Delisaurus Steven's Delightful Dinos

[Delisaurus Steven]

Hello all!

After years of lurking it's finally time to show off my own collection!

I've decided to split everything up by company, so let's begin!


Starting off with a company famous in the Dino toy community but unknown to me until just a few years ago, its Battat!



I had no idea that Battat existed until I started seeing the Terra figures in Target a few years ago. I wish that I had known about them earlier though, as their figures are great! I love the Tyrannosaurus, and it currently has the top spot for T. rex in my collection.


Next up is Creative Beast Studios!



As a big fan of action figures and accurate dinosaurs, these were a perfect combo! The raptors make for fantastic display pieces with their bases and the ceratopsians are just so bulky and fun to mess around with. I'm excited to have the tyrannosaurs in hand too, particularly the Walking with Dinosaurs homage, which brings us to our next company:


Toyway!



I never thought I would own any of these figures since most of the ones I would want command a hefty price on the aftermarket. But thanks to a fantastic lot of figures on Ebay I now own three! I was surprised by how hefty they are; particularly the Polacanthus. The Ballad of Big Al (or Allosaurus: A Walking with Dinosaurs Special here in the US) was always my favorite dinosaur documentary, so the Allosaurus was a grail figure for me and it did not disappoint.


Speaking of disappointment, lets talk about some miscellaneous Dino toys, shall we?



When I was young I had two rubbermaid tubs of dinosaur toys; one housed my prized figures (Carnegie, Papo, Wild Safari), and the other housed everything else (knockoffs, Chap Mei, various chinasaurs, etc). These guys are all that remains from that tub after a series of garage sales several years ago.


Moving on, we come to Invicta



Growing up I always preferred dinosaur toys that were of a modern sensibility, so when I first started getting back into dinosaur collecting I largely ignored Invicta, assuming that they were all ugly, outdated depictions of dinosaurs. But after actually looking a bit closer and getting a pair in hand, I have to say I'm impressed. The life instilled in each figure is fantastic, and the details in the sculpts are lovely.


Next up are a few separate companies:

Bullyland


Mojo Fun


Schleich


These three are all one offs in my collection. I don't really intend to buy any more figures from any of them, and most of the figures just sort of found their way into my collection randomly.

Another one off, Micro Machines!



I used to have several of the sets of these Nat Geo Micro Machine dinos, but I think most of them disappeared with my third party tub. All that's left is this odd-looking Dilophosaurus.


Next up, Collecta!



My feelings on Collecta are a bit complicated. On the one hand, I love the variety of species that they produce, and on the other hand there is just something about the way a lot of their models look that I just dislike. I don't know if it's the skinny limbs, the constant use of back spines, or the odd color choices, but something about their theropods is just a bit off-putting.


Papo!


Papo was the first company that I saw as a competitor to the Carnegie Collection as a kid. I remember being blown away by the detail on the raptor  and the size of the rex when I first saw them in a specialty toy store. Today I'm not nearly as interested in them, especially with their current output, but they'll always have a special place in my collection.


Next, we have Lego!



I love Lego in general, so Lego dinos are always appreciated. From the old Adventurers line to the current Jurassic World offerings, I love any and all lego dinos (except maybe the extremely weird mutant dinos from the Dino Attack line). I would love it if lego would release more species in fossil form, but that's a bit of a long shot.


And now, PNSO



PNSO is still new enough to my collection that I haven't formed a real opinion on them yet; I do think they suffer quite a bit from promo images not matching up with the final product, although that seems to be improving a bit. I like a lot of things about Paul the Allosaurus, but there are also some aspects I'm not sold on.


As we enter the home stretch we have but one company left:

Safari Ltd!

Since Safari makes up the bulk of my collection I've decided to split it up even further, starting with TOOBS!



I used to love TOOBS as a kid and I still have an affinity for miniature dinos. The original feathered dinosaurs toob had some of the best paint jobs for mini dinos, only surpassed by the following:

Safari Authentics!



My full set of Authentics is one of the prides of my collection. The dilophosaurus and dimetrodon are actually my favorite representations of those species.

