Concavenator’s Collection (new 08/05/2024)

[Concavenator]

@Halichoeres Hmmm well, for instance Doug chose Citipati instead of the less complete Oviraptor... but with Therizinosaurus in particular I don't know, it seems super popular these days, so who knows if he might give it a try regardless. He also made an Ankylosaurus when Scolosaurus would have been a better choice as far as remains' completeness is concerned.

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Binomial name: Diplodocus carnegii (Hatcher, 1901)
Etymology: "Carnegie's double beam" (Greek)
Classified as: Dinosauria -> Saurischia -> Sauropodomorpha -> Bagualosauria -> Massopoda -> Sauropodiformes -> Sauropoda -> Eusauropoda -> Neosauropoda -> Diplodocoidea -> Diplodocimorpha -> Flagellicaudata -> Diplodocidae -> Diplodocinae
Period: Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian - Tithonian)
Fossils found in: Morrison Formation, present day USA (North America)

Company: Eofauna
Line: Figures
Sculptor: Shu-yu Hsu (probably)
Based on: CM 84 & USNM 10865
Year of release: 2022

Review:

Spoiler

One of the best known sauropods as well as one of the most famous dinosaurs. It initially suffered from being named on the basis of a non-diagnostic, fragmentary specimen (YPM 1920), in the context of the "Bone Wars" of Cope and Marsh. Afterwards, most of Diplodocus research has been based on CM 84 (holotype of D. carnegii), a nearly complete skeleton (Taylor 2017). Diplodocus was surprisingly lightweight for a sauropod. Still, adults were surely safe from predation (Brusatte 2019).

Replaces Carnegie's version. It's interesting Eofauna based this reconstruction on their own study, and on another hand, the colour scheme was designed by the amazing paleoartist Andrey Atuchin, so all in all, the result is awesome.

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[Lynx]

Three very nice new figures! That Chasmosaurus especially is surprisingly good. Usually ignored species, when eventually made into a figure, come out poorly, but this one is probably my favorite out of the bunch.

[Bread]

Eofauna's Diplodocus is a wonderful model! I regret selling it off all the time...

Do you prefer the Atlasaurus or the Diplodocus? I've considered getting the Atlasaurus but I've always been reluctant.

[Ludodactylus]

Great new additions, @5aurophaganax , and I think you'll love the PNSO Styracosaurus. I consider it the jewel of my collection and the figure I would keep if I could only keep one.

[Halichoeres]

Very flattered to be quoted! Still waiting for an Arrhinoceratops.

Meanwhile, nice new additions! I'm glad you're pleased with the Chasmosaurus. I also found that the color scheme grew on me, although it was not among my favorites when it was first revealed.

I prefer the PNSO Lambeosaurus for scale reasons, but it does have pretty wispy limbs; the Qualia version is better in that respect. I know a lot of people don't like the PNSO's paint scheme either, although I personally find it quite attractive.

[Concavenator]

Thank you everyone for taking a look!

@Lynx yeah, Chasmosaurus is quite overlooked by figure companies. I guess it's because companies don't care that much for a species' historical or taxonomic relevance, and rather focus on those species that are most popular/famous.

@Bread Hmmm... tough choice. I think I might prefer the Diplodocus, simply because I like Diplodocus more than Atlasaurus as an animal. But I love them both a lot. Personally I highly recommend the Atlasaurus. It's an amazing figure of a very unusual sauropod with fairly complete remains, and sauropods in particular seem to be Eofauna's specialty (along with proboscideans).

@Ludodactylus thank you! Glad to learn you like it so much, looking forward to it even more!    PNSO really knocked it out of the park with their latest ceratopsids I think, and the Styracosaurus is no exception. And since Styracosaurus is one of my favorite dinosaurs, it was a must have!

@Halichoeres well I checked the DTC site and apparently Arrhinoceratops has never been made before (I checked your collection thread and there's that one by Planeta DeAgostini). Turns out that it's only known from a skull, though ceratopsid's bauplan is essentially the same, it should be safely reconstructed from other chasmosaurines. Is it one of your favorite ceratopsids?

When it comes to the BotM Chasmosaurus, at first it was actually my least favorite out of the entire ceratopsian lineup. Quite ironic that it ended up being my first figure of said series.

