Haolonggood - New for 2025

[DavidJamesArmsby]

@Sim
I'm into this hobby because it relieves a lot of real-world stress and is a place I can mentally calm down, relax, and be excited about dinosaurs. I will always prefer to get more under-represented, fresher, and more obscure species instead of another T. rex. (A new Torvosaurus, like you suggested, would be super cool.) But at the end of the day, a cool new dino toy is still a cool new dino toy. Even if it's just another T. rex.
Just wait a bit, more interesting species are on their way.

[Over9K]

The time span between description and figure is shorter than the span between discovery and description! 

That's because science moves slowly, but business moves as fast as it profitably can.

[Sim]

Yes, you're entitled to your opinion, and anyone else is entitled to debate it's validity.

You're not debating the validity when you say things such as, "three-ish members are required to remind everyone that they're disappointed in "yet another pointless Tyrannosaurus figure."".  I'm going to say it, that's not on.

My opinion is that the dinosaur figure hobby is SOOOOO diverse right now. Some ridiculously fragmentary species have figures! Species are dug, papered and then have a figure within 5 years! That's near instant representation in the hobby. We have incredible talent and technology being wielded in the creation of dinosaur toys, and the result are staggering to behold. Haolonggood has put out dozens of figures. Over 50 of them. 2 of them have been T.rex, 5 years apart.

It is diverse, but there are consistent patterns in what gets made and what doesn't.  I feel it's not a desirable situation.

Where you see a forest of T.rex, I see due respect given the icon that has been the foundation, and the cornerstone of the hobby, while at the same time offering an ever expending and accelerating diversity of species represented in the hyper-realistic/scientifically accurate model genre.

Well, considering all the Tyrannosaurus figures that are being produced in a small amount of time recently, Eofauna's, REBOR's, Showanna's, Haolonggood's, PNSO's, Papo's and I wouldn't be surprised if Nanmu and W-dragon are making it too, I do see a forest of Tyrannosaurus.  And making an only slight improvement of a Tyrannosaurus figure by Haolonggood strikes me as slighlty cynical.  Going back to your earlier point of what if someone expressed wanting a Tyrannosaurus figure instead of anything else, there is a member here who has done this both here and on PNSO's Facebook page.  I think it's not wrong, but I'm mentioning it as it seems to have been overlooked.

[Over9K]

You're not debating the validity when you say things such as, "three-ish members are required to remind everyone that they're disappointed in "yet another pointless Tyrannosaurus figure."".  I'm going to say it, that's not on.

No, that was just a statement of fact.

It is diverse, but there are consistent patterns in what gets made and what doesn't.  I feel it's not a desirable situation.

You don't desire more diversity, at an accelerating rate, because in a regular pattern, certain species get another figure? Ok.

Well, considering all the Tyrannosaurus figures that are being produced in a small amount of time recently, Eofauna's, REBOR's, Showanna's, Haolonggood's, PNSO's, Papo's and I wouldn't be surprised if Nanmu and W-dragon are making it too, I do see a forest of Tyrannosaurus.  And making an only slight improvement of a Tyrannosaurus figure by Haolonggood strikes me as slighlty cynical.  Going back to your earlier point of what if someone expressed wanting a Tyrannosaurus figure instead of anything else, there is a member here who has done this both here and on PNSO's Facebook page.  I think it's not wrong, but I'm mentioning it as it seems to have been overlooked.

I would point out that 2025 is the 120th Anniversary of the discovery of Tyrannosaurus rex. That might be why there are a bunch of them this year. 2030 will likely see another cluster.

[Sim]

It's fine if you don't agree, but don't force your view on me.

I've done nothing of the sort. But on that note, why do you feel the need to label any toy "pointless" when it's enough to say that you don't like it? Have you ever considered that other people who do like that same toy might not appreciate you calling it that? I'm personally not at all interested in the JP statues that Nanmu keeps churning out, but I definitely wouldn't label them pointless due to the fact they're clearly selling well and thus keeping the company afloat.

The way you expressed yourself previously came accross as having a flavour of "I'm right, you're wrong" when it came to opinions.  I can accept that might not be how you meant it, now.  I feel the figure is pointless because I think it's barely different to Haolonggood's previous Tyrannosaurus.  People have also complained about Nanmu and W-Dragon, I think, making the same animals over and over again with only slight differences to their previous versions by these companies.  To me it seems Haolonggood is doing something similar.  And I say that as someone who likes Haolonggood a lot.  So I don't agree saying I don't like it should be how it's left.  If someone who likes the figure would like to express that, that's fine.  Nothing's stopping them.

