Concavenator’s Collection

[Concavenator]

@Quiversaurus Thank you! As for my collecting strategy, it wasn't originally my idea, I took it from @Halichoeres and toughed it up even further! 

And I would love to see your collection too! I believe one of them is Stegosaurus stenops, right? Since IIRC you said you have the PNSO ML model and you like it a lot. Out of curiosity, what are the other 2 species you have? Or would asking that be a spoiler? 

Now that I mention the PNSO ML Stego, I've been thinking of replacing the Safari one with it. I was reluctant at first because I got the Safari at around the same time the PNSO was announced. Would you recommend it? I like the Safari, but I like that PNSO a bit more. It's the price and the baby (that I don't care for) that's pushing me back a little. And the idea that, since it's one of the most famous dinosaurs, I guess Eofauna will eventually make one and do a stellar job with it (while also being affordable). Hmmm...

[Quiversaurus]

Perhaps I will start a thread... inspired by your (and many others') collection thread!

You are right, I do have the PNSO ML Stegosaurus, and it's the first ever model I purchased (as an adult collector). I like it because of how dynamic it looks, even though the colours are muted (I know popular consensus is that the colours are too dark, but I actually like it even more than, say, the brighter greens and oranges of the earlier PNSO Prehistoric Models version. I feel the drab greens are more characteristic of an adult, and it seems PNSO supports the "bright baby, dull adult" hypothesis especially since baby Rook is in a much brighter green). Plus it's an updated depiction, and the detail, sculpt, scalation, and accuracy all hit a high score for me.

The baby is an absolute bonus for me, not just because he's cute, adds value to an ML puchase, etc, but because he is actually bipedal. I had to "heat treat" one of his legs to bring it back from the warp, but once done, both his feet pads stood flat on my table top. It's marvellous because of 1. the company's engineering prowess and 2. it shows thought put into the "bipedal adolescent, quadruped adult" hypothesis too.

Feel like I've gone on long enough haha but as much as I like PNSO's style of models, I am looking to vary my collection by including models from different brands, like HLG or Eofauna. Which is also why I was rather disappointed when HLG went for Dacentrurus instead of Kentrosaurus... But I've not given up hope.

My two other models are also PNSO models, but that's all I'll say for now (:

It is a pricey model, but for me it was a worthy investment since Stegosaurus is my favourite dinosaur 

[Concavenator]

@Quiversaurus Well, looking forward to seeing your collection then, if you decide yourself! 

I also found it weird that HLG chose Dacentrurus over Kentrosaurus. Apparently the reason was that a 1:35 Kentrosaurus would have been pretty small, but that statement gets debunked because some of their models (including some that they have released this year: i.e. Nasutoceratops, Pachyrhinosaurus, Pentaceratops, Tianzhenosaurus and I don't know if any others too) are larger than 1:35. So if people are OK with those larger figures, I don't see why they wouldn't with a larger Kentrosaurus. As happens with smaller species, it's either that, having the luck to be chosen by a company which is rigorous about their scaling (Eofauna, Wild Past and I believe PNSO too for the most part) or simply being neglected. And the tendency seems to be this last option...

That decision was also strange because a lot of us have been requesting a Kentrosaurus for some time, so it enters that category of "overdue dinosaurs for getting a new figure". It also helps that it has good remains so an accurate reconstruction of it can be achieved. Meanwhile, Dacentrurus is pretty fragmentary and I don't recall many people requesting one (this is also why the Wuerhosaurus was also a strange choice in my opinion). So yeah, choosing it just because it's larger and would fit better in the 1:35 range strikes me as an odd decision. Still, Kentrosaurus is a popular animal, so I hope it will receive more attention in the figure department in the future. If PNSO ever gets back to stegosaurs at some point I perfectly see them making one. Or who knows, maybe even HLG after all? They are quite proactive and that's one of their strengths. At the very least we know Creative Beast will be releasing one. But it will be significantly bigger than 1:35 (1:18) and articulated too, so it's not for everyone. But if you're really interested in getting an up-to date, high-quality Kentrosaurus and no other existing version convinces you, I'd say it will be worth considering.

