Loon's Collection: PNSO Suchomimus (Jan 16, 2023)

[Gwangi]

Love the Safari Anaconda. It has to be my favorite figure of 2022, of an extant animal at least. When I reviewed it I calculated it's scale at 1/9 when scaled down from a length of 17', which means it at least scales well with many other reptile and bird figures. And you're right, it's a good stand-in for Titanoboa. Congrats on your other acquisitions as well, the Theri and Cryo are both fantastic!

[Flaffy]

The other issue is the color scheme. I was prepared for this to be another figure with a variation of that brown paint that has been used by Safari so much over the past couple of years, but I was surprised to find that it's not really. It does strike me as a little closer to that brown than I'd like, but it's more orange in hue. I appreciate them mixing it up.

I think this image perfectly illustrates how boring and overused that yellow+brown colour scheme is on some recent Safari releases. And on the flip side how refreshing it is to see something new in the form of the Cryolophosaurus.

One of the instances where I wouldn't mind if a company repainted their existing models for something more exciting.

[Halichoeres]

Is it the lighting or is the back of the Cryo kind of purplish?

[Loon]

@Gwangi Thank you. That's about the same scale ratio I found. I'm just counting it as a particularly large individual on my shelf.

@Flaffy I'm a little sick of it too honestly. It's a bit too basic, and definitely overdone. I'm hoping that we don't see that paint scheme again.

@Halichoeres it's a bit purplish. I'm guessing it's the navy blue mixing with the orange.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks! I like a little purple now and again. Anyway, thanks for the detailed write-up. Hoping my favorite retailer can get the Therizinosaurus in soon!

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Lovely additions to your ever impressive collection, and nice to see the Safari Cryolophosaurus and PNSO Therizinosaurus in hand am looking forward to them arriving at ED.

[Loon]

Thank you @Gothmog the Baryonyx

Thanks to @brettnj, I got quite a few neat figures from Japan (for more on that check out my new non-dinosaur collection thread).

TakaraTomy A.R.T.S:
Jurassic Park Figure Collection

I first saw this new Jurassic Park set in @Faelrin's thread and I had to get them. I love a good diorama and these are good, but the soft plastic bends easily, so some of the parts are a bit wonky. Despite this, I think The Lost World scene has to be my personal favorite.





Kaiyodo CapsuleQ:
Dakotaraptor and Ornithomimus

I think this may be the first Kaiyodo set I've gotten the year it was released, so that's a first.

As much as I love Ornithomimosaurs, I didn't immediately jump on this set, honestly. I had this assumption, probably from collecting Dinotales for a bit that this figure would be a lot smaller. It's actually relatively big and works well with larger figures. I do really like the pose; the ornithomimid seems to be eternally running for its life, so this alert look is fitting. I do wish the feathers ended mid-thigh like the preserved specimen, but I'll survive.

In my own self-mythologizing, Dakotaraptor is what got really into Paleontology again. I've talked before about the exciting time I had learning about all these dinosaurs I had never heard of, so I won't prattle about it further. Just check out my Paleo-creatures Dakotaraptor review for that. Of course, things have changed and Dakotaraptor is not exactly what I first encountered, being a pretty problematic taxon. Regardless, there was clearly some sort of large Dromaeosaur in Hell Creek, and thus figure is pretty generic as far as large raptors go, so it works well enough in my display. Also, I'd like to congratulate Kaiyodo on finally getting the feathers right...finally.

"Give me my bones!"

PNSO Deinocheirus
Well, it took some time, but my PNSO Deinocheirus finally decided to show up.

I really despise PNSO for holding back and not making feathered dinosaurs sooner, because they are truly their best work. Especially since they have beaks, so I don't have to worry about buying anymore lipless wonders. Deinocheirus is one of the those dinosaurs that I feel in love with when I got back in[REDACTED FOR REPETITION OF OVERLY NOSTALGIC MEMORIES OF THE MID-2010S] This figure just gets it, you know? The heft and the shaggy coat are so beautiful and alive looking. And the paint...again, it's their best work (even if I have some slop on the neck). I do have the same standing issues as a lot of people, even after applying some heat, so that sucks, but I'll live.




Big bird and the kids.

The Nemegt formation group.

A bad picture with my other Deinocheirus, the CollectA version.

With the year coming to a close (thank god), and no other new figures in sight, I think I can say that this is my figure of the year. I honestly can't remember all the new figures I got this year (not that I'm bragging, I just don't remember these things), but I think that's a safe statement. Deinocheirus is one of my favorite dinosaurs and I can't imagine a better one coming out; this is perfect. So, until next time, hope every has a great December and happy holidays.

