Top 10 Prehistoric Model Releases of 2021?

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

@Sim it arrived at ED in March 2021 so it's a 2021 figure to me. 3 months in is enough.
Likewise the "2021" "Iguanodon" will be a 2022 "Iguanodon" to me.

[SRF]

@Sim it arrived at ED in March 2021 so it's a 2021 figure to me. 3 months in is enough.
Likewise the "2021" "Iguanodon" will be a 2022 "Iguanodon" to me.

The Miragaia was globally available in 2020 just like the Iguanadon was globally available in 2021. So it's only logical that the Iguanadon is in this poll and the Miragaia in the poll of 2020.

[SRF]

It seems the PNSO Parasaurolophus and Tarbosaurus are going neck-and-neck to take the top spot. To me that's no surprise, but it's nice to see your gut feeling come true. 

[Skorpio V.]

Voted for neither of the top-picks as of today lol:

CollectA Elasmosaurus
CollectA Kamuysaurus
PNSO Triceratops
PNSO Pinacosaurus
GR Toys Carcharodontosaurus

I can't seem to revote as I had voted while it was only a Top 5 poll, but if I had the extra five, I would've included the

Dino Hazard Irritator
PNSO Livyatan
Eofauna Triceratops (Dominant)
PNSO Cretoxyrhina
BotM Albertaceratops

[Carnoking]

Alright, after a grueling wait, my final three Beasts of the Mesozoic Ceratopsians arrived and I can finally put in my vote!

This will also work as a bump for this poll. If anyone else wants to get in on it, now's the time!

[Over9K]

Going down the list...

PNSO Tarbosaurus - Just a beautiful sculpt, with fantastic fine detail. As much as I love Wilson, I feel Chaunzi better represents a large Tyrannosaur, slightly stretched snout not withstanding.

PNSO - Carchardontosaurus - Lithe and lean, with a beautiful colorway, this figure impressed right out of the box.

PNSO - Parasaurolophus - Art and Science colliding to make something beautiful. This is my FOTY '21.

GR Toys - Giganotosaurus (Blue) - This figure is a real eye-grabber. Normals that see my collection are drawn to it, because it stands out. I do wish the articulated jaw was executed a little better without the awkward hinge and gaps, but despite that, this one is a winner.

EoFauna - Triceratops sp. (Cryptic) - I love this little guy. I loved his little price, I love his dynamic pose, I love the tight skin detail, I love EoFauna's laser focus on accuracy, and I also love their batshit colorway. I cannot wait to have an EoFauna Tyrannosaurus to menace this little three-horned face.

Nanmu - Giganotosaurus (Blue) - I totally get that awesomebro is not everyone's favorite genre in dinosaur toy collecting, but if you do indulge in the occasional awesomebro offering, Nanmu is KILLING IT lately. The Giganotosaurus isn't a movie monster, unique lately for Nanmu. It seems like when Nanmu designs these figures on their own, like they did with the Ceratosaurus and Allosaurus, the result is a beautiful piece of art. This Giganotosaurusis a chunky beast, with incredible detail, and a subtle, nuanced colorway that just may be an homage to one of cinema's greatest dinosaurs, Toho's Gorosaurus. Definitely one of my favorites this year.

Nanmu - Tyrannosaurus rex (TLW Buck) - Straight up THE awesomebro Tyrannosaurus. None are awesomer, or bro-ier. The TLW colorway is very nice, perhaps a tiny bit muted in the yellows. The pose is low key dynamic, and should be nicely variable when photographed from different angles, and you can't beat that chonky blocky head and those teeth.

Nanmu - Vastatosaurus rex (Grey/Blue) - This V.rex is easily the best V.rex available today. The pose is a bit static, but otherwise this is the perfect V.rex, and I don't say that lightly, I have been a REBOR V.rex fan since the moment I laid my hands on it. Give the Nanmu version the REBOR pose, and this would be my FOTY for '21.

REBOR - Carnotaurus rex (Disney's Dinosaur) - REBOR set out to make the definitive Carnotaurus from Disney's Dinosaur, and they crushed it. The Carnotaurus in the film had real character, and REBOR really captured the essence of that character in their figure. The detail features that 'all over scaled' look that REBOR is known for, while eschewing that gridded/uniform execution of their earlier work. This might be their best solid PVC figure overall, in terms of execution.

