HAOLONGGOOD - 2025 Hopes and Dreams

[thomasw100]

I have the CollectA Borealopelta and it's excellent. It's one of the figures I'm most satisfied with. I don't think it lacks quality.

The CollactA Borealopelta is certainly one of the best of their figures in recent years.

[thomasw100]

I would love a Haolonggood diplodocus. I need one done by them, as nice as the other sauropods. I have the Eofauna one but it has to be the same scale 1:35 because I display them together. And large dinosaurs need large figures.

Do you not have the REBOR Diplodocus?

There are a few reasons why people might not have gotten the Rebor Diplodocus. Some like myself are allergic to seam lines and figures that come in parts. Others may not have confidence in the long term durability of the poseable neck and tail. Yet others might have personally opted to boycott Rebor because of their attitude as a company. For me all three reasons apply and this is why I would be happy if Haolonggood would produce a nice 1:35 scale Diplodocus. I would be equally happy with a Barosaurus or a Supersaurus though.

[Sim]

I know @Duna has the REBOR "Kiss" (what a silly name), so I was curious about whether she has the REBOR Diplodocus too...

[Sim]

I've listed the theropods, sauropodomorphs and non-dinosaurs I'd like, now here are the ornithischians I'd like from Haolonggood:

Medusaceratops!
  (Image source)
The left skull is Albertaceratops, the middle skull is Medusaceratops, the right skull and bottom is Lokiceratops.  Most reconstructions restored Medusaceratops as a chasmosaurine, but more remains of Medusaceratops were later found, filling in previously missing parts and confirming it was actually a centrosaurine!  The skull above incorporates the new remains and is the latest reconstruction I'm aware of.  PNSO made an impressive Lokiceratops, but I'm sure Haolonggood can make an equally impressive Medusaceratops!  I hope for it!

Achelousaurus.  This one might be too similar to some of Haolonggood's other ceratopsids, literally being a transitional species between Einiosaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai.  But that could make it even more of an interesting choice I think!

Polacanthus!  It's fragmentary, yes, but it's historically important and also an important part of the Cretaceous ecosystem of England.  Plus, its back shield is very impressive and even all this time after the animal lived it still allows us to see the order and variability of nature on the body of an animal from millions of years ago.  Seeing what a good job Haolonggood did with Gastonia makes me keen to see a Polacanthus from them!

I too would like a Scelidosaurus, but I think it's too small for Haolonggood to consider.
I'd also love to have an Agujaceratops from Haolonggood!  That's a great choice, it would be unique as no-one has made an Agujaceratops figure and I doubt anyone else will.  Agujaceratops also looks very unique!
I'm interested in having figures of Anchiceratops and Arrhinoceratops, they are interesting ceratopsids that appear to have spent considerable amount of time wading through swamps, based on their reduced fenestrae which helped tilt the nostrils upwards and that unique postcrania that probably was present in both species I think.  However I'm afraid they look too similar to Pentaceratops and Torosaurus respectively and that Haolonggood won't make them for that reason.
I'm interested in a Centrosaurus apertus from Haolonggood too.  My understanding is the shape of the nasal horn of this species varies depending on the individual, as can be seen in the artwork below.
  (Image source)
I don't want the PNSO Centrosaurus as I dislike how bent and relatively short its nasal horn is.  There's nothing wrong with it, but I just don't like it, I'm used to Centrosaurus having a long and upright horn and I hope if Haolonggood makes it they give it a horn like that.  Something like the nasal horn of the Centrosaurus by Gregory Wenzel would be ideal, for me: https://stores.dansdinosaurs.com/centrosaurus-1-10-resin-kit-by-greg-wenzel/
I'm also a fan of this Centrosaurus sculpture, it and Wenzel's are currently my favourite reconstructions of Centrosaurus apertus, I would be happy with a horn like either's:
  (Image source)
I would also be happy with a nasal horn like this one, I think you get the idea by now:
  (Image source)

[Sim]

Now that CollectA is producing a Gallimimus, I still think it would be great to have a medium-sized Nemegt Formation animal set, with Alioramus replacing Gallimimus.

Alioramus:
  (Image source)

People might even buy more than one of this set to create groups of the species included.

Adasaurus:
  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Adasaurus_size.png)

Zanabazar:
  (Image source)

[Halichoeres]

Some marine reptiles other than Mosasaurus would be nice.

[Ajax88]

Honestly I would love another attempt at Spinosaurus. I know everyone else probably thinks this is an overdone taxon, but nothing has really been a slam-dunk yet.  PNSO's is pretty good, but I would like another bipedal model (Quadrupedal Spinosaurus was always a goofy idea), especially one with a striking color scheme. Swimming poses are also pretty unrealistic from a scientific standpoint, so all those models are unappealing to me. I don't think anything on the market captures what a weird animal Spinosaurus truly was. Inspiration from PaleoGeek...