About the PNSO ML Stegosaurus, I might wait for a big AliExpress sale for it to get cheaper, and prior to that sell the Safari version too, if I decide myself in the end. That way I could get it for a more reasonable price. Of course it was a great purchase for you though regardless, with it being your favorite dinosaur. I feel that way about Allosaurus too, this is one case where I might even go with the upcoming BotM, as huge and expensive as it will be! Worth noting that Creative Beast usually works as a "last resource" for me.  I only go for their stuff if I consider them to be the best version available on the market and if I'm particularly interested in a certain species.

[Halichoeres]

Pretty wild to see this one discontinued so soon. I don't normally think of Safari and PNSO being in direct competition, but I wonder if this figure suffered from the near-simultaneous release of PNSO's figure.

Edited to add: As for Diabloceratops, when I first started collecting I bought someone's entire CollectA collection, current to about 2014 or 2015. So the Diablo just came along with that batch and sat on my shelf until I bought the Safari.

[Quiversaurus]

@Concavenator I'll start it some time soon! And maybe a sketches thread as well. I have a few sketches modelled after PNSO's sketching tutorials that may interest some~

Agreed with you on the Kentrosaurus. I feel like companies aren't as interested in making species that don't earn as much, but then again HLG and PNSO don't seem like the sort, especially with their current catalogues. The Dacentrurus _is_ truly beautiful, and if they one day are able to make a 1:35 Kentrosaurus I'd snap it up in a heartbeat.

Hopefully PNSO returns to Stegosaurs! Their current collection is rather stellar. And they even have an illustration for the Kentrosaurus already (I believe I posted it on the "Best paleoart of species" or something along those lines' thread)...

Articulated models aren't of much interest for me, so unfortunately even if they have a Kentrosaurus upcoming I don't think I'll get it... Scale is a big factor for me too, but things may change down the line, so we'll see!

I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on the PNSO ML Stegosaurus if/when you do get it! Always a joy to see collections expand.

[Concavenator]

@Halichoeres I'm guessing that must have been a massive haul!

When Qianzhousaurus is concerned, yeah, it's a bit surprising. I had the feeling it is a relatively popular animal despite being only recently described, perhaps I was wrong. Plus I figured its screen time on Prehistoric Planet would boost its popularity (and hence, sales of its figures), which I thought would also extend to other creatures in the series or could even motivate companies to make figures of interesting creatures from the series that likely are new to a lot of people, like Austroraptor or Simosuchus. But after all, Qianzhousaurus deviates from the concept of the typical massive apex predator tyrannosaur. Its name may result difficult to pronounce/remember for some people too, and possibly a lot of people aren't even aware of its existence, so they don't care about it. Then there's the PNSO figure which could have affected its sales as you mention, and maybe even the BotM too? These could be several reasons.

If the fact that it deviates from the concept of the average tyrannosaur affected its sales is true then it's a shame. People are buying Zhuchengtyrannus figures which is a fairly irrelevant taxon (probably because it's simply depicted as Tyrannosaurus 2.0) and this figure of a more unique and well-preserved tyrannosaur is getting retired, even after appearing in a series of the calibre of Prehistoric Planet no less.

As for Safari and PNSO being in direct competition, for me they definitely are. If Safari does a better job than PNSO at a certain creature I will go with their version, and viceversa. And not just involving these two companies, of course, for each species I compare each figure and the company who does a better job is the one I go for. Of course, I don't know how representative this behaviour may be, globally speaking.

@Quiversaurus Well, Kentrosaurus may not be among the all-time most famous/popular dinosaurs, but it's still a fairly well known animal between people who are interested in dinosaur paleontology and I'm pretty sure it's more famous than both Dacentrurus and Wuerhosaurus, if not the majority of other stegosaurs too (save for obviously Stegosaurus and just perhaps Miragaia too?  ).

[Quiversaurus]

(I hope I'm not inundating this thread with too much irrelevant talk...)

