The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[Sim]

Hi Tim, I noticed Patagotitan isn't in the list in the first post.  Do you have the Safari Patagotitan?  Also, have you considered replacing the Safari toob Velociraptor with the BotM 1:18 version?  I think the latter is a better representation and they are almost the same size.

[Halichoeres]

Haha, to call a stonefish merely 'annoying!' I looked into it and I could find no evidence that any trilobites were venomous. It might be tough to tell, though. With all that variety and all those hundreds of millions of years of chances, you'd think some of them might hit upon it.

In my layman's view, I imagine if they did evolve venomous spines it would be later in their history, since it probably wouldn't be that effective against arthropod enemies. Probably be a good defense against fish and amphibians. Or earlier for that matter, what with predatory molluscs such as orthocones.

Yeah, being able to envenomate an Endoceras could for sure be an advantage, just as much as for a jawed vertebrate!

Hi Tim, I noticed Patagotitan isn't in the list in the first post.  Do you have the Safari Patagotitan?  Also, have you considered replacing the Safari toob Velociraptor with the BotM 1:18 version?  I think the latter is a better representation and they are almost the same size.

Whoops! I had it on the list, but erroneously included in the ornithischians rather than sauropodomorphs. I've fixed it now. I also added the Furuta Purussaurus, which I just learned about. I won't be adding it to my collection, though, it's so ugly!

As for the Velociraptor, I considered buying the BotM one, and I did buy the Linheraptor and Dromaeosaurus. And you're right that it's a nicer-looking figure (and perhaps better-proportioned, though I haven't checked) than the Safari Toob one. But I generally prefer static figures, and given the popularity of Velociraptor in particular among all dromaeosaurids, I feel sure that if I buy the BotM one a nice static mini will be made that makes me regret it. I don't anticipate that eventuality with Dromaeosaurus or Linheraptor. I may change my mind one day; it isn't unheard of that I replace a static figure with a BotM figure (Chasmosaurus, for example).

Edited to add: just learned my birthday is world dinosaur day, which is pretty sweet. Made up holidays are the best.

[Sim]

Barosaurus might be the sauropod with the greatest mismatch between its notoriety and its representation in plastic. The only other one I know is this Xidi (Happy Kin) version, which is a little bigger, around 1:80, but much, much uglier. I suspect I know what most of you will say, but I'm curious what your vote is for which to keep (there can only be one!). After all the effort I made to hunt each of these down in succession, I fully expect a nice big pretty one from another company in the near future. It was definitely one of my requests to EoFauna.

I'd like a good, big Barosaurus figure too.  Barosaurus is like a cross between a Diplodocus and a Mamenchisaurus, it's so cool!  My desires for what I'd like from Eofauna have changed a fair amount, next time I fill in their questionnaire, if it's still possible to do so, Barosaurus will be one of my requests.  I'm just waiting for Haolonggood to reveal their stegosaur as I think there's a high chance I won't want Eofauna to make the same species.

[Faelrin]

@Halichoeres Happy belated(?) birthday. Hope you had a good day then.

[Concavenator]

@Halichoeres Happy birthday! I think it would've been more fitting if your birthday had been "world non-dinosaur day" instead of "world dinosaur day". 

[Halichoeres]

I'd like a good, big Barosaurus figure too.  Barosaurus is like a cross between a Diplodocus and a Mamenchisaurus, it's so cool!  My desires for what I'd like from Eofauna have changed a fair amount, next time I fill in their questionnaire, if it's still possible to do so, Barosaurus will be one of my requests.  I'm just waiting for Haolonggood to reveal their stegosaur as I think there's a high chance I won't want Eofauna to make the same species.

I think a lot of people would love to buy a figure reflecting the AMNH mount, although I'd be perfectly happy with something less dramatic!

@Halichoeres Happy belated(?) birthday. Hope you had a good day then.

Thank you! It was definitely a good day.

@Halichoeres Happy birthday! I think it would've been more fitting if your birthday had been "world non-dinosaur day" instead of "world dinosaur day". 

Thanks! Ha ha, yeah, here I'm using "dinosaur" in a loose sense, the way one might use "bug" to refer to something that isn't a hemipteran. Maybe someday someone will establish a made-up holiday for all extinct animals except dinosaurs...

And now, tetrapods of the Cretaceous! (Also some hexapods pretending to be prehistoric)


PNSO Meraxes
Scale: 1:30
Sculptor: Zhao Chuang or someone in his workshop
Released: 2023
Turonian of South America
Etymology: after a fictional dragon
This is the only one of the recent carcharodontosaurid trio that I actually bought, but I bought it mostly because a friend of mine helped described it. It is the most striking of the three, like a more refined version of the Safari Giganotosaurus. The fact that it's a reasonably complete animal helps too.


