Ceratopsian's custom paints and everything else: new 10 May 2024

[ceratopsian]

And as I'm on a roll: here's my pair of Haolonggood Ouranosaurus.  I mentioned this taxon when vampiredesign asked for animals we would like to see, so I was thrilled to see one released.  Just like the Nasutoceratops, I couldn't decide which colour version I didn't want, so bought both.  Haolonggood's releases this year hold great appeal for me, despite the mis-steps in accuracy - which I'm more than prepared to live with.  The colour palettes and patterns that their artist has chosen delight my eyes; I appreciate the complexity of the paint schemes; the gradation is well done.  Application is excellent.  Another factor in my joy in their last two releases - and in the third one that has been teased today - is their current focus on ornithischians.  It isn't that I don't buy theropods - I do, just not with the same assiduity.  So while PNSO is in its current theropod phase, Haolonggood is keeping my collector's spirits up.  So thank you, V @vampiredesign - I'm eagerly looking forward to the next release.

I have a slight preference for the green version of Ouranosaurus.  There's something very satisfying about the irregular green/sky blue stripes over the long neural spines.  The gradation of brown down into the legs is excellently done; and there is superb balance in how the orange on the snout skips in more muted tone down the neck, across the top of the sail over the trunk, and then explodes into life at the end of the tail.  (I like striking tail tips in general.)

The brown version though has its paint pleasures.  "Brown" doesn't quite do it justice.  It's a very vivid orangey/reddish brown.  I like the irregular dark brown patterning, somewhere between stripes and spots, especially how it morphs into spots on the legs.  Very nicely done.  The turquoise is very vivid indeed - some serious intra-specific signalling going on here!  There's a tiny speck of white on the sail tip amid the turquoise, but that's fine: animals don't have perfect coloration necessarily.  The brown version is less crisp out of its mould that its sibling.  The detail is slightly softer, most noticeable in the company name on the belly.  The body scales are all just that bit less crisp - but it's not obvious unless you look quite critically.

So all in all, a very elegant pair.  I like the lift of the left back foot, which gives the pose a bit of life.

Here's some images:

First up, the green version displaying its magnificently coloured snout:



A fortuitous "tree trunk" hiding its unfortunate manus, as it studiously ignores the turquoise tail tip of its sibling:



Breeding colours?



Borrowing the base of the Haolonggood Dicraeosaurus, plus a bit of strategically placed moss:  (Actually the grey Nasutoceratops has permanently commandeered this base, as the Dicraeosaurus pair display better at different levels, one on its base, the other without it.)



The pair together, enjoying a quiet feed and keeping watch for danger:



On the move again:





And finally finding some rather unexpected foreign visitors on their patch!



If you want to see hi-res images - or even more images, as I got rather carried away - here's a link to my Flickr album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69501171@N03/albums/72177720307287868

[SidB]

Splendid displays, @ceratopsian . I initially just purchased the 'brown' Nasuto, buy your previous images of the blue model convinced me to pull the trigger and order one too. I'm trying to restrain myself with the green Ouranosaurus alone, but, again, this is great marketing for the other variant as well.

[Flaffy]

Thanks for all the pics @ceratopsian ! The colour schemes are all so pretty, it's hard to choose which one not to purchase!

Interesting to hear that one Ouranosaurus has less crisp detail than the other though. Do you have a side-by-side close up shot of where the difference in detail clarity is the most obvious?

I thought that the orange ver. looked slightly softer than the green one, but chalked it up to the choice of colours making the details pop less than bright green on the other variant.

[ceratopsian]

Thank you S @SidB!  Many a time I've been "led astray" by another member's photographs. Enthusiasm is catching!

Splendid displays, @ceratopsian . I initially just purchased the 'brown' Nasuto, buy your previous images of the blue model convinced me to pull the trigger and order one too. I'm trying to restrain myself with the green Ouranosaurus alone, but, again, this is great marketing for the other variant as well.

[ceratopsian]

Thanks @Flaffy. Yes, it's certainly a case for me of which one not to buy!

