CollectA: New for 2025

[Flaffy]

A bit disappointed that there was only one reveal this week. Still very happy we finally have an Arctodus model after so long!

I don't mind a rearing pose for a bear, but the arm positioning does look a bit silly. Gives the impression that he's dancing in a formal ball.

[stargatedalek]

It feels like a mounted bear in a giftshop.

[GojiraGuy1954]

Figure lineup seems a bit small but they're all bangers so I guess I can't complain. Better than last year with the velo and the pola

[suspsy]

No different from many bear specimens mounted in natural history museums.

[Flaffy]

No different from many bear specimens mounted in natural history museums.

For me it's the position of the left arm on the figure that solidifies the ball-dance look. Almost as if he's embracing a dance partner. Someone mentioned Blue Rhino's statue above and IMO the pronated manus looks more natural.

[Faelrin]

@Flaffy All the more reason to buy two of these, lol.

Reminds me of that time D @Dino Scream3232 had the Papo Giganotosaurus loaded up.

While the pose probably could have been better, I don't mind it. It will be easier to see crammed on a shelf with a lot of other large mammal figures (if I can ever get back to those days). All the more reason for it to be waving for attention, like hey, I'm here now, don't forget.

[dinofelid]

No different from many bear specimens mounted in natural history museums.

For me it's the position of the left arm on the figure that solidifies the ball-dance look. Almost as if he's embracing a dance partner.

I think it might partly be the angle of the photo that makes it look weird--the raised right arm on the skeleton has a lot of flexion but not much abduction, the photo from that angle makes it look like the CollectA has more abduction (flexion is like when you raise your arm forward to shake hands or knock on a door, abduction is like when you spread your arms for a hug, see motions here), which might add to the sense of it looking like a ballroom dancer (though Flaffy was talking more about the left arm), but it doesn't look so much like that in the third image on the everythingdinosaur blog post:



As for non-pronated paws when rearing up, it looks like bears do that sometimes unless I'm missing some subtle difference in wrist angles etc.

Though doing an image search for "bear rearing up" or "bear raising arms" I couldn't fine any in a pose quite like that where one arm is raised so high and the other is low enough that the forearm is angled downward (closest I see is something like this), that could be part of why it looks a little too human-like, though it is mounted in such a pose in the skeleton.

[suspsy]

I don't see what's bad about its pose at all. It's doing exactly what modern bears do when they're fighting or intimidating each other. This one could be duking it out with another Arctodus or it could be trying to scare away a Smilodon or a pack of dire wolves from a bison carcass.

[Dusty Wren]

I know Arctodus has kinda goofy proportions, but I think CollectA might have accentuated the goofiness a bit with this particular pose. I just got Papo's excellent standing polar bear and grizzly bear in the mail this week, and both of them look a lot more naturalistic.

Still, I'm willing to bet that the figure looks better in person than in photos, and I've wanted an Arctodus for so long that the pose was never going to factor into my decision to get one, anyway.

[Gwangi]

I also feel like there's something off about the bear and that it looks like a man in a costume. It's hard to put my finger on what exactly is off about it though. I agree with Dusty Wren, as far as standing bears go the Papo polar bear and Safari grizzly do it better. I like the head sculpt though, and the colors and patterning. It's a mixed bag, as CollectA mammals usually are with me. I'm gonna have to get it though, no question about that.

Looking at other Arctodus reconstructions and I came across this one. Much more to my liking.

[SidB]

A bit disappointed that there was only one reveal this week. Still very happy we finally have an Arctodus model after so long!

I don't mind a rearing pose for a bear, but the arm positioning does look a bit silly. Gives the impression that he's dancing in a formal ball.

I don't think that I'll be lining up for a dance with this bear, formally or informally.

[Flaffy]

I agree with both @Gwangi and @Dusty Wren . Good point about the Papo grizzly and polar, looks way more natural. I think the reason that CollectA's looks like a man-in-a-suit is simply due to the difference in sculpt quality.

The underlying msuculature and anatomy of the Papo figurines is noticeably superior and quite precise. While the CollectA sculpt lacks much definition and is just a bit too smooth, a trend with most CollectA prehistoric mammals IMO. Compare and contrast the presence of (or lackthereof) skin sagging, folds, and fur orientation variation between the three ursid figures. Again for me personally it really comes down to the tube-like arms of the Arctodus sculpt, with not a lot of muscle definition, nor differenciation between the different sections of the arm.

That's not to say the Arctodus is a bad figure, but the difference in having a greater understanding of mammalian anatomy is palpable.

[Gwangi]

I think you've identified well what I couldn't quite put my finger on @Flaffy.

[Sim]

I have to say I'm disappointed by CollectA's reveals so far.  I have no interest in prehistoric inverterbrates or mammals (excluding cetaceans).  When the first reveal was made I was impressed by the eurypterid but it didn't appeal to me for the aforementioned reason.  And the Furcatoceratops, while it was nice to see it didn't have filaments, didn't appeal to me at all.  It just doesn't look great to me.  So I was hoping the second reveal would have something that interested me, but it was just one prehistoric mammal.   An impressive one though I have to say, but again nothing that interested me.  I hope CollectA won't reveal only a prehistoric mammal again.  I would be surprised if CollectA's next reveal didn't include a prehistoric reptile, but CollectA has made me not look forward to their reveals any more after what their reveals so far have consisted of.

[GojiraGuy1954]

I have to say I'm disappointed by CollectA's reveals so far.  I have no interest in prehistoric inverterbrates or mammals (excluding cetaceans).  When the first reveal was made I was impressed by the eurypterid but it didn't appeal to me for the aforementioned reason.  And the Furcatoceratops, while it was nice to see it didn't have filaments, didn't appeal to me at all.  It just doesn't look great to me.  So I was hoping the second reveal would have something that interested me, but it was just one prehistoric mammal.   An impressive one though I have to say, but again nothing that interested me.  I hope CollectA won't reveal only a prehistoric mammal again.  I would be surprised if CollectA's next reveal didn't include a prehistoric reptile, but CollectA has made me not look forward to their reveals any more after what their reveals so far have consisted of.

They only tend to do one prehistoric mammal a year

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I don't buy a lot of CollectA anymore but I do hope they have at least one piece I need to pickup.

[Jorgesaurus]

When they make a sauropod they usually reveal it at the beginning, I think that in 2025 there will be no sauropod and that disappoints me, apparently I won't get anything from collecta in 2025

[Halichoeres]

When they make a sauropod they usually reveal it at the beginning, I think that in 2025 there will be no sauropod and that disappoints me, apparently I won't get anything from collecta in 2025

You only collect sauropods?

[Jorgesaurus]

When they make a sauropod they usually reveal it at the beginning, I think that in 2025 there will be no sauropod and that disappoints me, apparently I won't get anything from collecta in 2025

You only collect sauropods?

I collect several prehistorical models in general but I am interested in collecting their sauropods but I believe in 2025 they will not make them, hence the comment.

[Sim]

CollectA's recent sauropods are exceptinally good, I'm holding out hope there will be another for 2025!  I'm really hoping for Barosaurus or Supersaurus!  I've also managed to move past the disappointing reveals so far, so I have hope I'll be pleased by the next CollectA reveal!  Not long to go now for it...