I have actually recently been thinking about Qianzhousaurus quite a bit - I like how it's a part of the tyrannosaur family, but different, with a sleeker, more agile silhouette. I haven't watched Prehistoric Planet yet but from the short clip of it chasing the Corythoraptors, it looks so cool. Fossil remains are quite extensive for the Qianzhousaurus too I believe?

Am secretly hoping for PNSO to update their Qianzhousaurus at some point, with finer scales and at more of a 1:35 scale (rather than 1:30), perhaps I'll get it then!

[Concavenator]

@Quiversaurus Well, forums are for debating after all!

As for Qianzhousaurus' remains, I wouldn't qualify them as extensive, but at least I'd say they're decent. It's only known from a single specimen, but the preserved remains give us a good idea of how it may have looked like, as you can see in the following skeletal by Scott Hartman:



The most relevant missing part are the frontlimbs, but considering its position as a derived tyrannosauroid, they're most probably short, just like its other Tyrannosauridae relatives.

Personally I think it can't get better than either Safari's or BotM's versions, but if you don't like neither of them perhaps your best bet is waiting to see if HLG makes one? I wouldn't say Qianzhousaurus is the sort of dinosaur that, due to its popularity, gets made several times, resculpts included. So if PNSO does a new one, who knows when that will happen or if it will happen... good luck. If you feel that you definitely need to have a Qianzhousaurus and are unhappy with the available options you can always commission it at one of those super talented artists from Instagram.

P.S. For example, I also dislike the PNSO Pachyrhinosaurus and HLG came to the rescue! 

[Quiversaurus]

Thanks for the breakdown @Concavenator ! That's a pretty good-looking skeletal diagram also. Makes me like its silhouette even more.

I do hope HLG will make one down the line, and perhaps with the practice in making Allosaurus, Dilophosaurus and Megaraptor, subsequent carnivores will be even better accuracy-wise; their paint jobs are already stellar. Plus it's a Chinese species so I feel the likelihood is higher (:

[Halichoeres]

I do hope HLG will make one down the line, and perhaps with the practice in making Allosaurus, Dilophosaurus and Megaraptor, subsequent carnivores will be even better accuracy-wise; their paint jobs are already stellar. Plus it's a Chinese species so I feel the likelihood is higher (:

I was thinking this about another Chinese species the other day, but then I looked at their selection and it doesn't seem like they have especially focused on Chinese taxa. So far I think it's only been Tianzhenosaurus and Wuerhosaurus.

[Concavenator]

Binomial name: Borealopelta markmitchelli (Brown et al., 2017)
Etymology: "Mark Mitchell's northern shield" (Latin and Greek)
Classified as: Dinosauria -> Ornithischia -> Genasauria -> Thyreophora -> Ankylosauria -> Nodosauridae
Period: Early Cretaceous (Aptian)
Fossils found in: Clearwater Formation, present-day Canada (North America)

Company: CollectA
Line: Standard
Sculptor: Matthias Geiger
Based on: TMP 2011.033.000
Color scheme inspired by: Borealopelta markmitchelli Brown et al., 2017 TMP 2011.033.000
Year of release: 2019

Review:

Spoiler

An exquisitely three-dimensionally preserved nodosaurid known from a single specimen (TMP 2011.033.000). The holotype preserved soft tissues and melanin was identified within them, enabling the authors to conclude the animal had a reddish-brown, countershaded coloration which likely helped the animal camouflage itself from predators (Brown et al. 2017). Said specimen even preserved stomach contents, revealing that the animal mainly fed on fern leaves, which imply selective feeding (Kalyniuk et al. 2023).

Replaces the PNSO version. I read about @Sim recommending this figure, and after considering it, I think this CollectA figure is the better representation of the animal. The coloration is, not only nicer in my opinion, but also more accurate. The tail also doesn't look scrawny as PNSO's. On the whole, it's a bit plumper too, which I'd say it's appropriate for an ankylosaur. And being at a smaller scale than PNSO's, it also helps me save a bit of space. It's also a fifth the price of the PNSO! In a nutshell, I would say this CollectA version is the better choice.