REBOR - Mesozoic Rhapsody (Valley/Grey) - There are a few representations of Tyrannosaurus rex that I have always wanted to be able to own and hold in my hand; Burian's terrifying screamer, the Jonas Studios/Sinclair World's Fair fatso, Mark Hallett's eyebrows from hell, to name a few. In '21 REBOR gave me one of them; Charles R. Knight's iconic gunslinger rex. The figure embodies the painting, even if the body isn't totally accurate, to be expected since the body was being used for at least two distinct dinosaurs. It is a shame that REBOR wasn't able to bring the colorway through from promotional material to the finished product. In promo this figure had a deep brown/purple hue, reminiscent of Harryhausen's Gwangi. The production piece is a muted dove grey. Still an iconic, classic view on Tyrannosaurus, beautifully represented.

[SenSx]

Ok my turn now !


1) Nanmu Giganotosaurus(blue): as it was said before, it's not for everyone, but I find this guy STUNNING, from the amazing sculpt and pose, to the beautiful complex paintjob, and its impressive size.
It has become one of the central pieces in my collection, even surpassing the Nanmu T-Rex Buck in my opinion.

2) Nanmu T-Rex Buck (green): another central piece in my collection. Massive and stunning, with a base that enhance its glory.

3) Rebor Smilodon (Ice Age variant): I did not expect it to become on of the gems in my collection as well, but with its awesome colors, two great heads options, and a affordable price for this size and quality, it's a great deal in my opinion.

4) Nanmu Vastatosaurus Rex (green): the best V-Rex on the market, great sculpt and paint job, the shape of the teeth is amazing, and one of the best base they could have made for it.

5) Safari Baryonyx: Best baryonyx sculpt  on the market for me, the color is a bit bland in my opinion but very natural, the teeth are painted a bit sloppy but it is easy to fix.

6) PNSO Parasaurolophus: I have been waiting for the perfect Parasaurolophus, there it is. Love its bulk, love its paint job, love its orange tone and blue eyes.

7) PNSO Pachycephalosaurus: Same as above !

8 ) PNSO Dunkleosteus: Great dynamic sculpt, vibrant paint job, my favorite figure for this specie.

9) PNSO Torvosaurus: I like its bulk and pose more than its Collecta counterpart. Very nice details and colors. The goofy look of the teeth + the different eyes direction is the only nitpick for me.

10) Papo Smilodon Cub: And finally, this little guy finally gives us an option to build a Smilodon familly, good thing it is out the same year as the Rebor Smilodon ^^

[Concavenator]

Is this poll finished yet? Also, the "News" section of the forum takes you to the Best Figures of 2018 thread, just saying.

Personally, my 10 picks of 2021 are (in no particular order):

Eofauna Triceratops
PNSO Yutyrannus
PNSO Olorotitan
Dino Hazard Irritator
GR Toys Carcharodontosaurus
GR Toys Dicraeosaurus
BotM Sinoceratops
CollectA Mamenchisaurus
CollectA Megalosaurus
Safari Daspletosaurus

It was difficult to pick just 10, last year there were a lot of great releases.

[Crackington]

Just wondering too if there's still time to vote (sorry hadn't noticed the thread before)?

If so, could the Wild Past Tethyshadros be added too please? It was my favourite model from last year and  I'm a bit surprised it's not listed, especially as it was very good and a unique species too.

[Sim]

I'm surprised by how few votes the PNSO Tylosaurus has received.  I didn't vote for it at the time but I would now if I could, now that I have it and know how amazing it is.  I also don't see the PNSO Kronosaurus in the poll, that's another one I would vote for now.

[Crackington]

Hadn't realised the poll was still open so voted. My "other" vote was for the Wild Past Tethyshadros which I think was too late to add to the poll.

[Gwangi]

I somehow missed voting in this poll. I probably couldn't decide what to vote for and then forgot about it. Anyway, here are my picks...

