Brontozaurus' collection [13/04/2020: Dungeons & Dinosaurs]

[Brontozaurus]

Okay, so a few months ago I moved out of my parents place. I used the opportunity to sort my collection, so I didn't take too much stuff. As is, my dinosaur collection now consists of one box of figures and a smaller box just for yowies so they don't get crushed.

Also I have a good job now so I can afford the more expensive toys from time to time.

Most of my dinosaur displays are in my room. This is what's sitting next to my computer desk.



This is the shelf of rare toys. Admittedly a lot of them aren't rare per se, but are there because they aren't being made any more. AAOD Australovenator counts, despite being in production, because it's not widely available. Also because the left hand snapped off at one point and it's a lot safer on this shelf than anywhere else.

Meanwhile there's a few things inhabiting my computer desk:



This is the top of my bookshelf. That's me in the photo from my masters graduation. The birds in front of it are all the Yowie moa species (L-R: Pachyornis, Dinornis, Megalapteryx), because my masters thesis was on them.


I'm lucky enough to be in a flat with friends who share my passion for using toys as decorations, so there's a few around the rest of the house as well.

[AcroSauroTaurus]

Whats that yellow and red-ish rearing sauropod next to the little tree-cactus-plant-thing?

[RobinGoodfellow]

Whats that yellow and red-ish rearing sauropod next to the little tree-cactus-plant-thing?

2nd version of the discontinued Safari Apatosaurus:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/130140542@N03/16829674486/in/album-72157652743195866/

First version:

http://dinotoyblog.com/2009/11/28/apatosaurus-wild-safari-by-safari-ltd/

[Brontozaurus]

It's actually the first version of the toy, the one in the blog review. Found it at a second hand stall. Something's chewed its right leg a little but it's otherwise perfectly ok.

[AcroSauroTaurus]

Whats that yellow and red-ish rearing sauropod next to the little tree-cactus-plant-thing?

2nd version of the discontinued Safari Apatosaurus:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/130140542@N03/16829674486/in/album-72157652743195866/

First version:

http://dinotoyblog.com/2009/11/28/apatosaurus-wild-safari-by-safari-ltd/

Really? It looked like the Safari original Apatosaurus, but the sculpt looked slightly different, so I thought it was a knock-off.

It's actually the first version of the toy, the one in the blog review. Found it at a second hand stall. Something's chewed its right leg a little but it's otherwise perfectly ok.

Interesting. The tail looked longer, and the neck did too. Guess I've never seen it from that angle.

[Brontozaurus]

New stuff!!

First of all, the rare shelf has a few new occupants.


The WWD Polacanthus and Stegosaurus, and the Kaiyodo Anhanguera are the only new purchases. The rest of the new ones came in from my existing collection.

Also picked up this today as an early birthday present to myself:


Legacy of Revoltech Tyrannosaurus! Initially made to represent the JP rex but repainted for the Legacy line. Oddly enough it was repainted just like the iconic Papo rex, from green to brown. Anyway it's pretty cool, quite poseable. Even comes with a pair of 'running' feet you can replace the regular feet with for more active poses (as in the above photo). It's pretty similar to what the Beasts of the Mesozoic toys look like, so I'm treating it as a 'preview' of that line.

[Roselaar]

Lovely additions! Go to love the Revoltech Rex.

[Brontozaurus]

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.

So kind of a lot happened since I originally posted this thread. I moved house, lost my job, and spent a year doing odds and ends to pay the bills, which dented my motivation and ability to collect (though I did pick up JWFK figures when I could). Then at the end of last year I moved states because nothing seemed to be working career-wise where I was, and also I had a long distance relationship going (now much shorter distance, and going on a year and a half!). After five months I found a job, two months ago I got a better job, and just last week I moved into a new place with much more room to spread out. Things are good now!

But you came here for dinosaurs, not my life story, so here you go:



Most of the collection. When I moved, I left the bulk of my collection at home but I took a few with me: the TnT rex, "Pachyrhinosaurus", Indoraptor, Papo Ceratosaurus, WWD Polacanthus, BotM Tsaagan, Invicta Megalosaurus and Muttaburrasaurus, JP Dilo and Raptor, Dino Riders Pteranodon, and two gaming miniatures: DnD T. rex and Warhammer Stegodon (not an actual Stegodon). Everything other than those has been acquired post-move.