I like to split Safari's eras into separate categories, so let's start with "Wild Safari"



These figures are just so ridiculously colorful! While not as accurate or well sculpted as Safari's current offerings, these were a very fun beginning for the line.

Modern Safari Ltd


I've been very impressed with Safari's offerings in recent years, and it was the Yutyrannus that got me back into dinosaur collecting in the first place.

And finally, the Carnegie Collection (which barely fit onto the dresser!)



The Carnegie Collection was absolutely integral to my love of dinosaurs as a kid. As you may notice, not all of mine are in mint condition (the poor tanystropheus' head can be seen lying beside him, and the deinonychus pack has all fallen off of their rock), but these were some of the more treasured items from my youth.


That about wraps it up! There are more dinos around the house that I will eventually add in, including all of my Mattel Jurassic World stuff and a few other random dinos who didn't make it for the photo shoot. Looking at you, Sue plush from the Field Museum!

[Lanthanotus]

A very diverse and nice assortment you amassed there That Bullyland Deinonychus (?) I saw for the very first time.

[RobinGoodfellow]

That Bullyland Deinonychus (?) I saw for the very first time.

Me too.
It's the miniature version of Velociraptor:

https://toyanimal.info/wiki/Bullyland_61359_Velociraptor

[Duna]

Wow, what a diverse and select collection!  I love those Safari authentics, they are very well sculpted. You have a selection of the best of each company and time ...

[Halichoeres]

That's a solid collection, thanks for sharing. Safari is the number one contributor to my collection, too. I love the Toobs and wish they would make more of them.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Welcome to the forum!
You have a lovely collection with many nice things. I also have more Safari than anything else, though partly due to the tools.
The Safari authentics are nostalgia for me though because I used to behave several of those as a kid, the Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus,  Parasaurolophus and Triceratops anyway.

[stoneage]

Their is a lesson to be learned from the Tanystropheus, be careful when you stick your neck out.

[Delisaurus Steven]

Thanks everyone! A combination of low budget and low space in the last few years have forced me to carefully consider each purchase, so I really try and aim for quality!

[Shonisaurus]

My congratulations, you have a very complete and varied collection not only in terms of brands but also in terms of both vintage and current figures. Thanks for sharing.

[Fembrogon]

That's a nice selection of figures! I'm in a similar boat as you regarding Safari ltd. dominating my collection; their output has long been both the most affordable and most consistently good out of all the regular companies, in my opinion.
Those Authentics are especially neat. I only have a handful of them from childhood and didn't know their background until a few years ago when they were discussed here on the forum. Most of them seem pretty rare now!

[Duck]

Neat!

[Delisaurus Steven]

@Fembrogon Same here on the Authentics! I knew the original set came in a special box but for years I just assumed that the rest were from various Toobs I had gotten. Only after getting back into collection did I realize they were unique! I'd love to pic up some of the other Authentics series; the Sea Life one is particularly neat.

[Delisaurus Steven]

As we approach the end of the year, I figured I would take stock of everything I've picked up this year. Needless to say, it was a very successful year of dino collecting! First some recent hauls:





My final purchase for 2021, PNSO's Winter Wilson. I've visited the American Museum of Natural History several times so having a figure based on their famous specimen is great! I had been debating back and forth about picking up Wilson, but after rewatching When Dinosaurs Roamed America recently, I decided I needed him. He's a spot-on match for the Tyrannosaurus depicted in that documentary, which was one of my favorites as a kid.


And finally, everything I've gotten this year! I had not planned on going so hard this year, but as with all hobbies, it just sort of happened. After getting her Master's degree earlier this year, my wife finally started her career, which allowed for a much bigger hobby budget than in years past. Now all I need is more space!

These are my favorites from everything this year. Several grails, a few surprises, and one awesome, goofy-looking Deinocheirus!

[Halichoeres]

A very good year for your collection! May 2022 be equally auspicious.

[Shonisaurus]

My congratulations on all your acquisitions in 2021, I hope it will be even more fruitful in terms of acquisitions this year 2022.