[BlueKrono]

Unrealistic? Could Spinosaurus not swim?

[GojiraGuy1954]

Unrealistic? Could Spinosaurus not swim?

There's been a whole physics-based back and forth for the past couple years but all of Spinosaurus' unique adaptations from other spinosaurids still indicate a water-based lifestyle

[Sim]

Those spinosaurid reconstructions by PaleoGeek look contrived.

[Ajax88]

Unrealistic? Could Spinosaurus not swim?

Sure, but no more than any other theropod. Spinosaurids had stiffened tails, being members of tetanurae, and they would have been mediocre propulsion systems. An enormous rigid sail would have made underwater swimming extremely difficult.A heron-like lifestyle is still really the most plausible for Spinosaurus.

[Ajax88]

Those spinosaurid reconstructions by PaleoGeek look contrived.

Why? Because they are colorful? Plenty of modern birds and reptiles are extremely colorful. It would be weird if at least some dinosaurs didn't have striking patterns, especially ones that evolved massive display structures.

[Sim]

Why? Because they are colorful? Plenty of modern birds and reptiles are extremely colorful. It would be weird if at least some dinosaurs didn't have striking patterns, especially ones that evolved massive display structures.

Their colourations don't look natural, their feather distribution doesn't look natural, the feathers matching the pattern of the bare skin on the lower spinosaurid is bizarre, the holes in their skin looks forced.

[GojiraGuy1954]

Unrealistic? Could Spinosaurus not swim?

Sure, but no more than any other theropod. Spinosaurids had stiffened tails, being members of tetanurae, and they would have been mediocre propulsion systems. An enormous rigid sail would have made underwater swimming extremely difficult.A heron-like lifestyle is still really the most plausible for Spinosaurus.

Great comparison to a group characterised by proportionally long legs

[Ajax88]

Unrealistic? Could Spinosaurus not swim?

Sure, but no more than any other theropod. Spinosaurids had stiffened tails, being members of tetanurae, and they would have been mediocre propulsion systems. An enormous rigid sail would have made underwater swimming extremely difficult.A heron-like lifestyle is still really the most plausible for Spinosaurus.

Great comparison to a group characterised by proportionally long legs

Spinosaurus had legs plenty long enough to wade. My paleontology Master's advisor about burst out laughing when he heard the aquatic Spinosaurus theory (and his specialty is Crocodilians). The biomechanics just aren't there. A highly pneumatic theropod with an immense sail was not routinely diving and swimming in open water. Further reading if you are interested.

https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2021/3219-the-ecology-of-spinosaurus

https://elifesciences.org/articles/80092

[Sim]

As far as I'm aware the bones of Spinosaurus were not hollow, but I think in the context of Spinosaurus they most likely provided resistance to the water it would wade in and also give it more strength when fighting other animals.  I agree the legs of Spinosaurus were long enough for it to wade, they are relatively short but Spinosaurus is so big that they end up being around 2m tall last time I checked.

[DefinitelyNOTDilo]

Unrealistic? Could Spinosaurus not swim?

Sure, but no more than any other theropod. Spinosaurids had stiffened tails, being members of tetanurae, and they would have been mediocre propulsion systems. An enormous rigid sail would have made underwater swimming extremely difficult.A heron-like lifestyle is still really the most plausible for Spinosaurus.

Great comparison to a group characterised by proportionally long legs

Spinosaurus had legs plenty long enough to wade. My paleontology Master's advisor about burst out laughing when he heard the aquatic Spinosaurus theory (and his specialty is Crocodilians). The biomechanics just aren't there. A highly pneumatic theropod with an immense sail was not routinely diving and swimming in open water. Further reading if you are interested.

https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2021/3219-the-ecology-of-spinosaurus

https://elifesciences.org/articles/80092

Worth noting spinosaurus had very dense bones for a dinosaur, to the point where computer models suggest swimming is highly likely. The current consensus is swimming spino, the debate is how much of a role swimming played in hunting.

[DefinitelyNOTDilo]

Fun fact, bary shares these dense bones, but not sucho for some reason, suggesting sucho was much more terrestrial

[Sim]

There isn't a consensus on whether Spinosaurus was a swimmer or a wader.  It's an active debate and as of recent there has been more in support of Spinosaurus not being a swimmer.

[DefinitelyNOTDilo]

There isn't a consensus on whether Spinosaurus was a swimmer or a wader.  It's an active debate and as of recent there has been more in support of Spinosaurus not being a swimmer.

Realized I didn't elaborate enough. Heron spino does NOT mean it wouldn't be good at swimming, just that the swimming would be primarily for locomotion. So while the evidence leans towards heron spino, swimming spino is still very likely. It has many adaptations that just don't make sense if it was restricted to land.