PNSO: New for 2022

[Psittacoraptor]

Funny you mention Safari. When Safari was criticized for making a Nanotyrannus it was stated in THAT thread that Safari was receiving harsher criticism than PNSO. The idea of disproportionate criticism is an illusion in your own mind. Also...Safari Albertosaurus=$15. PNSO Acrocanthosaurus=$40. They both make dinosaurs but they are not the same.

That price difference is reflected in size, detail, paint and extras, there's a world of difference there. Another example: Eofauna's Giganotosaurus is 40USD/30€, but less detailed than similarly priced PNSO models, has knob teeth, stability problems and sloppy paint. It's judged less harshly than anything PNSO made. And as I said, show me another company get criticized for shipping costs, currency, taxes. I'll wait. Or are those illusions in my mind, as well? Again, let's stop pretending.

[Faras]

Price is the biggest problem. Acrocanthosaurus is $20-25 in mainland so it got overwhelming praises despite proportion problem in pics (better not to trust promo pics tho). Guess folks are much more tolerable when it's inexpensive.

Meanwhile I'm still wondering whether to get Eofauna Diplodocus... It's decent but cost more than most PNSO museum lines here

[Lynx]

Funny you mention Safari. When Safari was criticized for making a Nanotyrannus it was stated in THAT thread that Safari was receiving harsher criticism than PNSO. The idea of disproportionate criticism is an illusion in your own mind. Also...Safari Albertosaurus=$15. PNSO Acrocanthosaurus=$40. They both make dinosaurs but they are not the same.

That price difference is reflected in size, detail, paint and extras, there's a world of difference there. Another example: Eofauna's Giganotosaurus is 40USD/30€, but less detailed than similarly priced PNSO models, has knob teeth, stability problems and sloppy paint. It's judged less harshly than anything PNSO made. And as I said, show me another company get criticized for shipping costs, currency, taxes. I'll wait. Or are those illusions in my mind, as well? Again, let's stop pretending.

As stated earlier, there's a difference. With PNSO, we expect extremely high quality, and when they've shown in artwork and figure form they can make beautiful things, people, being people, are going to judge the figure more harshly with smaller mistakes.
Also, I personally dislike the Eofauna giga, but I don't bash on it extremely hard simply due to me not expecting super high quality figures from them.

[Gwangi]

That price difference is reflected in size, detail, paint and extras, there's a world of difference there.

Yeah, so? You're kind of making my point for me there. PNSO models are more expensive with more detail, paint, and extras so they shouldn't be judged the same as a Safari product. They're not the same, I said it myself. It's easier to look past flaws on a $12 toy than on a $40 one. If I'm spending more on something I'm going to be more critical of it.

Another example: Eofauna's Giganotosaurus is 40USD/30€, but less detailed than similarly priced PNSO models, has knob teeth, stability problems and sloppy paint. It's judged less harshly than anything PNSO made.

I wouldn't know, I don't follow the Eofauna thread. I don't like their Giganotosaurus. I don't have any Eofauna product at all, yet, but I have many PNSO models and I've reviewed many of them on the blog, favorably I might add. I'm a huge fan of PNSO, that's why I check this thread. That's why I was hyped for this Acro, but it disappointed me, and that's apparently a problem to some people.

And as I said, show me another company get criticized for shipping costs, currency, taxes. I'll wait. Or are those illusions in my mind, as well? Again, let's stop pretending.

I can tell you that Mattel gets criticized for sloppy distribution and that Safari has been getting criticized for their slow reveal process and lack of product availability. They might not receive the same criticism but they receive it in some form. Stop pretending.

[Concavenator]

@Psittacoraptor the thing is: other than the probably unlikely colour scheme (which you can always repaint), what other problems the Safari Albertosaurus has? If you find some, you're free to point them out, if you feel like so. I honestly don't find any: scales have an adequate size, has lips, the feet aren't oversized...

It's true this PNSO Acrocanthosaurus is finely sculpted - no one is negating that. We are simply pointing out its scientific inaccuracies, and in that regard, proportion-wise it is a mess (unless they correct it before release, which doesn't seem too likely).

I buy your point about sponsored reviews being biased though.

Eofauna's Giganotosaurus is 40USD/30€, but less detailed than similarly priced PNSO models, has knob teeth, stability problems and sloppy paint.

