HAOLONGGOOD - New For 2023

[Gwangi]

The Ampelosaurus is fantastic and the price is really decent, I'll probably get it eventually.

I'll probably skip the Daspletosaurus since I have Safari's but I do like it more than PNSO's. Those large scales around the snout look strange though.

[ceratopsian]

We'll all be bankrupt at this rate. Daspletosaurus looks handsome. I like both colour versions. Never thought I'd say it, but I prefer the brown version! The purple highlights really lift it.

[Flaffy]

Big fan of the purple paint scheme on the Daspletosaurus, but not sure about that head sculpt.

The lack of lacrimal crests/horns is entirely inconsistent with the genus, D. torosus especially with the most prominent lacrimals of the 3 species. The large postorbital boss is consistent with D. horneri, so I'll probably use that as an ID instead of the former species. Still, it's a shame the prominent lacrimals of the genus weren't reflected in the figure, as it stands it looks too much like a Tyrannosaurus.




For comparisons sake, BotM's D. torosus accurately displaying the large lacrimals.

[edu]

Daspletosaurus body looks really nice, the head not so much. The vertical scales and lines over the mouth seem to be a signature of Haolonggood theropods for the moment, they look like "vertical lip lines" seen in elderly people.
Ampelosaurus is a beauty.

[Flaffy]

The Ampelosaurus is fantastic and the price is really decent, I'll probably get it eventually.

I'll probably skip the Daspletosaurus since I have Safari's but I do like it more than PNSO's. Those large scales around the snout look strange though.

The large scales are inferred from the high rugosity and vascularity of the maxillary area. Many of BotM's Tyrannosaurs also display this trait.

Quote from Mark Witton's blog:
"Tyrant faces - as largely predicted by Carr et al. (2017) - seem to have been adorned with scales, cornified sheaths and armoured dermis, but their jaw regions may have been covered in vertical (perhaps ornamental?) bands of epidermal scales, not croc-like skin. Distribution of epidermal correlates around the jaws of tyrannosaurids (and other dinosaurs) is suspiciously reminiscent of many lizard skulls, and may favour a lipped condition."
Link: http://markwitton-com.blogspot.com/2018/01/did-tyrannosaurs-smile-like-crocodiles.html

[Sim]

Upon closer inspection, the Daspletosaurus looks like it's clearly Daspletosaurus horneri.



Notice how in D. torosus the large horn is before the eye, while in D. horneri it's above and behind the eye.  The figure has this horn arrangement like D. horneri.

The Haolonggood Daspletosaurus looks, to me, to be based on the adult D. horneri specimen shown below:



V @vampiredesign, is the Haolonggood figure actually D. horneri?  If it is I will buy it!

[ceratopsian]

These two bring their tally up to 14 releases I think, staring with the Nasutoceratops earlier this year. (I can't remember the month it all kicked off!)

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

The only slight complaint I have is the wrinkles on the face are pretty pronounced especially when viewed in this lighting.

[Bread]

I also skipped PNSO's Daspletosaurus, and I am glad I did.

This is much better. Lips, colorscheme, and posture as I disliked it's weird limp.

[Quiversaurus]

I really like the Ampelosaurus! It's amazing how natural the model looks. HLG really knows how to do herbivores, and I'm so here for that. The dark grey/reddish one would be the colour scheme I'd go for. So happy just staring at it.

The Daspletosaurus' face looked a bit strange to me when I first saw it, but it's growing on me. And it has lips!

I must say, for me, PNSO is the go-to brand for theropods, and HLG for herbivores, simply because they do species no one else cares for. It's truly a great time for model collectors, with the variety of species, high-quality and high-accuracy models, and the price tags (give or take some models).

I'm not a big fan of sauropods, but I am seriously considering HLG's Apatosaurus now.

I feel like we'll be getting an Iguanodon from them at some point too, and I'm definitely looking forward to that day. Keep going, V @vampiredesign !!

[Concavenator]

Okay, so now we have lipped theropods from Haolonggood, PNSO, Eofauna, Safari, CollectA and Creative Beast. I guess this means the complaints about lips are officially over.

[Flaffy]

I also skipped PNSO's Daspletosaurus, and I am glad I did.

This is much better. Lips, colorscheme, and posture as I disliked it's weird limp.

To be fair the two figures probably represent different species. PNSO as D. wilsoni, and HLG D. torosus D. horneri.

D. wilsoni skull superimposed on PNSO Daspletosaurus. By @randomdinos

[Faelrin]

@Sim @Flaffy Is this the first figure of D. horneri? Also which species were the Safari Ltd and BotM? D. torosus? It's interesting to think we might have all three described species represented in some form now (aside from Thanatotheristes, which may or may not  be another Daspletosaurus species, but I'm not sure), after like having barely any prior.

