Fembrogon's Bestiary (post-2020)

[Fembrogon]

Haolonggood


no. 098 Euoplocephalus (Shi En)
HLG might be the top of the pack right now for armored dinosaur figures, between quality and quantity. Euoplocephalus is another one of those "fundamental" dino genera that somehow went without much representation in my collection (until the Battat Terra figurine), so it's good to have a contemporary (and mostly accurate) version in the current bestiary. The pose reminds me of the classic John Sibbick illustration, albeit more relaxed/friendly in mood.


no. 100 Gastonia (Du Xin)
The spikiest boy of the nodosaurs! Without a doubt this is my favorite toy of the genus I've seen to date. Choosing between color versions was hard for this one, but ultimately I went with the more complex green one since I got the "chocolate chip" color version of Euoplocephalus. I appreciate how HLG gives any and all dinosaurs a chance at some very colorful and eye-catching appearances.


no. 121 Saichania (Zhu Fu)
I think as a kid I underestimated the range of size present in certain dino groups; Saichania is a little fellow!  There's hardly any lack of detail on the figurine for it, though. I like the cocked head giving a little extra personality to the toy, like the PNSO Anky. Each and every one of these HLG armored dinos successfully feels distinct from the others, and they display beautifully together.

[Fembrogon]

Vitae


Zhejiangosaurus
PNSO's Sinopliosaurus can join this fellow in the "gorgeous figure for a nonexistent animal" gang, although from what I understand Zhejiangosaurus at least came from decent remains which can hopefully be better described someday - maybe. For all the complaints we make about brown toy dinosaurs, Vitae did a pretty good job handling what could have been a drab color scheme by applying lots of delibarate contrast of tints & shades, with a few other highlights to the pattern that give the figure depth under close looking. The figure displays flawlessly with Safari, PNSO, and Haolonggood.


Jinyunpelta
Having said all that for the above, Vitae definitely brought an even stronger game with this ankylosaur - both of these genera were new to me upon the figures' releases by the way, so another score for learning, yay! I love how lively and healthy this figurine looks, with the paint job bring out the best of the sculpt. Once again, the color choices are modest - more so than a lot of Haolonggood figures, for example - but the application is so good it doesn't matter. I can 100% imagine this animal looking like this alive in the wild. I salute your venture, Vitae; you were taken from us too soon, but your results live on and speak for themselves.

[SidB]

Always good, @Fembrogon , to see the acquisitions of another affectionado of the disappearing world of Vitae figures.

[Concavenator]

Vitae definitely had a lot to offer. Wish they were back.

[Fembrogon]

Group shot of the recent arrivals:



...And a larger group shot of a dozen distinct armored dinos, all in the family:



They ain't megatheropods, but ankylosaur/nodosaur collectors could be doing a lot worse these days.


Of course, with more figures in the bestiary, that means more space to consume... And space is running at a premium in my current living quarters. Since I'm far too clingy to sell much of anything, the next best thing to go would probably be boxes. I appreciate the effort put into the presentation, but ultimately the figures themselves are what's important, and I'm much more used to toys without boxes than with.
Haolonggood is first on the chopping block - they've got the most boxes besides PNSO (which are being spared due to accessories in the boxes, and they're the (boxed) brand most likely to be expanding in the future. I took a photo of all the HLG figures evicted from storage to gauge the difference in volume taken up (with a few boxless HLG figures added to the mix and Apatosaurus separating the two piles):



It's not a huge difference, but it's difference enough that I can now consolidate my whole HLG collection (sans Apato) into a single storage box now, with some room to spare.



Thus I have one more reason I'm glad I photo-archive my bestiary thoroughly, should any changes occur. I haven't actually thrown out the boxes, to be fair - just the internal foam. The cardboard with all the info & artwork has all been flattened down at the bottom of the storage box, just in case I feel the need for it again.

[Concavenator]

Lovely selection of ankylosaurs. I'd recommend PNSO's Zuul and Eofauna's Ankylosaurus too, they are so pretty. Not sure if you'd go for them because from what I see you follow a 1 figure/genus rule too (?), but both figures are definitely worth recommending.

About the boxes...

I remember your setup from a while ago (which, BTW, an update would be interesting to see, OFC, if you feel like it and have time to get around to that).

So I see that you display the figures' boxes, at least in some cases? If you'd rather avoid getting rid of the boxes, would it be a possibility to maybe place the boxes in a wardrobe, a shelf that you don't display figures in, etc?

I don't display the boxes, but I don't throw them either (mainly because if I did the resale value would go down if I sell the figure later on). I keep them in a wardrobe where I have enough space for them (at least for the moment). Maybe you could do something similar. But if you decided to throw them, then so be it!