I love Halloween, so the top of the shelf is currently spooky stuff. Indoraptor lives here because he's basically a horror movie monster. Skeletor rides around on him because a) it's cool and b) Fallen Kingdom's writing was on-par with terrible 80s cartoons that existed to sell toys, so they fit together. Once October is over I'll put most of these guys into storage and put something else up here, maybe some of my succulents so there's a little jungle.

On the right is one of the Predasaurs Fusions, the rarest one according to the leaflet that came with it. And I just randomly picked it out of the box!



The main Jurassic Park/World shelf.



Still most JP/JW but transitioning into other, more accurate brands. The rest of my BotM stuff stayed in Sydney, I'm likely getting it back come December when I fly up for Christmas.



Odds and ends, mostly the few Battat Terra figures I've found. The brown spikey fellow in the middle is the Warhammer Stegodon. I've had it for years but never fully assembled it, a project I intend on completing. The WWD-style T. rex is the official Dungeons and Dragons miniature. I got it for Christmas from my old housemate before I left.

Elsewhere in the house:




The garden dinos are all Chinasaurs and knock-offs. I wouldn't normally get them but I wanted some to put in the garden but not ones that I'd care about all that much. Might move them around a bit.

I'm still in the process of setting up the house, and my new housemate moves in soon so once we've got all that sorted I may have some more to post!

[ITdactyl]

Nice to see the collection, and to hear the good side of that story.

's weird hearing someone else tell what amounts to my life story (as well) - save for the LDR part.  On a side note, the only intersection of our collection Venn diagram is the Dino-Riders Ground Sloth.

You did mention something that still gives me the shivers... moving long distances with a collection.  I'll figure how to do that someday.

Keep posting.

[Halichoeres]

Nice collection, and good to see this thread back again. Moving with a collection is pretty tough; my packing effort was about equally divided between figurines and everything else in the apartment.

Congrats on the new job and the new digs!

[Libraraptor]

Nice to see this thread being revived and great to see things are working better for you now!
I enjoy watching your pictures, I like it when people put their figures into their everyday life and not into ivory towers.
I like to see Skeletor riding that Indoraptor! Looks twice as frightening!

[Brontozaurus]

Nice to see the collection, and to hear the good side of that story.

's weird hearing someone else tell what amounts to my life story (as well) - save for the LDR part.  On a side note, the only intersection of our collection Venn diagram is the Dino-Riders Ground Sloth.

You did mention something that still gives me the shivers... moving long distances with a collection.  I'll figure how to do that someday.

Keep posting.

The sloth was a pretty cool find, in a second-hand store I checked out before a haircut. I'd been in there before and seen the Monoclonius, but I was broke and couldn't afford it. Months later I came back, the Monoclonius was gone BUT there was the sloth, and I'm pretty sure the sloth is magnitudes rarer than the Monoclonus.

Moving with the collection wasn't that difficult, though as I said I did par it down considerably from what it was. I bought a small box and forced myself to pick only an assortment of figures that could fit in the box (barring the TnT rex, cause I wanted at least one big dino to come with me). Size, value and personal appeal were how I decided what I'd take with me, which is why the non-JW parts are biased towards vintage or less common figures.

I'm planning to slowly move a few more figures down with me, though I'm really trying* not to accumulate another massive collection...

*and failing

Nice to see this thread being revived and great to see things are working better for you now!
I enjoy watching your pictures, I like it when people put their figures into their everyday life and not into ivory towers.
I like to see Skeletor riding that Indoraptor! Looks twice as frightening!

Thanks! I really like having figures and trinkets around the place, it makes it feel more like home. There's not much space at work for toys, but I have some little guys sitting on my PC. I should take a photo of them tomorrow when I'm in.

Today I bought a new desk for my PC, and since I had some space left over once the desk was built, I moved my collection shelf into it. It was alright where it was at the end of my bed, but I was worried I'd throw blankets around and knock toys off the shelf. Now it's more secure, and now that it's next to a power point I can put some long-gestating plans into motion...

Not a whole lot has changed. The top shelf is still spooky:



The other three are themed now: JP carnivores, other brands, and JP herbivores.





But wait! There's a new addition!



I ducked into TK Maxx on my travels today, to find some spooky socks; they'd replaced everything Halloween with Christmas stock and I was QUITE disappointed. But lurking near the register was the Battat Terra Stegosaurus! That makes my Battat collection evenly divided between reissues and new species. It's probably not my favourite of the Battats, but it's definitely unique among Stegosaurus toys for that eight-spiked tail.



Speaking of Stegosaurus, I found that I'd packed this knitted Stego that a friend made for my 21st.

