The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[Bokisaurus]

More micro figures!They are so cute! I guess you save a lot of display space with those models

[Halichoeres]

@Concavenator I didn't use Headden's skeletal when I wrote my review (it hadn't been published, in fact). I worked from the second descriptive paper. Based on that, if we use the neck as a reference, the trunk should be about 2× as long, and the tail should be about 3.3× as long. In the standard size figure, the trunk is 1.7× the length of the neck, and the tail is 3.3× as long. In Headden's skeletal, the trunk is 2.2× the length of the neck, and the tail is 3.3× the length of the neck. It's possible that Headden knows something I don't about the taphonomy, but I'm working from measurements I made in MorphoJ from photographs of the complete articulated specimen in Chun et al. 2016 (https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.1501659). My impression is that Headden's torso is reconstructed a bit too long, and PNSO's torso a bit too short. I think they each erred in rather minor ways, but in opposite directions, which would produce the impression that one is very wrong relative to the other. You might be able to chalk this up to uncertainty about the position of the pectoral girdle. All the same, I still think this makes the Atopodentatus one of the better-proportioned PNSO figures. As an example, the Eurhinosaurus has about 30% too much tail; the Tsintaosaurus has a head that's way too small; the original Wilson was a mess; etc.

Big fan of how O @Oammararak painted the Offacolus. And didn't realise how small the tiny crustacean was in real life! Glad to have this figure in my collection, as with 90% of species in the line, I highly doubt any other company will bother making.

Definitely one of the nicer paint jobs, it somewhat recalls a hermit crab although they're not remotely related. I'm so grateful for this line of miniatures, especially in a time when other companies seem to be avoiding the Paleozoic like the plague!

More lovely figures,it's nice to read abou them as well.
I think a lot of those sort of animals will not have up to date wiki really, not many people interested in that.

Not up to date I understand; it's harder to see why they should be actively erroneous!

More micro figures!They are so cute! I guess you save a lot of display space with those models

Yes indeed! If I can get a few risers they will be even more space-efficient. And I love having a variety of size classes on a given shelf--makes it seem more alive.

[Faelrin]

Love seeing more of those figures. Still really appreciate the amount of diversity (especially invertebrates and early fishes) this line carries. If we ever get another line from her in the future, I definitely would look forward to seeing stuff from the Carboniferous and Permian, and also the Triassic period.

[Concavenator]

@Halichoeres thank you very much for taking the time to check it, I appreciate it   

Basically, when I said the proportions looked off compared to Headden's skeletal, I meant the head, which looks quite a bit smaller than on PNSO's figure I'd say (I should have specified). Do you think the head is well-proportioned? On another note, now that you mention the trunk, I see it being longer than on PNSO's figure, I hadn't realized that.

[Halichoeres]

@Concavenator Oh I see, I actually didn't check the head when I wrote my review, but I went back and measured and you're right, the head on the PNSO figure is too large. The only reason I can think I didn't measure it the first time is that I was comparing it to the miniature's COMICALLY gigantic noggin, and the standard figure's head is certainly an improvement on that. I guess I should edit my review. Does the oversize head ruin the figure for you?

[Concavenator]

@Halichoeres I see, a pity. Just like they did when they stopped giving their figures those oversized scales, I hope they start paying more attention to proportions, at this point it's a relatively recurrent issue. And yes, I think lips on theropods are a reasonable choice but I wouldn't say it's a deal-breaker and I'm personally tired of people arguing about it every single time they release a new theropod figure.

However, props to them for even giving this genus a try.

Does the oversize head ruin the figure for you?

Not sure. Going by Headden's skeletal the head on the PNSO figure clearly looks oversized (I have also seen a photo of WIGM SPC V 1107, the holotype, and Headden's skeletal looks accurate) so based on that I would normally skip it. However, I find Atopodentatus to be an interesting creature and I like this PNSO figure so I don't know. I hope someone releases a better-proportioned figure, but on the other hand, if I'm too perfectionist with a genus like this that might as well equate to giving up on it...