Well, Eofauna claims to be a company who produce scientifically accurate figures. They haven't yet released a figure with as many inaccuracies as some figures PNSO have (who also claims to release scientifically accurate figures) released in the past, like the Corythosaurus, Carnotaurus, or this Acrocanthosaurus. I agree with the newer PNSO figures having better paint application than the average Eofauna figure, but PNSO have been very hit and miss in this aspect in the past too (the Borealopelta is poorly painted, and I'm not hating on the figure for no reason, I have it), not to mention the fact that some older figures that are sold now are way more sloppily painted than they were at release. I think it's time to remember this:

[You're being advertised this absolute beaut:


But then end up getting this...

Has any Eofauna figure been this sloppily painted?

I admit I have complained about the rising PNSO prices, but I didn't consider the currency conversion nor the taxes and thereby I apologize for that.

I'm still wondering whether to get Eofauna Diplodocus... It's decent but cost more than most PNSO museum lines here

Here in Spain, the Diplodocus costs 28 € whilst the PNSO Pachycephalosaurus costs 37,25 €. So the situation looks to be the opposite.

[Shane]

Maybe PNSO should start paying people to say their figures are amazing on social media, or give away free samples for totally unbiased "reviews" on Youtube, like Safari and Schleich do.

Can we stop pretending that some companies don't receive disproportionate criticism over others here? Safari's Altbertosaurus looks like play doh that was painted with crayons, and it's received universal praise, yet this finely sculpted Acrocanthosaurus is being called a mess. I've also yet to see another company get blamed for currency conversion and taxes affecting prices, something totally out of their control. I don't know if it's brand loyalty, but it's clear different companies are not judged by the same metrics.

The absolute mean-spiritedness of some folks in this forum, I swear...

[Lynx]

Maybe PNSO should start paying people to say their figures are amazing on social media, or give away free samples for totally unbiased "reviews" on Youtube, like Safari and Schleich do.

Yet again, people on this forum (as well as other places on social media) are really going all out with the nitpicking. PNSO are known to have wonky proportions in promo pics due to the angles they take pics of the master copies from, in hand, the proportions always look better.

This is the best mass produced Acrocanthosaurus ever made, and is even on par with some larger statues/resin kits, from the promo pics it looks like a living, breathing animal rather than a plastic model. I don't know why people are being so overly critical? Especially when other brands seem to get a free pass over much more egregious errors and much lower production quality.

At this point I'm starting to think that its just Sinophobia.

1) Yes you could argue the pictures just make this figure have wonky proportions. However, in hand this figure is still going to have some of the already stated errors. Their Corythosaurus had the same issues. Oversized head and crest, definitely worse in images than in hand, but definitely noticeable in hand.

Also, I don't see why a company has to be known or have an excuse for wonky proportions? Only thing I give a pass to is oversized feet for bipedals.

2) Yeah I would argue this is the best Acrocanthosaurus on the market (or one of the best). Has some issues, but I don't see why it is wrong to call those issues out?

Also, companies don't get a pass from criticism(s). I have yet to see one company not receive any criticism(s).

Can we stop pretending that some companies don't receive disproportionate criticism over others here? Safari's Altbertosaurus looks like play doh that was painted with crayons, and it's received universal praise, yet this finely sculpted Acrocanthosaurus is being called a mess. I've also yet to see another company get blamed for currency conversion and taxes affecting prices, something totally out of their control. I don't know if it's brand loyalty, but it's clear different companies are not judged by the same metrics.

Imagine how someone who worked hard on that Alberto and saw this comment
Nobody called this figure a mess. The only thing people are talking about is the poor anatomy. The difference between the Alberto and PNSOs Acro? One is well built and unique, while the other has some very blatant issues with it.

You could have kindly stated your opinion instead of starting up a whole debate.

Edit: The comment about "blatant issues" I made should also be known that blatant doesn't mean they're horrible, just very obvious mistakes that could easily be noticeable by quality control.

[Bread]

Maybe PNSO should start paying people to say their figures are amazing on social media, or give away free samples for totally unbiased "reviews" on Youtube, like Safari and Schleich do.

Can we stop pretending that some companies don't receive disproportionate criticism over others here? Safari's Altbertosaurus looks like play doh that was painted with crayons, and it's received universal praise, yet this finely sculpted Acrocanthosaurus is being called a mess. I've also yet to see another company get blamed for currency conversion and taxes affecting prices, something totally out of their control. I don't know if it's brand loyalty, but it's clear different companies are not judged by the same metrics.