And Tyrannosaurus isn't always a best-seller, sometimes other species sell better than Tyrannosaurus, as can be seen when ordering figures by popularity on sites that sell them.

Rebor, Safari, and Mattel would all firmly disagree. And popularity on a handful of websites really doesn't provide a clear and complete picture of overall sales figures, whereas Rebor's CEO once stated here in no uncertain terms that T. rex regularly outsells all their other products. Similarly, Mattel wouldn't be making as many different T. rexes as they do if their sales figures weren't showing that it turns a big profit for them.

T. rex really is a consistent bestseller, same as how Optimus Prime, Batman, Spider-Man, and Pikachu toys are consistent bestsellers compared to say, Dai Atlas, Blue Beetle, Prowler, and Litleo.

What I believe is that Tyrannosaurus figures are not always a best-seller.  There might be some that are, but I believe that some don't achieve that distinction.  If they did, CollectA would have no reason to retire their original feathered Tyrannosaurus, they could have just kept making it alongside their newer version of the animal.

[Sim]

You're not debating the validity when you say things such as, "three-ish members are required to remind everyone that they're disappointed in "yet another pointless Tyrannosaurus figure."".  I'm going to say it, that's not on.

No, that was just a statement of fact.

I felt it was said with contempt.

It is diverse, but there are consistent patterns in what gets made and what doesn't.  I feel it's not a desirable situation.

You don't desire more diversity, at an accelerating rate, because in a regular pattern, certain species get another figure? Ok.

Not quite, it's not just because certain groups constantly get figures, it's more so because certain types of animals consistently don't get made.

Well, considering all the Tyrannosaurus figures that are being produced in a small amount of time recently, Eofauna's, REBOR's, Showanna's, Haolonggood's, PNSO's, Papo's and I wouldn't be surprised if Nanmu and W-dragon are making it too, I do see a forest of Tyrannosaurus.  And making an only slight improvement of a Tyrannosaurus figure by Haolonggood strikes me as slighlty cynical.  Going back to your earlier point of what if someone expressed wanting a Tyrannosaurus figure instead of anything else, there is a member here who has done this both here and on PNSO's Facebook page.  I think it's not wrong, but I'm mentioning it as it seems to have been overlooked.

I would point out that 2025 is the 120th Anniversary of the discovery of Tyrannosaurus rex. That might be why there are a bunch of them this year. 2030 will likely see another cluster.

120th anniversary seems quite non-notable to me...

[Turkeysaurus]

There are collectors who are huge fans of T.rex (like me) will buy over and over again same animal, then there are a new collectors that think T.rex is a "must have" dinosaur on their collection. If you are not one of us it's understandable, i would find it boring as well (especially if you find what you have already satisfying) However making a T.rex model for toy companies is like a band playing their most famous song on every live concert.

Also how we feel after spending all of our budget on T.rex models:

[BlueKrono]

However making a T.rex model for toy companies is like a band playing their most famous song on every live concert.

This is a great comparison.

[Faelrin]

Thanks for sharing that tidbit, @Over9K I would have overlooked that. That's pretty neat. No wonder it continues to dominate pop culture (and the toy market much). All the same time it is equally fascinating it has never lost its popular appeal among the general public despite the time and many more discoveries (like Giganotosaurus), like we've seen happen to Megalosaurus (exceptions aside), and other classic dinosaurs.

While I definitely understand some folks tiredness/fatigue for it (including me at times), I think Tyrannosaurus is one of the best to be represented on the toy market as we know so much about it. It is one of our best sampled dinosaur genera with numerous near complete specimens, and of varying life stages (and even a tiny bit of skin material for what it is worth, if not more to come with the Dueling Dinosaurs specimen), even if many of them are in private collections or sold as such unfortunately. There are very few dinosaurs I can think of on hand that come close (like Edmontosaurus and Triceratops, and Yutyrannus for a non Hell Creek taxon). Being one of the largest theropods, with forward facing eyes, and having been one of the last non-avian dinosaurs certainly contributes to its appeal.

And the fact it sells so well means it can help companies get funds to redirect to other species. An example of this was with David's Tyrannosaur campaign which was his most successful until Cyberzoic (which did have an investor that helped fund it considerably).