[Halichoeres]

I hope someone releases a better-proportioned figure, but on the other hand, if I'm too perfectionist with a genus like this that might as well equate to giving up on it...

This is a constant dilemma. If you pass up an imperfect figure, it's hard to know what message a company gets: a) people like this animal, but are holding out for a better version; or b) people aren't interested in this animal. I always fear b so I buy many imperfect figures.

And now, a sampling of Ordovician trilobites! All of these are from the Life: Evolution of Life on Earth game by Oumcraft.


Telephinidae cf. Opipeuterella
Scale: 1:1 - 1:2
Middle to Late Ordovician
One of the few miniatures in this set identified only to family, but a relatively small family by trilobite standards, with fewer than a dozen small, planktonic trilobites that probably swam upside down. Based on the absence of midline spines (aside from the pygidium) and the shape of the genal spines, I think this is modeled after Opipeuterella, which was originally named Opipeuter but had to be renamed because the shorter--and now defunct--name was preoccupied by a spectacled lizard. I'm sure it's happened before, but this is the first time I've heard of an arthropod having to be renamed because its name was preoccupied by a reptile, rather than vice versa (Syntarsus, Diceratops, Microceratops, for example).


Sphaerocoryphe
Scale: 1:1 - 1:2
Middle to Late Ordovician
I don't have any idea what it was doing with that swollen, spherical glabella, but I'm glad to have a miniature showcasing this very odd-looking trilobite. Maybe it was filled with gas and helped with buoyancy, or filled with fluid and helped with amplifying sound, or filled with loose sand and used as a maraca (I'm kidding).


My life-size Ordovician collection.


Encrinurus
Scale: 1:2 - 1:3
Early Ordovician - Early Devonian
An exceptionally long-lived lineage! Long pygidial and genal spines and glabellar prickles make it a distinctive taxon, too. And itty-bitty eyes on little stalks.


This photo represents four phyla!


Hoplolichas
Scale: 1:3 - 1:4
Middle to Late Ordovician
If it came in red, you might mistake it for a French burnt peanut. Do yourself a favor and look up some images of actual fossils. This is a wonderful sculpt, but the spines look even weirder on the real thing. This figure really highlights what's possible with 3D printing--it's hard to imagine someone hand sculpting this level of detail on a miniature this small.


With the much earlier (Cambrian) giant trilobite Redlichia.

[Concavenator]

Hi Tim, are you aware of the Hibou Coop Dreadnoughtus and Navajoceratops? AFAIK, those are the only depictions of both genera in model form at the moment (though who knows, maybe Dreadnoughtus will experiment a rise in popularity thanks to Prehistoric Planet). Those I linked are also available painted, but are noticeable more expensive.

Also, when it comes to Spinosaurus, I see you still have the PNSO 2019 version. Don't you consider the findings about the new morphology of the tail relevant enough for you to upgrade? 

[Halichoeres]

@Concavenator yes I'm definitely familiar with them, as I believe they were released prior to the Hibou Coop Aquilolamna that I have shown in this thread. They don't fall into the purview of my collection; specifically, I don't collect 3d prints, non-plasticized resins, porcelain, or other fragile materials, generally speaking. As with all my other rules, I make exceptions only for [non-tetrapod] fishes, such as the Aquilolamna.

As for Spinosaurus, I agree there have been better ones since the 2019 PNSO, but there is so much flux in Spinosaurus research, even as far as controversy surrounding the appropriateness of designating the neotype, that I am not eager to buy another just to see it falsified. Moreover, Spinosaurus is so frequently made that I am bored of it and unlikely to buy another unless it comes with a fish.

[Concavenator]

I see, well, I suggested them in part because I had seen the Hibou Coop Aquilolamna here before.

And when it comes to Spinosaurus, I underestimated how much uncertainty there is surrounding it, before reading this post by Scott Hartman. I think the upcoming Mesozoic Life version will probably the best (for the moment anyways) and will get it if I can (as I don't have a Spinosaurus myself) but who knows if the image we have of it will change yet again...

[Halichoeres]

I see, well, I suggested them in part because I had seen the Hibou Coop Aquilolamna here before.