I've tried a snap of their undersides to show the difference in crispness.  You can see it clearly - though I think the (unedited) photo has rather over-emphasised the difference.  Note especially how difficult it is to see all the "Made in PRC" line on the orange tummy.  But when all is said and done, I don't look at them on the shelf and see any distracting disparity between the two.  I suspect my eye interprets any discrepancy as due to light/difference in colour/different distance away.

[Halichoeres]

Good to see someone make a serious attempt at this striking animal after such a long hiatus. Wonderful coloration as usual with Haolonggood.

[TooOldForDinosaurs]

Beautiful photos! I think I like the green one better. 

[Flaffy]

Thanks @Flaffy. Yes, it's certainly a case for me of which one not to buy!

I've tried a snap of their undersides to show the difference in crispness.  You can see it clearly - though I think the (unedited) photo has rather over-emphasised the difference.  Note especially how difficult it is to see all the "Made in PRC" line on the orange tummy.  But when all is said and done, I don't look at them on the shelf and see any distracting disparity between the two.  I suspect my eye interprets any discrepancy as due to light/difference in colour/different distance away.

Thank you! Very interesting... I wonder if anyone who owns both versions has noticed this moulding discrepancy on their copies.

The green one feels more matt too, compared to the more glossy orange one.

[ceratopsian]

Agreed, @Flaffy.  The orange is glossier.

[Concavenator]

Congratulations on your new figures, Haolonggood has sure stepped up their game compared to their releases from last year. I intend to get the pink version at some point, but it will face a surgery before coming my way!

[ceratopsian]

The pair of Tianzhenosaurus by Haolonggood arrived only about a fortnight after placing my order. I took them into the garden for a quick photoshoot, again with my iPad.  They commandeered the very useful base created by Martin recently for the Wild Safari Zuul.  She came along too just to check that it was being treated properly!  And a few PNSO models tagged along.

I couldn't fault the paint scheme and application on these little models. That is proving to be Haolonggood's great strength. I'm very much looking forward to further releases from this firm and hope V @vampiredesign has plenty more surprises for us.









With the Wild Safari Zuul (Martin's repaint):





With the PNSO Pinacosaurus (one of my favourite models):



And with the PNSO Ankylosaurus (another great favourite of mine):



If you want hi-resolution or even more photos, here's the link to my Flickr album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69501171@N03/albums/72177720307632259/with/52846090828/

Rather weirdly, the green version reminds me of the Jade Vine, Strongylodon macrobotrys!

[Paleo Flo]

Nice figures indeed. But the paintjob has a very strong resemblence with the PNSO ANkylosaurus (also one of my fav PNSO-figures).

I'm thinking of getting the "Capucino"-Nasuto despite the inaccurat horns and/or one of the Ouranosaurus.

[ceratopsian]

I don't find it a "very strong" resemblance, only similar.  The tonal range is different.  The Haolonggood is reddish/purple in tone, the PNSO brown/yellow.  The application is also different, with the Haolonggood giving the appearance of a mosaic of coloured tessarae, while the PNSO has more of a soft brown stripe effect.  The flanks are also different, as the Haolonggood is strongly spotted.  But I tend to focus on detail, so my brain will prioritise differences.

[Paleo Flo]

I don't find it a "very strong" resemblance, only similar.  The tonal range is different.  The Haolonggood is reddish/purple in tone, the PNSO brown/yellow.  The application is also different, with the Haolonggood giving the appearance of a mosaic of coloured tessarae, while the PNSO has more of a soft brown stripe effect.  The flanks are also different, as the Haolonggood is strongly spotted.  But I tend to focus on detail, so my brain will prioritise differences.

Ok I see. Let's say it's quite similar.

[ceratopsian]

That's fine of course @Paleo Flo. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

[Paleo Flo]

That's fine of course @Paleo Flo. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

That's true my friend 

[ceratopsian]

Now for a break from the run of Haolonggood and the excitement of a "new kid on the block".  I have a real soft spot for CollectA models and ordered a few from Everything Dinosaur when they came into stock recently.  I honestly didn't need another Triceratops - but it seemed a bit mean not to adopt one, given that it would come with friends (and hence sunk cost postage) and was so cheap!

