CollectA Prehistoric Animals by Procon

[Shonisaurus]

The Indricotherium larger should be at least twice that of the same factory deinotherium.

Apart from this it is made of an excessively rigid material, especially the legs and tail.

Moreover as to whether it is business or not Chinese Collecta not know, but I noticed that all products of the factories I know, Mojo, Schleich, Papo, Safari, Carnegie (to extinguish), Collecta are made China. Moreover even being manufactured in China for several years Bullyland dinosaurs were before German bill.

Whatever it is I do not care where they are made and the shop owners toy collectibles especially Collecta, in this case as long as they done every year much better figures than previous years, what the owner and matter location of product realization?

And moreover to be of a scale 1:20 the Kelenken seems too big.

I understand it is understood the scale value from the strict point of view, in lteoría in the catalogs of all or almost all factories indicate a scale, but in practice this is not often done.

Perhaps one exception is Safari, which made his figures at various scales.

[Shonisaurus]

By the way, we could not reveal more detailed images ahead of the second batch of Collecta? The wait is killing me.

On the other hand we are still waiting www.minizoo.com.au video on three Spinosaurus with the new look given by Anthony Besson inspired by new discoveries.

What I Collecta unworthy of the figures in theory say they are released in January and May and the reality is different, even in online stores it takes until well after the second half of the year. That is not serious, apart from cruel to the collector.

[terrorchicken]

it seems its just hard for companies to get the scales right. Also i hadnt considered that the Indricothere is wrong scale too(too small).

otoh Collecta kelenken and WS gastornis seem to be correct scale to each other...

[tyrantqueen]

I have the 1/40 Spinosaurus on preorder. I hate the four legged posture (reminds me too much of the Invicta Baryonyx, which I do not like), but I think it will be a fun speculation piece.

Wouldn't walking on all fours have worn its foreclaws down? This is why felines have retractable claws, because contact from the ground would dull them. An animal which uses its claws to hunt would need to keep them sharp. I am guessing that Spinosaurus was such an infrequent land dweller that any contact was inconsequential.

[Dinoguy2]

I have the 1/40 Spinosaurus on preorder. I hate the four legged posture (reminds me too much of the Invicta Baryonyx, which I do not like), but I think it will be a fun speculation piece.

Wouldn't walking on all fours have worn its foreclaws down? This is why felines have retractable claws, because contact from the ground would dull them. An animal which uses its claws to hunt would need to keep them sharp. I am guessing that Spinosaurus was such an infrequent land dweller that any contact was inconsequential.

Yeah, I think it would have tended to wear down the claws. Of course we don't have any keratin sheath to know how worn or sharp they tended to be in life, just the bone core. Still, I think the pangolin style walking interpretation is much more likely.

To be fair,  though,,the authors aren't suggesting that Spino walked like this a lot. Whether on all fours or bipedally, in their model walking would have been a rare occurrence, going from one stream to the next, and it was mainly swimming in shallow water. So a little walking here and there, over soft muddy ground, wouldn't have had much effect on the claws. This is one dinosaur that, based on morphology and ecological context, definitely did spend all its time wallowing around in swamps!

[JurassicGeek09]

Hey everyone. I need help with a task. My Saurophaganax has a balancing issue. To be precise, it leans just a touch too far to the left (the side the head is pointing towards) and as a result, the base is lifted a few millimetres off the ground. Consequently, it can only stand up for so long before it keels over. Any ideas how I could address that? I hear hot water is supposed to be really good.

[tyrantqueen]

I've discovered by accident the best way (at least for me) to reshape a figure. A combination of heat and prolonged pressure. I had some toys in storage and they weren't protected very well. They got pushed up against the wall and parts of the figure became deformed. They were left like this for months.

When I took them out they were impossible to reshape.

