainly a decent option, and the sculptwork on it is fantastic (as is on that little Amphibamus).

Also congrats for scoring something you've been after for years, in regards to the Climatius. It's got to be such a good feeling, and brings a lot of relief.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for visiting, everyone!

Is it possible for others to get those other models?

@SBell  Yeah, I keep hoping David Duck will launch a proper web site, so that I never have to log into loathsome Facebook again. More info here: http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=8540.0

As for the Ctenurella, you can get the files from SketchFab; deWit's username there is ricksticky.

Beautiful models, you have a unique collection @Halichoeres!

It's good to see that you are fond of the old Aurora Prehistoric Scenes models too. I had many of the kits as a child, including the Jungle Swamp, which I knew was inaccurate even then, but loved the way you could use the plants and animals with the other models.

Very interesting to hear you identify the lepidodendron too, albeit with it's wrong leaves. I always wondered about the cycads, which I loved, but they appeared to have flowers growing on their sides. My 9 year old self then read about flowers evolving in the Cretaceous, so I was very confused about the cycads, which were clearly meant to be from earlier in time. Have you any thoughts on that? I still haven't figured it out to this day?!

@Crackington  Thanks for the kind words! Funny you should mention those plants, which I featured on this thread just a couple of weeks ago.

I don't think these are cycads at all! I think they're instead bennetitaleans, which are an extinct group superficially similar to cycads, but more closely related to flowering plants (I guess you could call them stem-group anthophytes). They are actually a pretty reasonable representation of the genus Cycadeoidea, whose name means "resembling a cycad." They really did have flower-like reproductive structures on their lumpy barrel-like stems, which you can also see on CollectA's version of the same plant.

Beautiful models, particularly the Tiktaalik, Amphibamus, and Climatius. Regarding the Tiktaalik, I'll definitely be eager to see how you paint that up. I certainly would like to acquire one of those, but it also obviously doesn't hurt for me to keep waiting until a plastic one shows up, considering the price of it. Still I'm glad to see it scales quite nicely with the Kaiyodo Ichthyostega and Acanthostega(?) though, so it's certainly a decent option, and the sculptwork on it is fantastic (as is on that little Amphibamus).

Also congrats for scoring something you've been after for years, in regards to the Climatius. It's got to be such a good feeling, and brings a lot of relief.

@Faelrin  Yeah, Tiktaalik is bound to get a plastic version sooner or later, although I'm less optimistic about the other two.

And thanks! It was really satisfying to open that box. Now the only super-rare figure I'm looking for (at least, among those that I'm sure exist) is the Yoplait/Henkel/Ovomaltine Pterichthys.

[CityRaptor]

The Jungle Swamp is a little treasure trove, isn't it? Sure, at first glance the bigger kits are more exciting, but this set is a weird little eco system on its own as well as a way t enhance the other kits.

[Crackington]

Thanks very much for the explanation @Halichoeres, I think I can forgive my younger self for being confused by the Aurora cycads! At least they can stand in for something bonafide though, so great to see your pictures of them.

@CityRaptor, yes completely agree, the Jungle Swamp was a fantastic kit, despite the chrono-absurdity (or maybe because of it🤔)! I have a long term project to save some pennies to get one.

I did pick up an interesting Aurora fan model a few years back, Prehistoric Foliage kits numbers 1 and 2. They were by Prehistorix and Aurora style resin models.

Kit 1 was a large free fern with palm fronds and kit 2 had a smaller but similar tree, a cluster of small cycads (probably more accurate than the Jungle Swamp ones), a broad leaf shrub and two tree trunks, one with a vine. The palm trees look similar to the one in the Spiked Dinosaur Aurora kit.

I painted them up and they look pretty good spread around my collection, so the spirit of the Jungle Swamp lives on!

[sauroid]

a very cool update. wish i also have those figures.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for visiting, everyone!

@Crackington, those Prehistorix sets are mighty tempting. I don't usually go in for resin kits, but those look like they'd be hard to mess up too badly, and my shelves are perpetually under-vegetated. Thanks for reminding me that those exist!

And now, some Cretaceous gnathostomes:


Damtoys cf. Onchopristis
Scale: 1:40-1:45
Released: 2020
Albian-Maastrichtian
Damtoys recently released a truly hideous Spinosaurus statue. Like many Spinosaurus products, it came with a fish. Their promotional materials identified it merely as "shark," and the packaging didn't include anything more specific. There are sharks that look a little like this (Pristiophoridae), but this isn't one, which is obvious from the ventral gill slits and lack of barbels. It looks quite a lot like a modern sawfish (Pristidae), but the trouble is there aren't any sawfishes known from formations that bear Spinosaurus remains. 'But what about Onchopristis?' you might well ask. Well, Onchopristis was neither a sawshark nor a sawfish, but a relative of skates in a completely extinct family, Sclerorhynchidae. Given its ubiquity in Spinosaurus art, I think that Onchopristis is what Damtoys had in mind.


