Favorite Co - New for 2023

[Fembrogon]

I've bought a few of their "new" releases in the past several years - the 2017 Spino and Archaeopteryx, the 2020 Tarbo, Diplo & Iguanodon, the 2021 Giga (this one's actually pretty good), The Museum Fukuiraptor (didn't expect that one) - but as a Western Collector, it's feeling more and more like the toy/collectibles landscape is leaving Favorite Co. behind. Back in 2016/2017, there were fewer competitors and more even ground; nowadays it doesn't feel worth the effort to acquire a soft vinyl dino when Safari, Collecta, Eofauna, PNSO, Haolonggood, etc. all might have a better version of the chosen dino, for comparable prices after shipping & handling fees.

[SidB]

Agreed, it seems that developments are leaving them behind. I have a certain though limited brand loyalty, so I acquired theie 2021-2 Giganotosaurus and 2022 Theri and Dilopho soft models, but, yeah, it seems that Favorite is caught in a temporal bubble of their own making, ultra cautious and conservative. Then, there's that steamroller of completion from PNSO and HLG. Perhaps Favorite will continue in their present state of drift for a while to come, content to survive in their domestic market. I don't know how intense that local market would be - do they face severe competition there?

[Fembrogon]

I'm guessing a lot of the Western/Chinese brands have very little presence there - PNSO, for a particular example, is always extra-expensive on 2nd-hand markets like Mercari, so I can't imagine they're easily accessible.

[SidB]

I'm guessing a lot of the Western/Chinese brands have very little presence there - PNSO, for a particular example, is always extra-expensive on 2nd-hand markets like Mercari, so I can't imagine they're easily accessible.

Very interesting and not terribly surprising. So domestic competition would seem then to be largely the extent of that. Totally makes sense. They really do seem to be an insular phenomenon. Having said this, they've always held a definite charm for me, with their unique style (including idiosyncracies) and very good production values.

[Flaffy]

I'm guessing a lot of the Western/Chinese brands have very little presence there - PNSO, for a particular example, is always extra-expensive on 2nd-hand markets like Mercari, so I can't imagine they're easily accessible.

Very interesting and not terribly surprising. So domestic competition would seem then to be largely the extent of that. Totally makes sense. They really do seem to be an insular phenomenon. Having said this, they've always held a definite charm for me, with their unique style (including idiosyncracies) and very good production values.

Have been to Japan on multiple occasions. Can confirm that international brands have basically zero presence in the Japanese market. Local brands like ANIA, Kaiyodo, Favorite Co. and Colorata have a healthy presence there, so they're definitely not hurting on sales. The only place I've found the usual brands we're used to are in the Fukui Dinosaur Museum. The National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo has a couple very very old Carnegie models (Carnegie deinonychus era old), and that's where I picked up my Carnegie Mammoth.

[SidB]

Picked up the Carnegie Mammoth in Japan? Remarkable!

[Halichoeres]

A recent social media post by Favorite Co highlighted some of the Cambrian mini models by Hirokazu Tokugawa. The translation of the post referred to him as "former model author," which sounds like he isn't working with them anymore. That's a damn shame, since to my mind he was doing most of the interesting stuff.

[Takama]

Favorite just teased a new product on their socials

I cant post pics

But its clearly a tease at a Deinochirus

[Halichoeres]

Deinocheirus teaser:



Not many major companies that haven't made a Deinocheirus now!

[Fembrogon]

Well, I'm definitely intrigued. Let's see if it can shake the shrinkwrapping physique.

[SidB]

If there's only this one release for the 'soft' line this year, it's a good one.

[Concavenator]

So many Deinocheirus to choose from and where's a single good Gallimimus?

[SidB]

So many Deinocheirus to choose from and where's a single good Gallimimus?

I know that size in the 1/35-1/50 range militates against ornithomimids, but what about a 'flock', similar to what Carnegie and CollectA have done in the past with small dinosaurs?

[Concavenator]

S @SidB I'd rather a single figure of it was released, rather than a flock. Not a fan of that sort of things: flocks of dinosaurs, a Maiasaura or a Protoceratops with a nest...  so if someone makes something along those lines it would be a skip on my part, even though I am interested in Gallimimus and Maiasaura. I'm also not too bothered about scale (sure, 1:35 or around would be nice but I can live with another one too, as long as the figure's not huge). Gallimimus in particular was ~ 6 m long, so I'd say a 1:35 figure (or close) is perfectly feasible. Of course, this is just my opinion.

[SidB]

S @SidB I'd rather a single figure of it was released, rather than a flock. Not a fan of that sort of things: flocks of dinosaurs, a Maiasaura or a Protoceratops with a nest...  so if someone makes something along those lines it would be a skip on my part, even though I am interested in Gallimimus and Maiasaura. I'm also not too bothered about scale (sure, 1:35 or around would be nice but I can live with another one too, as long as the figure's not huge). Gallimimus in particular was ~ 6 m long, so I'd say a 1:35 figure (or close) is perfectly feasible. Of course, this is just my opinion.

Numbers of circa 1/25 scalers have been infiltrating into nominally 1/35 scale releases over the last while, so maybe something in that size would be a good compromise? Better than nothing.

[Concavenator]

S @SidB Sure, better than nothing! Especially because as of late smallish animals have generally been put aside in favor of larger animals (those that look good at 1:35 scale).

...

From Paleofiguras:



Ichthyosaurus coming soon.

[Fembrogon]

THAT is probably the biggest news from Favorite that we've had since... maybe the Mosasaurus?
It would be extra neat if this turned out to be a genus like Stenopterygius instead of the more typical Ichthyosaurus, though I wouldn't expect that. I'm also guessing this will be a "dinosaur"-series release rather than the "prehistoric life" series.

[Halichoeres]

The machine translation of their post gives "One of the most famous ichthyosaurs." That might mean it's something other than Ichthyosaurus proper. Stenopterygius would be fantastic, and the silhouette doesn't seem obviously wrong for that. This is the most intriguing release from them in a long time.

[brettnj]

To anyone watching these, I'm likely your best option for obtaining them and will announce taking orders close to their release.

Please DM if interested.

Thanks.
Brett

[Halichoeres]

For anyone ordering from Favorite's shop between now and 22 December, you can get a free Tyrannosaurus skull key chain:

One per order.

In related news, the Ichthyosaurus (their latest post says "Ichthyosaurus" specifically), Deinocheirus, and an extra large squishy vinyl Ankylosaurus are all slated for December release.