I had Carnegie Cryolophosaurus which had warped feet and I used tape to hold the legs into a position I wanted. Then I left the figure inside a sock drawer on top of my digital alarm clock. Sounds weird but the figure was softened by the heat from the alarm clock. The tape was holding the legs in place so it reformed the way I wanted it.

Anyway I think I have cracked the secret, it's just figuring out how to implement it. Maybe using a vice to hold parts in a position for a long time?

I have tried using both hot to cold water and hairdryer tricks, but they have never worked for me.

[RobinGoodfellow]

Hey everyone. I need help with a task. My Saurophaganax has a balancing issue. To be precise, it leans just a touch too far to the left (the side the head is pointing towards) and as a result, the base is lifted a few millimetres off the ground. Consequently, it can only stand up for so long before it keels over. Any ideas how I could address that? I hear hot water is supposed to be really good.

Several Collecta figures (with a base) have stability issues ( Pachycephalosaurus, Baby Feathered Rex, Icthyovenator, Saurophaganax...).
The problem is that the plastic of the legs is too thin.
You can try with hot water but after some time the problem will return.
In my opinion there isn't a definitely solution for that.... or I don't know how to solve that 

[JurassicGeek09]

Hey everyone. I need help with a task. My Saurophaganax has a balancing issue. To be precise, it leans just a touch too far to the left (the side the head is pointing towards) and as a result, the base is lifted a few millimetres off the ground. Consequently, it can only stand up for so long before it keels over. Any ideas how I could address that? I hear hot water is supposed to be really good.

Several Collecta figures (with a base) has stability issues ( Pachycephalosaurus, Baby Feathered Rex, Icthyovenator, Saurophaganax...).
The problem is that the plastic of the legs is too thin.
You can try with hot water but after some time the problem will return.
In my opinion there isn't a definitely solution for that.... or I don't know how to solve that 

Bollocks. Ah well. What's the hot water solution?

[RobinGoodfellow]

Hey everyone. I need help with a task. My Saurophaganax has a balancing issue. To be precise, it leans just a touch too far to the left (the side the head is pointing towards) and as a result, the base is lifted a few millimetres off the ground. Consequently, it can only stand up for so long before it keels over. Any ideas how I could address that? I hear hot water is supposed to be really good.

Several Collecta figures (with a base) has stability issues ( Pachycephalosaurus, Baby Feathered Rex, Icthyovenator, Saurophaganax...).
The problem is that the plastic of the legs is too thin.
You can try with hot water but after some time the problem will return.
In my opinion there isn't a definitely solution for that.... or I don't know how to solve that 

Bollocks. Ah well. What's the hot water solution?

Hot water or hair dryer solution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfUUEax7EY4

For me it is only a TEMPORARY solution.... doesn't work over a long time...

[JurassicGeek09]

Hey everyone. I need help with a task. My Saurophaganax has a balancing issue. To be precise, it leans just a touch too far to the left (the side the head is pointing towards) and as a result, the base is lifted a few millimetres off the ground. Consequently, it can only stand up for so long before it keels over. Any ideas how I could address that? I hear hot water is supposed to be really good.

Several Collecta figures (with a base) has stability issues ( Pachycephalosaurus, Baby Feathered Rex, Icthyovenator, Saurophaganax...).
The problem is that the plastic of the legs is too thin.
You can try with hot water but after some time the problem will return.
In my opinion there isn't a definitely solution for that.... or I don't know how to solve that 

Bollocks. Ah well. What's the hot water solution?

Hot water or hair dryer solution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfUUEax7EY4

For me it is only a TEMPORARY solution.... doesn't work over a long time...

Ah, friend, I'll try anything. Thanks!

