Figures That Have Grown on You? Figures That Haven't?

[Loon]

Yes, eagle-eyed members of the AnimalToyForum will no doubt see that I have clearly stolen @JimoAi's thread idea. But, I think this is a fun idea and would like to see where this goes.

Have you ever had a figure that, even though you may have had an initial dislike of it, has eventually grown on you?

Let's mix this up.

Conversely, I'd also like to know if there's a figure you own that, no matter how hard you try, you just can't get into?

[Loon]

I didn't want to clutter the first post, so I'll put my answers here.

CollectA's Thalassomedon is the figure I would argue has grown on me the most. While I didn't really dislike the figure per se, it's not a species that I'm particularly familiar with. Still, from what I've learned it is the best long necked plesiosaur out there, and for that reason I really appreciate it.

As for one that I've never really gotten into, it has to be Safari's 2017 Microraptor. The sculpt and paint are just too simplistic, and it's honestly a bit too big for me. Unfortunately, like the Thalassomedon, it is the best version of Microraptor out there, so it's in the collection, for now.

[Stegotyranno420]

Used to not like, now love.Figures I don't have, obviously:
Eofauna giganotosaurus, Eofauna altasaurus, collectA Featherd tyrannosaurus, collectA mamenchisaurus, papo Spinosaurus 2019, nanmu apatosaurus, safari feathered rex, just to name a few

[Bread]

I quite like this thread idea! Glad it has made its way to the dinosaur toy forum, thank you Loon!

Disliked but now Love:
-Safari's Iguanodon, which is now one of my favorites in my collection

Hard To Love: Rebor's King T. rex, as I wish I had purchased the Acrocanthosaurus instead

[Loon]

@Bread the Safari Iguanodon is fantastic! Though, I can get why it can seem like it's not for everyone. It's a little too small, which is why I went with CollectA's, but still a great toy in its own right.

[Bread]

@Bread the Safari Iguanodon is fantastic! Though, I can get why it can seem like it's not for everyone. It's a little too small, which is why I went with CollectA's, but still a great toy in its own right.

The size of the figure was not an issue for me, but the color scheme seemed quite odd (at least for me in my opinion). Was not a fan of the purple, but once I received the figure in hand I grew to appreciate it so much. Such a great figure, as well as CollectA's too.

[JimoAi]

Actually alot of figures have grown on me: the Papo ceratosaurus is one, as well as the collectA iguanodon from 2018

[JimoAi]

And for the figures that I can't seem to love: all my JW based figures

[PrimevalRaptor]

My most recently example is the Schleich Brontosaurus, it looks way better in person and despite having some weird quirks like the neck not being bulky all the way and the nostrils) and it's colors not being the most exciting, it certainly has a lot of charme.

[Libraraptor]

Good idea for a thread! Instantly I´d answer Papo Therizinosaurus and Schleich Pentaceratops.

[Lynx]

I have to say that the whole Safari LTD brand has started to grow on me. As for figures I own;

Try to love, but still dislike Almost every papo figure I have.

Used to hate, but now loves almost evey papo figure Caught that? Well, the papo iguanadon has started to grow on me... a lot. Its now one of my favorites. Also a knockoff mosasaurus I got that turned out to be one of the best figures I have.

[Thialfi]

Mattel Jurassic World figures were kind of my gateway drug into serious collecting again, after a dark ages that spanned almost two decades. By now I really don't like those Mattel offerings anymore though. Save for a couple of exceptions (their nasutoceratops is pretty good), they're a bunch of cheaply made, inaccurate figures - which makes sense seeing they are primarily aimed at children, as toys. I just miss the love in this figures that seems to go in figures by more 'serious' brands. So that.

I'll come back to this question later with different examples and some reverse cases, I have to take a good look at my actual figures for this one.

[JohannesB]

Figures in my possession that I once loved but now dislike (to varying degree): all of Papo's and Collecta's, and Rebor's "King T. rex"

Figures that have grown on me are mostly those that are of low scientific or collecting value, but hold some kind of emotional/nostalgic value because they were given to me as a gift, for example (generally of no specific brand, e.g. "chinasaurs")

[Newt]

My collection is pretty small and I don't buy something unless I like it, so there's nothing that I own that I started off disliking. That said, I wasn't crazy about the Battat Terra Tyrannosaurus when I bought it, mainly due to the paint scheme, but the longer I have it the less I see the unfortunate jungle camo look and the more I see the handsome underlying sculpture.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I can't think of any one figure in particular that has grown on me over time, but I did warm up to Marx dinosaurs. Up until a few years ago, they didn't interest me at all, but now I have almost all of them. I suppose it is largely to do with my shifting interest towards older figures, and viewing dinosaurs through the lens of nostalgia and Americana.

[Carnoking]

I wasn't crazy about the Eofauna giganotosaurus due to the drab and weirdly applied paint job, as well as the perceived lack of detail. It was right around then that I really started to learn more about what constituted an accurate therapod dinosaur, so it did grow on me a good deal. Still think the paint job could be better.

Probably the biggest switch I've experienced is my feelings towards the BotM line. Originally didn't have any inclination towards it. Thought the paint jobs were gaudy and unappealing. Boy was I missing out.

[Gwangi]

I don't really have figures that I dislike that have later grown on me because I don't buy figures I dislike. That said, I kind of wrote off Marx as a company worth collecting for a long time due to how terrible the bootlegs and knockoffs are. I wrongly assumed the actual Marx toys weren't any better. I got a few Marx toys last summer and once in hand came to appreciate them, now I collect them.

There are quite a few figures I've purchased, initially liked, and have since fallen out of favor. The Papo running T. rex comes to mind first. It was cool when it came out (for what it was) but it hasn't aged well in the face of competition, plus it's everywhere you look too. It has become the stock dinosaur and I hate it for that. I also have a similar opinion about the CollectA Deluxe Carcharodontosaurus and Acrocanthosaurus, even though I wrote glowing reviews for both on the blog when they first came out. There were great during their time but aren't holding up well, especially the Carcharodontosaurus. The wide hips, weird feet, and shrink wrapped skulls are so weird looking to me now.