Controversial opinions on dinosaur toys

[suspsy]

I'd love it if they brought in more sculptors. Sadly, they probably don't have enough budget for that.

[DinoToyForum]

I'd love it if they brought in more sculptors. Sadly, they probably don't have enough budget for that.

Would the budget remain the same, just spread across more people?

[ceratopsian]

Probably more to it than merely budgets. Having an identifiable brand is a cornerstone of business theory. Most companies might be reluctant to choose to ditch that tenet.

[DinoToyForum]

Probably more to it than merely budgets. Having an identifiable brand is a cornerstone of business theory. Most companies might be reluctant to choose to ditch that tenet.

Indeed, but I can think of some counterexamples. the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an 'identifiable brand' that thrives on diversity of styles and tones. Would it be the global success it is now if all MCU movies since 2008 were written and directed by the same person?

[suspsy]

I'd love it if they brought in more sculptors. Sadly, they probably don't have enough budget for that.

Would the budget remain the same, just spread across more people?

Maybe? I admittedly don't know how precisely the hiring process for artists at toy companies. Are they all paid the same salary, or do some demand higher for their services?

[Duna]

I dislike when the same sculptor uses the same face, mouth, eyes, feet and colors in almost all figures.

[GojiraGuy1954]

The companies should diversify more and make things more exciting by bringing in a broader range of sculptors.

I mean we saw how that ended up for Safari in 2021

[Stegotyranno420]

I dislike when the same sculptor uses the same face, mouth, eyes, feet and colors in almost all figures.

Do you have any specific examples?



I actually like when they are all sculpted by the same person, since it gives a sense of unity and commonality.

If one doesn't like the same styles repeated in another company, why not buy that genus from someone else?
Lets say I don't like Pnso's Therizinosaurus.  I have options
I could look for current other figures such as CollectAs and Papo's
I could wait for newer ones
I could attempt to make my own
Or I can attempt to modify the PNSO.
I

[Concavenator]

I agree with @Stegotyranno420 here. A sculptor is the soul of a line, its identity. A company having a plethora of different sculptors would probably make them less recognizable. Nowadays, the diversity of options is higher than ever, you will probably find other options you might prefer.

Here's another controversial opinion: I don't like pics of figures outdoors. Basically, when figures are used for photography trying to replicate natural scenes on natural settings. And seeing figures on the mud, submerged in water... ugh. I just find that disgusting. If I see pics of dinosaur figures I want to see them in a place where I could see myself placing one for display. Very odd opinion to have, I know.   

[Sim]

The major toy lines, especially CollectA, Wild Safari, Papo, and PNSO, are intrinsically too 'samey', i.e. each line is immediately recognisable because they reuse the same sculptor(s) and colour palette for every figure in the line. This makes the appearance of their new releases increasingly predictable and uninspired. As I say, the models are not bad so this is not a criticism of the sculptor's work, it's just an observation that they are 'samey'.

The companies should diversify more and make things more exciting by bringing in a broader range of sculptors.

I think CollectA and Wild Safari suffer from unnecessarily repetitive colour schemes.  I genuinely don't understand why they keep repeating colourations.  In Safari's case the use of yellow and to a lesser extent brown or beige is just too much, for me.  I don't think more sculptors are needed, just more variety in the colourations.

[Stegotyranno420]

Here's another controversial opinion: I don't like pics of figures outdoors. Basically, when figures are used for photography trying to replicate natural scenes on natural settings. And seeing figures on the mud, submerged in water... ugh. I just find that disgusting. If I see pics of dinosaur figures I want to see them in a place where I could see myself placing one for display. Very odd opinion to have, I know.   

I could relate. The most I will ever go is carefully placing the figure in a dry surface with some small vegetation.
Seeing high quality Nanmu or Pnso figures in mud and water is ALMOST like seeing someone repaint it with bright solid colors or throw it into a shredder. Of course, if its carefully done and everything is controlled, they do make for amazing photographs.

But as you said, seeing dinosaurs in a minature shelf museum is much more pleasing, since no figures are at risk of damage.

@Sim exactly. The colors are repeated far to often. I understand if one repeats colors if they are making mammals, but even mammals can sometimes have extravagant colors, such as Giraffes, Zebras, Okapis.
Imagine the possibilities with trichromat dinosaurs

[DinoToyForum]

A sculptor is the soul of a line, its identity. A company having a plethora of different sculptors would probably make them less recognizable.

I understand that point of view. Wild Safari had two sculptors at one point so what do you think of that line, particularly the non-Doug Watson figures (Amargasaurus, Anzu, Kronosaurus, Diplodocus, Malawisaurus, Microraptor, Giganotosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus)? Do you think that line has one soul or two, and does it matter?

[ceratopsian]

I see your point @dinotoyforum but I don't think it's a good parallel. Some of the unity of the Marvel universe comes from scattering the characters across the various segments, even if only in a cameo role. More unity comes from the interconnectedness of the stories. There is a sense of a shared universe that arises from the various stories. And there lies part of the difference. Our models stand alone. They do not have the link that comes from intricate interlocking stories that give substance and recognizability to the Marvel brand.