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[Quiversaurus]

Great addition to your collection! I was considering this little guy too, especially because he's 1:35 scale. And I too like this one more than PNSO's (:

[Halichoeres]

I've had the PNSO and CollectA Borealopelta side by side on my desk waiting for a detailed comparison so I can decide which to keep. (My CollectA and Favorite Fukuisaurus are in a similar limbo.) Not a bad problem to have, two very nice versions to choose between.

[Concavenator]

@Quiversaurus Thank you! Well, I can only recommend it. It's a small, very cheap model of one of the most remarkable dinosaur discoveries in recent years. For its size, its quality is surprisingly high, too. It's all advantages in my book!

@Halichoeres Not a bad problem indeed! I'm glad some figures of this dinosaur have been released already. Borealopelta was such a striking discovery that it overshadowed Zuul back then, which by itself was another outstanding find.

When it comes to Zuul, will you be replacing Safari's with PNSO's? It's a pity PNSO's osteoderm arrangement doesn't match the new reconstruction's, but at least it's better proportioned than Safari's. However, I already ordered the Kaiyodo one (hasn't arrived to me yet) so I don't think I will be replacing it, especially because the PNSO isn't up-to-date either.

[Quiversaurus]

I've had the PNSO and CollectA Borealopelta side by side on my desk waiting for a detailed comparison so I can decide which to keep. (My CollectA and Favorite Fukuisaurus are in a similar limbo.) Not a bad problem to have, two very nice versions to choose between.

I believe DinosDragons does a comparison in this video, but it may not be as detailed as you're looking for. Not sure if you've come across this yet!

https://youtu.be/i8njZliwBnw?si=8PXb2flMvQHIFRAj

[Halichoeres]

I've had the PNSO and CollectA Borealopelta side by side on my desk waiting for a detailed comparison so I can decide which to keep. (My CollectA and Favorite Fukuisaurus are in a similar limbo.) Not a bad problem to have, two very nice versions to choose between.

I believe DinosDragons does a comparison in this video, but it may not be as detailed as you're looking for. Not sure if you've come across this yet!

https://youtu.be/i8njZliwBnw?si=8PXb2flMvQHIFRAj

Thanks, I don't generally watch YouTube reviews, but I guess I can make an exception. But in incognito mode, because I don't think I would like its effect on my recommendations!

When it comes to Zuul, will you be replacing Safari's with PNSO's? It's a pity PNSO's osteoderm arrangement doesn't match the new reconstruction's, but at least it's better proportioned than Safari's. However, I already ordered the Kaiyodo one (hasn't arrived to me yet) so I don't think I will be replacing it, especially because the PNSO isn't up-to-date either.

I probably will replace it. Proportions and paint job are enough. At this point I'm also willing to reward PNSO simply for not making another theropod.

Bummer about the Ichthyosaurus QC problems. I guess that's going to happen with a toy that retails for less than $10.

[Concavenator]

Binomial name: Velociraptor mongoliensis (Osborn, 1924)
Etymology: "Swift robber from Mongolia" (Latin)
Classified as: Dinosauria -> Saurischia -> Theropoda -> Neotheropoda -> Averostra -> Tetanurae -> Coelurosauria -> Tyrannoraptora -> Maniraptoromorpha -> Neocoelurosauria -> Maniraptoriformes -> Maniraptora -> Pennaraptora -> Paraves -> Eumaniraptora -> Deinonychosauria -> Dromaeosauridae -> Eudromaeosauria -> Velociraptorinae
Period: Late Cretaceous (Campanian)
Fossils found in: Djadochta Formation, present-day Mongolia (Asia)

Company: Creative Beast Studio
Line: Beasts of the Mesozoic: Raptor Series
Sculptor: David Silva
Color scheme inspired by: Gypaetus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (bearded vulture)
Year of release: 2022

Review:

Spoiler

A velociraptorine dromaeosaurid that has become famous due to its appearance in Hollywood movies (King et al. 2020) like those belonging to the Jurassic Park/World franchise. It had 9 cm long sickle-like claws on the second digit of each foot, and it also had a long, stiff tail that helped the animal balance itself when it was running (Dixon 2010). An oustanding fossil reported in 1972 featured a Velociraptor actively preying on a Protoceratops. To this date, this is still the only fossil that represents two taxa directly interacting (Hone et al. 2010). Two species have currently been described: V. mongoliensis (the type species) and V. osmolskae (Godefroit et al. 2008). The first Velociraptor mongoliensis specimen was discovered in an expedition by the AMNH to Mongolia in the 1920s. However, more specimens of this species have been discovered ever since (Dixon 2010).

