Fembrogon's Bestiary (post-2020)

[Halichoeres]

It's funny how ignored the CollectA Edmontonia has been in the flurry of comparisons between the Battat and the Haolonggood. I used to have it and it was reasonably respectable for that era of CollectA's output. Doesn't compare favorably to the Haolonggood, though! Speaking of which, I assume you're planning to pick up the Megaraptor when released?

[Fembrogon]

I think it's very likely I will; I don't plan on being a Haolonggood completist but nearly all of their figures have been appealing so far, and a modern (non-JP) figure of Megaraptor is enticing. I still need to get their Dacentrurus and Allosaurus, too.

[Fembrogon]

Beasts of the Mesozoic, Ceratopsian Series no.26 - Medusaceratops (Fans' Choice)
Perhaps one of the finest releases from Ceratopsian line, this variant of the "Medusa's horned face" is one of the best-painted toy dinosaurs I've ever seen. It's every bit as good in person as it is in the product photos, and it sets the bar for how dinosaur designs can be elaborately colorful without looking garishly unnatural.
I also greatly appreciate how flexible mine was right out of the box. The legs needed some heat treatment, but the neck and torso were immediately ready for action. The head/neck joints have far and away the best range of motion I've seen in any of my ceratopsians; I don't know if that's a fluke, a factory improvement, or a quirk of this genus, but I love it.

[Pliosaurking]

@Fembrogon great acquisition, it's a truly beautiful and amazing piece. It's my favourite BOTM figure I currently own and it's my favourite from the line thus far!

[Fembrogon]

The Carnegie Collection (Safari Ltd.) - Tylosaurus (2009)
What a gorgeous model! Even in its waning years, the Carnegie Collection produced some real stunners under Forest Rogers' hands. While this model is obviously dated in some respects, it remains one of the most majestic renditions of Tylosaurus produced in plastic. This is peak 2000s-era reconstruction for a mosasaur. My newly-acquired copy is showing a lot of signs of love and wear, but they can't obscure the sheer beauty of the design. This is definitely a new (if much-belated) favorite from the ranks of Safari Ltd.

[Dusty Wren]

Congrats, @Fembrogon! I still love this rendition of Tylosaurus. Rogers' sculpts feel so alive, and the paint job on this one is fantastic.

[Pliosaurking]

One of my holy grails, a fabulous model!

[SidB]

Well done, @Fembrogon , in acquiring this remarkable piece. There can't be many of them out there for the scooping up any more. It's hard to think of a more beautiful marine figure ever released for the general collecting public.

[TooOldForDinosaurs]

Very nice photography! I especially love this one:

[ceratopsian]

I think you were just fortunate on the flexibility front with the Medusaceratops.  Mine came out of the box the same as all its relatives, pretty stiff.

[Halichoeres]

I think the Carnegie Tylosaurus is still the most elegant mosasaur toy ever made.

The Medusaceratops is a stunner too. The iridescence is next-level.

[Fembrogon]

Beasts of the Mesozoic, Tyrannosaur Series no. 08 - Dryptosaurus

I wouldn't say Dryptosaurus has ever been a true favorite of mine, but over the years I've developed some partiality to it for being a sort of "underdog" in paleontological history. Dryptosaurus fossils are fragmentary, and at least half a dozen other USA theropods are vastly more famous; but it's a significant find nonetheless, and a curious beast phylogenically. I rather like the notion of a mid-sized, long armed tyrant roaming the eastern USA at the very end of the Mesozoic; it's just different enough from stereotypical dinosaur imagery to endear me.
...Which makes me very glad someone FINALLY made a "mainstream" Dryptosaurus figure - and what a big and beautiful figure it is!




Immediately after opening it up, I was pleased to discover this figure is notably more flexible in several spots than the 1/35 T.rex; part of that might be due to just being a larger figure with larger joints, but the Drypt still has better neck motion than the equally large Lythronax.
On the downside, being larger also means being heavier, and it's very hard to pose in a way that stays balanced while looking dynamic enough. Even with the base, posing is hard - the base is frankly just a bit too small in diameter for my preferences.
Nonetheless, this is an exciting toy to own, and I've been having a lot of fun playing and preparing for an eventual blog review.

[Fembrogon]

Beasts of the Mesozoic, Tyrannosaur Series no. 11 - Lythronax

As overdramatic as some dinosaur names can be - especially for tyrannosaurs - I do think "Lythronax" is a really cool name. It's easy to pronounce and unique in sound, no typical "-tyrannus"s or "-venator"s, etc. For that reason almost alone, I decided to pick this figure as one to pledge for; but it's also a gorgeously patterned figure, a fairly unusual member of the family, and a delightful partner to the Diabloceratops (which, conversely, I also purchased in part to pair with the Lythronax). This one (mine, at least) seems to have better side-to-side head motion than either the T.rex or the Drypt, but the Drypt has far more upwards motion. Otherwise articulation is mostly the same.





Predation engaged!!

[postsaurischian]

   I really like the last pic (attack) - that's what BotM models are made for.

[Concavenator]

I agree about the Dryptosaurus. Generally, I think prehistoric creatures with good fossil remains should have the preference when it comes to getting made into figures, but nonetheless I applaud Creative Beast for deciding to tackle Dryptosaurus. Similarly, I also applaud CollectA and PNSO for recently giving us Megalosaurus and Hadrosaurus figures too, two other very important dinosaur taxa from a historical point of view.

BTW, have you considered showing us a full-collection tour? Bet that would be an impressive sight!

[Halichoeres]

Haha I agree on Lythronax's name. If you don't think too hard about its meaning, you can just enjoy the nice ring it has to it. That would be harder with, say, Dynamoterror.

[suspsy]

I like the name Dynamoterror way more than Opisthocoelicaudia or Drinker.

[Fembrogon]

BTW, have you considered showing us a full-collection tour? Bet that would be an impressive sight!

That sounds fun, but very hard to pull off. My living space is fairly small right now, so I can only display a small portion of the bestiary at any given time; that's part of the reason I was focusing on smaller brand-related group shots last year. I could try taking some shots of what's currently on display as a sample, though.
Maybe I'll do some collective acquisition shots for year's end...

I like the name Dynamoterror way more than Opisthocoelicaudia or Drinker.

Heh, that's also true; there are some dino names which are bad for reasons devoid of awesomebro.

[Fembrogon]

Beasts of the Mesozoic, Tyrannosaurus Series no. 12 - Suskityrannus


The last, and smallest, of my wave-3-pledged tyrants. This one I have a soft spot for thanks to Discovery Channel's series When Dinosaurs Roamed America - which, amusingly, didn't actually feature Suskityrannus by name, but did feature the two theropods that would eventually be reclassified as such. Coloration is simple, but intricate, and the articulation range is very nice. My biggest gripe would be that my copy has a warped jaw, so it doesn't sit right when closed.



The neighbors begin warily eyeing each other...



"Leave me alone! It's not even your egg!!"



Sorry, little maniraptoran...



Definitely one of easier tyrants to handle. Now, would it be at all possible to get a Nothronykus for a nice Zuni dino trio?

[TooOldForDinosaurs]

I'm relieved that I'm not really into articulated models because otherwise I would have to pick up a lot of the BOTM figures. Their color choices and patterns are just fantastic. No exception here. Congrats!