[Faelrin]

Glad to see you picked up that little Jurassic Park set. I think the Lost World one is my favorite as well, other then the baby raptor. Honestly the whole set is a nice little tribute to the first trilogy.

Very nice seeing the Deinocheirus with the Kaiyodo Ornithomimus and the CollectA Struthiomimus (had no idea it was that small). They look like they size up nicely, give or take. I have both the former two, but can't go about doing something like this with no shelves currently. Glad we got two really nice ornithomimosaurs this year, even if one is pretty frequently made. There's also the Schleich Gallimimus coming out next year, and although leaves things desired, is at least the first feathered version of that genus, and outside of Mattel the first figure of that animal in ages.

[Loon]

@Faelrin Yeah, the TakaraTomy figures are great. It's a shame the JW set didn't turn out as nice in my opinion, but I'm biased.

Also, that Schleich Gallimimus is tempting, especially since it looks to be a larger figure, but it's just a bit too wonky as is for me to seriously consider it. Maybe one day I'll try to customize but, but I don't trust my skills with a figure that big.

[Halichoeres]

Those little vignettes are pretty cute. I'm imagining the rex roaring a very famous NWA song.

Bummer the Deinocheirus won't stand unaided, but lucky that it comes with aid. I haven't picked up the Therizinosaurus yet (next order, along with who knows what future PNSO release), but I'm very glad it came along and took away the temptation to buy Favorite Co's.

[Loon]

@Halichoeres I do feel bad for the Favorite Therizinosaurus, because I don't think it's bad at all, but it does feel like it's from a different era than the PNSO to be honest.

[Halichoeres]

@Halichoeres I do feel bad for the Favorite Therizinosaurus, because I don't think it's bad at all, but it does feel like it's from a different era than the PNSO to be honest.

Kazunari Araki is from a different era, so...yup, checks out. Obviously a very gifted sculptor, though.

[Loon]

God, I didn't realize how long ago the last post in this thread was. My interest in animal figures hasn't been a top priority for the past bit, honestly. Other parts of my collection have taken precedent in the meantime because there's really nothing I'm "hunting" for and I'm trying not to buy everything right when it comes out this year. So, this post is probably the 900th time you've read about this figure.

A couple of months ago, I was so tempted to just bite the bullet and pull the trigger on PNSO's Sinopliosaurus just to stand in for a Suchomimus. I'm glad my unhealthy dedication to my collection spreadsheet, where every figure is referred to by the manufacturer's given product name (yes, even Papo's "Swordfish"), stopped me from jumping the gun like that.

PNSO mostly nails the detailing on their figures, but I often find the color schemes to scream of "throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks." In this case, "everything" means all the earthy greens and browns. The contrast between the grey and tan actually really works and reminds me a lot of 90s Paleoart, like something from John Sibbick or Mark Hallett. The kind of art I grew up with that made dinosaurs seem so real. I associate Suchomimus as being a very late 90s/early 2000s dinosaur for some reason. Ironically, I also tend to prefer the colorful and strange looking duck monsters that Luis Rey and DK made them out to be. None of that takes away from this figure, mind you. Just a preference thing.

Speaking of preference, for a long time Safari LTD. had the only worthwhile Suchomimus available and it's been in my collection for a while now, but it never sat well with me. A lot of Safari figures circa-2014 were just too small for me, and I think the sculpts aren't as well defined as they could be. The body shape does strike me as quintessentially more accurate to the image of a tortilla chip shaped body that I have traditionally seen Suchomimus restored with, but I do still find myself preferring the PNSO.

Battat's Ouranosaurus still makes for a good companion, even if the Suchomimus is a bit large in comparison. This is a species I'd love to see a modern update of (crazy, flashy colors please).

And finally, time for the family photo with all my other Spinosaurids. This group's really seen a resurgence in the last few years with banger after banger. The diversity in this bunch is astounding and I love that they're all from different companies with their own styles, but are still clearly related.


That's it for now, since I imagine it'll be a little while before I next share a new figure here. I'm trying to hold off on ordering until more figures I want are released. As tempting as the new CollectA stuff may be...

[Halichoeres]

Wow, that head-on shot really shows how crazy narrow the jaws were. As for Ouranosaurus, I have a feeling that PNSO will make one before long.

[Loon]

@Halichoeres I would love to see their take on Ouranosaurus. Hopefully, and I know this is a long shot, they carry the colors over from their mini because those are fantastic.