PNSO: New for 2022

[SRF]

I don't own Andrea but to me, I would pair this Zhuchengtyrannus with Andrea.  Aren't the larger birds of prey descendants of these animals?  Doesn't reverse sexual dimorphism exhibit itself in these species?  IDK, but it seems to me that this Zhuchengtyrannus would be a more adequate mate for Andrea if seen as a male T-rex.

You can do as you please of course, but Andrea is already much more robust than Wilson, which is based on a T. Rex specimen from the gracile morph. I think that the Zhuchengtyrannus would work better as a younger adult member of a pack of T. Rexes than as Andrea's mate specifically.

The size difference is up to 33% in some birds of prey with the males being 2/3 the mass and size of the female.  Andrea's body looks bulkier but her head/skull is not bigger than Wilson's and might even be smaller.  This new Zhuchengtyrannus in your overhead view has a head and neck that almost looks as massive as Wilson's but the rest of the body fits the profile for the difference in size that the male would be in comparison to Andrea.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that even this new Zhuchengtyrannus might be too big for Andrea if modern birds of prey are indeed modeled after these dinosaurs.  It's also possible that they were more like chickens where the Rooster is larger than the hens, I don't think anyone really knows.

But we don't need to go off birds of prey, because in this case we actually don't know if male or female T. Rexes were bigger. We do know however that there are two morphotypes of T. Rex, a gracile and a robust one. We know of specimens of over 12 meters in lenght of both morphotypes. While the robust ones maybe have a bit more massive heads, the lengths of the skulls don't differ actually (Tristans skull being the same length as Sues skull for instance).

The size difference between the two morphotypes of T. Rex will probably not be nearly as big as 33%. Wilson is based on an actual specimen of the gracile morph while compared to that model, Andrea is enlarged in the parts where a specimen of the robust morph differs from the gracile morph, being the neck, torso, legs and tail. You say that you don't have Andrea, but I can assure you she is way bigger than Wilson in these departments. And yes, her head should be a bit bigger as well, but PNSO just used Wilsons head sculpt instead.

In this case PNSO chooses to label the gracile morph as male and the robust morph as female. The way these figures compare in the same scale both are plausible representations of an adult animal of either the two different morphotypes. Now compare the Zhuchentyrannus to these two and it's proportions are different, its head is smaller, its body is slimmer and in relation to its full body size its legs are longer. In this case it's meant to be a different genus, but these characteristics can also apply to a younger individual.

[CARN0TAURUS]

I don't own Andrea but to me, I would pair this Zhuchengtyrannus with Andrea.  Aren't the larger birds of prey descendants of these animals?  Doesn't reverse sexual dimorphism exhibit itself in these species?  IDK, but it seems to me that this Zhuchengtyrannus would be a more adequate mate for Andrea if seen as a male T-rex.

You can do as you please of course, but Andrea is already much more robust than Wilson, which is based on a T. Rex specimen from the gracile morph. I think that the Zhuchengtyrannus would work better as a younger adult member of a pack of T. Rexes than as Andrea's mate specifically.

The size difference is up to 33% in some birds of prey with the males being 2/3 the mass and size of the female.  Andrea's body looks bulkier but her head/skull is not bigger than Wilson's and might even be smaller.  This new Zhuchengtyrannus in your overhead view has a head and neck that almost looks as massive as Wilson's but the rest of the body fits the profile for the difference in size that the male would be in comparison to Andrea.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that even this new Zhuchengtyrannus might be too big for Andrea if modern birds of prey are indeed modeled after these dinosaurs.  It's also possible that they were more like chickens where the Rooster is larger than the hens, I don't think anyone really knows.

But we don't need to go off birds of prey, because in this case we actually don't know if male or female T. Rexes were bigger. We do know however that there are two morphotypes of T. Rex, a gracile and a robust one. We know of specimens of over 12 meters in lenght of both morphotypes. While the robust ones maybe have a bit more massive heads, the lengths of the skulls don't differ actually (Tristans skull being the same length as Sues skull for instance).

