A Tail (Tale) of Three Battat Ceratosaurs

[SidB]

If you have acquired the  maroon-colored Battat Terra Ceratosaurus with it's downturned tail and added it to your green 1994 Battat ceratosaurus, you might assume that's it (apart from the Green pantographed mini). Not quite.



This green figure is by far the most commonly available original Battat Ceratosaurus available on eBay, and I always figured this 1994 original version to be the only one of its type. Note the horizontal tail. But it's not the only variation. There was another release, later in the production run of this figure, which involved a factory re-sculpt of the original mold, due to stability issues associated with the original )nothing unusual for Battat's theropods). This was likely produced in 1998 or later. Remarkably, even Dan Lorusso was unaware of its existance.

The other variation is sometimes shown as the original, bur a look at the old, now defunct site "Realm of the Rubber Dinosaurs", clearly showed that the straight tailed version was the earliest type. Below is a recently acquired version 2, green, with a DOWN TURNED tail. Clearly this is the immediate precursor of the repainted Battat Terra re-issue, with its down turned tail.



Here are all three versions (excluding the mini). You can see the transitional nature of the green down turned tail type.

[Dinoguy2]

Very interesting! Can you tell if the whole mold has been replicated, or if it was just somehow modified? Hard to tell from these pics but there do seem to be differences in the details other than the tail in the arms, feet, etc.?

[Carnoking]

The original with the downturned tail is the only variant I am missing from the original standard line! Also got to find the maiasaura to complete the mold collection.

[SidB]

The original with the downturned tail is the only variant I am missing from the original standard line! Also got to find the maiasaura to complete the mold collection.

There's one for sale on eBay right now. You may want to grab it - it's not common.

[SidB]

Very interesting! Can you tell if the whole mold has been replicated, or if it was just somehow modified? Hard to tell from these pics but there do seem to be differences in the details other than the tail in the arms, feet, etc.?

I'll run another set of pictures to see if I can bring out more detail.

[SidB]

Very interesting! Can you tell if the whole mold has been replicated, or if it was just somehow modified? Hard to tell from these pics but there do seem to be differences in the details other than the tail in the arms, feet, etc.?

As far as I can tell, the new one is still a three-part mold, but the tail has been re-sculpted, obviously. What is less obvious, but what you definitely packed up, was that the skull seems a bit larger, deeper. Not a lot, but noticeable. You will see this in the enclosed pictures, which also indicate the layout of the mold, basically similar on both models. Futhermore, the detailing is a lot crisper on the older figure with the horizontal tail. You can see this crispness in the ventral shot, for example the anal oriface. the claws on the hands re sharp and well-defined, contrasting with those on the later one. General texturing and the paint application is better throughout on the first Ceratosaurus.



three part mold junction on newer figure, above and older one, below



The next picture shows the skull size difference, exaggerated by the darker green paint on the left hand, newer figure (down-turned tail):



Differences in texturing detail. Note how much more clear is the belly stamp on the plder, horizontal tailed Cerato:

[Dinoguy2]

Thanks for all the pics! It looks like the same process was used here that was used for all the various Carnegie remolds. Whatever that was. I'm not sure if they would physically altar the original mold (likely unfeasible if it's metal), modify the cast the mold was made from (probably a lot easier, but would they keep those?), or chop up, resculpt, or otherwise modify an existing figure and fully remold it from that - probably the most likely but also more expensive route, it's consistent with the lack of overall detail plus seemingly added detail for example on figures with added bases. I wonder if they used clay to modify an existing figure, then used a pantograph to generate a new mold without going through the recasting process? That would explain the slight size differences in these types of figures.

[SidB]

I'm assuming that the process, whatever it was, was done in China, presumably with Battat's go-ahead, If so, then we may never find out the truth of the matter. But your last option seems to be the most likely cost-wise. it is interesting that Dan knew nothing about this alteration until it hit the market. However that seems consistent with Battat's penchant for secrecy, not that I'm necessarily faulting the company.

[terrorchicken]

I have the green one with the downward tail. It has a hideous paint job.

[SidB]

I have the green one with the downward tail. It has a hideous paint job.

Good that you snapped it up, but you're right, the paint application is much poorer than the original. BTW, when I got mine, I noticed that the painting of the dentition was just hilarious. The painter missed every single one of the teeth with the application of the white paint. Every single one! Mind you, this wasn't too difficult to correct.

[terrorchicken]

yep mine too has the sloppy teeth...and the red stripes, its like they let a 6 yer old have at it with a red sharpie.

[SidB]

Well, despite the deficiencies, I'm glad that I was able to acquire it, because it really is a legitimate Battat variant to add to the collection. I'd thought that I had had them all (except the three super expensive ones - v.1 T-rex, mini T-rex and the Diplo), so this was a pleasant find.

[Dinoguy2]

I'm assuming that the process, whatever it was, was done in China, presumably with Battat's go-ahead, If so, then we may never find out the truth of the matter. But your last option seems to be the most likely cost-wise. it is interesting that Dan knew nothing about this alteration until it hit the market. However that seems consistent with Battat's penchant for secrecy, not that I'm necessarily faulting the company.

Forest Rogers complained about a similar process of the figures drifting farther and farther from her original sculpts. I think the artists at the factories must periodically resculpt entire figures simply "based on" the originals as the molds wear out, need to be duplicated or adjusted. Probably way cheaper than hiring the original sculptor to do a new version. Sort of an "official bootleg".

yep mine too has the sloppy teeth...and the red stripes, its like they let a 6 yer old have at it with a red sharpie.

To be fair, this happens with all figures in all lines. Just recently there was a Facebook thread about the Safari Carnotaurus. The paint apps on mine look great. The paint apps on the one in the other person's look like Jackson Pollack works at the factory. They can't have been made more than a year apart. Companies go all out for the paint on new figures, then seemingly instruct the factory workers to rush the job when they're not the new thing bring promoted anymore. Paint Application Crapification Syndrome is a real problem. Buy figures the month they come out or get something that looks like a knockoff.

[SidB]

I have the impression that the artists don't seem to become independently wealthy based on what the companies pay them for the original sculpts. That being the case, I am never too impressed when factory alterations or reboots are done in an effort that take the low road,  by bypassing the artist (hopefully not starving). But that's business I suppose.