As for the accesories from the PNSO boxes (I'm assuming you're referring to the poster and the pamphlet), I have them out of their respective boxes, on a different wardrobe. Just in case it serves for inspiration:

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[Concavenator]

Deleted, double post, sorry.

[Fembrogon]

Lovely selection of ankylosaurs. I'd recommend PNSO's Zuul and Eofauna's Ankylosaurus too, they are so pretty. Not sure if you'd go for them because from what I see you follow a 1 figure/genus rule too (?), but both figures are definitely worth recommending.

I do indeed have both figures on my wish list; I've never stuck to a 1-figure/genus rule. I have at least a few other "duplicate" armored dinos in the bestiary (current and in old storage), but for the sake of this specific photo I restricted it to each unique genera I had available.

I remember your setup from a while ago (which, BTW, an update would be interesting to see, OFC, if you feel like it and have time to get around to that).

I'll think about doing that again sometime; lately it's been a lot of kaiju dominating the shelves, but the time might be right to rearrange.

So I see that you display the figures' boxes, at least in some cases? If you'd rather avoid getting rid of the boxes, would it be a possibility to maybe place the boxes in a wardrobe, a shelf that you don't display figures in, etc?

The challenge is that I don't actually have that much on display at a given time. Since moving in 2020, I've been living in an apartment shared with my family, so display space is limited. Those shelves I posted previously are basically all the room I have to show any figures out of the packaging; everything else is packed in cardboard and tucked away in my closet, until I want something specific out to look at or photograph again. My post-move bestiary is now large enough that I've just about used up what closet space I have, hence the need to consolidate.
My hope is that I can eventually find a storage unit nearby where I can relocate both the new and old collections and still have access to them, at least until I have improved housing. It's a tricky balance in the meantime, and I admit there are probably much better ways to do it; but collecting is definitely one of my mainstay pleasures these days, so it's important to maintain time and space for it!

[Fembrogon]

Creative Beast Studios


Beasts of the Mesozoic no.04 - Deinonychus
I've noticed the newer BotM figures are numbered on the cards, with Utahraptor being 01. Deinonychus is the 4th "general"-release figure and the smallest so far, but every bit as lovely as the rest.


Beasts of the Mesozoic no.05 - Dilophosaurus
One of my most anticipated figures in the one to date - despite some issues with the Fisk paint job, I'm pretty well loving this figure. The long sausage body of the neotheropod seems suited well to articulation, and it's a blast to pose the thing (so long as the joints are tight enough.

It fits, he sits!!
Admittedly I had to really push the hip joints to do this; I would advise caution attempting the same. It may sound silly, but the two areas I want improvement in the most for the line is the flexibility to realistically sit, and effectively turn the head DOWN. Dilophosaurus in particular was bigger than most other animals in is environment, so posing the figure really would benefit from reflecting real-life habits.

[suspsy]

Are you going to review the Deinonychus? You should!

[Fembrogon]

I'm considering it, @suspsy!

[Fembrogon]

Safari Ltd - 2024/2025


Safari's announcements remain among my most anticipated of all the toy companies each year, even when sometimes the results are hit or miss. Thankfully, the latest releases have all been hits, as far as I'm concerned.


Prehistoric World - Megalosaurus

My favorite of the quartet, thanks to the triple-punch of a new sculptor, a nostalgic style, and just plain being a very good figure. If I were to levy any complaints, I would agree with @Gwangi's review that the feet could use more padding. I also think the head is a little funny in posture - the tilted gaping jaws suggest much more dynamic behavior than the rest of the pose conveys. Still, the fine detailing and anatomy look splendid, and I love the color scheme. Megalosaurus fans are finally eating well.



Prehistoric World - Austroraptor
More Doug Watson raptors, yippee! Ad a very special rare genus, too. I never cease to be baffled at the parsity of good toy raptors. Watson's Austroraptor is surprisingly colorful, but beautifully endowed. One minor caveat is the tail dips down a little too far; hopefully this doesn't cause balancing issues in the future.


Prehistoric World - Nanuqsaurus
This guy is warming up to me (heh) after handling it personally. Nanuqsaurus was a bigger theropod than I remembered, and the figure has some nice personality. It lokks pretty good next to Safari's other feathered dinos.



Prehistoric World - Saltasaurus
Another Carnegie genus off the list! This figure reminds me nostalgically of Alpha's Egg from 20 years ago (oof). I've seen some criticisms about the overall robustness of the figure (especially the neck), but it's a solid figure in my book, and a welcome, overdue update for the Safari catalog.

A few comparisons with other friends from the bestiary:

[Fembrogon]

Nanmu


I've never touched Nanmu before, due to a combination of style, expense, and probably size; but the announcement of the Smart Series powued my interest. My anticipation was eventually tempered by my preorders tking a whole year to process without forewarning (I blame BBTS more than Nanmu for that, tbf), but now that I've finally beheld the first two of the series in hand, I'm feeling pretty positive. There's a lot that needs fine-tuning in the engineering, but that was true of BotM too.