Replaces the Safari version, which I also really like. But this replacement allows me to save some space, and this BotM Velociraptor is also very nice. This is also my first BotM "raptor" figure (as in, part of that series, I'll probably get either the Cyberzoic or the BotM Deinonychus as well, for the same reason as this Velociraptor).

Safe to say this is easily the most overpriced figure I've ever bought, I hope nobody will ask me how much did it cost lol (spoiler: more than the 2nd hand BotM Chasmosaurus I bought last year  ). I mean, I acknowledge all the articulation engineering, the figure itself is also very well-painted and it feels like the high-quality product it's meant to be, but I still feel the price is way too much for something this small. Also, my copy came with some significant prognathism:



Which is why I'm displaying it with its mouth open.

This is also my first order from speelboer.com. I ordered the figure on Saturday evening and arrived yesterday at about 2 p.m. So 3.5 days excluding Sunday, that's FAST considering it came from the Netherlands. This will now be my go-to shop when it comes to getting Creative Beast stuff.

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[Concavenator]

Binomial name: Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis (Gilmore, 1931)
Etymology: "Thick-headed lizard from Wyoming" (Greek and Latin)
Classified as: Dinosauria -> Ornithischia -> Genasauria -> Neornithischia -> Marginocephalia -> Pachycephalosauria -> Pachycephalosauridae -> Pachycephalosaurinae
Period: Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
Fossils found in: Hell Creek Formation, present-day USA (North America), Lance Formation, present-day USA (North America)

Company: PNSO
Line: Prehistoric Animal Models
Sculptor: somebody from Zhao Chuang's atelier
Year of release: 2021

Review:

Spoiler

A dome-headed dinosaur from the Hell Creek Formation (Brusatte 2019). Its growth stages have been considered as different genera at some point: Dracorex (juvenile) and Stygimoloch (subadult) (Goodwin & Evans 2015). They may have used their domes in intraspecific combat, suggesting agonistic behaviour in pachycephalosaurids (Peterson & Vittore 2012). It is the biggest (and hence, the most famous) pachycephalosaurid. Only skull remains of the species have currently been described (Dixon 2010). However, there are well-preserved postcranial remains awaiting to be described. These undescribed remains seemingly suggest Pachycephalosaurus individuals, apart from head-butting, also engaged in kickboxing-like intraspecific combats.

Replaces the Papo Pachycephalosaurus that I had since I was a kid and which I sold 2 years ago. This certainly is one of the most satisfying replacements that I remember. This figure has been on my wishlist since it was announced. Ever since I'm aware of AliExpress sales, I no longer pay full-price for a PNSO figure, and the 11.11 sale, being the biggest one of the year, is a good moment to pick them up. So I finally caved, and glad I did, because the figures of this size range from PNSO are quite overpriced (though the award for most overpriced still has to go to the Tsintaosaurus).

Anyways, I'm enjoying this acquisition. Pachycephalosaurus is an old favorite of mine, and PNSO's is a really good representation. If this wasn't a thing, I would have gladly bought Safari's (and it's clearly more affordable), but this PNSO is also very good and it's smaller, so it helps me save space. Also, despite being a 2 year old figure and PNSO constantly releasing new figures, the paint app is fairly good, certainly better than I expected. Was I lucky?

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[Halichoeres]

It'll be hilarious if they find a complete skeleton one day and it's proportioned like Cotylorhynchus.

[Concavenator]

@Halichoeres Aw come on, don't tell me that.