The execution is superficially attractive but reflects almost total ignorance of Onchopristis anatomy. The snout is the wrong shape, the teeth are too uniform, the fins are in the wrong positions, and the spine twists in improbable ways. The latter can be forgiven if it's thrashing in a dinosaur's jaws, but on its display stand it looks quite odd.


I'm planning a full review for the blog--it's been a while since I really savaged something there--but in the meantime here's a size comparison with the Paleo-Creatures ( @Jetoar) Xiphactinus.


Funtastic Stegoceras
Scale: 1:45
Released: no later than 20122002
Campanian of North America
This was part of a set I spotted quite by accident on eBay, and since my only Stegoceras was the old Transmutazors one, I figured it constituted an upgrade. After poking around on the forum, I learned that @Totoro was offering these to members back in 2012 (http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=165.msg2653#msg2653), which puts an upper limit on the release date.


This is the full set. Some of the molds are unfamiliar to me, and some are clearly misidentified. The "Pachyrhinosaurus" is suspiciously like the Chasmosaurus from the Safari Feathered Dinos Toob, but it's roughly half the size. This little pachycephalosaur doesn't immediately remind me of any toy I've seen before, but it looks a little more like Pachycephalosaurus than Stegoceras, which might suggest a knockoff.


I'd like for a company to make a real attempt at Stegoceras someday. In the meantime, my Kaiyodo Struthiomimus will regard this one with pity.


Wild Past Protoceratops
Scale: 1:35
Designer: Stefan Klein
Released: 2020
Campanian of Eurasia
The first release from @DinoToyCollector Wild Past line, and it looks pretty good! It's a true 1:35 scale, noticeably smaller than the Kaiyodo figures of this genus. It's not often that we can add an animal this size, well-proportioned and reasonably detailed, to a 1:35-1:40 display. Visible print lines persist from the computer-sculpted prototype, but they really aren't very noticeable except under the bright lights I use to photograph figures.


Protoceratops defending its eggs, while the Oviraptor protests that it doesn't even want the stinking eggs, its reputation for nest depredation being wholly unearned.


Custom Axelrodichthys (=Mawsonia) lavocati from Esquizooic Artes Plásticas
Scale: 1:20
Sculptor: Daniel Mendoza
Albian-Cenomanian
To the best of my knowledge, Mawsonia is the largest coelacanth known, even larger than the aptly named Megalocoelacanthus. This is part of a made-to-order diorama that I sort of blundered into. To a coelacanth fan, it's an instantly recognizable representation of the genus. The scales of Mawsonia were probably rounded cosmoid scales, not diamond-shaped, and there is probably too much bulk at the base of the anterior dorsal fin, but these are pretty minor quibbles. At 1:20, this is a hefty, imposing figure, and the only part of this diorama that can be easily detached.


Custom Adrianaichthys
Scale: 1:20
Cenomanian
Aidrianaichthys was a large holostean, one of the first refugees from the Lepidotes wastebasket (and not to be confused with Adrianichthys, a tiny ricefish endemic to Sulawesi). The infraorbital series is picked out just a little too prominently, but this is otherwise a beautiful rendition, and I especially like the scale textures.


Custom Concavotectum
Scale: 1:20
Cenomanian
The last fishy denizens of this display are this pair of Concavotectum. This genus of huge tselfatiiform fishes is known from incomplete remains, but this is a plausible reconstruction, with some input from ecologically comparable jacks and tunas. Again, really nice texturing.


Another shot, showing the keels at the caudal peduncle. This is a pretty likely feature for a fish of this shape and size.


The whole Kem Kem fish gang. I mentioned before that I blundered into this. I saw a social media post with a huge 1:20 Spinosaurus diorama, featuring several species of fishes, including a Mawsonia and a couple others I couldn't identify due to the angle of the photo. The team that produced it works from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, so I messaged them in my politest Spanish inquiring about the availability of the fishes alone. I assumed that I would be getting casts, but they made them from scratch just for me at an absolutely bargain price. They also packaged it really ingeniously, with the coelacanth suspended inside the box by wires separately from the rest.


For a sense of scale, here's Safari's Hybodus. As always, I'll try to accommodate requests for additional comparison photos.