Considering how many herbivores Haolonggod has been putting out, including some giant sauropods, and many we've asked for, that haven't really been seen much on the market, I think a new figure of a giant tyrant lizard is an acceptable break in their stellar roster.

[Gwangi]

I think it's important to note that even if the differences between Haolonggood's two T. rex figures can be considered minimal, the price difference is not. Their older T. rex costs twice as much as the new one! That alone should give Haolonggood enough reason to want to make another, one that matches the price bracket of their recent offerings.

[SidB]

I think it's important to note that even if the differences between Haolonggood's two T. rex figures can be considered minimal, the price difference is not. Their older T. rex costs twice as much as the new one! That alone should give Haolonggood enough reason to want to make another, one that matches the price bracket of their recent offerings.

I keep seeing positive comments about this new rex's price, and for good reason. It should be a hot seller, especially with the "non-lipped" rex fandom. The paint work appears outstanding.

[Turkeysaurus]

However making a T.rex model for toy companies is like a band playing their most famous song on every live concert.

This is a great comparison.

Actually something similar happened with Metallica. They got bored doing setlists with same songs and gave fans a chance. During the tour fans could vote to select whatever songs they want from their entire catalog as a setlist. Other than a few exceptions every concert in tour end up with fans selecting same most famous songs they always play anyways. 

I bet if all dinosaur collectors had similar chance, list would end up with most famous dinosaurs as well. We are a "niche" group among all collectors yet still I wouldn't bet against a lipped Tyrannosaurus Rex.

[suspsy]

It's fine if you don't agree, but don't force your view on me.

I've done nothing of the sort. But on that note, why do you feel the need to label any toy "pointless" when it's enough to say that you don't like it? Have you ever considered that other people who do like that same toy might not appreciate you calling it that? I'm personally not at all interested in the JP statues that Nanmu keeps churning out, but I definitely wouldn't label them pointless due to the fact they're clearly selling well and thus keeping the company afloat.

The way you expressed yourself previously came accross as having a flavour of "I'm right, you're wrong" when it came to opinions.  I can accept that might not be how you meant it, now.  I feel the figure is pointless because I think it's barely different to Haolonggood's previous Tyrannosaurus.

And that is quite simply incorrect. Anyone who compares images of the two toys side by side can easily discern a number of significant differences. The new version is objectively much better proportioned, especially the head and the arms, and can certainly be considered more scientifically accurate. Again, it's not a matter of personal opinion; it is a demonstrable fact in this case.

People have also complained about Nanmu and W-Dragon, I think, making the same animals over and over again with only slight differences to their previous versions by these companies.  To me it seems Haolonggood is doing something similar.

Not really, no. Nanmu and W-Dragon are basing all their models on the ones from Jurassic Park/World as opposed to current science. Apples and oranges.

 

And I say that as someone who likes Haolonggood a lot.  So I don't agree saying I don't like it should be how it's left.  If someone who likes the figure would like to express that, that's fine.  Nothing's stopping them.

But going by that exact same reasoning, since no one is forcing you to purchase any items you don't want, there is no reason for you to label them as pointless. Again, I ask: have you considered the possibility that other people in this fandom may not appreciate your use of such derogatory terms? "Pointless" is essentially in the same category as "trash" or "junk" or "total waste of money." You lamented earlier about a perceived lack of tolerance for people who don't personally enjoy T. rex toys, yet you're not really showing tolerance towards those who do enjoy them when you employ such language.

What I believe is that Tyrannosaurus figures are not always a best-seller.

The available data says otherwise. For certain there is no reason at present to assume that this latest T. rex will not sell well. Sure, some people including myself are passing on it due to the lack of lips, but I've seen plenty of others expressing their love for it.

There might be some that are, but I believe that some don't achieve that distinction.  If they did, CollectA would have no reason to retire their original feathered Tyrannosaurus, they could have just kept making it alongside their newer version of the animal.

It actually sold well according to CollectA. I believe they retired it because it was more costly to manufacture than the 2018 one, which was the better seller by that point. And also because they heard that the science did not support tyrannosaurids being fully feathered.

Moreover, there have been Optimus Prime toys over the years that have not been received well by Transformers fans, but that doesn't alter the fact that Optimus Prime is by far the most popular character and sells the best overall. The same applies to T. rex. They can't always be slam dunks, but companies are far more likely to achieve slam dunks with T. rex than any other prehistoric animal.

