Return to the Crackington Formation

[Justin_]

My main toy animal memory from the '70s were the two sets of Airfix zoo animals, shown with slightly earlier packaging here:
http://plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=424
http://plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=472

I always hoped they would do some dinosaurs in this scale. I coveted the Aurora prehistoric scenes but I don't think they were available in any local shops so I probably just saw adverts for them in comics. I did have quite a collection of their glow-in-the-dark classic movie monsters.

[Crackington]

I sadly sent a large box of my Britains animals to Oxfam a few years ago. Some were sticky by then. But I rather regret doing so. Among them were around 30 horses, all named. All I have now are two tiny platypuses, one nibbled by a mouse. I think they would have made decent dinosaurs for their historical period.

It's good they went to a good cause, but I can sympathise about you regretting doing so, as they clearly meant something to you and were nice figures too. I've regretted one or two models I've swapped or sold, but try to balance this with UK's wise dictum, that its time for someone else to enjoy them.

@Justin - those Airfix figures are great. I didn't know they did them and particularly like the look of the alligator. Were you able to get any of the 1970s dinosaur kits?

The more I think about it, the more lucky I was that my home town had a good toy shop selling the Auroras and for quite a few years too. It was a bit off the beaten track being in County Durham - very much a local shop for local people!

[Crackington]

Forgot to show these photos last week 

Here's a forest:



This is the Jungle Swamp with other ancient foliage growing nearby, including the Prehistorix kit shown a few pages back. The Revell Dimetrodon (Aurora re-issue) is also included as the big cycad tree fits neatly into the base of part of the kit.

Here's a Meganeura's view:

[Justin_]

Were you able to get any of the 1970s dinosaur kits?

My brother had the Airfix Tyrannosaurus which reminded me of the rubbery one from the Jon Pertwee-era "Doctor Who and the Dinosaurs", which, apart from the dinosaur models, is an exceptional piece of classic British science fiction in my opinion. A lot of the plot worthy of the likes of John Wyndham. I had the Lindberg Ankylosaurus which was just slightly better proportioned than the Airfix one, and the Lindberg Brontosaurus that looks like it is wearing a baggy trousers and shirt sleeves. Looking at pictures of it now I see it has a strangely otter-like appearance. I'd definitely have preferred the wrinkly Airfix one.

[Crackington]

Great post @Justin_ ! I remember that Dr Who story with fondness, a Wyndham-esque plot with prehistoric animals brought to 1970s London by a shadowy ecologically inspired terrorist group. I think Robin Hood also turns up at one point!

I found the book a while ago in a second hand book shop:



Those Lindbergs were recasts of the old Pyros (first mass produced dinosaur kits?), so earlier than the superior 1970s Airfix kits. The Corythosaurus was nice though and I agree, I prefer their Ankylosaurus to the ugly Airfix model.

[Halichoeres]

Congrats on the Jungle Swamp, @Crackington! I wasn't aware that Aurora had ever identified the plants, but they nailed the Cycadeoidea, I was able to identify it to genus. I was misled on the 'cycad tree' because, while the leaves are very cycad-like, cycads do not usually branch. That said, branching is not totally unheard of in cycads, as some modern exemplars show:


(From this paper)

So those plants are actually reasonably well done. I think yours are in better shape than mine: my cycad trees have broken pegs at the top, so I can't attach the leaves except on one branch.

[Crackington]

Well whatdoyouknow! The Aurora trees are accurate (ish) after all!

Thanks very much for looking into this @Halichoeres.

Most of my trees have broken pins too but I found that a bit of blue tack* (not sure what its called in the States) can keep the leaves on at least temporarily and is hidden from view.

*I also used a blob of it to hold the Cycad tree on the right up in the most recent photo, near the Eohippus. If you want to see what I meant...

[Crackington]

Just as a quick after-thought, take a closer look at @Halichoeres Photo A above everyone. There's a man up the tree which shows how enormous it is!

The Jungle Swamp with its multiple parts was always useful for spreading around collections and as I haven't the room to display it altogether, I'm doing the same. Here's a couple of snap of the large Cycad tree and Cycadeoide in their new home:

[SidB]

Well noted, @Crackington - I had no idea that the elements of the kit were so large.

[Crackington]

Thanks S @SidB.