And a shot of the reverse side. I think that the fishes and the rock/reef elements are epoxy putty, presumably over an armature. I am not sure about the seaweeds; they might be actual algae fragments coated with some kind of sealant. They're fairly flexible. The seashells, mostly snails, come from beaches in Jalisco, an anachronistic but welcome local touch. I don't know very much about the team behind this really impressive piece, but the person I dealt with gave the sculptor's name as Daniel [EDIT: I have since learned his name is Daniel Mendoza]. In any event, really happy to add these to my marine display. I owe so many of my fish figures, directly or indirectly, to the popularity of Spinosaurus, a major upside to its ubiquity.

[ceratopsian]

First of all, thanks for cheering my afternoon with your amusing vignettes: I loved the snooty Struthiomimus and the outraged Oviraptor especially.

Second, congratulations on the beautiful diorama. What a chance find!

[SBell]

@Halichoeres that stegoceras figure has to be older than 2012. I picked up a set at an SVP in 2002 in Oklahoma so I can guarantee that date.

Although it was bagged and had no trees, the molds are the same.

[sauroid]

your collection thread is becoming one of my favorites...

[Faelrin]

It really is a shame there isn't more figures of Stegoceras, considering it's one of the only with associated postcranial remains (other then Homalocephale mostly, which may or may not be a juvenile form Prenocephale, although I'd also like to see Homalocephale itself, as it was found, as it is also one of the better known pachycephalosaurids). It's also one of those Dinosaur Park formation, etc dinosaurs I'd really like to add to my collection some day as I just love the fauna that was from there back then.

I really wish there were some toy figures of Onchopristis and Mawsonia (and Xiphactinus as well, though at least there's CollectA's mini I guess). Not only to serve as potential Spinosaurus food, but to stand on their own for being such fascinating fish as they were. That Kem Kem display is absolutely gorgeous. Such a stunning piece. Congrats on obtaining such a piece of art.

I also think that Kaiyodo Struthiomimus is gorgeous despite missing proper wings and tail feathers. Is the Oviraptor one of Kaiyodo's as well?

[SBell]

It really is a shame there isn't more figures of Stegoceras, considering it's one of the only with associated postcranial remains (other then Homalocephale mostly, which may or may not be a juvenile form Prenocephale, although I'd also like to see Homalocephale itself, as it was found, as it is also one of the better known pachycephalosaurids). It's also one of those Dinosaur Park formation, etc dinosaurs I'd really like to add to my collection some day as I just love the fauna that was from there back then.

I really wish there were some toy figures of Onchopristis and Mawsonia (and Xiphactinus as well, though at least there's CollectA's mini I guess). Not only to serve as potential Spinosaurus food, but to stand on their own for being such fascinating fish as they were. That Kem Kem display is absolutely gorgeous. Such a stunning piece. Congrats on obtaining such a piece of art.

I also think that Kaiyodo Struthiomimus is gorgeous despite missing proper wings and tail feathers. Is the Oviraptor one of Kaiyodo's as well?

@Faelrin that is indeed a Dinotales figure.

And yes, should have mentioned that the Kem Kem display is magnificent. We need more of those sorts of things. In an accessible and affordable form...

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for visiting and commenting, everyone!

First of all, thanks for cheering my afternoon with your amusing vignettes: I loved the snooty Struthiomimus and the outraged Oviraptor especially.

Second, congratulations on the beautiful diorama. What a chance find!

Thanks, I'm glad that you're having fun! I certainly do so while photographing them.

Halichoeres that stegoceras figure has to be older than 2012. I picked up a set at an SVP in 2002 in Oklahoma so I can guarantee that date.

Although it was bagged and had no trees, the molds are the same.

Iiiiinteresting. That means this ceratopsian mold predates the Safari Toob Chasmosaurus, which I believe was released in 2009. Thanks for the information!

your collection thread is becoming one of my favorites...

Why, thanks!

@Faelrin thanks very much! I'd also love to see some pachycephalosaurs other than the Hell Creek ones. I believe there are more figures of each of the three than there are of all other pachycephalosaurs combined.

PS I've learned that the sculptor of the KemKem diorama is Daniel Mendoza, and I've edited the previous post to reflect that.

[ceratopsian]

It's a small world. Two or three days ago I had a friend request on Facebook from a woman involved with a model making firm. Spanish speaking and friends with a Spanish artist I have purchased from in the recent past. I didn't think too much about it but just now realised when a photo of the Spinosaurus popped up in my feed that it's the firm in Jalisco from whom you obtained your fish diorama! I see they do a few other theropods and a Triceratops.

[Halichoeres]

It's a small world. Two or three days ago I had a friend request on Facebook from a woman involved with a model making firm. Spanish speaking and friends with a Spanish artist I have purchased from in the recent past. I didn't think too much about it but just now realised when a photo of the Spinosaurus popped up in my feed that it's the firm in Jalisco from whom you obtained your fish diorama! I see they do a few other theropods and a Triceratops.

It's a very small world! Which of your models did you buy from them?