PNSO: New for 2022

[Leyster]

@CARN0TAURUS

I'm not saying that it's wrong or disproportionate because I don't know that to be the case but certainly that part of his anatomy doesn't jut out or down as much as it does on the other theropods I own.

That's a good thing: the pubic boot SHOULDN'T stick out, it's a bad paleomeme from the GSP era.

[Psittacoraptor]

Thanks for the great photos @CARN0TAURUS . It sure is pricey, but the Tsintaosaurus looks like the first model that can truly match the Parasaurolophus in overall quality and appeal. A certain purchase for me.

On another note, here's the design video for the Zhuchengtyrannus. It's not very long, unsurprisingly, given the very fragmentary nature of the fossil.

https://youtu.be/7ECReiqmeWA

[SidB]

@CARN0TAURUS

I'm not saying that it's wrong or disproportionate because I don't know that to be the case but certainly that part of his anatomy doesn't jut out or down as much as it does on the other theropods I own.

That's a good thing: the pubic boot SHOULDN'T stick out, it's a bad paleomeme from the GSP era.

That's good, L @Leyster , to point this out, since some of  us, myself included, have been conditioned to accept the old view as a given.

[SidB]

Thanks, @Psittacoraptor , for forwarding this interesting video to the rest of us.

[Sim]

@CARN0TAURUS

I'm not saying that it's wrong or disproportionate because I don't know that to be the case but certainly that part of his anatomy doesn't jut out or down as much as it does on the other theropods I own.

That's a good thing: the pubic boot SHOULDN'T stick out, it's a bad paleomeme from the GSP era.

Jaime Headden argues the pubic boot sticking out can occur during natural functions of the animal, including the breathing cycle: https://qilong.wordpress.com/dinosaur-bellies-infographic/

[Leyster]

@Sim Headden even says in the infographic that B is a common artistic meme (first paragraph) and that A is a more healty and natural look.



And anyway there is a drastic difference from what Headden proposed, this

And what is usually represented in models like the Carnegie Giganotosaurus

(just the fist that came to my mind, but there are many others)
that's what me and S @SidB  were refering to and which is an inheritance of Paul's half starved beasts

Note how in Headden's drawing the abdomen do not even indent that much, compared to the restorations above where the pubic boot is basically jutting out of the body. Scipionyx cleary shows what's the profile of the body, and it's not Paul's.


(from dal Sasso & Signore, 1998)

[Sim]

Sorry, I actually meant to acknowledge that the pubic boot sticking out has become a meme, things seem to be slipping out of my mind lately.  I don't see a difference between Headden's Unenlagia and the Carnegie Giganotosaurus though.  As for Scipionyx, its gastralia are actually a little further in than the pubic boot.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Now this is an interesting discussion, I have been wondering where the visible public bone meme came from in the first place. Same with the visible fenestrae on the skull.

[Grimbeard]

Now this is an interesting discussion, I have been wondering where the visible public bone meme came from in the first place. Same with the visible fenestrae on the skull.

I would suspect it might be a mixture of:

- Making it more appearant which species or even which specific specimen the artist wants to depict by making certain key features of the skeleton more visible

- An uncertainty by the artist how some skeletal details translates into the living animal and choosing the seemingly "easy" route by "just" skin-wrapping the (part) of the skeleton. I supect that might be especially the case for skull fenestrae in dinosaurs.

- A choice of style. This might be expecially true for depecitions during the 80s and early 90s, where the "Paulian" sleek designs were most popular with paleoartists where their showed minimal soft tissure to stay away for the then-outdated depection of dinosaurs as fat swamp dwellers.

In the end, its always speculative why certain memes are born, but I think a combinations of these might be possible.

On the topic of the latest PNSO releases:

Their Zhuchengtyrannus is my favorite Tyrannosaurid by PNSO by far. The striding pose, the greenish color scheme and the details looks the most appealing to me.  The Tsintaosaurus  looks really nice as well, but I am not that intereseted in the genus. If the "leaks" remains true, than the Acrocanthosaurus might be their next release, really looking forward to see PNSOs interpretation.

[SidB]

Guess that leaves the Acrocantosaurus, then one of the Torosaurus and Sinraptor followed by the other,  in what ever order they select. unless an 'outsider', like the Zhuchentyrannus, is parachuted into the release sequence. In any case, here's hoping that there are no more Museum Line figures, which terribly jack up the price, without giving substantially more quality and/or size. I really wish that PNSO gets it that this aspect of their line-up has run it's course. The museum Line idea no longer has any legitimacy as a marketing concept, since it seems that the majority of comments seem to have given little or no approval of the "fluff' accompanying the otherwise superlative figures. Suppose that 'market forces' will communicate to PNSO what to do in the future. For me, the Tsintaosaurus may be the first release where I don't snap it up right away, but wait till a serious sale discount is offered.

