Which Tyrannosaurus is better?

[The Spinosaurus]

Is Wilson III or Hardbit the safari ltd Tyrannosaurus better? I generally don't care for Tyrannosaurus but i might have to get one and I was wondering which would be better?

[GojiraGuy1954]

Wilson is the more accurate of the two but honestly i'd just wait for EoFauna's Tyrannosaurus rex

[Duck]

Yeah the PNSO one is hit or miss depending on your thoughts and Safari's is outdated, just wait for Eofauna

[Lynx]

Safari is outdated but prettier imo, but Wilson is more accurate. Depends on what you prefer, honestly

[SidB]

The heavy feathering on the Safari makes it difficult to compare. I have both, so that approach solves the issue for me.

[stargatedalek]

REBOR's *shudder* is somehow the best right now accuracy wise (I know right?!). Safari and PNSO both have some fairly serious issues, though I'd say Safari's is a bit more justified given its age and lower price point. Plus that new repaint of it is quite pleasant.

[JohannesB]

I hold the PNSO Tyrannosaurus rex ("Wilson III" or "Winter Wilson") in high regard, but I have to admit that I am biased, because I love its esthetics very much - even given its issues, like the matter of the absence of lips, and other issues with the way the jaws close up too tightly, seemingly not taking into account all the soft tissue that would be present in real life. But nonetheless, besides its beauty, I find it a very nice "study model", in that so much care has been put in to showing the different relative sizes of the scales on the different parts of the body. Admittedly, here we also bump in to another "issue", in that the scales are far too big for being a "scientifically accurate" model, but I can look past that and enjoy the figure for what it is.

Unfortunately I can't compare with Safari's Tyrannosaurus, because I don't own that figure.

P.S. Until proven otherwise, I will always prefer (completely) scaly Tyrannosaurus rex figures. The Safari figure looks too feathery for me. Also, the relative crudeness of the sculpt, certainly compared to the PNSO, is a bit of a turn-off for me (but only when compared to the PNSO - it is of course an excellent figure in its own right). And its chest doesn't seem deep enough, but again I can't really say, because I have never held the figure in my own hands.

[Cretaceous Crab]

Don't forget the upcoming Beasts of the Mesozoic Tyrannosaurus.

[GojiraGuy1954]

Don't forget the upcoming Beasts of the Mesozoic Tyrannosaurus.

Both variants of that are incredibly expensive

[Cretaceous Crab]

Don't forget the upcoming Beasts of the Mesozoic Tyrannosaurus.

Both variants of that are incredibly expensive

And Wilson III isn't? It's 69.99 on Amazon right now.

The BOTM 1:35 scale T. rex was $65 during the Kickstarter campaign and with shipping only costed $77 total  (in the US). And it's articulated.

Don't get me wrong, both appear to be great figures (I have neither in hand yet), but PNSO is not known for being cheap. Just sayin'

[SRF]

Wilson is far better than the Safari Rex if you ask me. I do like the Safari Rex though, but the heavy feathering makes it very outdated. Also the production value of PNSO figures is much higher than that of Safari figures, which shows in the price of course. Yes, Wilson is expensive. 

If you only want to pick up one Tyrannosaurus, I would wait for the Eofauna T."Imperator" to come out next year. It will probably be much less expensive than Wilson.

[Concavenator]

As of right now, when it comes to Tyrannosaurus, I wouldn't get the 2020 Wilson nor the Safari Feathered one. Interestingly, the possibility of feathered derived tyrannosauroids is still open, despite people arguing the opposite based on the 2017 paper by Bell et al. The problem with that paper is that it considers "presence" and "abscense" of feathers as mutually exclusive (1 for presence, 0 for abscense) which simply isn't true (see Juravenator, and extant birds, which aren't completely feathered, as they have scaly feet). So maybe the idea of feathered tyrannosaurids shouldn't be completely discarded. In that case, it could be argued that particular figure is still accurate in that aspect (though maybe it's a bit shaggier than it should, in case feathering is a possibility) but in any case this is no longer the most widely accepted idea. In this aspect, it could be said Wilson is more up to date, though, worth mentioning, it suffers from oversized scales.

On another hand, there's the "lip" thing. It's likely theropods didn't have exposed teeth, but this is still debated.

Those are the main reasons I wouldn't get either figure. There's the new Rebor ones, one of them has lips. But I read one post by L @Leyster in which he said the musculature wasn't quite right. I think the best options are either the BotM (you can choose 2 scales: 1:18 or 1:35) or if you don't care for articulated figures you can also wait for the Eofauna version. Personally I will wait for the Eofauna (I don't have a Tyrannosaurus in my collection yet and I only want 1 as I only get 1 figure/genus) as other members also suggested. It's not that the Safari and PNSO are bad, it's simply that, accuracy wise, they are not the best. So getting the BotM or waiting for the Eofauna are better options in my opinion.

[suspsy]

In terms of artistry, I consider the Safari Feathered T. rex superior to Wilson, accuracy be damned. And thanks for using the name Hardbit! Happy that it has caught on!

[SidB]

In terms of artistry, I consider the Safari Feathered T. rex superior to Wilson, accuracy be damned. And thanks for using the name Hardbit! Happy that it has caught on!

