Field Museum Mold-a-Rama Archaeopteryx

[Halichoeres]

Mold-a-Rama is installing a new machine in the Field Museum, to showcase the Chicago Archaeopteryx:



I'll probably pick one up during my next visit. Not sure if it will be available online, but if not, I can pick some up for collectors elsewhere.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Mold-a-Rama is installing a new machine in the Field Museum, to showcase the Chicago Archaeopteryx:



I'll probably pick one up during my next visit. Not sure if it will be available online, but if not, I can pick some up for collectors elsewhere.

I definitely want one!

[ceratopsian]

I think I would too - though wouldn't be cheap with postage.  But there's something very appealing about a nod to an important fossil.

[Gwangi]

Love the silver color, makes it look pewter instead of plastic. I definitely need one of these. I hope it ends up on their site so I can use it as an excuse to get a few other Mold-A-Rama figures that I'm missing.

[Libraraptor]

That one is a must-have for me! Can you help me out just as you did with the Quetzalcoatlus, @Halichoeres ?

[Halichoeres]

@Libraraptor happy to pick one up for you! I'll let you know next time I visit the museum. I usually go a couple of times per summer.

[Paleodude]

Well there goes my complete set haha! Looks like I'll have yet another non-business reason to visit again on top of the Pokemon exhibit.

[Halichoeres]

Picked up a couple at the museum recently, will pm me people with details!

For those who don't know, I did a lot of my grad school research at the Field Museum, and what got me into this hobby was walking through its gift shop and seeing Carnegie and other Safari figures, as well as Papo figures. So it bums me out to see that these Moldarama figures are pretty much the best dinosaur toys on offer.

The gift shop is full of this crap:


And the ground floor corridor has crane games with these prizes:

[Libraraptor]

In the meantime, it seems that the museums no longer have any interest in selling good figures with educational value. They often outsource their museum shops to profit-driven companies that buy cheap goods and ruthlessly exploit the "mommy/daddy, I want a souvenir" -  factor.

[crazy8wizard]

I think that part of that comes down to the price of educational figures. Safari has a fairly large minimum bulk order so some museums opt not to sell them. Collecta has weird distribution rights, and PNSO and Haolonggood are so expensive they might not ever sell. Not that these are good reasons, but it's not because of the educational value, it's because of the cost.

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has gone through an unfortunately similar transformation with part of their gift shop. They've drastically reduced the number of safari figures in exchange for Schleich and those big ugly rubber ones. At least their books and apparel selection is still very good.

[Gwangi]

I recently went to the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science. It's a small museum but the first time I went they carried Schleich figures and I got the Psittacosaurus. Now they don't even carry Schleich, just overpriced generic Cheaposaurs. Some of them were direct Papo knock-offs, only shrunk down. You know things are bad when you downgrade from Schleich.

[Flaffy]

I recently went to the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science. It's a small museum but the first time I went they carried Schleich figures and I got the Psittacosaurus. Now they don't even carry Schleich, just overpriced generic Cheaposaurs. Some of them were direct Papo knock-offs, only shrunk down. You know things are bad when you downgrade from Schleich.

Sounds exactly like the pitiful state the NHMUK's gift shop has been for the past decade or two.

[Gwangi]

I recently went to the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science. It's a small museum but the first time I went they carried Schleich figures and I got the Psittacosaurus. Now they don't even carry Schleich, just overpriced generic Cheaposaurs. Some of them were direct Papo knock-offs, only shrunk down. You know things are bad when you downgrade from Schleich.

Sounds exactly like the pitiful state the NHMUK's gift shop has been for the past decade or two.

That's far more tragic given the prestige of the NHMUK and its role in producing the Invicta toys.  

[Libraraptor]

I recently went to the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science. It's a small museum but the first time I went they carried Schleich figures and I got the Psittacosaurus. Now they don't even carry Schleich, just overpriced generic Cheaposaurs. Some of them were direct Papo knock-offs, only shrunk down. You know things are bad when you downgrade from Schleich.

Sounds exactly like the pitiful state the NHMUK's gift shop has been for the past decade or two.

That's far more tragic given the prestige of the NHMUK and its role in producing the Invicta toys.  

 

[Over9K]

I wonder... do Chinese museums with significant dinosaur displays/collections have gift shops crammed full of PNSO?

[ceratopsian]

When I visited some palaeontology Chinese museums in 2019 one of them did, including the hugely expensive collector's edition Mamenchisaurus. Too big for my luggage! I recall the bookshops were well stocked too.

 

I wonder... do Chinese museums with significant dinosaur displays/collections have gift shops crammed full of PNSO?

[Protopatch]

Mold-a-Rama is installing a new machine in the Field Museum, to showcase the Chicago Archaeopteryx:

So the Chicago's specimen doesn't show the "feathered spats" on its hindlimbs ^^

[CityRaptor]

Or the Mold-A-Rama figure is not up to date. Seems to miss the sickle claws, too.

[crazy8wizard]

So the Chicago's specimen doesn't show the "feathered spats" on its hindlimbs ^^

no, it does seem to have them. You can see outlines of them near the hips.

It also has the enlarged (but seemingly not raised) second digit, which I've noticed that since this fossil was unveiled a lot of people including FMNH themselves have been opting to not show raised. So far, I think the only specimen that has leaned towards a raised claw was the Thermopolis specimen.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I'd still buy one, I like the retrosaurs look too.