Fembrogon's Bestiary (post-2020)

[Fembrogon]

Safari Ltd. - 2024 releases


Kentrosaurus (repaint)
I have the original green release in storage, but I'm happy to see this little guy on the market again, so I voted with my wallet. Granted, it's been discussed that the figurine might be out of date now, but it's still good to have more thyreophorans in Safari's active catalog. I hope it sells well and encourages more small herbivores to come.


Stegouros
It's great to see two figures of this dinosaur on the market already! The Collecta, as nice as it looks, is too big for my home right now, so Safari's does the job nicely. I'd love to see a Toob version of this sculpt too.


Therizinosaurus
I still remember being so excited the first time I saw the Dinosaurs of China Therizinosaurus figure in a museum gift shop - and how crushed I was when I couldn't get it. Thankfully, following that line's retirement, several companies including Safari themselves stepped up to fill the reaping reptile void. I would dare say Safari's newest 2024 figure is, for its price and quality, the best rendition of the dinosaur on the market right now - the PNSO is more refined, but also twice as expensive. Therizinosaurus has long been a contender for one of my favorite dinosaurs because of how utterly weird it and its relatives are; I do hope we get more of the family from Safari or other brands in the near future!


Safari and PNSO together. I think they display nicely as a pair.

I have yet to acquire the rest of the 2024 releases (budget and all that), but I'll be holding out until the Megalosaurus is available and finish them at once.

[Fembrogon]

Wrapping up the bestiary for 2024!

Mattel/Jurassic World


Hammond Collection - Isla Sorna Encounter (Velociraptor & Alan Grant)
As great as it is to finally have a proper female raptor from JP3 by Mattel, I was honestly more interested in acquiring Grant this time; I wanted a decent 1:18-scale human for the bestiary. Ironically, the figure is technically closer to 1:19, because actor Sam Neil is very tall!    No worries, of course. I'm still fond of JP3 as a film (mediocre though it is), so it's nice to have some more collectibles related to it again.
The female raptor herself is pretty good, my first regular-sized Mattel raptor since 2018. I do wonder if the soft plastic on the arms is a good idea, since it makes the elbow joints harder to use. And I STILL HATE how the dinosaur tails lock in place permanently on assembly. What's the point of a collectors' line with nice packaging if the packaging is immediately rendered useless?? I... moving on.



Chaos Theory Danger Pack - Guanlong vs Lystrosaurus
I think these guys happened to be on sale when I passed by, so temptation got the better of me. Regardless of how bad Dominion was, I appreciate seeing Lystrosaurus get at least a little more publicity out of it. The Guanlong is quite nice too, one of the more naturalistic theropod sculpts I've seen from Mattel in a while, with a pleasantly subdued but eye-catching color scheme. A quality two-for-one package.


Chaos Theory Danger Pack - Rauisuchus
I missed the train on the neat-looking Poposaurus, which is probably why I gave in to temptation on this one, too. More Triassic beasts is a win, and this Raui is looking pretty solid, at least aesthetically. Mattel continues to deliver some good work.



Schleich


Tyrannosaurus (2018)
Honestly, I've actually low-key liked this T-rex figure for a while now - it has a very 1980s-1990s aesthetic to it, capturing that sleek (pre-JP!) early-Renaissance appearance imagery from artists like Greg Paul and Ely Kish. I just... Didn't like it quite enough to actually buy it. Finding one at Goodwill for a buck-fifty, though? No question. I wouldn't mind necessarily if Schleich leaned into these sorts of aesthetics more often. It would at least distinguish their figures from the crowd a little more.



.....And that's it for 2024! I'll try working up a summary post next week. Life and finances continue to be tricky, so there's no telling the next time I'll be updating the bestiary; but here's to hoping for a productive new year for everyone!

[Gwangi]

I like that Schleich T. rex too and wouldn't mind having it either. Like you though, I don't want to pay retail price. It also reminds me of Ely Kish.

[Fembrogon]

2024 Year in Summary
More "quick" photo collages for another year of collecting!

January


January(cont) - February




April - May


May(cont) - August


September - December


You may notice three figurines - the PNSO Gigantoraptor & Guidraco, and the Colorata v1 Spinosaurus - who somehow got lost in the featured postings last year; so I made sure they were at least included here.

Some new bestiary stats, based on my estimations:

• about 111 figures were added, including variants and sets
• roughly 26 new genera were added, 3/5 of which (plants included) were non-dinos
• another 5 new companies were added - TNG, Thunder Beasts, Southlands Replicas, Vivid Toy Group, and Mesozoic Life Project
• once again Kaiyodo contributed the most to acquisitions, with a whopping 40 figurines. 2nd place went to Vivid Toy with just 15, with PNSO & Collecta tying for 3rd at 8 figures each.
• DTC estimates 838 total figures in the bestiary (including storage), 697 of which are unique - not accounting for all separate set items or unrecorded brands
• Top brand is still Safari Ltd., holding strong with 154 figures recorded in the DTC bestiary. Kaiyodo rises to 2nd place with 73 figures, knocking PNSO to 3rd with 67

Life has continued to be rough at times, and I suspect 2025 will be a scarcer year for collecting; nevertheless, I look forward to welcoming more plastic critters to the bestiary whenever the next opportunities arise.