There's a very good reason to avoid the extremes of ongoing mania for "accuracy". The goal posts for accuracy in rexes has been moving for some time, now most pronouncedly in regards to lips and feathers, obviously. What will "accurate" look like two years from now, five years, etc. Meanwhile we have some great sculpts, that many are dismissing as of little value, as the goalposts keep moving. @suspsy gets it right IMO. Aesthetics and design history are elements to consider. Quite okay to limit oneself to the most 'accurate, but prepare to be frustrated and frequently disappointed, or at least  satisfied for a very short time. You may find the joy of collecting draining from you.
The search for the perfect is one thing, though it is illusive. Perfectionism, on the other hand, leading to a stultifying pedantic, is another and can become a disease of mind and soul.
Its important to recognize the latter and protect oneself from it. Accepting what is at hand for what it us and enjoying it is a defense. I, for example have the four Carnegie rexes in my collection, the CollectA ones, the various Wilson's, the Battats  and the old Invicta. They are all great, each in their own way, fir different reasons. Like @Concavenator , I'm really looking forward to the projected Eofauna one, and yes, I hope that it has lips. It may be PERFECT, for now!

[Faelrin]

This post will be heavy, but each figure is broken down within the spoiler tags. I've included some images, information on price, year of release, retailers, scale, if there's articulation, and potential accuracy issues if there are any. I hope this helps anyone that comes across this in deciding which figure they'd like to get their hands on.

Beasts of the Mesozoic 1/35th (adult) and 1/18th (adult):

Spoiler

Pretty much have no issues as far as anatomy goes. Worth noting that both of these are highly articulated action figures. Both also are reconstructed with immobile lips, and without any feathers. There's also painted and non-painted versions of both as well.





Price: Currently $65 (1/35th), and $215 (1/18th) if pre-ordered through the backerkit pre-order store, otherwise will c

Release: Estimated release: October 2022, and I think the non-painted versions are shipping out already, or will be soon.

Retailers: Pre-order here if in the US, otherwise will be on Creative Beast, Dan's Dinosaurs, and Big Bad Toy Store. If in the UK and EU then Everything Dinosaur will be the best option. If in Australia, there's Minizoo as well. Maybe some others out there as well, but those are the major ones I'm aware of.

[close]

PNSO "Wilson":

Spoiler

Scales are oversized. Teeth suffer from slippage (or in other words the teeth have been sculpted in a way that exposes the roots of the teeth, something that only happens to an animal after the gum tissue rots away after death, and in the case of Tyrannosaurus, eventually has been fossilized in such a state). Worth noting it also lacks lips and feathers. Roughly 1/35 scale. Jaw is also articulated, and it also comes with a stand.



Price: $69.99/£54.99/66,95 €, etc

Release: Late 2020

Retailers: PNSO's official Amazon store (US), PNSO's official Aliexpress store, Dan's Dinosaurs (US), Happy Hen Toys (US), Everything Dinosaur (UK), Modellpferdeversand (Germany/EU), Minizoo (Australia), possibly others

[close]

PNSO "Andrea":

Spoiler

Scales are much finer, but still suffers from teeth slippage. Position of the legs also seems off. Again, also lacks lips. Roughly 1/35 scale. Jaw is articulated.



Price: $66.99/£44.99/66,95 €, etc

Release: Mid 2021

Retailers: PNSO's official Amazon store (US), PNSO's official Aliexpress store, Dan's Dinosaurs (US), Happy Hen Toys (US), Everything Dinosaur (UK), Modellpferdeversand (Germany/EU), Minizoo (Australia), possibly others

[close]

Rebor "Kiss" and "Tusk":

Spoiler

I think the anatomy is pretty good, though I've seen some with issues with the neck musculature. Scales may be a bit as well, but are smaller then on PNSO's Wilson. Comes in both lipped (Kiss) and lipless (Tusk) versions with distinctive colorations. No feathers. Jaw is articulated, tail is posable, and I think the arms as well. Also comes with a display stand. Roughly 1/30th in scale.





Price: $54.99/£44.99/49,00 €, etc

Release: Mid/late 2022

Retailers: Big Bad Toy Store (US), Everything Dinosaur (UK), Modellpferdeversand (Germany/EU), maybe others like Aliexpress? Availability may be an issue as most have sold out of pre-orders. However the Tusk version is currently still available to pre-order over on BBTS.

[close]

Safari Ltd:

Spoiler

Heavily feathered, which has fallen out of favor these days, and also lipless. Otherwise the anatomy is pretty good for the time. Roughly 1/35th scale. Received a repaint for the Dino Dana line of figures in 2021. No articulation on either figure.





Price: $27.50/£20.15/25,98 €, etc (for the original), $29.99/£23.99/29,98 €,etc (for the Dino Dana version)

Release: late 2016 or early 2017 I think; Dino Dana version released in mid 2021

Retailers: Safari Ltd's official online store (US), Dan's Dinosaurs (US), Dejankins (US), Happy Hen Toys (US), Everything Dinosaur (UK), Modellpferdeversand (Germany/EU), Minizoo (Australia), probably others

[close]

There's also EoFauna that has announced one is in the works, so I'd suggest keeping an eye on them. Unfortunately they'd decided to go with the controversial splitting of the genus, but regardless it should still be a top notch model, if their previous figures are something to go by.

@JohannesB The chest is fine, and deep enough on the Safari Ltd one. In fact it may actually be the first toy or mass produced figure to take into account the repositioning of the gastralia. It's a figure I've had for years, and aside from the heavy feathering and potential lack of lips, still holds up pretty well to this day.