Also, moving my PC up onto the desk freed up some more potential toy space:



The DR Pteranodon is one of the prize jewels of my collection, I'm glad to be able to have it out. Rasp seems a little less pleased about the T. rex behind him, though!

[Brontozaurus]

It's been a little while, and things have moved around. Might as well do something to take my mind off current events.







Outside of the Battat Terra shelf (which gets its own shelf because, save the Nanshiungosaurus, I have them all), there's not much organisation anymore. This was for shelf space, the previous arrangement didn't leave much room for new additions, of which I have a few. The BotM raptors came down with me after I went home for Christmas last year; they'll be joined by the ceratopsians when they arrive, which is going to present an interesting challenge to arrange. Also please note the adorable card in the back, which my boyfriend gave me for Valentine's this year.



Somehow, I managed to fit the CollectA Dimorphodon into my bags along with the raptors.

There's been new purchases too.



Recur mini Mosasaurus and CollectA Thylacine live under my computer screen. I didn't even know the mosa existed until I found it at a museum shop.




Schleich Tawa and Dinogorgon came from a games shop having a sale on everything. As much as Tawa is weird and scrawny, I kinda like it. Dinogorgon is quite lovely.



The JW Cryolophosaurus lives downstairs on the house games shelf. Honestly one of my favourite JW figures. Also got the JW Ramphorynchus, forgot to take a photo for it. It's cute.



Finally, I found Battat Terra being sold at a local KMart. I bought these four, which I didn't have, as a little gift to myself after sorting out the nightmare that is interstate car registration. This brought my collection up to nearly complete. Wish the Nanshiungosaurus was somewhere, I don't anticipate getting it for as cheap as these.

Also, I don't know if virtual dinosaurs count, but here's a dumb photo I took in Jurassic World Alive of Utahsinoraptor getting down at the local hotel.

[Shonisaurus]

Nice collection it is good that you complete the Battat figure collection as they are very rare figures in the toy market. I congratulate you, I am a faithful follower of your Brontozaurus collection.

[Halichoeres]

Nice display! Like mine, it's rather crowded. Is that the Transformers ammonite behind the JW figures? I don't see that one very often!

[Brontozaurus]

Nice display! Like mine, it's rather crowded. Is that the Transformers ammonite behind the JW figures? I don't see that one very often!

Yeah that's the ammonite transformer (Dead End) from Beast Wars Neo. It's not surprising that it's rarely seen: the entire line was only released in Japan and Korea, ran for only five months and sold quite poorly (the Transformers wiki cites overly complex toys and a focus on 'boring' beast modes for the heroes as reasons why). On top of that, it's the only one of the prehistoric transformers from that line who never got re-released in some form in a Western line. Which is a shame as it's actually a pretty neat toy, in both ammonite and robot forms. I might do a feature on it later, especially since I just picked up the reissue of the woolly mammoth transformer from that line. But I've got some other things to talk about today, so I'll save them both for another post.

One of my other hobbies is painting miniatures, like Warhammer and D&D models. Last year I received a huge box of minis from the fourth Reaper Miniatures kickstarter, and since the coronavirus pandemic started, painting them has been helping me from going insane. The set contains a huge variety of minis, from demons to villagers to random monsters, but the reason I backed the kickstarter was because of one set in particular:



This is the 'Lost Valley' expansion set, plus the 'Blacktooth Terror' and 'Thunderfoot Behemoth' (read: Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops) add-ons. How the Reaper kickstarters work is that there's a core set of minis that everyone gets, and as more money is raised additional expansion sets and models are made available to add to your pledge, plus more models for the core set (kind of how the BotM kickstarters work). The Lost Valley set is a homage to 1950s/60s caveman movies, via Dungeons and Dragons-esque fantasy. So while there's dinosaurs, cavemen, and even a homage to the infamous slurpasaur special effect, there's also giants, dinosaur humanoids, and a tribe of Amazonian cave orcs. I am so very tempted to review the set for the blog once it's all painted up, and getting that done by the end of self-isolation is one of my current goals. And speaking of getting them painted...



The 'clubtail' (Ankylosaurus) is the first model I've finished from the set. I'd just finished painting the characters for my D&D group and I wanted to paint something big for a change. Painting it has definitely given me more respect for people who paint dinosaur toys for a living; after painting and repainting the armor and spikes like a hundred times to get rid of paint blotches from other colours, I just gave up when they looked good enough from a distance.

I'm planning to paint each creature in this set as a homage to another figure or piece of palaeoart. Can you guess where I got this colour scheme from?