The absolute mean-spiritedness of some folks in this forum, I swear...

Literally.... Complains about harsh criticism then proceeds to bash a figure.

[Stegotyranno420]

This might be my first PNSO. After I see some in hand reviews and comparisons, I might get this. Absolutely love it so far.
@Duck , your wish has been granted 
As for this whole,  unexpected (not :/) debate, how about we agree both companies are amazing and produce lovely figures.
Discussion about sinophobia has no place in dinosaur figurines.

[Flaffy]

@Psittacoraptor

You do realise that this is a western-oriented (is that the correct term?) forum right? Therefore, discussions on import prices, taxes, currency conversions etc for figures produced in Asia aren't unwarranted. On Asian collector groups, complaints about expensive import prices, taxes and shipping from the west aren't uncommon either. You seem to be cherry picking things in an attempt justify a half-baked argument.

And of course price. No matter how you want to spin it, figures sold in different regions will display different prices. As such, consumers in a region where a product is sold at a higher cost will obviously have a different perspective to those fortunate enough to benefit from local MSRP. PNSO figures are priced at a premium in the west, and marketed as scientific works of art. Along with how high PNSO has set the bar for themselves, all these factors contributes to how collectors judge their releases.



J @Joel1905 Really? Pulling the sinophobia card?

[Faras]

Here in Spain, the Diplodocus costs 28 € whilst the PNSO Pachycephalosaurus costs 37,25 €. So the situation looks to be the opposite.

@Concavenator In China, Diplodocus is 42€ (probably around 35-39€ during sales), while I got Torosaurus for 27€ (listing price is 35€). Taxes, exchange rates and shipping cost (it's a big factor for kickstarts, but probably not for ordinary releases as they are produced here) affects non Chinese companies in a similar fashion. Few complain about it on Baidu though as we got too used to "expensive western stuffs" (iirc exchange rate of CNY and Euro used to be 16:1).

[suspsy]

Can we stop pretending that some companies don't receive disproportionate criticism over others here? Safari's Altbertosaurus looks like play doh that was painted with crayons, and it's received universal praise, yet this finely sculpted Acrocanthosaurus is being called a mess.

The statement effectively demolishes itself, so far over the line is its hyperbole.

[Lynx]

At this point I'm starting to think that its just Sinophobia.

That's going too far. Way too far.

[Psittacoraptor]

Maybe PNSO should start paying people to say their figures are amazing on social media, or give away free samples for totally unbiased "reviews" on Youtube, like Safari and Schleich do.

Can we stop pretending that some companies don't receive disproportionate criticism over others here? Safari's Altbertosaurus looks like play doh that was painted with crayons, and it's received universal praise, yet this finely sculpted Acrocanthosaurus is being called a mess. I've also yet to see another company get blamed for currency conversion and taxes affecting prices, something totally out of their control. I don't know if it's brand loyalty, but it's clear different companies are not judged by the same metrics.

The absolute mean-spiritedness of some folks in this forum, I swear...

I apologize for that comment, I didn't intend to be mean spirited. I'm just beyond tired of the incessant negativity, whining, nitpicking and complaining here. It's driving people away from this forum, as me and other members have stated many times before. It's obvious at this point there'll be no change until you'll have the same 10 people complaining about the tiniest details to each other. I mean, we're almost at point already, just check the number of individual members participating in these threads. I'll take a break from this place, it's getting on my nerves.

And again, I'm very sorry for that comment. I apologize.

@Flaffy You do realize that a company in a different country has no influence or control over the currency of your country, or the taxes your government imposes on imports, so perhaps the blame is misplaced? Anyway, I have no desire to discuss this further. We've been through this song and dance several times, I'm done with it. Keep drowning yourselves in negativity, I won't be reading it anymore.

[Lynx]

Maybe PNSO should start paying people to say their figures are amazing on social media, or give away free samples for totally unbiased "reviews" on Youtube, like Safari and Schleich do.

Can we stop pretending that some companies don't receive disproportionate criticism over others here? Safari's Altbertosaurus looks like play doh that was painted with crayons, and it's received universal praise, yet this finely sculpted Acrocanthosaurus is being called a mess. I've also yet to see another company get blamed for currency conversion and taxes affecting prices, something totally out of their control. I don't know if it's brand loyalty, but it's clear different companies are not judged by the same metrics.

The absolute mean-spiritedness of some folks in this forum, I swear...