I don't dislike the PNSO Lambeosaurus' colour scheme, it's one of their more original paint schemes, but I prefer the simpler one on the Qualia, plus coupled with the stockier limbs, more prominent hooves (as a matter of artistic preference, they have only been found in Edmontosaurus regalis anyways), the fact that I didn't yet have any Qualia figure and the more affordable price made me go for this one instead.

[Halichoeres]

I don't know if I have a favorite, I just notice that most reasonably well-known ceratopsians (as in, at least a well-preserved skull) have at least one good figure now, even if a somewhat expensive one like BotM or Kaiyodo Dinoland. But Arrhinoceratops still doesn't.

[Concavenator]

I don't know if I have a favorite, I just notice that most reasonably well-known ceratopsians (as in, at least a well-preserved skull) have at least one good figure now, even if a somewhat expensive one like BotM or Kaiyodo Dinoland. But Arrhinoceratops still doesn't.

I think the problem with taxa like Arrhinoceratops is that, as you once said, it's one of those ceratopsids known from long ago but that are not super famous, so it seems they get forgotten or aren't interesting (for companies). Speaking of which, I would like an Anchiceratops! And while Chasmosaurus and Centrosaurus also fit in that description, at least they're both naming the two subfamilies of ceratopsids, so that's some sort of fame there.

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Binomial name: Styracosaurus albertensis (Lambe, 1913)
Etymology: "Spiked lizard from Alberta" (Greek)
Classified as: Dinosauria -> Ornithoscelida -> Ornithischia -> Genasauria -> Neornithischia -> Marginocephalia -> Ceratopsia -> Neoceratopsia -> Coronosauria -> Ceratopsoidea -> Ceratopsidae -> Centrosaurinae -> Eucentrosaura -> Centrosaurini
Period: Late Cretaceous (Campanian)
Fossils found in: Dinosaur Park Formation, present day Canada (North America)

Company: PNSO
Line: Prehistoric Animal Models
Sculptor: somebody from Zhao Chuang's atelier
Based on: AMNH 5372
Year of release: 2022

Review:

Spoiler

An iconic centrosaurine characterized by large spike-like epiossifications projecting from its frill (Holmes et al. 2020). Multiple individuals of this species have been found (Ryan, Holmes & Russell 2007). It was the most commmon ceratopsid in the Dinosaur Park Formation together with Centrosaurus apertus (Holmes et al. 2020).

It's surprising I've waited this long to get a Styracosaurus figure, but I'm glad I did. It's really superb. Accuracy-wise, I don't see any issues with it. PNSO stated they based this model on AMNH 5372, and from what I see, it's a very faithful reconstruction. Plus it's always nice to get figures based on concrete specimens. I recommend you also take a look at PNSO's video where they talk in further detail about this model. I think these videos they make are very nice and I always commend companies who reason out their reconstructions.

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[Halichoeres]

An excellent Styracosaurus. Stands out even in a genus where there is very strong competition.

Anchiceratops has several figures, but I think they're all either too large or too small for your collection. I would trade in my Kaiyodo Dinoland one for a smaller version, but not so small as the Kaiyodo Dinotales version!

[SidB]

This Styraco IS superb, my favorite now. The legendary Battat has finally been surpassed - I've put mine into storage, not getting rid of it. It will always have a place in many collector's inventory, I think. To the point though, I glad that you have the pleasure of enjoying the new PNSO one, @5aurophaganax.

[Concavenator]

@Halichoeres well the Dinoland sure is too big for me, but I would be okay with something as small as the Dinotales, even if it's not in my preferred scale. I like that Dinotales figure (especially the orange variant). However, I don't think I'll be getting it because it's a retired item and I find the retro/discontinued figures collecting to be rather tiresome and frustrating. Not to mention I care about scientific accuracy and these discontinued figures are usually outdated in some way (not in this case though, that Anchiceratops looks pretty good) and there's the possibility of new and up to date figures of those species to be released.

S @SidB thank you! And it's a worthy substitute for your Battat figure indeed. It's still an iconic figure though, and holds up pretty good today. That's just a testament to the quality of those figures, which is surprisingly good when you take into account the time they were released at! Also, I changed back my username to my older one - Concavenator.