Oh, I see. Yeah, it's really just that I make those kinds of exceptions exclusively for fishes. If I did it for dinosaurs I would quickly go broke, with all the model kits and statues that are in production, often in small batches.

And when it comes to Spinosaurus, I underestimated how much uncertainty there is surrounding it, before reading this post by Scott Hartman. I think the upcoming Mesozoic Life version will probably the best (for the moment anyways) and will get it if I can (as I don't have a Spinosaurus myself) but who knows if the image we have of it will change yet again...

It is a mess! I generally don't have a problem with buying toys of fragmentary animals, but for most animals you can fill in gaps a little better than is possible with Spinosaurus (or whatever the neotype ends up being called ten years hence).

Chordates* of the Cambrian! All of these are from the Life: Evolution... game by Oumcraft (Oammararak).

*^{putative, in some cases}


Skeemella
Scale: 1:5
Middle Cambrian
The first of three possible vetulicolians, a lineage of gill-bearing animals that might have been closely related to modern tunicates (sea squirts and salps), and therefore on the stem of the living sister group to the vertebrates proper. But Skeemella in particular has some features that are a little bit arthropod-like, which might change that interpretation. It would be nice if there were more than a single specimen.


Pomatrum (=Xidazoon)
Scale: 1:4
Middle Cambrian
Another vetulicolian, Pomatrum is the subjective senior synonym of Xidazoon, published only a few months apart based on different but very similar specimens. Xidazoon got a bit more famous, perhaps because it's a more memorable name, perhaps because Simon Conway Morris was an author on that description. This is a nice depiction, with colors recalling a blue-ringed octopus. There's no evidence that Pomatrum was venomous, but it could have been toxic or unpalatable and had the patterning to match. This replaces my TST Advance plush version.


Vetulicola
Scale: 1:4
Middle Cambrian
A more ornamented vetulicolian, and the namesake of the clade. Vetulicola was in the news recently because it played host to some apparent protostome parasites called Vermilituus (https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-020-01244-1). So far the latter has only been found in association with the one host, so parasites have been making life miserable for other organisms for a pretty long time. Work of a loving creator, obviously. This miniature also replaces a TST Advance plush.


Yunnanozoon
Scale: 1:2 - 1:3
Middle Cambrian
A small wormlike animal, clearly equipped for swimming, and thought to be a chordate based on its resemblance to the more obviously chordate-like Haikouella. But Yunnanozoon is not as well-preserved and some of its similarity could be convergence. But definitely a nice little addition to my Cambrian collection (which is now more than 50% supplied by Oammararak!).


Our ancient relatives were everybody's food. Who could have guessed that the two anteriormost gill arches would eventually give them jaws, the equipment that let them completely wreck other animal lineages?


Metaspriggina
Scale: 1:4
Middle Cambrian
A weird little worm-y chordate, possibly closely related to the vertebrates proper. It has the myotomes you'd see in a lamprey larva, and the gill bars, and the eyes. Love it.


When I first got this Anomalocaris, I had exactly nothing reasonably in scale with it from within 100 million years of its existence. Now it has plenty to hunt!


Myllokunmingia
Scale: 1:1 - 1:2
Early Cambrian
And lastly, the very fish-like chordate Myllokunmingia. I vacillate on the pronunciation of names like this. It owes its name to the city of Kunming in China, which suggests something like "mill-o-kuhn-ming-yə," although English conventions for pronouncing Latin names tend to make the last bit "minge-yə." I mostly favor the former but it always feels a little weird. Anyway, this is an improvement in accuracy and so replaces the porcelain fève version by a DeAgostini subsidiary.


I love how tiny these guys are.

[ceratopsian]

I pronounce Myllokunmingia to reflect the city for which it is named. Seems the most logical choice to me!

[Bokisaurus]

Ah nice to see more of these miniature models!😃 they are incredibly nice for such small size and very obscure assortment, too!

[Halichoeres]

I pronounce Myllokunmingia to reflect the city for which it is named. Seems the most logical choice to me!