I apologize for that comment, I didn't intend to be mean spirited. I'm just beyond tired of the incessant negativity, whining, nitpicking and complaining here. It's driving people away from this forum, as me and other members have stated many times before. It's obvious at this point there'll be no change until you'll have the same 10 people complaining about the tiniest details to each other. I mean, we're almost at point already, just check the number of individual members participating in these threads. I'll take a break from this place, it's getting on my nerves.

And again, I'm very sorry for that comment. I apologize.

It's a forum to discuss figures and give your opinions. It is to be expected. We are allowed to give negative thoughts, and I haven't seen it even grow too horrible about the Acro specifically. Just basic pointers about the anatomy. In fact, most messages also included several compliments on the figure. At the moment, you are the only one bringing in massive negativity.

[Shadowknight1]

Imagine how someone who worked hard on that Alberto and saw this comment
Nobody called this figure a mess. The only thing people are talking about is the poor anatomy. The difference between the Alberto and PNSOs Acro? One is well built and unique, while the other has some very blatant issues with it.

You could have kindly stated your opinion instead of starting up a whole debate.

Edit: The comment about "blatant issues" I made should also be known that blatant doesn't mean they're horrible, just very obvious mistakes that could easily be noticeable by quality control.

Maybe not in so many words, but to play devils advocate here:

Looks like so. Usually PNSO's art depictions end up being more accurate than the actual figures lol. The Sinraptor art also showed it with lips. Let's see how that one turns out, hopefully it's not another mess.

I can't believe that this is getting this out of hand for a toy... Chill out, guys.

[Lynx]

Imagine how someone who worked hard on that Alberto and saw this comment
Nobody called this figure a mess. The only thing people are talking about is the poor anatomy. The difference between the Alberto and PNSOs Acro? One is well built and unique, while the other has some very blatant issues with it.

You could have kindly stated your opinion instead of starting up a whole debate.

Edit: The comment about "blatant issues" I made should also be known that blatant doesn't mean they're horrible, just very obvious mistakes that could easily be noticeable by quality control.

Maybe not in so many words, but to play devils advocate here:

Looks like so. Usually PNSO's art depictions end up being more accurate than the actual figures lol. The Sinraptor art also showed it with lips. Let's see how that one turns out, hopefully it's not another mess.

I can't believe that this is getting this out of hand for a toy... Chill out, guys.

Oh great, now time to defend the figure a bit.
The acro might have bad anatomy, but I wouldn't call it a mess. Paint and sculpt are fine.

[GojiraGuy1954]

Some people love this company way too much lmao

[Concavenator]

Here in Spain, the Diplodocus costs 28 € whilst the PNSO Pachycephalosaurus costs 37,25 €. So the situation looks to be the opposite.

@Concavenator In China, Diplodocus is 42€ (probably around 35-39€ during sales), while I got Torosaurus for 27€ (listing price is 35€). Taxes, exchange rates and shipping cost (it's a big factor for kickstarts, but probably not for ordinary releases as they are produced here) affects non Chinese companies in a similar fashion. Few complain about it on Baidu though as we got too used to "expensive western stuffs" (iirc exchange rate of CNY and Euro used to be 16:1).

Thanks for the insight. I was definitely wrong complaining about the "rising" PNSO prices, because I was obviously talking from my perspective, ignoring other factors. Again, I apologize.

@Flaffy sums it up perfectly here:

No matter how you want to spin it, figures sold in different regions will display different prices. As such, consumers in a region where a product is sold at a higher cost will obviously have a different perspective to those fortunate enough to benefit from local MSRP.

@Shadowknight1 believe it or not, I was just going to quote @Lynx  to say I did claim it to be a mess. It's true, I said it. I was referring to its proportions, not to the quality of the sculpt itself (because it's very good in that regard). You mention that quote of mine, but didn't quote these:

It's true this PNSO Acrocanthosaurus is finely sculpted - no one is negating that. We are simply pointing out its scientific inaccuracies, and in that regard, proportion-wise it is a mess (unless they correct it before release, which doesn't seem too likely).

there's the Carcharodontosaurus which has an outdated skull (though Carcharodontosaurus remains are quite fragmentary) but its proportions aren't a mess as with this one. Let's not forget Acrocanthosaurus is the most complete carcharodontosaurid along with Concavenator, PNSO simply got the proportions wrong. Head too big, tail too short and thin.

