Signatu Studio - New for 2022

[SidB]

Just thought that I'd drop by this site and see what's up. Really beautiful. But, wow, the breakage - that, with the initial cost, makes these figures a no-go for me. Well, we all have to determine our boundaries, I suppose.

[edu]

After almost 3 weeks (postal strikes ) my order from Miguel has finally arrived... with some damages.

He should send you a replacement! Isn't he doing it?!

[Dusty Wren]

Arrghhh, I'm so sorry, @Flaffy! That is heartbreaking. The antlers are such an obvious potential point of breakage, I'm shocked that they weren't wrapped better. I was putting off ordering mine until after Christmas, but now I'm rethinking it altogether.

The good news is that the repair should be pretty straightforward. Once they're fixed, the breaks won't even be noticeable.

[Flaffy]

Arrghhh, I'm so sorry, @Flaffy! That is heartbreaking.

Yeah... as soon as I heard the parcel rattling from the inside my heart sank. Definitely put a damper on the holiday cheer.

The antlers are such an obvious potential point of breakage, I'm shocked that they weren't wrapped better.

IKR. Miguel explained that he had put packing peanuts in the past, but compression pressure would lead to breaks regardless so he stopped doing it.

But it's absolutely perplexing how anyone would think shipping such delicate structures exposed in a cardboard box would be sufficient protection.

If fossil sellers manage to regularly ship highly fragile trilobites without issue, a better way to ship these resin models is absolutely achievable.

I was putting off ordering mine until after Christmas, but now I'm rethinking it altogether.

The good news is that the repair should be pretty straightforward. Once they're fixed, the breaks won't even be noticeable.

Same here. Definitely rethinking any future purchases at this point. I shouldn't need to spend an extra £50 to get a £100 figure fixed, when damage is absolutely preventable.

And here's to hoping about the repairs... would repair glue even be strong enough to hold the antlers securely in place?

[Dusty Wren]

And here's to hoping about the repairs... would repair glue even be strong enough to hold the antlers securely in place?

I don't have as much experience repairing resin as I do PVC, so take this with a grain of salt. But if you drilled into the antler and the pedicle and set a piece of strong wire between them with a two-part epoxy glue (something like this), I think it would hold. I did something similar when I fixed the snapped antler on my Papo Megaloceros. Resin is heavier than PVC, though, and harder to drill into. You said the Megaloceros came with one antler detached for shipping--did Miguel tell you what glue to use to attach it?

[Flaffy]

And here's to hoping about the repairs... would repair glue even be strong enough to hold the antlers securely in place?

I don't have as much experience repairing resin as I do PVC, so take this with a grain of salt. But if you drilled into the antler and the pedicle and set a piece of strong wire between them with a two-part epoxy glue (something like this), I think it would hold. I did something similar when I fixed the snapped antler on my Papo Megaloceros. Resin is heavier than PVC, though, and harder to drill into. You said the Megaloceros came with one antler detached for shipping--did Miguel tell you what glue to use to attach it?

Miguel told me to use Loctite (cyanoscrilate superglue). Never used the stuff before, nor do I have experience with gluing stuff myself.

I thought about inserting a metal wire too, but yeah like you said resin is far more brittle. Not sure if it's even possible to drill a wire into something that delicate. But as I plan to send these two figures off to be repaired & restored by an artist, I'll probably get them to help me with making a final call on the best course of action.  

[Bokisaurus]

@Flaffy oh no, sorry to hear it broke!
It's my biggest concern that's why I haven't purchased any.
My Sivatherium (different artist) with less fragile and ornate horns also broke during transport and oddly it was packed very similarly to yours.
The thing is, even a tissue paper wrapped around the horns would have help further damage by preventing the piece from rattling and damaging other parts.

I used superglue on mine and it worked really well. Yeah, bummer to spend that much and get a damaged one.
Good luck, hope you can have the model fixed. Absolutely heartbreaking to have such beautiful models arriving damaged.

[Odobenocetops]

Using superglue should not be an issue fue any adult

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I just received my first pieces from Miguel (the gelada baboon and cinereous vulture) and both were packed very well like the hipparion pictured above.

@Flaffy The fossil dealers I know will often glue specimens into tupperware containers if there are delicate parts such as those on some Moroccan trilobites. I suppose it's the same idea, to secure the piece in an open space so there's nothing it could hit.

[Flaffy]

I just received my first pieces from Miguel (the gelada baboon and cinereous vulture) and both were packed very well like the hipparion pictured above.

@Flaffy The fossil dealers I know will often glue specimens into tupperware containers if there are delicate parts such as those on some Moroccan trilobites. I suppose it's the same idea, to secure the piece in an open space so there's nothing it could hit.