I tend to agree, so I'm going to keep doing it that way. A bloody-minded part of me wants to say "LAM-o-saurus" for "Lambeosaurus" on similar logic, but I think the five-syllable version of that is pretty ingrained.

Ah nice to see more of these miniature models!😃 they are incredibly nice for such small size and very obscure assortment, too!

Thanks! They really are impressive for their tiny size.

I've updated the reference list on page 1. Since the forum update, URLs are all flanked in quotation marks, which was enough to exceed the character limit on the two posts the list was divided across, so now you'll find it in the original post as well as replies number 3 and 4.

[Halichoeres]

Dinosaurs of the Upper Cretaceous! The normal programming of game miniatures will resume shortly.


PNSO Torosaurus
Scale: 1:30 or a bit larger
Sculptor: Zhao Chuang or someone in his workshop
Released: 2022
Maastrichtian of North America
This was announced long after I'd pre-ordered the gigantic Creative Beast version. This is certainly a better fit to my collection scale-wise, so I'm downsizing to make room for other behemoths on my wish list. Of course, this is a brilliant figure in its own right.


The eyespots look a bit washed out because I used too long an exposure, but they are really nice in person.


I'm generally pretty indifferent to baby dinosaurs (also baby humans) but I have to admit this is cute.


A tyrannosaur (just pretend it's the North American species) tempts fate.


Creative Beast Protoceratops hellenikorhinus
Scale: 1:20 or so based on the holotype skull
Sculptor: David Silva, presumably?
Released: 2022
Campanian of Eurasia
I am normally happy with one figure per genus, but P. hellenikorhinus is distinct enough in both profile and frontal view that I'm glad to have it represent that anatomical variation. This figure looks a little more jungle camo than I was expecting, but really only right up close.


The head. I'm hoping these are spectacularly successful so we might have a chance at all the small ceratopsians that were scrapped for the Kickstarter campaign.


Creative Beast Linheraptor exquisitus
Scale: 1:18
Sculptor: David Silva, presumably?
Released: 2022
Campanian of Eurasia
The bee-eater that will eat your face. The jumping clips work a lot better for figures this size than for the originals; even the accessory pack figures were too heavy. It's really a treat to have good maniraptorans in this scale.


Creative Beast Dromaeosaurus albertensis
Scale: 1:20 or so
Sculptor: David Silva, presumably?
Released: 2022
Campanian of North America
I'll probably move this to a jump clip too, but I wanted to try the toe clip. It almost looks like it's winding up for a leap, except for the hip angle. But the joint resists that amount of flexing and I don't want to force it.


The Oviraptor in the background: "Better him than me!" Creative Beast is now firmly in seventh place among the largest contributors to my collection.

[Bokisaurus]

Nice additions and glad you got the PNSO Torosaurus.
As much as I love the BoTM models they are simply too big and expensive for me🤣

[Leyster]

@Halichoeres you can consider without trouble PNSO's Zhuchengtyrannus a Tyrannosaurus, since David Hone itself notes that may chinese museums uses specimen RTMP 81.6.1 ("Black Beauty") to represent Zhuchengtyrannus. I haven't it, but I can say that the hindlimb lenght thing looks minimal to me (and there is variation in this regard among Tyrannosaurus), the skull is cleary a Tyrannosaurus skull. Only thing it might differ (the model, not Zhuchengtyrannus itself since we don't have them) is arm lenght but as I said I havent the model to compare it with Wilson. To me, it works perfectly as a stand-in for Tyrannosaurus.

PS: great acquisitions!

[SidB]

@Halichoeres , L @Leyster 's suggestion for the Zhuchentyrannus is probably the most practical, unless you want to try jumping backwards trough flaming hoops and get the rare Favorite one, maybe through Brett, if he could swing it.

[Sim]

B @Bokisaurus, the BotM figures @Halichoeres recently acquired are actually small figures.  The Linheraptor in his photo is much smaller and with less articulation than the one you reviewed.

[Concavenator]

Great batch! And assuming you'll be getting rid of the 1:6 versions of those BotM (in addition to the Torosaurus), I think you'll be saving a decent and totally welcome chunk of shelf space!