[Libraraptor]

I very much like and enjoy what you have been assembling there!

[Halichoeres]

Big year! Nice that a lot of them are minis so won't take up too mucn space. Not that there aren't a few hefty ones...

[Fembrogon]

Well, I'm back. That took less time than I expected. 


Yowie - Ultimate Dinosaurs
I decided to try my chances at these chocolate-covered prizes after reading a couple of @Gwangi's reviews, and thankfully, I managed to score exactly what I wanted amongst the results.


Atopodentatus
This is the minifigure that really compelled me to try getting a few of these, so I was very pleased to nab it in one go. While the color pattern might be the most realistic, it's perfectly eye-catching for a toy of this size. I don't know what inspired Yowie to choose such an unorthodox non-dinosaur for this series, but I'm so glad they did it.


Pteranodon ("Pterodactyl")
When I look at the other figurines in this series, the Atopodentatus almost feels like a total anomaly. I don't know why Yowie couldn't be bothered to give this toy a proper genus name when it's obviously a Pteranodon, which is a perfectly famous pterosaur that any child could easily be aware of. I suspect this figurine, like a few others in the series, is drawing primary reference from the JP designs.


Stegosaurus
This one came out pretty nicely, although like the Pterodactyl I'm pretty sure this is another JP knockoff.


Suzhousaurus
The one figurine in this set which rivals the Atopodentatus for novelty/rarity. I'd never even heard of this genus before now, but apparently we actually have pretty decent remains of the animal (at least as far as therizinosaurs go). Big props to Yowie for choosing this one for those criteria alone. The figurine itself is pretty reasonable overall for a theri reconstruction.


Tyrannosaurus
...Aaaand on the opposite site of the spectrum we have the inevitable king of the dinosaurs in its inevitable JP/Papo-styled retread (yes, the running rex is even on the fact sheet). I suppose as far as details go, it's technically a decent figurine; but it's just so ugly of a rendition! 
I guess I can forgive it for the sake of Atopodentatus and Suzhousaurus, but would it have killed them to have tried a little more research and produce a slightly nicer-looking rex? I almost feel bad putting these minifigures next to each other.

BTW, I noticed that Dejankins currently has several of these minifigures listed individually on his site, so if anyone wants a guaranteed (and fair-priced) chance to grab the Atopodentatus, there you go.

[Gwangi]

Jealous of the Suzhousaurus! That's one of the few that I don't have yet and that I actually want. Happy to see that my review inspired you and you're pleased with the Atopodentatus. That's what it's all about! 

The Yowie figures are definitely all over the place. I was ecstatic to find the Atopodentatus but the Tyrannosaurus made my heart sink when I found it. A real roller coaster of emotions with those things. I don't have the Stegosaurus either. I would be alright with finding that one but it definitely feels Jurassic World inspired.

[Fembrogon]

Mattel - Jurassic World, Danger Pack Poposaurus
My local stores can be very inconsistent with what gets stocked, so I didn't really expect to find one of these around me - which was a shame, because Poposaurus looked like it might be one of Mattel's best sculpts. It's a novel genus, and one that's tastefully restrained in design while still exhibiting what makes the animal so intriguing. I'm glad I managed to find one without resorting to eBay, even though the secondhand market hasn't gotten too bad for this figure yet.

[Fembrogon]

PNSO - Prehistoric Animal Model series, no. 084 Baryonyx (Maxim)
I've found over time that there are certain genera I can buy over and over again, and there are other genera I buy once... and that's it. Even if the genus was one I dearly wanted. Despite a multitude of Baryonyx figures over the last several years, once Safari Ltd. released their take I was content with that one and only that one. There's no denying that Maxim is a much more refined model, of course; and I'm glad to own it now, courtesy of Happy Hen Toys. I haven't finished my review of it yet, but I'm feeling confident this is probably the best rendition of the classic fish-eater on the market.

[Fembrogon]

PNSO - Prehistoric Animal Models series, no. 086: Lokiceratops
As others have said elsewhere, this is a splendid model and a refreshing change of pace from PNSO's typical selections recently. What's the most exciting for me, however, is the fact that PNSO collaborated with the paleontological team directly to produce the model. That's an approach to new dinosaur figurines I wish we saw a lot more often; it's great publicity and the perfect opportunity to create the best figurine possible.