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So this is how my setup looks as of January 2023.

Coming from my last update (April 2022), I rearranged the collection and went from a company-based display (which is how I've always displayed my collection) to a taxonomy group-based display (well, kind of, as you'll see). You'll also notice I sold some figures. I never thought I'd like to arrange my collection in such a manner because of the differences in sculpting style among the different companies (that's why I used to display my collection by companies) but recently I've been thinking about giving it a try and I'm liking the result. In this case, the differences in style are compensated by anatomical similarities. My collection is now organized into 3 big rows:



The non-dinosaur + sauropodomorph (and Herrerasauridae, when/if I get any of them) row. Uppermost shelf for non-dinosaurs (very unspecific, I know), the underneath one for diplodocoid sauropods and the lowermost one was supposed to be destined to macronarian sauropods, though I'm placing the Atlasaurus there because of its superficial resemblance to brachiosaurids. If I need it, I may leave a different shelf for earlier sauropodomorphs later on.



The theropod row (if you ignore the wooden Triceratops puzzle at the top). The one at the top is the non-coelurosaur/early theropod shelf (again, very unspecific) which includes the early Coelophysis and the only allosauroids and megalosauroids I currently have. Beneath, there are 2 shelves for coelurosaurs, the upper one includes the non-paravians (which is almost the therizinosaur shelf lol) and the lower one the paravians (which is all Dromaeosauridae at the moment).



Finally, the ornithischian row. This is my favorite row because all the groups featured are natural, so in that aspect, the display feels more homogenous. On top, the thyreophorans, below the ceratopsians (the shadows they project look cool  ) and at the bottom the ornithopod (I only have the Qualia Lambeosaurus so far)/prehistoric life and paleontology-themed book shelf.

That's all for now. I have 24 figures of 9 different companies (and 24 unique species because I only collect 1 figure/genus). My collection is very modest but I'm happy with it.

[SidB]

Well, I think that the name reversion is a good thing, IMO, @Concavenator , as I find the older name easier to manage. Plus, it connects you historically to your earlier DTF persona, which is a real positive as far as I'm concerned.

[Halichoeres]

This is such a contrast from my shelves. It's very attractive, though. It gives each figure a pride of place, like it really had to earn its spot. And you can easily grab a figure to admire it up close without worrying about upsetting its neighbors!

[Crackington]

Very nicely presented collection @Concavenator - well spread out which allows greater focus on each model.

Just wondering what you are using for the plastic stands? Did you buy them somewhere or are you using re-purposed plastic from everyday goods?

I use all sorts for my plinths, pizza dividers, Ferrero Roche containers etc - it's cheap and keeps them out the landfill. I do have some more Japanese expensive plastic glass boxes too from a while ago, but they were pricey and I can't afford new ones at the moment.

[Concavenator]

Thank you all for stopping by! 

S @SidB thank you, I wasn't very happy with 5aurophaganax in the end, back then I changed to it because it's my DeviantArt username, guess it's that username what I will be changing at some point (chose it 8 years ago, so quite some time has happened).

@Halichoeres thanks! Hehe I imagine it's quite a contrast! Yours is probably one of the largest collections around here, and mine is easily one of the smallest. I'm totally the opposite of a completist myself, and since I have sold a big part of my collection, I'm now in a very unusual but welcome situation for collectors like us: plenty of room available!

@Crackington thank you! Those I use are acrylic transparent stands. I bought them in packs (3 packs in total, 2 from AliExpress and 1 from Amazon), and they're quite expensive for what they are indeed (the most expensive ones did cost me around 27 €, as much or even more than some actual figures) but decided to go for them anyways because I figured they would look nicer than everyday objects. However, their function can easily be substituted by the sort of stuff you mention and still look good. This video is a good example (not sure if you watched it already):

[Crackington]

Thanks for sharing the video, I hadn't actually seen it before and some good tips on there. Your bases look very good so congratulations on spotting them.

I remembered that my expensive cases were from the Japanese store Muji which has some UK stores. They are acrylic cases which are transparent and very tough, so a worthwhile investment. The ones I have are great for smaller Kaiyodo sized models (which suits me not having much space!). Not sure what they have now though, it's over ten years ago!