Those with sharp eyes might be able to spot a couple of recent additions in the cabinet pictures above,  the Diener Edaphosaurus (in blue) and Eryops (in green). I got them with some more of these old rubber/eraser dinosaurs recently:



The Diener erasers were made from the sixties onwards and they made all sorts for kids school pencil cases including aliens, animals and of course prehistorics. I found a good site with some good info (but check out the glyptodon  ) https://retroerasers.com/prehistoric-animals/

I remember always wanting a decent Eryops (one of my favourite exhibits in the London NHM) and Edaphosaurus as a kid, so pleased I have two of each much later on in life. They are quite nice old figures and match the old paleo art quite well. Glad no one actually used these two, unlike the sauropod which has its head rubbed away!

[Fembrogon]

I recognize some of those rubber dino sculpts, but that Edaphosaurus and Eryops are pretty cool! The Edaphosaurus honestly looks like it could display well with Invicta's Dimetrodon.

[Crackington]

Thanks @Fembrogon - I'll have to do this at some point but unfortunately my Invicta Dimetrodon is locked away in the Site C cabinet and a pain to get out!

At least it's hanging around with its other pelycosaur cousins in the Site A cabinet though.

[Fossilized-Rubber]

I'm constantly shocked by how many variations of shapes Diener had. I wasn't expecting an ancient amphibian among them!

I have some Diener on order, but the seller had a suspiciously large amount of them so my gut says they're probably bootlegged. Still, I'm more interested in the sculpts than the actual object.

Your poor decapitated Diplodocus!

[Gwangi]

I am amazed that there are Edaphosaurus and Eryops erasers. I don't collect those but would make an exception for those two.

[ceratopsian]

Erasers!  Who would ever have suspected that such things were available?!  I was always given sensible rectangles in off white!

[Crackington]

Thanks for the comments everyone 

One of the best things about trying to collect eclectically is discovering all the everyday foods and things which have made use of dinosaurs. Baked beans, unchewable 1970s chocolate bars, jelly, tea and now school kids rubbers. The list is endless and constantly surprising and I hope to show more in this thread as I unearth them!

The Diener figures were pretty cheap and pretty common, so if you keep your eyes open, you can pick them up. @Fossilized-Rubber I hope the ones you've ordered are OK. Hopefully we'll see them on your collection thread soon.

[Fossilized-Rubber]

unchewable 1970s chocolate bars

I'm the same! Do you know about the Topps dinosaur cards? I picked up a full set for about £16 a month ago. They are incredibly gory but so so worth the retro feel. I can post some pictures if I can find the appropriate place to do so.

The Diener figures were pretty cheap and pretty common, so if you keep your eyes open, you can pick them up. @Fossilized-Rubber I hope the ones you've ordered are OK. Hopefully we'll see them on your collection thread soon.

I really hope they're good. My friend has received them in America and says "they're in good condition" but you never really know until you see them with your own eyes. I specifically asked for a pink t-rex and I've got one. I'm very excited!

[Crackington]

Thanks @Fossilized-Rubber! Yes I've seen the Topps Dinosaur Attacks cards, very funny! I recall there was an article on their creator in Prehistoric Times a while ago and he came across as a real enthusiast, albeit with a wicked streak.Great stuff!

You can always post them in your own collection thread by the way. The Forum's not just for toys and figures - I have lots pictures of cards and stuff in this one further upstream.

Good luck with those Dieners!

[Halichoeres]

The Deiner Edaphosaurus is really nice. It wouldn't look terribly out of place next to the Invicta Dimetrodon even.

[Crackington]

This is my 1000th post, so I just wanted to say thanks to Dr Admin and all the members for making the Forum such a great place to visit. In the ten years plus I've been posting (and on Forum Mark 1 too), I've often found it to be a refuge where you can forget about life's worries for a bit and talk to fellow enthusiasts who share a love and wonder for prehistoric life.

And there's plenty of wonderful models and figures to see too! Speaking of which, I thought it an honour to share my recent acquisition of the Wild Past Scutosaurus and Kolassia:



The figures are brilliantly done by Stefan and Co. I love the box art too, which I haven't been able bring myself to flatten and store away yet.

I thought I'd also show a bonus snap of the "Evolution of Scutosaurus" at least in figure form, here's the Cog, Safari and now Wild Past trio together: