Safari Ltd: New for 2023

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I do think a wash would help the colors a bit, they are super bright. Just need a bit of "knocking down" to look a little more realistic? 

I really wish there was some way to get the teeth sharper on these. I know there are reasons they aren't though.  The Deinonychus looked great with his closed mouth as it wasn't an issue.

[Prehistory Resurrection]

[Shane]

I do think a wash would help the colors a bit, they are super bright. Just need a bit of "knocking down" to look a little more realistic? 

I really wish there was some way to get the teeth sharper on these. I know there are reasons they aren't though.  The Deinonychus looked great with his closed mouth as it wasn't an issue.

I can tell you that in hand the colors, especially the blue, are much more "muted". It's a slate blue, not a bright pastel blue.

[Flaffy]

I do think a wash would help the colors a bit, they are super bright. Just need a bit of "knocking down" to look a little more realistic? 

Yeah, the particular shade & single-toned blue used makes the figure feel very toy-ish. Defo needs some toning down, but a great base to work off of for customisation.

I really wish there was some way to get the teeth sharper on these. I know there are reasons they aren't though.  The Deinonychus looked great with his closed mouth as it wasn't an issue.

I get that it's for safety... But a number of Safari figures have claws that are quite sharp. So IMO it doesn't really make sense to dull and round the teeth off when there's plenty of sharp bits on the figure already.

[Shane]

I get that it's for safety... But a number of Safari figures have claws that are quite sharp. So IMO it doesn't really make sense to dull and round the teeth off when there's plenty of sharp bits on the figure already.

It's a safety issue, but it's also a molding issue. Molding sharper, more individualized teeth involves much more precise molding which would be much more expensive and result in a figure not in the affordable range that Safari figures aim for.

[DragonRider02]

The sculpt looks great, but the way the coloration is executed makes it look quite cheap, unfortunately (when I saw it on FB for a split second I though it's a Recur product...). It doesn't resemble the Peregrine Falcon at all to me, it looks like Blue-Masked Lovebird instead.
I am still probably gonna pick it up at some point, but I am more disappointed than excited about it...

[ceratopsian]

Thanks for this in hand colour perspective, S @Shane.  It does look an incredibly bright blue in the photos and I was having a bit of trouble marrying it up with a Peregrine!

I do think a wash would help the colors a bit, they are super bright. Just need a bit of "knocking down" to look a little more realistic? 

I really wish there was some way to get the teeth sharper on these. I know there are reasons they aren't though.  The Deinonychus looked great with his closed mouth as it wasn't an issue.

I can tell you that in hand the colors, especially the blue, are much more "muted". It's a slate blue, not a bright pastel blue.

[Jose S.M.]

I agree that a wash can improve the figure and all that, but remembering some comments recently made on the controversial opinions thread regarding Safari vs Battat paint applications makes me feel a little bad for companies because one way or another they never please everyone. It's only natural though, since everyone has different taste but trying to find a middle point must be hard sometimes.

[SenSx]

At first I found the proportions weird, but I guess that's how the animal is, I trust Safari figures for their accuracy, and the pose and angle of certain shots increase this impression.
I would have prefered a more neutral pose, but we alwready had the Velociraptor and Deinonychus like that so I understand this choice.
The colors are cool.
Probably a buy for me (next year in Europe probably).

We alwready had two theropods so no Herrerasaurus for this year again I guess

[GojiraGuy1954]

At first I found the proportions weird, but I guess that's how the animal is, I trust Safari figures for their accuracy, and the pose and angle of certain shots increase this impression.
I would have prefered a more neutral pose, but we alwready had the Velociraptor and Deinonychus like that so I understand this choice.
The colors are cool.
Probably a buy for me (next year in Europe probably).