Some PNSO theropods look like Nelson Muntz, but this one has more of a zombie vibe between the pale color and the exposed teeth.


PNSO Mapusaurus
Scale: 1:30
Sculptor: Zhao Chuang or someone in his workshop
Released: 2023
Turonian of South America
Etymology: Mapuche/Gr. "earth lizard"
So similar are these two animals that I literally copied and pasted the block of data above from the Meraxes entry, except the etymology. This is unequivocally a prettier, more accurate figure than the CollectA deluxe version that it replaces. Still, as I said in my review for the blog, I would probably not have bought it if the review copy hadn't been forthcoming. I also think the new PNSO Giganotosaurus is nicer than the EoFauna version I already own, but I didn't buy that either. I just know that knowing I had given money to PNSO for a bunch of same-y theropods would have just bummed me out every time I looked at them.


I think we can have a several-year moratorium on carcharodontosaurids.


This mosquito came in a little $3 novelty pack with Jurassic World branding, which is exclusive to Target to the best of my knowledge. The package included three little plastic cups full of colorful oiled sand. When full, they look like Play-Doh packages, but empty they look like urine specimen cups. Anyway, each cup of sand has a little plastic insect. I like insects and I often wish more of the distinctive prehistoric ones were made as toys, so I threw away $3 on this. It's a completely generic mosquito toy, which also appears (in nicer pajamas) in this set of cheap plastic bugs.

There was also this ant:

And a pale green grasshopper that I didn't bother to photograph. I won't be keeping any of them, but in case you were curious, well now you won't also have to throw away $3!


Haolonggood Ouranosaurus
Scale: 1:30 or so
Released: 2023
Aptian of Africa
Etymology: Arabic/Gr. "courageous lizard" (this is the etymology given by the author of the description, although it doesn't match anything I can find in my English-Arabic dictionary. It might be a local borrowing from Touareg; according to Taquet monitor lizards are called "ourane" in Niger and Algeria)
This is a very elegant figure, with characteristically excellent paint work. If I didn't already have the Battat, this would be my new Ouranosaurus. But I do have the Battat, which has better limb proportions, the hornlets over the orbits, and the spikes on the thumbs. Obviously Haolonggood has more sophisticated texturing and paint, but the anatomy is more important to me, so I'm keeping the Battat for now. I don't regret buying this, though--I'm happy to throw some money at Haolonggood if they're going to bring to life animals that are rarely attempted (I don't count Mattel, so the last time I can think of was Geoworld in 2012).


Greg Wenzel's masterful sculpting fends off another challenger.


Haolonggood Tianzhenosaurus
Scale: 1:18, but see below
Released: 2023
Late Cretaceous of Eursia, perhaps as late as Campanian
Etymology: Chinese/Gr. "Tianzhen [County] lizard"
I'm always delighted to see a competently executed ankylosaur. I have very little idea of the specifics of its accuracy, but it looks nice. My guess is that the sculpt is heavily influenced by animals with more accessible descriptions. I could only find a reliable size estimate for the head, so you might get a different number based on overall length.


At 1:18 it scales well with Vitae's Jinyunpelta.


Some paleontologists have suggested that Tianzhenosaurus might be synonymous with Saichania, but my impression of the situation is that it's hard to access the specimen to put that to the test. If said specimen is just a small individual of Saichania, then Haolonggood's figure can work at about 1:35 for a larger specimen. Looks a lot better than Schleich's.


CollectA Koolasuchus
Scale: 1:13
Sculptor: Matthias Geiger
Released: 2023
Aptian of Australia
Etymology: Gr. "[paleontologist Lesley] Kool's crocodile"
Of all of the figures in today's update, this is the one I'm most excited about. It's the first time CollectA has made a prehistoric amphibian. The last seven years or so, CollectA has really started broadening its offerings, and I'm really grateful for it. They have some off years where I'm less excited, but this year is definitely not one of those.



I'm not really an expert on temnospondyls, but as of now I like pretty much everything about this: the texture, the soulless black eyes, the inexorable maw. I even like the color, and CollectA can be hit-or-miss on that front.


If you spend a few years trying, it's possible to put together a pretty good temnospondyl collection. Thanks to CollectA for doing what few others will.



Bullyland's Mastodonsaurus was first released more than 20 years ago, and Kaiyodo's Eryops was about 17 years ago. Except for exceedingly rare expo figures, or rubber novelty toys, major companies haven't done an amphibian since.