Not to mention in my first post after its announcement I expressed I liked the figure (ignoring scientific accuracy):

It looks beautiful, but the tail is too short and the head looks too big as well.

You just took the word "mess" from me, but didn't include the quotes in which I explained why I called it that way. That is the definition of cherry picking. If I was wrong saying the proportions are wrong, please someone correct me. I'm open to corrections! Although based on the skeletals I have seen it seems to have the wrong proportions. Perhaps if I said it has the correct proportions (which isn't the case) some folks would be happy, but that would be altering reality, and that's not science. But guess what? PNSO is a sci-art company.

In that regard, if I find a figure by Safari (or from any company who claims to be educational) to have one or several inaccuracies, I'll point them out. There are people who care about this, me included. Caring about scientific accuracy in prehistoric animal toys is as right or wrong as not caring about scientific accuracy is. If you don't care too much about scientific accuracy, this Acrocanthosaurus is awesome! But if you do, maybe you'd be interested in learning anout some of its flaws. Don't see what's wrong with that.

[Faelrin]

@Psittacoraptor Well I get what you are saying, but that probably wasn't the best way to go about it. I mean it isn't right to complain about brand loyalty, and people nitpicking things, and then go and do the same to that with Safari Ltd's Albertosaurus, sculpted by our own @Doug Watson. I was incredibly excited for that Albertosaurus, just the same as I am for this Acrocanthosaurus. Honestly I think it is worth mentioning he had a fair share of criticism directed at his models over the years too (and yes I'm guilty of it too, such as with this year's Patagotitan), and I believe it's why he doesn't participate as much as he used too. I do see you apologized though. And Safari Ltd is also not the only one to receive criticism either. Mattel certainly gets a lot of it (though to be fair, some of it is warranted), and other brands like Rebor (again some warranted), etc. It's definitely not anything new, and has been going on for as long as I've been a member here. I'm sorry to see it is pushing you away from the forum though.

I think it is good to remember people's tastes are wide and varied here. While I'm very much still excited for this model (even if there are potential proportion issues), I think @Gwangi 's take is also fair enough. He has a right to be disappointed by it not meeting his desires or expectations. All of this is subjective (well except for the fossil evidence, which is objective). Again I can't caution enough that we should wait and see the final product first in either in hand pics or better, videos. I think a while back @RobinGoodfellow made a point about the camera distorting how it looks in these shots, and I believe he's a professional photographer too. I mean he definitely knows his stuff when it comes to cameras anyways. Personally I love how the paint scheme looks here, but even I am staying wary, as how some of their other recent figures have been like such as the Centrosaurus (although a still long overdue figure of said genus).

To be honest though, as someone who did wake up incredibly ecstatic to see this, and had this on my wishlist last year as something I wanted them to do, it did leave a bad taste in my mouth seeing how many were writing it off altogether here and on instagram, although some like @Gwangi had more tact then others. I should mention I do think criticism and discussion about the proportions and any inaccuracies is fine (like missing the enlarged claw on the first digit I picked up on), especially because of the way they advertise their products, and with many folks here being on the receiving end of high costs, where one has to be choosy, like myself (but thankfully this one is also going on sale right off the bat, and it honestly could have been even more had it been a museum line figure, which I am relieved it is not), but for me they are minor overall compared to what I like about it. It's been how many years now since the last decent Acrocanthosaurus figure has been revealed/upcoming release? I mean other then GR Toys upcoming one anyways. Last I guess would be Papo despite it also having numerous anatomical issues (but I still find it a beautiful figure despite that because of its paint scheme, and while I wasn't fond of the pose initially it has grown on me over the years, as it allows for it to interact with other figures such as Rebor's Deinonychus trio, or the Safari Ltd Sauropelta). Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good as they say.

While you also make a point about the pricing, I do think people are fair to scrutinize it when a) for being on the receiving price of said high costs, and b) the lack of transparency, leaving a lot of assumption to fill in the gaps. I do appreciate @Faras giving insight with what the mainland prices, but again that still leaves a lot of assumption about those things (again potential import fee's, taxes, whatever). I buy a lot of BotM which is also expensive, but when I have concerns about costs I can straight up go and ask and get answers with David Silva about it, aka receive transparency into what goes into it. I also feel like I'm getting more for the cost too (lots of articulation, more detailed paint apps, and sometimes the size), and unlike other brands he was willing to do a payment plan for me to get my ceratopsians. I think @Flaffy actually had a very good sensible take on this.