Papo (2019) - Gorgosaurus
Maybe it's just the passage of time - or the progressively more ridiculous poses Papo have stuck their dinosaurs in - but Gorgosaurus's permanent squat isn't as bad as I used to think. It's at least an entirely plausible position, like the animal is in the middle of eating or drinking, or perhaps is adopting a defensive posture against a rival or some other enemy. The overall figure is really nicely sculpted, too, feeling pretty realistic in design with just a hint of that Stan Winston aesthetic for good measure. I've been wanting an updated Gorgo for a while, but didn't care for the prices on the options available; for a little over $20, though, this guy works very well.

[Concavenator]

Congrats on these! The Lokiceratops in particular is something else. Nice to see a non-brown PNSO too.

Personally, I think collaborations like that are a great idea if they involve creatures known from a sufficient amount of material just like Lokiceratops is.

The Papo Gorgosaurus is still one of the best depictions of the animal in figure form. Guess Papo has David Krentz to thank for that. 

[Fembrogon]

Mattel (Jurassic World) - Dino Trackers Herrerasaurus (2023)
While the overall sculpt looks improved from the old design - less cartoonish in nature - if I recall correctly the old figure actually had more accurate arms and hands? Mattel giveth, and Mattel taketh away, I guess. It's kind of funny that this is yet another species represented best by Mattel of all companies.




Mattel (Jurassic World) - Captivz Supersized Ankylosaurus
Maybe I'm completely wrong, but Ankylosaurus strikes me as one of the most famous dinosaurs that's... not usually someone's favorite (guilty as charged, for the record). If that's been true before, I'll give credit to Jurassic World and Camp Cretaceous for lobbying for the armored icon. This "supersized" figurine captures all the strengths and weaknesses of the JW design, while also being a satisfying handful of a toy. There's almost a vintage quality to it, though I'm sure that wasn't the intent.

[Fembrogon]

Since acquiring my Dioramansion quarry backdrop, I've been doing some experimenting with backgrounds for my figures; I pulled out a couple other backdrop "displays" I had saved, too:

[bmathison1972]

It's nice to see someone else has embraced Dioramansion! They are still a bit small for larger dinos and wildlife, but they are good for medium-sized, tube, and gashapon-style figures. This new 200 series will allow for more size diversity!

[Fembrogon]

It's nice to see someone else has embraced Dioramansion!

They're quite neat! I've wanted to find display assist props like this for a while. I only wish they had a little more "natural" variety of options at a larger-looking scale.

[Fembrogon]

Haolonggood



Zou Yuan the Chasmosaurus (HLG-080)
While it's certainly always been a regular in dino literature, I think my strongest memory of this ceratopsian comes from Wayne Barlowe's green-keyed painting in An Alphabet of Dinosaurs - which is probably why HLG's Zou Yuan variant appealed to me more. I already have the Creative Beast figure, but it's good to have a smaller figure as well.




Hua Di the Maiasaura with calf (HLG-102)
Another important genus finally joining the bestiary!I'm tempted to say this is one of HLG's very best; even with the crest error, it's such a pleasant and graceful sculpt (with a gorgeous color scheme to boot) that I have trouble taking my eyes off it. My biggest complaint would actually be that mine seems to have a wash half a shade too dark; but maybe that's just me.
The baby is an excellent touch too. I hope we see this idea utilized more often.




Ou Peng the Majungasaurus (HLG-139)
Last year's Safari Ltd. was a pleasure, but once again a smaller figure to scale with more of the bestiary is most welcome. The red paint of the mouth is a little sloppy in application, but otherwise this is another nice colorway. I'd like to see more abelisaurs like Rugops or Rajasaurus in the future.

[Concavenator]

Interesting how these 3 taxa were/are planned by Wild Past too. That speaks very well of these choices, one of Wild Past's strenghts as a company is how good their figures choices are. A virtue also shared by HLG. We can all appreciate how HLG has been giving us great figures of very requested species (like those 3 above, Apatosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Edmontonia, Ouranosaurus, etc, etc).

[Fembrogon]

Toy Monster


Captivz (Chaos Theory): Tyrannosaurus


Captivz (Chaos Theory): Suchomimus


Captivz (Chaos Theory): Parasaurolophus

You know, maybe collecting is An addiction... I basically bought these figurines for a dino fix, now that I think about it. I haven't been particularly invested in the Captivz figures, but they do look quite nice for their size. Rexy is an impressive likeness, and Sucho honestly looks better than the in-film Barys. The Para is defintely the weakest of the three, with a more flimsy-looking sculpt paint highlights that only "kind of" work.

Yowie


Ultimate Dinos: Ankylosaurus

One more "fix" purchase; it's obvious Yowie was drawing from JW for most of their minifigures. The pose also reminds me of the Papo model and some Schleich figures. Not bad, but I'm officially done collecting the Yowie dinos now. I already got all the ones I really wanted the first time, anyway.

[Gwangi]

A lot of my Captivz and Yowie purchases have also been because I needed a dino fix after getting skunked at Walmart while browsing Mattel toys. At least they're cheap and don't take up much space.