[Flaffy]

I truly wonder how many figures PNSO will release by the end of its run.
It's scary how rapidly they manage to push out new models.

[CARN0TAURUS]

Guess that leaves the Acrocantosaurus, then one of the Torosaurus and Sinraptor followed by the other,  in what ever order they select. unless an 'outsider', like the Zhuchentyrannus, is parachuted into the release sequence. In any case, here's hoping that there are no more Museum Line figures, which terribly jack up the price, without giving substantially more quality and/or size. I really wish that PNSO gets it that this aspect of their line-up has run it's course. The museum Line idea no longer has any legitimacy as a marketing concept, since it seems that the majority of comments seem to have given little or no approval of the "fluff' accompanying the otherwise superlative figures. Suppose that 'market forces' will communicate to PNSO what to do in the future. For me, the Tsintaosaurus may be the first release where I don't snap it up right away, but wait till a serious sale discount is offered.

My PNSO collection is small but it has tripled in size in the last 18 months.  The only PNSO I've 'snapped up' at regular price has been the Zhuchengtyrannus which I paid $42.99 for with free shipping.  The other 9 PNSO figures I own all had discounts from 6-20% and where all free shipping on prime.  $42.99 is the most I've paid for a PNSO and that's on the high end of what I'm willing to pay for a PVC figure.  So no museum line figures in this collection because I'm not in the market for boxes, posters, bases, and pamplets.  I collect figures.  Bless you guys for buying all that stuff because it's going to fund more molds for more figures and my hope is that influx of cash will eventually lead to a reboot of the mini PNSO figure line at the quality of their current molds.  I don't have any evidence that they'll reboot, but they've shown a willingness to improve older molds so who knows.  I think the minis are important because they are more affordable for younger people and parents with children.  A 'gateway drug' if you will, establishing a new generation of dinosaur toy enthusiasts which in turn benefits the older adult collector group.

[Concavenator]

@Carnoking brilliant pics of the Tsintaosaurus.

Saw your review and couldn't agree more with the museum line situation. I think the packaging and posters included in the standard line are more than enough already. If the standard line's prices are high already, the museum line's just a joke. A shame, because that Tsintao is a beauty, but then again, the figures in the standard line have basically the same quality. In an ideal world, the museum line would just disappear and PNSO would market all their figures in the standard line. But since this looks to be unlikely (probably because I imagine the museum line figures are quite profitable for them), at the very least I wish they'd offer the option to release those figures in both museum and standard lines. That is, selling the same figure with the packaging of the museum line and with tons of posters but also selling it with the packaging of the standard line, and with lesser or no posters. That way everyone would be happy, right? (...if they did this, 99,97% of people would choose the standard line option and PNSO themselves would realize how innecesary the accesories of the museum line are)

[CARN0TAURUS]

@Carnoking brilliant pics of the Tsintaosaurus.

I imagine the museum line figures are quite profitable for them

If that's true what motivation would PNSO possibly have for discontinuing the line? 

For the record I have zero issue with PNSO making big profits because I appreciate this company tremendously!  They have shown a tendency to create new molds and even improve their old ones and that takes capital to do.  They are reinvesting their profits and I for one appreciate that a lot.  In addition the quality is holding steady while maintaining a high output of figures, it's all very impressive.  As consumers a company like PNSO is a dream because it offers something for everyone, high end premium lines, medium range lines, and the low end mini line.  There is something there for every type of collector. 

My only hope for the future of PNSO is that they don't sit on the old molds for the minis and reinvest some of that money towards improving the quality of the toys for the lower end consumer too.  That's my sincere hope, that PNSO won't forget about the children and parents that can't afford to buy their kids a $70 Wilson T-rex.

[SidB]

Guess that leaves the Acrocantosaurus, then one of the Torosaurus and Sinraptor followed by the other,  in what ever order they select. unless an 'outsider', like the Zhuchentyrannus, is parachuted into the release sequence. In any case, here's hoping that there are no more Museum Line figures, which terribly jack up the price, without giving substantially more quality and/or size. I really wish that PNSO gets it that this aspect of their line-up has run it's course. The museum Line idea no longer has any legitimacy as a marketing concept, since it seems that the majority of comments seem to have given little or no approval of the "fluff' accompanying the otherwise superlative figures. Suppose that 'market forces' will communicate to PNSO what to do in the future. For me, the Tsintaosaurus may be the first release where I don't snap it up right away, but wait till a serious sale discount is offered.

My PNSO collection is small but it has tripled in size in the last 18 months.  The only PNSO I've 'snapped up' at regular price has been the Zhuchengtyrannus which I paid $42.99 for with free shipping.  The other 9 PNSO figures I own all had discounts from 6-20% and where all free shipping on prime.  $42.99 is the most I've paid for a PNSO and that's on the high end of what I'm willing to pay for a PVC figure.  So no museum line figures in this collection because I'm not in the market for boxes, posters, bases, and pamplets.  I collect figures.  Bless you guys for buying all that stuff because it's going to fund more molds for more figures and my hope is that influx of cash will eventually lead to a reboot of the mini PNSO figure line at the quality of their current molds.  I don't have any evidence that they'll reboot, but they've shown a willingness to improve older molds so who knows.  I think the minis are important because they are more affordable for younger people and parents with children.  A 'gateway drug' if you will, establishing a new generation of dinosaur toy enthusiasts which in turn benefits the older adult collector group.