[Concavenator]

CollectA have certainly improved a lot in these few years.I have the Deinocheirus,which I used to think was their best model,but now that I own the feathered Tyrannosaurus ,I can see that they actually improve every year.I find this year's models even better than last's,despite that last year CollectA did a magnificent job.Now I'm really excited that it's been confirmed that 2016 will bring even more models than this year,and they may very well look better-yet again.Several years ago,I found it impressive that Carnegie did a Miragaia , which was a recently discovered dinosaur by then;now CollectA have done 3 stunning models of Spinosaurus,which was rediscovered last year.How quick is that!
I've also emailed CollectA concerning the seam lines. Sadly,they're noticeable on the new Tyrannosaurus,it would look better without them-they're distracting.They answered that they will take more care with them.
Another thing I think CollectA should do is retire all the older figures.Perhaps it's sort of harsh to say this,but they look goofy compared with all the recent beauties.My only guess as to why they keep on produce them is that perhaps they want to make more money on them,even if it's a little.But given most of these are exotic species,I wouldn't mind if some resculpts were to join the line.Now,for instance,they could retire the older Tyrannosaurus and Spinosaurus.The standard theropod models could also favour from a harder plastic,which would allow them to not sag down.In some cases,some of their figures have similar poses (for some lends to think they were recycled,which is not true).So the models whose animal represents are from the same family,they'd better pose them differently!And it would be nice if the ceratopsian beaks' could stop looking awkard.
These are my only flaws about CollectA.They are my favorite company.They are quite innovative which is the most important thing I'm looking for in a company that releases dinosaurs.

[bigbear]

My cure for deformed plastic toys generally is to boil a kettle and have a bowl of the coldest water I can get next to it. then hold the bent bit of the toy in the steam from the kettle - I go for the small area as the steam leaves the spout, where it is invisible. (BEWARE! THIS IS INCREDIBLY HOT! YOU WILL BLISTER THE SKIN OFF YOUR FINGERS OR WORSE IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL!). I use tweezers, or a pair of pointy pliers to do this. Once the plastic is soft, it will either go back into shape by itself, or you can mould it with your fingers. It's still hot, so a tea cloth might protect you a bit... Once the toy is in the shape you want, (and you can even hold it into shape for the next bit), plunge it into the cold water and leave it there for a few minutes. Remove the toy, dry it and it should be fine. If not, do it again. Some heavy toys have taken me a few goes to get right, but it's worth it!
A thin leg won't take long and you can sometimes watch it go back into shape, which is fun. Thighs and bodies take ages to soften enough to resculpt.
If it hasn't worked, then do it again. I've rarely had a reshaped figure go back to it's deformed shape, if it's on display. Storage is the main enemy here!
I've no idea if this will affect the plastic in the long term, but I have some toys I did 20 years ago and they are still fine.
Hope this helps?

[Halichoeres]

@bigbear: sounds like you've had some good results. I might try that on my CollectA Neovenator (especially as it's easily replaced if the results are unsatisfactory). Have you ever had the paint come off, especially from an older figure?

[japfeif]

My cure for deformed plastic toys generally is to boil a kettle and have a bowl of the coldest water I can get next to it. then hold the bent bit of the toy in the steam from the kettle - I go for the small area as the steam leaves the spout, where it is invisible...

I have done basically the same thing, except I hold the figure over the toaster rather than the steam kettle. Seems to work, but I've never tried the kettle thing (actually never thought of it), may try that next time! :-)

[japfeif]

Another thing I think CollectA should do is retire all the older figures.Perhaps it's sort of harsh to say this,but they look goofy compared with all the recent beauties.My only guess as to why they keep on produce them is that perhaps they want to make more money on them,even if it's a little...

I agree, to a point. Unfortunately, at the moment, some of the older sculpts are the only way to get a couple of the dinosaurs (Allosaurus, Eustreptospondylus, Dilophosaurus, etc.) and for now it's either them or nothing. I recently got into the CollectA dinos (after exhausting the line of Invicta & Papo, my other two favorite lines...behind classic Marx of course!!), and I tried to only get sculpts of the most current versions of dinos, except for some of the aforementioned ones. Yes there certainly IS a jarring difference between the old ones & newer ones. I am really a bit surprised they have not at least come out with an updated Allosaurus is nothing else.

