Top 10 2017 dinosaur models [poll]

[SidB]

Agreed. Year-by-year the Safari team has become the foremost designer and producer of accurate and financially accessible dinosaurs and Cenozoic mammals, though CollectA is proving to be worthy opponent in terms of variety and creativity. It seems that cutting the cord with the Carnegie Museum has done Safari nothing but good. I have the entire collection of Forest Rogers' Carnegie Safari sculpts, which I admire, but feel that the Carnegie connection cramped her capabilities.

Another great year for dinosaur collectors.

[Sim]

I'm late commenting on this.  I enjoyed the Top 10 2017 prehistoric figures video!  That music works really well for it.  I'm very happy the Safari Coelophysis is in the top five, and the Safari Velociraptor is in the top three!  These two were by far the 2017 figures I liked most.

After seeing the figures in person, I was surprised by how amazing the detail is on the 2017 Safari Velociraptor and Coelophysis.  The detail of their feathers is very impressive, especially on the Velociraptor as its feathers are complex.  I'm amazed a human created the feather detail of these two figures.  Another thing that impresses me is that these two figures look alive.

I had thought I might be bothered by how visible the scales on the snouts of these figures are, but after seeing these figures in person I'm not.  The scales on their snouts are not as conspicuous as I thought they would be, especially on the Coelophysis.  I also have no problem with the lack of lips on any Safari theropod, I understand the extent lips were present among dinosaurs is still an open discussion.

I had initially thought I would've preferred the Coelophysis to be without feathers, but I no longer have a preference on this.  I think currently there's an equal chance Coelophysis was covered in feathers or scales, and the feathering on the Safari version looks very plausible for Coelophysis.  An interesting thing about the Safari Coelophysis is that after I received it, when I look at this figure it doesn't make me think, "Did Coelophysis have feathers?"  Instead, this figure's feathering looks natural, and it's an extremely pleasing representation of Coelophysis that captures the distinctive character of this animal.

The 2017 Safari Velociraptor's tail is really impressive and good!
Dromaeosaurids have often been restored with the rectrices only at the end of their tails, an arrangement found in Microraptor.  However, as more feathered dinosaur species preserving the rectrices have been found, it's been observed that the widespread condition among species is having the rectrices along most/all of the tail, like in Archaeopteryx.  At this point, I have a feeling that in terrestrial dromaeosaurids (so excluding volant/semiaquatic dromaeosaurids) having rectrices along most/all of the tail was probably widespread.  The only dromaeosaurid of this kind that has rectrices preserved is Zhenyuanlong and it does indeed have the rectrices starting around the base of the tail.
For Velociraptor, I think a rectrices arrangement similar to Zhenyuanlong and Archaeopteryx is most likely, considering 1. Zhenyuanlong is a similar size to Velociraptor, and 2. Velociraptor's lifestyle.  The fact that the 2017 Safari Velociraptor has this kind of tail feathering shows very good judgment by the sculptor.  And it's a contrast to the many dromaeosaurid reconstructions with rectrices limited to the end of the tail, which is correct for Microraptor, but not necessarily likely for other dromaeosaurids especially the non-microraptorines.
I find the rectrices being limited to the end of the tail looks great on microraptorines.  For other dromaeosaurids though, I generally find having rectrices along most/all of the tail looks better and more impressive, and the 2017 Safari Velociraptor shows how great this looks on Velociraptor.
The 2017 Safari Velociraptor is also finally a toy of a dromaeosaurid not named Microraptor that has the forelimbs properly reconstructed as wings, with wing feathers attaching to the fingers!  It's an awe-inspiring figure!

I'm very happy to have these figures of Velociraptor and Coelophysis.  I'd been wanting great toy representations of these two animals.  They both look even better in person.  Wild Safari has now become my favourite prehistoric animal toy line.  I'm also happy children and people older than that can enjoy these great toys of Velociraptor and Coelophysis.

[SidB]

A comment, Sim, on your last observation. It's a positive thing that the price point on these animals is such that they are quite affordable and therefore candidates for the kids as well as collectors. For too long poor research, sloppy workmanship and indifferent design have been excused and even fobbed off on the public as "suitable for children" by companies claiming that their offering had "educational value." I think that we all know  to whom this refers, some much more culpable than others. We should continue to applaud and support quality wherever and whenever we find it.