The size difference between the two morphotypes of T. Rex will probably not be nearly as big as 33%. Wilson is based on an actual specimen of the gracile morph while compared to that model, Andrea is enlarged in the parts where a specimen of the robust morph differs from the gracile morph, being the neck, torso, legs and tail. You say that you don't have Andrea, but I can assure you she is way bigger than Wilson in these departments. And yes, her head should be a bit bigger as well, but PNSO just used Wilsons head sculpt instead.

In this case PNSO chooses to label the gracile morph as male and the robust morph as female. The way these figures compare in the same scale both are plausible representations of an adult animal of either the two different morphotypes. Now compare the Zhuchentyrannus to these two and it's proportions are different, its head is smaller, its body is slimmer and in relation to its full body size its legs are longer. In this case it's meant to be a different genus, but these characteristics can also apply to a younger individual.

Thank you for explaining all of that.  I had no idea PNSO had used the same head sculpt from Wilson on Andrea.  I could tell from photos that her skull wasn't bigger but I had no idea they were identical in size.  As for the new Zhuchentyrannus having proportionally longer legs?  I wonder how PNSO reached that determination (longer limbs) without having any other bones other than the skull parts.  At the end of the day and in a case like this one I think it's important for their sales to make the figure look distinctive, otherwise some buyers might simply think it's just another T-rex.  But even if it wasn't a younger T-rex often times members of the same species have significant variability in size.  I was watching a brutal documentary on polar bears and the male that reproduced with the female was significantly smaller than some of the rivals he fought off.  Some of them were a full head taller but he beat the heck out of them anyways.  By the time the mating season was coming to an end this poor male looked more dead than alive as he had been fighting off rivals for 30 plus days!  When he parted ways with the female he didn't even look back, LOL.  He seriously looked like he needed to go to the ER he was so bloody and beat to shreds, it was brutal.  But his experience, endurance, strength, and ferocity carried the day even though he was 5-10% smaller than some of the bears he fought off. 

Irregardless of legs or overall mass this new Zhuchentyrannus is going to be my defacto T-Rex until I buy the new Rebor and when Wilson 3.0 comes out.  The best T-rex I have at this time is probably my feathured Safari Ltd edition and I'll never sell it because it's so unique but this Zhuchentyrannus is going to kick it off the display case until I purchase the Rebor

[SRF]

@CARN0TAURUS you're welcome and good point on how PNSO decided to give it longer limbs. I don't know either why and how they come to that decision, since nothing is known about Zhuchengtyrannus itself apart from parts of the skull. Maybe they decided to give it somewhat the same proportions as other Tyrannosaurs from around the same time period as Zhuchengtyrannus (Daspletosaurus and Gorgosaurus). That's the only thing I can think of.

[CarnotaurusKing]

The three tyrannosaurini look gorgeous together. The Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus (using specimen AMNH 5027) both fit in 1/33.3 scale (by my measurements), and it looks like the Zhuchengtyrannus could squeeze in that scale too, using a higher estimate. Looks good with the Sinoceratops (1/30) too, looks like Zhuchy would be closer to Molina-Perez and Larramendi's estimate of 9.something meters at that scale. I got a similar length for the Tarbosaurus at that scale, and they look the same size.

C @CarnotaurusKing I've actually did some measurements on Wilson that I shared in the Rebor Kiss & Tusk topic. To my knowledge, Wilson fits almost perfectly in the advertised 1:35 scale. For the other two the exact scale will be a lot trickier to determine, since the Tarbosaurus isn't based on a single specimen while Zhuchentyrannus is well, quite fragmentary.

They do scale very nicely together indeed, but in that case at 1:35 the Tarbosaurus would represent an 11 meter individual. The Zhuchentyrannus is said to be 28.5 centimeters in length, but it seems that it will probably be over 30 centimeters as well with the tail stretched out. So in that case, that will be a 10 to 11 meter animal as well.