CollectA Xiphactinus: It's a fish
PNSO Cretoxyrhina: It's a fish
PNSO Helicoprion: It's a fish
PNSO Dunkleosteus: It's a fish. Noticing a theme? I have a collection of prehistoric animals that is dominated by dinosaurs. I'll always love my dinos but it's the non-dinos that appeal to me most these days. And I really like fish. And the PNSO Dunk is particularly lifelike in appearance with a nifty jaw articulation.
CollectA Pravitoceras: It's a mollusk. No, seriously though, it might be underwhelming compared to all the PNSO figures I could have voted for but it's different from the norm and that's enough. Plus, it's one of the better CollectA mollusks.
PNSO Tarbosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus: My favorite PNSO theropods of 2021 and for me, the definitive versions of each.
PNSO Livyatan I was initially put off by the seams but then I was gifted it for Christmas last year and it's one of the figures I've held and examined the most over the last year. I also really like whales, and sperm whales in particular.
Safari Ltd Baryonyx and Daspletosaurus: Two theropods I've waited a very long time to get good figures of, and I got them!

Mattel Honorable Mention: No Mattel toy made the top 10 even though I do collect them. My favorite of 2021 was the Pentaceratops.

[Sim]

I'm surprised the PNSO Allosaurus received so few votes.  Allosaurus is one of the most popular dinosaurs and the PNSO version is great!  So why does it have so few votes?  Similarly, I'm surprised the Safari 2019 Allosaurus didn't make it into the top 10 for that year, as it is great too.  What's going on with Allosaurus?

[Faelrin]

As of posting this there are a total of 56 votes. There were three votes for other/write-ins, but I only saw one comment pertaining to that.



For the list of most to least voted, I have excluded all Mattel Jurassic World figures with 0 votes to save me time and effort.

Spoiler

PNSO Tarbosaurus	23
PNSO Parasaurolophus	19
CollectA Mamenchisaurus	18
PNSO Dunkleosteus	18
PNSO Olorotitan	17
Safari Ltd Baryonyx	17
GR Toys/Haolonggood Carcharodontosaurus (Blue)	16
CollectA Xiphactinus	15
Eofauna Triceratops (Dominant)	15
Safari Ltd Daspletosaurus	15
Eofauna Triceratops (Cryptic)	13
PNSO Helicoprion	13
PNSO Yutyrannus	12
CollectA Doedicurus	11
DinoHazard Irritator	11
PNSO Pinacosaurus	11
PNSO Livyatan	10
Nanmu T. rex (Buck)	9
Creative Beast BotM Pachyrhinosaurus	8
Creative Beast BotM Triceratops (Adult)	7
PNSO Carcharodontosaurus	7
PNSO Iguanodon	7
PNSO Torvosaurus	7
GR Toys/Haolonggood Dicraeosaurus (Brown)	6
PNSO Cretoxyrhina	6
CollectA Kamuysaurus	5
CollectA Pravitoceras	5
Creative Beast BotM Torosaurus	5
Nanmu Giganotosaurus (Blue)	5
PNSO Allosaurus	5
PNSO Stegosaurus duo	5
PNSO Triceratops	5
PNSO Tylosaurus	5
REBOR Smilodon (Ice Age)	5
Creative Beast BotM Pentaceratops	4
Creative Beast BotM Xenoceratops	4
GR Toys/Haolonggood Carcharodontosaurus (Orange)	4
Mattel Legacy Collection T. rex Escape Playset	4
PNSO Pachycephalosaurus	4
PNSO Tyrannosaurus (Andrea)	4
CollectA Pteranodon	3
Creative Beast BotM Centrosaurus	3
Creative Beast BotM Kosmoceratops	3
Creative Beast BotM Spiclypeus	3
Creative Beast BotM Utahceratops	3
Mattel Legacy Collection Apatosaurus	3
PNSO Himalayasaurus	3
REBOR Retrosaur (Mesozoic Rhapsody Valley)	3
CollectA Elasmosaurus	2
CollectA Megalosaurus	2
Creative Beast BotM Albertaceratops	2
Creative Beast BotM Avaceratops	2
Creative Beast BotM Sinoceratops	2
GR Toys/Haolonggood Dicraeosaurus (Green)	2
Nanmu Giganotosaurus (Orange)	2
Nanmu V-rex (Blue)	2
PNSO Carnotaurus	2
PNSO Mamenchisaurus	2
REBOR Carnotaurus rex	2
REBOR Ekrixinatosaurus	2
REBOR Smilodon (Plain)	2
REBOR Titanoboa (Brian Diccus)	2
REBOR Titanoboa (Monty Resurgent)	2
Safari Ltd Spinosaurus	2
W-Dragon Mosasaurus	2
CollectA Brontosaurus Corpse	1
Creative Beast BotM Regaliceratops	1
Mattel Fierce Force Chialingosaurus	1
Mattel Legacy Collection Dennis Nedry Escape Playset	1
Mattel Mega Destroyer Carcharodontosaurus (Orange)	1
Mattel Ray Arnold's Final Moments Comic-Con Exclusive	1
Mattel Savage Strike Velocriaptor (Tiger Stripe)	1
Mattel Wild Pack Mononykus (Orange)	1
Nanmu Baryonyx (Blue Standing)	1
Nanmu Sick Triceratops	1
Nanmu T. rex (Obsidian)	1
Nanmu Triceratops (Blue)	1
Nanmu Triceratops (Brown)	1
Nanmu V-rex (Red)	1
Other: Wild Past Tethyshadros	1
Papo Megalodon	1
Papo Smilodon Cub	1
W-Dragon Indominus rex	1
W-Dragon Indoraptor	1
CollectA Dilophosaurus	0
CollectA Neovenator	0
Creative Beast BotM Einiosaurus	0
Creative Beast BotM Wendiceratops	0
Nanmu Baryonyx (Blue Reclining)	0
Nanmu Baryonyx (Yellow Reclining)	0
Nanmu Baryonyx (Yellow Standing)	0
Nanmu T. rex (Mountain)	0
Nanmu Triceratops (Cow)	0
Nanmu V-rex (Gold)	0
PNSO Nanotyrannus/Juvenile T. rex	0
REBOR Deinosuchus Hatchling (Green)	0
REBOR Deinosuchus Hatchling (Red)	0
REBOR GnG Rex (Dinosaur Revolution)	0
REBOR GnG Rex (Green)	0
REBOR Retrosaur (Californiacation VHS)	0
REBOR Smilodon (VHS)	0
Safari Ltd Armored T. rex	0
Safari Ltd Armored Triceratops	0