Probably more to it than merely budgets. Having an identifiable brand is a cornerstone of business theory. Most companies might be reluctant to choose to ditch that tenet.

Indeed, but I can think of some counterexamples. the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an 'identifiable brand' that thrives on diversity of styles and tones. Would it be the global success it is now if all MCU movies since 2008 were written and directed by the same person?

[Newt]

I don't mind multiple sculptors a bit as long as the styles mesh well together. There are many sculptors working on the Beasts of the Mesozoic and PNSO lines (and probably many others). Each of these lines is still consistent in style because one artist serves as art director and makes sure the whole team is oriented to the same goals. The advantage is that the line can produce more figures per year than if a single person had to sculpt every figure.

On the other hand it would be peculiar if a brand offered naturalistic, cartoony, and "awesomebro" style figures in the same line. I would consider that a case of poor art direction, though, not a case of too many sculptors.

As an aspiring sculptor myself, I would love to see more sculptors getting a shot at the big league companies. I guess the biggest stumbling block is the market; unless each company puts out a lot more figures per year, or a lot more companies join the mass market elite, there isn't that much sculpting work to go around.

[Concavenator]

@dinotoyforum that Safari sculptor made some of my all-time favorite Safari pieces, like the Anzu and Microraptor. By soul I pretty much meant continuity and brand recognition. Like when Safari reveals a new figure and people say stuff like "That looks like Doug's style". I don't know how important this is, though I would say having an uniform style helps.

@Newt makes good points about consistency in style and art direction.

[Stegotyranno420]

A sculptor is the soul of a line, its identity. A company having a plethora of different sculptors would probably make them less recognizable.

I understand that point of view. Wild Safari had two sculptors at one point so what do you think of that line, particularly the non-Doug Watson figures (Amargasaurus, Anzu, Kronosaurus, Diplodocus, Malawisaurus, Microraptor, Giganotosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus)? Do you think that line has one soul or two, and does it matter?

I get what you mean, but as other have explained, theg are still consistent.
BUT, I will say that Doug Watson's sculptures feel more natural and unique to me atleast. No disrespect to the other sculptures, but they are usually smoother and more plasticy(?) looking.
I am not saying each company should only have one guy, and my phrasing could have been much improved to "a unifying style" rather than "one person". Like nearly everything there are pros and cons

PROS: More production, more chances for new sculptors, more variety.
Cons: More money required, possibly decreased stylistic unity

At the end of the day, I am happy with what we have, and while I don't discourage new sculptors, I am not yearning for them to join X company either.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I like that I can display figures from the same company together and they look like they belong together. This is especially true with Wild Safari, though I admit that some of the color choices are quite repetitive. On the other hand, Battat had two sculptors, but their styles were very similar and figures from both work together. And then there's the Carnegie with a lower output over a longer period of time. The sculptor was the same the whole time, but the style changed.

[postsaurischian]

To me it doesn't matter how many sculptors a company employs. The only question is: Is he or she good?
A good example would be The Antediluvia Collection by David Krentz. 19 different figures, "only" one sculptor, but imagine those would be converted to 1:40 toy figures, I think nobody would complain that they were too 'samey'.

My controversial opinion would be: I'd like companies like PNSO or REBOR to publicize the names of their sculptors.
If I find a piece of art (music, painting, modelling or whatever) that I like, I always want to know who's behind what I admire. But that's just me. I had a very short discussion about this with REBOR's delegate here, who was strictly against it saying that the sculpting individual's name was unimportant and that it's a collaborative process - therefore the company's name was information enough.

[ceratopsian]

I absolutely agree with you @postsaurischian. I would much prefer all companies to name their sculptors and give them proper credit.

To me it doesn't matter how many sculptors a company employs. The only question is: Is he or she good?
A good example would be The Antediluvia Collection by David Krentz. 19 different figures, "only" one sculptor, but imagine those would be converted to 1:40 toy figures, I think nobody would complain that they were too 'samey'.

My controversial opinion would be: I'd like companies like PNSO or REBOR to publicize the names of their sculptors.
If I find a piece of art (music, painting, modelling or whatever) that I like, I always want to know who's behind what I admire. But that's just me. I had a very short discussion about this with REBOR's delegate here, who was strictly against it saying that the sculpting individual's name was unimportant and that it's a collaborative process - therefore the company's name was information enough.

[Faelrin]

I think there could be some legitimate issues to keep a sculptor anonymous if the individual artist so desires, especially if some aspect of them was public knowledge, which would draw undue attention and harassment (aka not a cis het white male, might have a disability, etc), especially with the hostile geopolitical climate online these days. Even among dinosaur toy collectors there are some unsavory types out there that would stoop to something as low as that. I don't specifically mean Rebor either. Just in general.