Wilson does fit in 1/35 for me, but for a larger specimen like Sue or Scotty. For AMNH 5027, I got measurements closer to 1/33.3. I measured both along the centra and the skull. Though I remeasured along the centra and got a higher value, but the skull measurement still fit. For Tarbosaurus, I measured along the centra and compared it to the estimates given by Franoys for PIN 551-1 (though the skull of PNSO's Tarbosaurus is based on a different specimen).

Yeah, my measurement gave a length of 11.something meters at 1/35 for the Tarbosaurus. So the Zhuchengtyrannus would be near that size too.

[Over9K]

Paleofiguras posted in hand pictures of the Zhuchengtyrannus and it stands perfectly fine without the support. Difficult to share them here right now since I'm on my phone but this figure looks very good and seems very stable.

Oh I see! It stands very nice by the looks! PNSO with another winner!

[Faras]

@CARN0TAURUS @SRF We do have femur, tibia and fibular from a ~10m individual (iirc they calculated with vertebrae). These fossils show Zhucheng has proportionally longer legs than T. rex (femur length : tibia length = ~1:1).

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Unearthed in Qijiazhuang valley, Zhucheng city, labelled as Tyrannosaurus in pics but probably a Zhuchengtyrannus.

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[SRF]

@Faras thanks for that, I didn't know that. This means Zhuchentyrannus is less fragmentary than I thought. Is anything known on how robust Zhuchentyrannus would be compared to Tarbosaurus?

[Faras]

@SRF yw  hmm no clue  Known fossils with photos etc are 2 maxilla, 2 mandible, 2 ribs, 2 caudal vertebra, 1 femur, 1 tibia, 1 fibular, 1 phalanx and 1 digits (iirc there are two individuals in total). Mandible is less compact compared to Tarbosaurus but more than T. rex's (Asian Tyrannosaurids tend to have more  jaws).

[Faras]

There, PNSO Zhuchengtyrannus

11m individual, posterior part of the skull was reconstructed according to T. rex, small forelimbs come from Tarbosaurus, proportionally long legs are based on fossils.



Common issues: mouth can't close fully (about 1.5mm gap between upper and lower jaws). Badly painted forelimbs and mouth. Some figures have broken teeth at tip of mouth that was probably caused by low temperature and harder material (pics from tieba since mine is fine).

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Paints are quite different from promo imgs: overall tone is greener, keratin parts above eyes are redder, transitions between colours are sharper. Prototype looks like a Tarbosaurus & T. rex hybrid imho so I prefer the actual product. Vivid colours might be less natural but they surely make a figure stand out in the crowd.

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PS: feet may look too dark and muddy in some pics. They are well painted and have realistic, bird-like looks in person though.

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Handsome head, prototype has a seam behind the head but the figure doesn't have it. I like how close the head is to this artwork (it can probably pass as T. rex head since over half of the head is based on T. rex).

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What I love the most is the pose. It's very stable without stand (way better than Carchar/Torvo/Allosaurus), highly dynamic and a brilliant combination of power and grace (feels somewhat like a bird). This figure looks gorgeous from all angles (tbh pics don't do it justice), its colouration and pose pair perfectly with Sinoceratops.

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Zhuchengtyrannus next to other PNSO Tyrannosaurs. Personally I feel Zhucheng is the best (just my opinion, ofc )

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[Duck]

@Faras That looks incredible! I'm still waiting for an Acrocanthosaurus, but if that one never comes to be, this figure will certainly find a way into my collection.

[Duna]

Thank you @Faras ! The colour is incredible, it's even better than the promo pic, I love that green! No doubt the best PNSO tyranosaurid.

[Over9K]

Wow. That's beautiful...

[SidB]

Particularly like the comparison pictures; thanks @Faras .

[SRF]

Thank you @Faras for your pictures. Those feet seem to be exceptionally well done and I really like the head sculpt. Really looking forward to purchasing this one myself.

By the way, color wise this one seems to match the Nanotyrannus much better than Andrea does.