I often associate a dinosaur toy with some memory or incident in my past, and I was very excited when it was announced that CollectA would be releasing a Ruyangosaurus. I have a particularly soft spot for this sauropod, as it brings back sunlit memories of my trip to China in 2019 to visit dinosaur museums, which now seems another world away.  When we were greeted in the wonderful open plaza in front of the Lufeng Museum, I was astonished when the director introduced his elderly companion as Professor Dong Zhiming.  I was so surprised by the unexpected honour that I instinctively produced an ad hoc bow, which went down very well!  The other people in my group didn't recognise his name, so did not react with the level of astonishment.

Professor Dong showed us round what was essentially his museum.  It fell mostly to me to try to converse with him, as the other group members were a bit shy once they knew who he was, and also were more shy than I about making themselves understood.  I remember while we were standing on the walkway, looking down at the in situ bonebed, how very keen he was to convey to me that China too had massive titanosaurs, the equal of those found in South America.  I think he knew this wasn't well known outside China. He understood quite a bit of English but spoke with a heavy accent and it took several attempts for me to work out the name Ruyangosaurus.  It wasn't a genus that I had heard of and I remember his patience as he made sure but I had the name correct and his delight when I was able to repeat it properly.  He was a delightful man, kind and welcoming to the group of foreigners who had turned up at his museum.  Afterwards he and his palaeontologist wife came to lunch with us at a local restaurant. He was very happy to autograph books we had purchased.  He and his wife lived in a little bungalow provided for them by the state within the museum grounds.  A good day, and how pleasing to have the CollectA model to bring it to mind once more!

It's an impressively bulky model with a lot of presence. It really conveys the size and power of a titanosaur. The massively thick neck is particularly eye catching. The details are nicely done - correctly modelled feet, nice folds around the belly and legs to suggest movement, without overdoing things. Even the small head and tiny black eye have been imbued with a serene, calm character. While the osteoderms are speculative for Ruyangosaurus, they are attested for other titanosaurs and so seem to me a reasonable way of adding interest and texture to the model. The paint scheme is simple but well executed, for instance no bleeding of the brown of the osteoderms onto the grey skin.

It looked to me when I first put the group on the table when I unpacked them that the accompanying "mini"-sized dinosaurs looked like worshippers at the feet of their deity! Brighstoneus and Hadrosaurus look merely awestruck - Triceratops looks a bit inclined follow the proverb that attack is the best form of defence!



I was pleased to see a Hadrosaurus released, just because of the place of the genus in the history of palaeontology.  It turns out to be quite a photogenic little model:





The Brighstoneus was also a welcome addition to the herd.  I like less familiar dinosaurs being made available - and I'm British!  But although it's quite a pleasing model in the hand, it's not photogenic (at least not for me.  I bet postsaurischian could do better with it!)  It always looks out of focus on the bright white eye patch.





To close, here's a flavour of the interior of the museum at Lufeng: a mounted Chuanjiesaurus:



Professor Dong standing (in a very dark spot!) beside his younger self (photo on left), and in the plaza (with our local guide):





And a view of the plaza outside:





If you want hi-resolution images (or one or two more), here's the Flickr album link to the CollectA models:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69501171@N03/albums/72177720307829426
And to my Chinese trip:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69501171@N03/albums/72157706802185931/with/48299053712/

[Stegotyranno420]

Congrats on the colossus that is the Ruyangosaurus, amongst my favorite CollectAs. The trip to China must have been very rewarding. China is one of the many countries I want to visit again.

[Paleo Flo]

CollectA gets better and better in general. I'm tempted of getting this titanosaur. the Hadro and the Ceratosuchops.

I always wanted to visit the museums of china. Because what is better than figures or models? Real dinosaur skeletons and casts in a museum. All museums which I visited are firmly anchored in my brain & my heart.
They are connected with great memories.

But in the last years the world change a lot.  If I ever get to china? We will see

[Halichoeres]

Some very nice additions here! I'm also very pleased with CollectA's batch of new figures this year. How cool that you were able to see the home of Ruyangosaurus and meet Dr. Dong, a rare treat. Thanks for sharing your story and photos!