There is a ton of potential.


Conveniently, this scales well with the contemporary Leaellynasaura.

[ceratopsian]

The choice of Koolasuchus by CollectA is indeed exciting and he looks appealing.  I'm looking forward to the arrival of my second temnospondyl next week (the first being SenSen's Eryops).

[Faelrin]

Really hope CollectA does some more prehistoric amphibians. I hope this opens up the doors to more. Beelzebufo, Diadectes, Diplocaulus, Eryops, Greererpeton, Prionosuchus, and many more. Not an amphibian but I would also like to see them do Tiktaalik.

[Bread]

I was a little worried about the opinions regarding Koolasuchus since I saw many complaints regarding the skin texture CollectA had given it. Seems like it isn't too much of a bother. I am glad you appraise it so high Halichoeres.

[Dusty Wren]

Gosh, I like that Koolasuchus. I'm glad CollectA is willing to take risks like this with their lineup. After all the theropod releases we've had this year so far, this is a breath of fresh air.

the soulless black eyes, the inexorable maw

I like how amphibians can be both cute and sort of Lovecraftian monstrosities at the same time.

[bmathison1972]

Wonderful; I will probably get that Tianzhenosaurus, too. Still undecided on the Ouranosaurus.

I have the CollectA Koolasuchus and I REALLY WANT that Bullyland Mastodonsaurus!

I have to admit, when my Koolasuchus arrived I, for some unknown reason, thought the jaw was articulated. I was surprised to find out it was a static figure. I have no idea why I assumed it was articulated, but I did LOL.

[Gwangi]

The Koolasuchus is definitely among the year's top 5 for me.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks, everyone!

The choice of Koolasuchus by CollectA is indeed exciting and he looks appealing.  I'm looking forward to the arrival of my second temnospondyl next week (the first being SenSen's Eryops).

Ooh, that Eryops diorama is nice. Looking forward to seeing your photos.

Really hope CollectA does some more prehistoric amphibians. I hope this opens up the doors to more. Beelzebufo, Diadectes, Diplocaulus, Eryops, Greererpeton, Prionosuchus, and many more. Not an amphibian but I would also like to see them do Tiktaalik.

Yep, I'd buy all of those.

I was a little worried about the opinions regarding Koolasuchus since I saw many complaints regarding the skin texture CollectA had given it. Seems like it isn't too much of a bother. I am glad you appraise it so high Halichoeres.

Do you mean the people who thought it should be smooth? That's understandable, but as discussed in the CollectA 2023 thread (https://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=10525.msg333824#msg333824), this was probably a scaly animal. Whether the texturing would have corresponded quite so precisely to its cranial sculpturing, well, I'm not as sure, but Geiger would be on shakier ground if he'd given it smooth lissamphibian skin. I think the idea that extinct amphibians should be smooth comes not just from the observation that modern ones--a highly derived group--are smooth. I think it also comes from the hard-to-shake notion that evolution is progressive and that lissamphibians are somehow a stage between fishes and reptiles instead of their own lineage with their own peculiar adaptations (the old scala naturae).

Gosh, I like that Koolasuchus. I'm glad CollectA is willing to take risks like this with their lineup. After all the theropod releases we've had this year so far, this is a breath of fresh air.

the soulless black eyes, the inexorable maw

I like how amphibians can be both cute and sort of Lovecraftian monstrosities at the same time.

Definitely a breath of fresh air. And yeah, you hit the nail on the head with amphibians! They would be absolutely horrifying if they could fit us in their mouths.

Wonderful; I will probably get that Tianzhenosaurus, too. Still undecided on the Ouranosaurus.

I have the CollectA Koolasuchus and I REALLY WANT that Bullyland Mastodonsaurus!

I have to admit, when my Koolasuchus arrived I, for some unknown reason, thought the jaw was articulated. I was surprised to find out it was a static figure. I have no idea why I assumed it was articulated, but I did LOL.

I'm glad the Koolasuchus isn't articulated! It can just forever menace its neighbors. Happy hunting on the Mastodonsaurus--I was lucky to get one back when dejankins still had them available at ordinary retail price.

The Koolasuchus is definitely among the year's top 5 for me.

Absolutely, same here. It would take something pretty extraordinary for anything to knock it off its perch for me.

[Bread]

Ahhh yes! Thank you @Halichoeres your post and collection thread is always informative! Much appreciated for the feedback.

[Concavenator]

That's a great haul right there! The Koolasuchus was an unexpected but appreciated move by CollectA. Certainly one of the most unique releases in recent times. Planning to get it at some point, as well as the Ouranosaurus and the Meraxes.

