A Peculiar Albertosaurus Figure from Drumheller, Alberta

[SidB]

Rummaging through my miscellaneous dino box, which has sat untouched for a long time, I came across this odd specimen of an Albertosaurus:









This is no hollow plastic "chinasaur" though it is certainly made in China, out of a good quality PVC and is quite hefty. The belly stamp reads:  2000 ALBERTOSAURUS LIBRATUS / THE FOSSIL SHOP INC./ DRUMHELLER CANADA/MADE IN CHINA. The level of detail isn't bad, with plenty of detailed scalation throughout. The feet are properly proportioned, though the left arm is badly pronated, as the picture clearly shows and the tail base is quite puny. Of course the colors are rather off the wall and it sure sports a striking set of "pearly whites." It came from the gift shop of the Royal Tyrrell museum, Drumheller, Alberta,I believe, in or about 2010. The Fossil Shop apparently is in town, but I don't know if there is any formal connection between the two. When I checked out the online gift shop of the latter, this item is listed. Probably has been for a long time. (They also listed a pretty comprehensive set of AAA dinosaurs - that's unusual.

All told, it seems an odd mixture of good and bad sculpting,though the production value is decent. Does anyone know if this a one of a kind for the Fossil Shop, or were there others in the line? Have you ever come across this figure - it seems to have been around for quite a while.

[suspsy]

Huh. That would make for an interesting review.

[SidB]

@suspsy , would that be a hint  ?

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Had one years back, it comes in a box. I think it was the only one made in it's "line".  It is as you say an oddity,  seems weird with the teeth and all but much of the body has merit.

[SidB]

Had one years back, it comes in a box. I think it was the only one made in it's "line".  It is as you say an oddity,  seems weird with the teeth and all but much of the body has merit.

Its singularity seems the way of things then, if any other companion pieces had ever surfaced, we'd have seen them by now. Must be a special commissioned by The Fossil Shop. No indication by whom it was made.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Had one years back, it comes in a box. I think it was the only one made in it's "line".  It is as you say an oddity,  seems weird with the teeth and all but much of the body has merit.

Its singularity seems the way of things then, if any other companion pieces had ever surfaced, we'd have seen them by now. Must be a special commissioned by The Fossil Shop. No indication by whom it was made.

There wasn't anything much on the box if I recall. Try searching the old forum, it's probably on there.

[SidB]

Had one years back, it comes in a box. I think it was the only one made in it's "line".  It is as you say an oddity,  seems weird with the teeth and all but much of the body has merit.

Its singularity seems the way of things then, if any other companion pieces had ever surfaced, we'd have seen them by now. Must be a special commissioned by The Fossil Shop. No indication by whom it was made.

There wasn't anything much on the box if I recall. Try searching the old forum, it's probably on there.

Thanks for the suggestion - sounds like fun, I'll give it a whirl.

[Halichoeres]

I remember reading about this before, but now I can't find where that was. At any rate, I guess now it's a Gorgosaurus!

[SidB]

I remember reading about this before, but now I can't find where that was. At any rate, I guess now it's a Gorgosaurus!

It's an appropriate choice for Drumheller and the Dinosaur Provincial Park, since Sternberg unearthed it in 1913. Seems like a long age ago. I wish that we could get an updated, more accurate version of this species rather than yet another T-rex, despite the similarities.

[SidB]

Had one years back, it comes in a box. I think it was the only one made in it's "line".  It is as you say an oddity,  seems weird with the teeth and all but much of the body has merit.

I found it! An old thread on version 1 of the DTF, entry by @Blackdanter , and sure enough, it was presented in the box. Good memory!

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Had one years back, it comes in a box. I think it was the only one made in it's "line".  It is as you say an oddity,  seems weird with the teeth and all but much of the body has merit.

I found it! An old thread on version 1 of the DTF, entry by @Blackdanter , and sure enough, it was presented in the box. Good memory!

sometimes it works..other times...

[Halichoeres]

Found the link in case anyone else wants to buy it: https://thefossilshop.com/product/albertosaurus-libratus/

I make no warranty as to the currency of the page.

[Shonisaurus]

@Halichoeres Thanks for the link, the Albertosaurus strikes me as an acceptable figure.

[SBell]

I talked to the shop owner about it a couple decades back. He had it sculpted and produced for himself, although he did also have them for sale in other locations in Drumheller.

It cost him six figures to get it done. And he must have made lots because they're still around in the town. Or were, it's been a few years since I was there.

[SidB]

I talked to the shop owner about it a couple decades back. He had it sculpted and produced for himself, although he did also have them for sale in other locations in Drumheller.

It cost him six figures to get it done. And he must have made lots because they're still around in the town. Or were, it's been a few years since I was there.

Remarkable story. With that scale of investment, I'm surprised that the figure wasn't merchandised more widely, so as to at least recover the cost. I can't believe that a huge number of these were sold.

[SBell]

I talked to the shop owner about it a couple decades back. He had it sculpted and produced for himself, although he did also have them for sale in other locations in Drumheller.

It cost him six figures to get it done. And he must have made lots because they're still around in the town. Or were, it's been a few years since I was there.

Remarkable story. With that scale of investment, I'm surprised that the figure wasn't merchandised more widely, so as to at least recover the cost. I can't believe that a huge number of these were sold.

It's the marquee dinosaur of the Tyrrell Museum, and the region in general, so it's a pretty easy souvenir--a few million people pass through there every year. I doubt there are many left now, and if you're in town they are often marked down quite a bit. I've never personally bought one...don't even know why not.

[Libraraptor]

Oh, it seems we have another "museum" exclusive....

[SidB]

Oh, it seems we have another "museum" exclusive....

Something to snap up for those who are completionist collectors of such. Plus, it's still quite affordable, apparently.