Smart Series - Velociraptor(Blood Knight)
A very fancy upgrade to the Mattel Amber Collection, to look at it one way. The JP3 raptors have always been my favorite rendition of the franchise's star villains, and this figurine is the spitting image. Weirdly the stand pieces don't fit each other, so it completely falls apart when handling. Not fun, especially when the figure really needs the stand most of the time.


Smart Series - Velociraptor(White Queen)
The neglected but equally splendid female. There's a ton of personality in this design, and the figure captures it perfectly. I think the joints work a little better overall than on my Blood Knight, save for a gummy jaw hinge I had to treat with dish soap. They make a beatiful pair, though.

Time will tell if I return to this line. I'm optimistic, but of course it's one more line to keep track of and spend money on and make space for...

[Halichoeres]

The last Safari batch is pretty nice. The Megalosaurus is especially impressive and I hope we get more from that sculptor.

[Fembrogon]

Since @Concavenator had requested it, here's a look at my current shelf displays. I have limited open space, so I cycle through different items at different times:



large bookshelf - top
This bookshelf is about a head taller than me, so the 2nd image is closer to a regular POV. The height makes it great for showing off the bigger members of the bestiary, or flat-out stashing them if don't have a better spot yet.


large bookshelf - upper shelves
Less space is available on the shelves proper, full as they are with boxed figures or, y'know, actual books; but I can usually squeeze a few display pieces in front (or even a backdrop in this case).


headboard
Now this is a region I specifically leave open for display. The headboard setup came with me when I moved back in 2020, while the bookshelves were bought later; for a time this was the only real spot I had to showcase new items for myself. Right now you can see the armored dino array from earlier, along with some more recent kaiju acquisitions.

Ironically, as I'm posting this, I may be gearing up to rearrange/replace the displays again, thanks to an assortment of newer acquisitions...

[Concavenator]

@Fembrogon Really cool collection! Great selection of figures. I particularly dig the ankylosaur section, ironically. Not the biggest fan of the group, but seeing them all together like that is pleasing.

[Fembrogon]

Invicta


British Museum of Natural History - Plesiosaurus with display stand

This is the second Invicta Plesiosaur in the bestiary, and I think the first duplicate Invicta I've kept. This new copy has different copyright lettering and is in much better condition, with few to no scuffs or scratches visible.

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However, the reason I acquired this copy was, in fact, for the sake of the stand included in the listing. The Invicta stand has intrigued me almostcas much as the the proper figurines, if only for how oddly unique it is as a prop in the general hobby. It's honestly an attractively-sculpted piece in its own right, and built to handle "floating" figures far more gracefully than jut about any other stand type I've seen before.

Naturally I was quick to see how versatile this vintage prop could still be.

Testing with some fellow vintage friends:

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Testing with more modern figurines:

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Testing with a different sort of "modern" figurines:

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And a few bonus tests with some, uh, other "beasts" in my extended collections:

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In fairness, there are limits to the stand's usefulness: some figures have odd centers of gravity, sometimes surfaces between the stand and the toy are just plain too slippery. I ended up cheating on a couple of the above examples by adding a trace of temporary blue tac on the stand for the toy to grip. Still, as you can see, there is plenty of potential for the stand. I know I'm not the first collector to multipurpose with it, but I'm very satisfied to be able to try for myself now.
I'm curious what sort of methods I could explore to add more of some kind of gripping surface to the top, but of course I don't want to damage the stand. So... I'm also thinking about researching how to cast my own copies...

[SidB]

Casting your own copies would make fine sense, @Fembrogon . If you ever decide to start your own stand fabricating business, count me in as a customer.

[Fembrogon]

G.R. Toys





Life Echo Series (01) - Deinocheirus (grey & red)

Despite being listed various places as Haolonggood products, there is no sign of HLG branding whatsoever on the packaging or the figurines themselves; the only copyright shown is to "G.R. Hobby and Collectibles". I'm curious if this is just a broad mistake by customers/retailers, or if there's more to the relationship between companies not explicitly advertised.
These two are basically the same size as the PNSO and Collecta Deluxe figurines. They both look very good, but maybe a little overpriced at ~50 USD retail. They also lose major points for the skull, which looks crude in shape compared to other figures of the animal, and for some reason features TEETH inside the beak. I don't know who thought that was a good idea.
These two are a pretty good pair, and I'm always happy to see more Deinocheirus toys; but they're outcompeted by the other, older, aforementioned models on price per quality.

[SidB]

That verdict is pretty much the one that I reached as well, though I didn't take the step of buying one. The PNSO beauty is going to be hard to displace.