The Mapusaurus and the Tianzhenosaurus are very nice too, but with the Meraxes being a thing, I don't need any more Giganotosaurini. And the choice of Tianzhenosaurus is strange imo, it purportedly has good remains but since the description paper doesn't illustrate those, it's basically unknown how it looked. I think some other ankylosaurid like Scolosaurus or Saichania itself would've been a safer bet. Or the nodosaurid Edmontonia, why not?

[TheCambrianCrusader]

Man that Koolasuchus is gorgeous, really hope Collecta starts giving us amphibians on a semi-regular basis. A Beezlebufo would be amazing

[Halichoeres]

Ahhh yes! Thank you Halichoeres your post and collection thread is always informative! Much appreciated for the feedback.

So glad you find it useful!

That's a great haul right there! The Koolasuchus was an unexpected but appreciated move by CollectA. Certainly one of the most unique releases in recent times. Planning to get it at some point, as well as the Ouranosaurus and the Meraxes.

The Mapusaurus and the Tianzhenosaurus are very nice too, but with the Meraxes being a thing, I don't need any more Giganotosaurini. And the choice of Tianzhenosaurus is strange imo, it purportedly has good remains but since the description paper doesn't illustrate those, it's basically unknown how it looked. I think some other ankylosaurid like Scolosaurus or Saichania itself would've been a safer bet. Or the nodosaurid Edmontonia, why not?

Sweet, glad the Koolasuchus appeals to you!

If I were wishing for ankylosaurs, Tianzhenosaurus wouldn't make my top five, because...I hadn't previously heard of it. But I actually enjoyed learning a little about it, well, what little there is to know!

Man that Koolasuchus is gorgeous, really hope Collecta starts giving us amphibians on a semi-regular basis. A Beezlebufo would be amazing

An amphibian every couple of years would not go amiss!

And now, metazoans of the Silurian!

75% of my Silurian organisms are from Oumcraft (Life... game), including all four of these. Painted versions came out in 2022, all designed and decorated by Oammararak, heavily influenced by the Tumblr blog "Palaeopedia."


Dendrograptus
Scale: 2× life size
Middle Cambrian - Late Devonian
Etymology: Gr. "written tree"
Graptolites ("stone writing") are widespread fossils usually preserved as traces on rocks, resembling petroglyphs. This is the only figure of one. They're colonial animals that collectively construct a branching structure to space themselves out for filter feeding. It's possible that some of these colonies were free-floating, a little like salps, but most were probably sessile. So this figure represents hundreds or thousands of little zooids in a ramifying condo complex. The graptolites are extinct, unless the pterobranchs are living members of the group.


With the tiny crustacean Offacolus


Petalocrinus
Scale: 1:1
Early Silurian
Etymology: Gr. literally "outspread lily," but alluding to the flower-like form of this crinoid
A great variety of sea lilies in this game, as a potential hazard to your player (think piranha plants in Super Mario Bros.). These were filter feeders in life, but hey, it's a game. Pretty sure a Venus flytrap can't eat a plumber either.


My little school of Climatius is unperturbed.


Halysites
Scale: 1:2
Late Ordovician - Early Devonian
Etymology: Gr. "chain"
A tabulate coral, meaning a colony of tiny polyps, each of which lives in one of these little openings. As the colony grows, the polyp deposits layers over its old living chamber, so that it always has the penthouse over a little tower of abandoned compartments. These were a common feature of Paleozoic reefs, but went extinct during the Permian-Triassic extinction.


Favosites
Scale: 1:2
Late Ordovician - Late Permian
Etymology: L. "honeycomb"
Another tabulate coral, but one more parsimonious with space. The polyps moved vertically through their lifespan, just like in Halysites, but they packed together in hexagonal cells, hence the name. A very cool addition to my Paleozoic reefs, although you may disagree if you're prone to trypophobia.


If I were going to buy large multiples of anything, it would be these sessile seafloor organisms, to give my fishes a nice complex environment.

[Faelrin]

I believe I got all of those above. Really glad there's figures of all of those out there now. They tend to be some of the underappreciated invertebrate fauna I think (although invertebrates are still certainly underappreciated in general compared to vertebrates).

[Halichoeres]

I believe I got all of those above. Really glad there's figures of all of those out there now. They tend to be some of the underappreciated invertebrate fauna I think (although invertebrates are still certainly underappreciated in general compared to vertebrates).

Yeah, this game was a godsend for Paleozoic fans, all two of us! Entire phyla that are otherwise absent from the figure market.

[TheCambrianCrusader]

I've been debating picking these up but I'm not sure if I vibe with their style.