Here's their website anyway in case people want to check them out:

https://www.muji.com/uk/compactlife/

[Concavenator]

Binomial name: Diabloceratops eatoni (Kirkland & DeBlieux, 2010)
Etymology: "[Jeffrey] Eaton's devil-horned face" (Greek and Spanish)
Classified as: Dinosauria -> Ornithoscelida -> Ornithischia -> Genasauria -> Neornithischia -> Marginocephalia -> Ceratopsia -> Neoceratopsia -> Coronosauria -> Ceratopsoidea -> Ceratopsidae -> Centrosaurinae
Period: Late Cretaceous (Campanian)
Fossils found in: Wahweap Formation, present day USA (North America)

Company: Safari Ltd.
Line: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Sculptor: Doug Watson
Year of release: 2013

Review:

Spoiler

The basalmost centrosaurine (Ishikawa, Tsuihiji & Manabe 2023). It is known from two specimens: UMNH VP 16699 (the holotype) and UMNH VP 16704, both being partial skulls (Kirkland & Deblieux 2010). It is morphologically similar to the younger Machairoceratops (Lund et al. 2016).

Replaces the Schleich version, which I sold two years ago. Also, feels good to have a Watson ceratopsid in my collection again! I've been having this figure on the radar for some good 10 years now, and it took me to be aware of its retirement to finally grab it. Guess I'll be having to ask what are the major companies' plans for retirements every year, so I don't miss out on stuff.

Anyways, ever since I learned of Diabloceratops back in 2012, it's been one of my favorite ceratopsids. I think it's my second favorite ceratopsid genus after Styracosaurus.

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[Halichoeres]

Did you ever own the old permanently-surprised CollectA Diabloceratops? That was my first, which the Safari then replaced.

[Concavenator]

Did you ever own the old permanently-surprised CollectA Diabloceratops? That was my first, which the Safari then replaced.

Nope, I only had the Schleich version prior to this one. I was going to ask why you initially went with the CollectA instead of the Safari since both were released the same year, but now that I think about it, I also don't exactly recall why I went with the Schleich instead of simply going with this one back then ...  Sure, it may be among the better figures from Schleich, but that's setting the bar low, and that figure still gets beaten by this Watson version from 6 years prior.

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Binomial name: Qianzhousaurus sinensis (Lü et al., 2014)
Etymology: "Chinese lizard from Qianzhou" (Greek)
Classified as: Dinosauria -> Ornithoscelida -> Theropoda -> Neotheropoda -> Averostra -> Tetanurae -> Coelurosauria -> Tyrannoraptora -> Tyrannosauroidea -> Tyrannosauridae -> Tyrannosaurinae -> Alioramini
Period: Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
Fossils found in: Nanxiong Formation, present day China (Asia)

Company: Safari Ltd.
Line: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Sculptor: Doug Watson
Based on: GM F10004
Year of release: 2020

Review:

Spoiler

An unusual tyrannosaurid which helped define a new subgroup of longirostrine tyrannosaurines (Lü et al. 2014). Because of its relatively large size (almost twice the size of both Alioramus species), its description suggested the body plan seen in Alioramus species does not correspond to juveniles, but instead to unusually, lightly built Tyrannosauridae (Lü et al. 2014).

I'm glad that I was able to get it. Qianzhousaurus is one of my favorite tyrannosaurids and is also among my favorite paleontological discoveries in recent years. This Safari figure replaces the PNSO version, which I sold last year. This one gets right what the PNSO figure gets wrong (i.e. a too elongated skull, lack of lips, oversized scales, a maybe too bulky body and slightly too big feet as well?). I also like the colors better. Tyrannosaurs are, in my opinion, Doug Watson's strongest point together with dromaeosaurids and thyreophorans. This Qianzhousaurus is now the only/first tyrannosaur in my collection at the moment.

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[Quiversaurus]

Can't believe I'm only visiting this thread now but I started from page 1 and it's been great seeing your collection develop! I think I've mentioned before how much I like your method of collecting figures - it's very similar to my rules.

And as many others have said, it's a great collection, very thoughtfully curated and unique, and wonderfully presented on the shelves.

You're making me want to also start a thread of my collection, though it's only three species full now...