[close]

Here's the quick recap of the most voted figure by brand (companies with only one figure are omitted):

CollectA: Mamenchisaurus (18 votes)
Creative Beast: BotM Pachyrhinosaurus (8 votes)
Eofauna: Triceratops (Dominant) (15 votes)
GR Toys/Haolonggood: Carcharodontosaurus (Blue) (16 votes)
Mattel Jurassic World: Legacy Collection T. rex Escape Playset (4 votes)
Papo: Megalodon and Smilodon Cub tied (1 vote each)
PNSO: Tarbosaurus (23 votes)
REBOR: Smilodon (Ice Age) (5 votes)
Safari Ltd: Baryonyx (17 votes)
W-Dragon: Mosasaurus (2 votes)

[SRF]

It's funny that when displayed next to all the Tyrannosaurids that came after it, that Tarbosaurus is probably one of the weakest offerings from PNSO.

[Faelrin]

I still think it is a great figure, and was much needed on the market for any fan of that dinosaur or the Nemegt formation fauna. Still one of my favorite tyrannosaurids from them too.

[Sim]

I still think it is a great figure, and was much needed on the market for any fan of that dinosaur or the Nemegt formation fauna. Still one of my favorite tyrannosaurids from them too.

I agree.  And I don't think the Tarbosaurus is one of the weakest tyrannosauroids from PNSO, I feel it's even better than PNSO's Albertosaurus and Daspletosaurus, as well as PNSO's "Nanotyrannus" and Wilsons.

[SRF]

"Weakest" probably was the wrong choice of words. While the Tarbosaurus definitely deserved the votes it gathered a few years ago, I also feel that its age is already showing when compared to the more recent releases from PNSO. Even after 2021, PNSO continuousely improved their sculpting of the skin details.

I do agree that their Daspletosaurus and Albertosaurus (and for that matter, their Gorgosaurus as well) aren't the best figures PNSO has released in 2023 either.

[Halichoeres]

Tarbosaurus aside, this was the best year for PNSO's main line. So much variety.

[Sim]

The top 10 video for this poll!: https://dinotoyblog.com/video-top-10-new-prehistoric-animal-toys-of-2021/