[ceratopsian]

Thank you @Faras for your report. You have strongly inclined me to buy one.

[Dusty Wren]

Thank you @Faras for your report. You have strongly inclined me to buy one.

Me, too. I'm not much of a tyrannosaur person, but that active, alert pose and the beautiful paint scheme have won me over.

[CARN0TAURUS]

There, PNSO Zhuchengtyrannus

11m individual, posterior part of the skull was reconstructed according to T. rex, small forelimbs come from Tarbosaurus, proportionally long legs are based on fossils.



Common issues: mouth can't close fully (about 1mm gap between upper and lower jaws).

Handsome head, prototype has a seam behind the head but the figure doesn't have it. I like how close the head is to this artwork (it can probably pass as T. rex head since over half of the head is based on T. rex).

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This only confirms what I already knew.  This one is definitely getting added to my small PNSO collection.  I noticed it suffers from the same (engineering?) issue as Wilson 2.0.  The Jugal process area doesn't close properly with lower mandible. You stated there is a 1mm gap.  I have this issue with gamba, connor, and paul too and it's not a big deal to me because I pose them with their mouths slightly opened.  That said, on my Chubbysaurus that area is engineered perfectly!  When the mouth is closed the Jugal process area meets the lower mandible with no spacing on either side!  IMO, the Tarbosaurus' head is the best engineered out of the batch and despite his lack of fancy camouflage patterns his paintwork is also superior to the others I own.  This one is probably going to become my favorite because it has that T-rex flavor, I can't wait to get this!

[Faelrin]

Thanks for all the pics @Faras especially with the Sinoceratops. I really do like how they look together and appreciate the greens this one has, and how it stands out among the crowd so far. Still really hope they do Gorgosaurus, Albertosaurus, and Daspletosaurus some day to fill in those Dinosaur Park formation gaps.

[Flaffy]

The Zhuchengtyrannus is easily the best out of the 3. Fine detailing, pleasant and naturalistic colour scheme, dynamic posture... this figure truly has everything huh?
Pairs very well with the Sinoceratops too.

Though the snapping teeth is of concern. Do you know if the issue is widespread? @Faras have people on Baidu been posting defective copies of their figures regularly? Or was that just a one off case.

[Sim]

The PNSO Zhuchengtyrannus had been growing on me.  I particularly liked the dark colouration on its back and sides and the amber wash it had, especially as seen in this photo: https://www.facebook.com/pnso.us/photos/a.820728748025324/4742879385810221/

In some of the photos of the actual product, it looks much worse to me.  The blackish-green on its back and sides is replaced by a lighter green, the amber wash is possibly entirely gone, the yellow/light green on its body looks flourescent, the black on top of its feet is now all around its feet, and its teeth are painted terribly.  In these photos it looks like the biggest downgrade from the pre-release photos of any of PNSO's products, to me.

I include some comparisons and a link below, using photos posted in this thread and PNSO's Facebook page.



Photos showing a lighter colouration of the final figure and how the black is now all around its feet.


Gone is the lovely black and amber on its back, being replaced by an IMO weird green.

Link to photos that show a flourescent yellow/light green on its body, and in the photos of it with its mouth open how badly painted the teeth are.  The paintjob of the teeth can be seen better when viewing the image bigger by clicking on it.: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7719879674


I'm very let down by how the Zhuchengtyrannus turned out.  I definitely think the Tarbosaurus is the best tyrannosaurid PNSO has made.  I was planning to get the Zhuchengtyrannus based on the pre-release photos of it but now I'm not sure I want it.  I prefer Favorite's Sinoceratops to PNSO's due to the weird big bifurcated horns on PNSO's so I'm definitely not getting PNSO's Sinoceratops and now it looks like I might prefer Favorite's Zhuchentyrannus to PNSO's too.  I hope PNSO releases another tyrannosaurid with a blackish colour scheme and an amber wash similar to their Zhuchengtyrannus prototype.  I like that colouration very much!