My main issue with CollectA is basic sloppiness around the head regions...especially teeth. Say what you want about Papo but when it comes to looking like REAL (if scientifically inaccurate at times) living animals, they are second to none (scientific accuracy aside, you stick a Papo figure in the grass outside & it almost looks like it's alive & breathing...most figures, even the best of the CollectAs, Safaris, & Schleich, look like painted models). The Paps mouths are usually perfect...each tooth individually painted & the gum line a pink, red, or whatever. Nothing grates me more than to see a sculpt (and many CollectAs fall into this trap) of the artists merely brushing the teeth a solid uniform white across them, obviously not taking the time to do each tooth individually, and (the worst!) when the gums below the teeth are white are well!, and the bases of all the teeth sorta run together in a solid mass of white (not explaining too well but hope you get the point!). Now, this issue isn't nearly as bad in the more recent figures but I have SO MANY with botched up teeth and gums. I  know sorta sounds nit-picky...but while some folks obsess on feathers, pronated hands, or head crests...I tend to be really fussy about the mouth area of the figures!

One of my biggest disillusionment with CollectA is the T.rex, especially the big 1/15 one. The teeth are absolutely horrible....blinding white, totally uniform, too numerous, too perfect (I actually LOVE the generally despised misplaced tooth of Papos running Tyrannosaurus!)...reminds me of the Aurora Tyrannosaurus model & kinda ruins it for me.

[tyrantqueen]

One of my biggest disillusionment with CollectA is the T.rex, especially the big 1/15 one. The teeth are absolutely horrible....blinding white, totally uniform, too numerous, too perfect (I actually LOVE the generally despised misplaced tooth of Papos running Tyrannosaurus!)...reminds me of the Aurora Tyrannosaurus model & kinda ruins it for me.

I don't like the 1/15 Tyrannosaurus either for the same reasons you mentioned. Fortunately it's a fairly old mold and CollectA seems to have improved greatly since then.

Say what you want about Papo but when it comes to looking like REAL (if scientifically inaccurate at times) living animals, they are second to none (scientific accuracy aside, you stick a Papo figure in the grass outside & it almost looks like it's alive & breathing...most figures, even the best of the CollectAs, Safaris, & Schleich, look like painted models).

I agree, I think Papo has the most technically skilled sculptor out of all the toy manufacturers. He's sculpted a lot of the other living animals for Papo and I think he has incorporated that life into his sculpts. Ignoring all the JP influences, his sculpts do look "alive". If they just improved on their accuracy a little more they'd be perfect

[SBell]

Did CollectA change their sculptor(s) at some point? There's an evident leap in quality between early to 2011/12 figures and models released in the last 2 or 3 years.

At some point--around 2007?--Anthony Beeson, an artist and paleo fan, got involved with CollectA (then Procon) to try and steer them in a better direction. It took several years, of course--Anthony was able to increase and improve the variety of dinosaurs, but it took longer to get sculpts that matched his ideas. Part of it was a schism in some of the higher ups with CollectA. Some wanted a small, basic line and some wanted a collector-friendly, broad line that included the higher-price-point delxues, etc.

It eventually lead to the formation of MOJO. You can guess which side of the argument they were on (only their Sarcosuchus is an improvement--they still can't make dinosaurs).

CollectA, though, continues to push limits on both range of taxa, and on how they present them. It's not always perfect, but at least they continue to try.

Anyway, that's the very short version of the story.

[suspsy]

I'd like to hear the longer version of that story someday. It sounds very interesting.

[tyrantqueen]

Did CollectA change their sculptor(s) at some point? There's an evident leap in quality between early to 2011/12 figures and models released in the last 2 or 3 years.

We don't know who any of the sculptors are. I personally believe there was a change in sculptors because of difference in style, but that is pure conjecture on my part.