Also color me surprised this one has lips. The colorations are nice too, kind of similar to the Pachyrhinosaurus they did.

Edit: Also the Ampelosaurus is now on their Amazon store:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHPFRC62

[Flaffy]

@Sim @Flaffy Is this the first figure of D. horneri? Also which species were the Safari Ltd and BotM? D. torosus? It's interesting to think we might have all three described species represented in some form now (aside from Thanatotheristes, which may or may not  be another Daspletosaurus species, but I'm not sure), after like having barely any prior.

Also color me surprised this one has lips. The colorations are nice too, kind of similar to the Pachyrhinosaurus they did.

Edit: Also the Ampelosaurus is now on their Amazon store:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHPFRC62

CollectA: D. torosus Unnamed Dinosaur Park Formation species (FMNH PR308)
Safari ltd: D. torosus (official ID by Doug iirc)
PNSO: D. wilsoni
BotM: D. torosus (official ID)
Haolonggood: D. horneri

So yeah that would make HLG's the first D. horneri, that is if you ignore HLG's official ID...

[Bread]

I also skipped PNSO's Daspletosaurus, and I am glad I did.

This is much better. Lips, colorscheme, and posture as I disliked it's weird limp.

To be fair the two figures probably represent different species. PNSO as D. wilsoni, and HLG D. torosus D. horneri.

D. wilsoni skull superimposed on PNSO Daspletosaurus. By @randomdinos

Oh yes I know, thank you Flaffy!

I try to collect based on appearance. Not so much just the difference in the species. Unless of course it is highly noticeable.

[Sim]

Big fan of the purple paint scheme on the Daspletosaurus, but not sure about that head sculpt.

The lack of lacrimal crests/horns is entirely inconsistent with the genus, D. torosus especially with the most prominent lacrimals of the 3 species. The large postorbital boss is consistent with D. horneri, so I'll probably use that as an ID instead of the former species. Still, it's a shame the prominent lacrimals of the genus weren't reflected in the figure, as it stands it looks too much like a Tyrannosaurus.

The Haolonggood Daspletosaurus does have lacrimal crests, but they are very reduced, like in D. horneri.



You're right that the figure is unlike D. torosus.  I intend to get the Haolonggood Daspletosaurus now, since it's a D. horneri!

[Faelrin]

@Flaffy Thanks very much for the info. Perhaps Haolonggood could update the info if it isn't too late, especially since it seems their reconstruction follows D. horneri based on what you and @Sim shared earlier?

In any case it is rather nice to see, that with this one, PNSO's, and Safari Ltd's one can have all of these together. It would be nice to see the Dinosaur Park one get a figure at some point too, if it is not any of the former species.

[Flaffy]

Big fan of the purple paint scheme on the Daspletosaurus, but not sure about that head sculpt.

The lack of lacrimal crests/horns is entirely inconsistent with the genus, D. torosus especially with the most prominent lacrimals of the 3 species. The large postorbital boss is consistent with D. horneri, so I'll probably use that as an ID instead of the former species. Still, it's a shame the prominent lacrimals of the genus weren't reflected in the figure, as it stands it looks too much like a Tyrannosaurus.

The Haolonggood Daspletosaurus does have lacrimal crests, but they are very reduced, like in D. horneri.



You're right that the figure is unlike D. torosus.  I intend to get the Haolonggood Daspletosaurus now, since it's a D. horneri!

Proportionally D. horneri's lacrimals are smaller than it's relatives yes, but they were still very much present (iirc they were only marginally smaller when measurments were taken). Certainly more prominent than the likes of HLG's figure, which are sunken in like the aformentioned Tyrannosaurus.

Even in highly conservative reconstructions, the lacrimals would've been present. And would've been obvious in reconstructions with a healthy amount of keratin.

[Sim]

I think the lacrimal horns of Haolonggood's Daspletosaurus actually are fine, they just look smaller because the postorbital horns have been made larger than average, which I also think is fine as their base is large, possibly supporting largish horns.

With regards to the species represented by figures, I think the CollectA Daspletosaurus is the unnamed Dinosaur Park Formation species.  The PNSO version I initially thought is D. wilsoni as the postorbital boss looks identical to it, but later I changed my mind to thinking it's D. torosus due to the depth of the head and tooth size.  Looking at it again more thoroughly, I agree that it's D. wilsoni based on the proportions of its head.  The Safari version was confirmed to be D. torosus by Doug Watson.

[Fembrogon]

Species discrepancy aside, I think it's worth celebrating that Daspletosaurus now had 3 high-quality figurines on the market to its name, and at different price points.
I'm assuming, at least, that Haolonggood's Das will be a little cheaper than PNSO's. I'm pretty happy with the Safari, but I'm tempted to get this one, too - especially if it's closer to horneri than torosus.