Prehistory figures of the year?

[gfxtwin]

To me, this has been a rather notable year or dinosaur figures.  While Carnegie have not released their absolute best figure so far, Their Concavenator is still a nice addition to their line.  We have seen many nice Mammals, including a Woolly Rhino from Papo, a Entelodont and Hyaenodon from Mojo, and a Deinotherium and Megacerops from Collecta.  Safari and Favorite have solid 2013 lineups and Papo are on the verge of taking over the entire market with their impeccably crafted toys.

My top 5 figures of 2013:

5. Collecta Megocerops.



Looking alive and frozen in motion, Collecta's anatomically correct and (mostly) scientifically sound model of this prehistoric mammal is the most impressive Mammal figurine of 2013 - a year filled with other impressive mammal figurines.  Sculpted down to every last...um...detail, no expense was spared in rendering this ancient beast.  Skin looks appropriately mud-caked and skin-like, hair looks like hair, and the pose is fluid and believable.  It's not perfect by any means, but it is anoher major step forward from a company that is progressing at a fast rate in terms of the quality of the products they put out.

4. Favorite Styracosaurus.



So many Styracosaurs have come close to greatness, but most have been just a smidge out of reach, be it due to boring paint, vulture necks,  and other examples of warped proportions.  The 2013 Favorite Styracosaurus finally does the animal justice, though - It's closer to scientific accuracy and rendered with more detail than most other Styracosaurs in the market.  The only possible nitpick is the cheekless mouth, but that is a very small nitpick.


3. Safari Gryposaurus.



Rendered down to every tiny scale, this beautiful hardosaur might be the most aesthetically pleasing Safari figure since their famous Postosuchus.  The skin texture looks palatable, and the proportions are fairly accurate - they have managed to avoid sculpting the overly large feet and chubbier-than-reality proportions that have been a problem for them for some time.    While not the most exciting animal to base a figure on (Hadrosaurs were like the cows of their time), Safari have nevertheless made one amazingly detailed dinosaur that captivates me. 


2. Favorite Allosaurus



rendered with a nimble and athletic build, Favorite have also made one of the top Allosaurs in the the market in 2013, coming close to the taking the coveted spot held by Papo's stunning 2008 model.  This one, while slightly lacking in cool factor and artistry compared to Papo's model, is more accurate and brings the creature to life with an appropriately athletic build.  While small, the figure nonetheless contains an admirable amount of detail that rivals the best of Carnegie.  It is also very, very orange, which is my only nitpick.  Allosaur fans still have a lot to be excited about.

1. Papo Dimetrodon.



(pictured above is my own Dimetrodon model ordered from Everything Dinosaur)

Papo have always been the most interesting company in the market to me.  They started out by making Jurassic Park bootleg models that were so well-done they might have fooled JP fans into thinking they were the conceptual sculptures made by the artists who worked on the movies.  Their therapods also have moving jaws, which is an attractive feature.  Paint-wise, Papo chooses to go for extreme naturalism and muted colors and nobody comes close to rivaling them in that style (including some resin models, but not all).  When they chose to leave behind their Jurassic Park roots to make original sculpts, the results were even more stunning- a stylish, vibrant, hyper-detailed, Todd Marshall-esque Allosaur that blew away every other Allosaur at that time.  It wasn't perfect - the arms were a bit too long and the hands needed customization in order to look accurate - but it showed collectors everywhere that Papo was the sleeping giant of the industry.  All they needed was to tweak their models for scientific accuracy and they could very well be the standard of judgement for all dinosaur toys.  Four years and several figures later, Papo failed to live up to the potential that was teased by their Allosaurus model.  They refused to make their figures scientifically accurate and in some cases went out of their way to place style over substance (that bizarre jaw on the Running T-Rex).  Many times they were just out of reach from sculpting a masterpiece - Their Pachyrhinosaurus would be the industry standard had Papo not made the horns on it's frill extra long for some unknown reason, Their Brachiosaurus would look amazing had it not seemed to be given growth hormones or steroids, and their Euoplocephalus was a bit too slender.  Finally, in 2013, Papo managed to not only pick up where they left off with their Allosaur, they took it to the next level and pretty much made a figure that FINALLY married their craftsmanship with scientific accuracy.  Papo's Carnotaurus is very nice, though a bit stout, but their Dimetrodon is by far the best Dimetrodon figure in the market.  Everything from the skin detail to the shape of the head and teeth in perfect.  The ONLY nitpick worth bringing up is that it's back feet are each missing one toe, but considering how well-done the figure is in every other regard, it seems like a superficial complaint.  Especially when you see every other dimetrodon figure on the market.  IF they can keep it up, they may very well be the force to be reckoned with in the industry.

What is your top five, Dinosaur toy forum?

[tyrantqueen]

Interesting ideas. I don't agree with all of your choices here (not very keen on the Grypo or Mega), but I did enjoy reading your reasoning behind them.
I'd make my own list too, but many of my top models are actually resin kits and Shapeways prints, so that wouldn't really be the same thing.

The Papo Dimetrodon definitely deserved top spot. I'm just sad that Carnegie didn't produce anything worthy of of being included in the list

[Takama]

one thing that should be noted is that the Megacerops is a 2012 figure

[postsaurischian]

one thing that should be noted is that the Megacerops is a 2012 figure

The Favorite Soft Models also are.

....... We have seen many nice Mammals, including a Woolly Rhino from Papo, a Entelodont and Hyaenodon from Mojo, .......

We have?
Where did you get them ?
Sorry, I'm just joking. I think it's still too early to have such a poll.

[Concavenator]

Aaaaaa...I just have a 2013 Figure,the Papo Carnotaurus.Maybe we'll vote and speakat the end of theyear or beginning of the next?Though I think my favorite one will b the Papo Dimetrodon.