Yes that's what I had in mind as well. The "open-space" method of buffering isn't a bad idea per say, but it all boils down to the execution. A good quality tupperware box is near indestructable, and is certainly capable of absorbing a lot of shock, much more than say cardboard.

Having all the antlers packed separately might also help in reducing risk of damage as well.

@Flaffy oh no, sorry to hear it broke!
It's my biggest concern that's why I haven't purchased any.
My Sivatherium (different artist) with less fragile and ornate horns also broke during transport and oddly it was packed very similarly to yours.
The thing is, even a tissue paper wrapped around the horns would have help further damage by preventing the piece from rattling and damaging other parts.

Good idea, I'll bring that up with Miguel so that he can improve his future shipments. I suspect a tiny tip of the Megaloceros's loose antler broke off because of this exact issue. (thankfully the tip was still in the box). I reckon slapping on some FRAGILE ITEM warning labels wouldn't hurt either.

[Faelrin]

@Flaffy So sorry to see this happened with your figure, especially such a costly one.

[Halichoeres]

That's a bummer. A shape that complex should really have custom-cut foam for shipping.

[Dusty Wren]

I noticed that Miguel has added a note to both the Megaloceros and the Eucladoceros on his website that says the figures are now shipped with the antlers detached. That's safer, but I'm still not sure the base of the antlers will provide enough of a surface area for gluing alone to be enough. It really seems like they need to be pinned and glued.

I'm still debating this purchase. I don't have a lot of experience drilling into resin, so pinning it myself will be an adventure. Not sure I'm up for experimenting with an $100+ model.

 

[dinocat]

Got my Eucladoceros last week. One antler broken off clean at base. Was an easy fix to glue it back on.

[Fenestra]

I don't know what to think of this... Signatu Studio on Aliexpress?
Is this bootleg stuff already or does Signatu Studio actually get paid when you would order this item there?

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005004891973795.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.1f9b23bd8PibYt&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller&scm=1007.13339.291025.0&scm_id=1007.13339.291025.0&scm-url=1007.13339.291025.0&pvid=b70ff219-e054-4f99-b218-efb21fc5451e&_t=gps-id%3ApcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller%2Cscm-url%3A1007.13339.291025.0%2Cpvid%3Ab70ff219-e054-4f99-b218-efb21fc5451e%2Ctpp_buckets%3A668%232846%238112%231997&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000030914537175%22%2C%22sceneId%22%3A%223339%22%7D&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21EUR%21154.62%21131.42%21%21%21%21%21%400b0a23a716723488282706687e9aa2%2112000030914537175%21rec&gatewayAdapt=glo2nld

[Flaffy]

I don't know what to think of this... Signatu Studio on Aliexpress?
Is this bootleg stuff already or does Signatu Studio actually get paid when you would order this item there?

I don't see any SignatuStudio products being bootlegged in the link you provided.

Got my Eucladoceros last week. One antler broken off clean at base. Was an easy fix to glue it back on.

That's incredibly unfortunate. Not something that should be happening to 100 euro figures.

[bmathison1972]

I don't know what to think of this... Signatu Studio on Aliexpress?
Is this bootleg stuff already or does Signatu Studio actually get paid when you would order this item there?

I don't see any SignatuStudio products being bootlegged in the link you provided.

There is a SigStudio figure in that link, pics from Miguel's shop. Maybe someone in China bought it and is re-selling it? Or they have already turned a bootleg? Either way, they are using Miguel's studio pics!

[Flaffy]

I don't know what to think of this... Signatu Studio on Aliexpress?
Is this bootleg stuff already or does Signatu Studio actually get paid when you would order this item there?

I don't see any SignatuStudio products being bootlegged in the link you provided.

There is a SigStudio figure in that link, pics from Miguel's shop. Maybe someone in China bought it and is re-selling it? Or they have already turned a bootleg? Either way, they are using Miguel's studio pics!

This is all I see, I can't find any of Miguel's products on this page. Maybe they're hidden deeper in Jurassic Zoo Store's shop?

[Faelrin]

D @dinocat You too? Between @Flaffy and you I think I am reconsidering. Can't risk having a figure breaking when I'm not capable of repairing it, especially considering the conversion rates and international shipping on top of that.

[Flaffy]

D @dinocat You too? Between @Flaffy and you I think I am reconsidering. Can't risk having a figure breaking when I'm not capable of repairing it, especially considering the conversion rates and international shipping on top of that.

It's getting increasingly obvious that the current method of packing is woefully insufficient at protecting delictae fragile figures like the Megaloceros and Eucladoceros. Really hope Miguel finds a solution to this issue...