We alwready had two theropods so no Herrerasaurus for this year again I guess

2021 was 3 theropods so you never know

[Kapitaenosavrvs]

Thank you both for the advice @Dusty Wren S @Shane ! I look forward to seeing your customisation Wren, Doug's sculpts do deserve better paint than what the factory applies indeed. Good call on using a purplish blue, would help add an extra layer to the paint scheme without too much extra effort.

Should I be getting a larger brush for applying washes? I currently have a daintly little one for detail work, something that I used to touch up my Patagotitan's eyes and mouth.

Depends on the Area you want to wash. A brush this small can't hold much Wash, so it is really more for smaller areas. A broader flat brush ist great for bigger areas. You have to experiment a bit.
Oh, and you could have a look at really small and pointed brushes for Detailwork. Eyeballs are easily done (to me it feels like that) with a wooden toothpick for Example. You can also push them in a 90° angle on the Table and make the Surface a bit bigger before using it. Just an idea.

Btw: I really like the Utah. The Pictures seem to look really "bad".

In the Video of D @Dino Scream3232 i can clearly see, that is is still quite bright, but not THAT bright. Fantastic Sculpt! And a great mix of Birdness and Dinosaur look. The Pose is really dramatic, but it is perfect for having their Deinonychus and velociraptor together. Even if not in scale. But i know, so its not a problem for me.

The feathers look fantastic, smooth and thick. My only "complaint" is the Design of this "black Helmet" It makes the Head proportions look a bit weird to me. I think i would want to change that, when i get it. And i def. will. Finally a good Time to get the Velo and Deinonychus aswell. As great as they are, every time i did not order them.

Great Work, Doug and Safari.

[Lynx]

The coloration reminds me of a European Magpie, oddly enough.

[Shane]

I agree that a wash can improve the figure and all that, but remembering some comments recently made on the controversial opinions thread regarding Safari vs Battat paint applications makes me feel a little bad for companies because one way or another they never please everyone. It's only natural though, since everyone has different taste but trying to find a middle point must be hard sometimes.

You have to strike a balance, especially with costs rising in every aspect of production.

You could "spare no expense" like PNSO or BOTM, but then your figure is 2x or 3x more expensive and not affordable for the everyday consumer.

I think, once in hand, the sculptural details speak for themselves and it's not quite as "plain" as some are making it out to be, but as has been said, at the end of the day these are toys.

[Patrx]

So thrilled about the new Utahraptor! Looks very accurate, and the size and color are ideal. Dromaeosaur figs tend to be too small for my liking a lot of the time, especially when companies are trying to make dinos of vastly different sizes scale with each other. Then, the sauropods are too big to afford and/or the little dinos are too small to have any detail. Better to just pick a scale per animal so they can all look their best! At least, that's my philosophy 

As to the complexity of the paint apps, I think most mass-produced toy animals look their best after a little extra wash and some dry-brushing, I tend to think of the factory paint as a starting point. Love the black, white, and blue on this one.

[Flaffy]

Has anyone worked out the scale this Utahraptor figure is in?

Edit:
Just did the maths. At 25cm, the Safari Utahraptor would be 1/18-20 depending on the estimate you use. So would work well with both Mattel's humans and BotM figures. BotM's Utahraptor on the other hand would represent an over 6m long individual at 1/18 scale, noteably oversized but not surprising for the line.

[Thialfi]

Love it. Finally a proper Utahraptor to grace our collections!

[Faelrin]

@Doug Watson Glad to see you took inspiration for the coloration from the Peregrine Falcon. That was one of my favorite birds growing up. Still is honestly. Glad you sculpted this one too. Your dromaeosaurids are easily some of the best options on the market.

[Sim]

I keep going back to Safari's website and looking at pictures of the Utahraptor, it's so good!  It was a great choice from Safari to make it.  Thanks @Doug Watson for making it!

[Gwangi]

Oh, a review from Dino-Scream AND Andy. I guess I was wrong about Safari only giving out one review sample. 

[Sim]

Spinodude also got the Safari Majungasaurus early, in addition to you.