[Gwangi]

I think it's important to note that even if the differences between Haolonggood's two T. rex figures can be considered minimal, the price difference is not. Their older T. rex costs twice as much as the new one! That alone should give Haolonggood enough reason to want to make another, one that matches the price bracket of their recent offerings.

I keep seeing positive comments about this new rex's price, and for good reason. It should be a hot seller, especially with the "non-lipped" rex fandom. The paint work appears outstanding.

I'm trying to resist but the paint job on the blue version makes it really tempting, along with the price.

[suspsy]

I think it's important to note that even if the differences between Haolonggood's two T. rex figures can be considered minimal, the price difference is not. Their older T. rex costs twice as much as the new one! That alone should give Haolonggood enough reason to want to make another, one that matches the price bracket of their recent offerings.

I keep seeing positive comments about this new rex's price, and for good reason. It should be a hot seller, especially with the "non-lipped" rex fandom. The paint work appears outstanding.

I'm trying to resist but the paint job on the blue version makes it really tempting, along with the price.

You'll have to review it in that case then.

[Over9K]

I felt it was said with contempt.

It is a factual statement. Every time there is a discussion of a new Tyrannosaurus figure there are between 2 and 4 people that feel impelled to lament that the figure is not some other species instead. Your perception of my statement says more about you than it says about any "contempt" inferred.

Not quite, it's not just because certain groups constantly get figures, it's more so because certain types of animals consistently don't get made.

That's what "Hopes And Dreams" threads are for. It's kind of lame, to go into a discussion about something, and complain about what it isn't.

120th anniversary seems quite non-notable to me...

You don't say.

[SidB]

I think it's important to note that even if the differences between Haolonggood's two T. rex figures can be considered minimal, the price difference is not. Their older T. rex costs twice as much as the new one! That alone should give Haolonggood enough reason to want to make another, one that matches the price bracket of their recent offerings.

I keep seeing positive comments about this new rex's price, and for good reason. It should be a hot seller, especially with the "non-lipped" rex fandom. The paint work appears outstanding.

I'm trying to resist but the paint job on the blue version makes it really tempting, along with the price.

My resistance is holding , but I can feel the pressure.

[Over9K]

I think it's important to note that even if the differences between Haolonggood's two T. rex figures can be considered minimal, the price difference is not. Their older T. rex costs twice as much as the new one! That alone should give Haolonggood enough reason to want to make another, one that matches the price bracket of their recent offerings.

If they can really make this figure, package it, ship it from China to Tennessee all for $35USD... MIND. BLOWN. PNSO charges twice this much for Cameron and some posters.

[Fembrogon]

Apparently the Paleofiguras Facebook goup ran a poll about Haolonggood vs. PNSO T. rex. They have now declared PNSO Cameron the winner.

Here is what they write: "The results, after just over 24 hours, declared PNSO the winner. Haolonggood's figure received some criticism, including oversized scales, a lack of body mass, and a narrower jaw opening and poor jaw closure. While there was widespread support for the idea of ��better coloration, there was a lot of agreement."

I'm curious how wide the margin of victory was. Did PNSO win by 60/40, 70/30, 80/10? I'd say that's as important of information as the winning name.

Personally, as someone who decided a long time ago that T. rex was demoted from my "favorite dinosaurs" list, the last decade+ of reconstructions and science have done a lot to make the king of the dinosaurs more favorable in my eyes again. I really can't blame people for being so enamored with the animal - especially when the models coming out look as nice as these. 

...And yeah, the price HLG/Lana are charging for this is wildly low. That might be the single biggest flex on PNSO yet.

[Trenchcoated Rebbachisaur]

I feel like annoyance with T.rex figures is pretty reasonable, considering T.rex has more figures than multiple entire unique families of Dinosaur, and doesn't even have the decency to be particularly unique or interesting, like Stegosaurus and Triceratops.
Like, it's a generic Theropod but bigger, chonkier, shorter-armed, and with a unique skull.
You know who else that describes? About a third of the Theropods consistently getting figures in the hobby.

I don't want to be mean but I feel like the people drowning in figures of their favorite dinosaur could do to be understanding and forgiving towards the people whose favorites receive good figures between once in a blue moon and twice per generation, even if we do get annoying about it at times.