I'm one of the people who have bought the museum line figures with all the extras added on and therefore am part of the 'market forces' that contribute to 'demand' . And, i agree that if PNSO is using at least some of the added profits to finance diversity and quality in their total line-up that's quite okay - we all end up benefitting. Still, i hope that there aren't too many. proportionately, of the top-end museumers, since they are pricey. No complain about the quality though. I've acquired about 20 of the minis along the way , and yes, it would be great to get new ones down the road. I'd even consider some vinyl sauropods, if they were in the 1/30-1/40 range.

[SidB]

I truly wonder how many figures PNSO will release by the end of its run.
It's scary how rapidly they manage to push out new models.

There obviously must be a very talented TEAM of paleo-artists at work in the PNSO studios, more than a coupe of talents, and if they are generating good profits, well then, there doesn't seem to be any motivation to slow down the pace , as long as the money keeps  coming in and accumulating.  It really is very exciting, and I don't know where and when it will end. Back in the day, Safari Carnegie were quite productive, then the pace slowed down and finally ended in 2015, after 27 years. To me, that's the standard to aim for - can they last that long? Will their tempo slow down, as Carnegies did? No reason for the present, though there are outside factors - to me, the increasing tension over Taiwan between China and the U.S. may be the kind of overarching element that could be decisive in a devastating trade war or sanction-type scenario. But forseeing that is way beyond my pay grade.

[CARN0TAURUS]

I truly wonder how many figures PNSO will release by the end of its run.
It's scary how rapidly they manage to push out new models.

There obviously must be a very talented TEAM of paleo-artists at work in the PNSO studios, more than a coupe of talents, and if they are generating good profits, well then, there doesn't seem to be any motivation to slow down the pace , as long as the money keeps  coming in and accumulating.  It really is very exciting, and I don't know where and when it will end. Back in the day, Safari Carnegie were quite productive, then the pace slowed down and finally ended in 2015, after 27 years. To me, that's the standard to aim for - can they last that long? Will their tempo slow down, as Carnegies did? No reason for the present, though there are outside factors - to me, the increasing tension over Taiwan between China and the U.S. may be the kind of overarching element that could be decisive in a devastating trade war or sanction-type scenario. But forseeing that is way beyond my pay grade.

I live in SoCal but without getting too far off the subject or going down into anything political.  I'd only like to say this one thing on this subject.  Hopefully the political situation takes care of itself and people settle into something that is financially beneficial for all parties involved.  But even in the worse circumstances I'd like to believe that PNSO would not only survive but continue to thrive even if it lost the US market due to something ugly like politics.  It might be harder and more expensive to acquire PNSO pieces but it would be a crying shame if a company like this stopped producing new products because of something like that.  I'm not going to assume that the US market is what keeps PNSO in business.

[thedeadlymoose]

For me, the Tsintaosaurus may be the first release where I don't snap it up right away, but wait till a serious sale discount is offered.

If the museum line could be some kind of guarantee of a beautiful, high quality paint job, then I'm all for it.

I'm technically the opposite: the Tsintaosaurus is the first and only museum line figure I snapped up right away (though the 8% off & immediate Prime availability helped). The beauty of the paint job took away any of my hesitation on the smaller size, weird base, etc.

But the paint job quality is essentially random, as is the quality of the color scheme. The Tsintaosaurus clearly took thought, and is quite striking. The non-museum line Tarbosaurus demonstrated for me with a bit of a shock that "literally just brown" could be beautiful.

Yet... well, I won't name [most of the other museum line figures], but seriously.

[CARN0TAURUS]

For me, the Tsintaosaurus may be the first release where I don't snap it up right away, but wait till a serious sale discount is offered.

If the museum line could be some kind of guarantee of a beautiful, high quality paint job, then I'm all for it.

I'm technically the opposite: the Tsintaosaurus is the first and only museum line figure I snapped up right away (though the 8% off & immediate Prime availability helped). The beauty of the paint job took away any of my hesitation on the smaller size, weird base, etc.

But the paint job quality is essentially random, as is the quality of the color scheme. The Tsintaosaurus clearly took thought, and is quite striking. The non-museum line Tarbosaurus demonstrated for me with a bit of a shock that "literally just brown" could be beautiful.

Yet... well, I won't name [most of the other museum line figures], but seriously.

You probably just described what the museum line SHOULD be.  It should be a guaranteed premium paint job in premium packaging.  Basically, a higher end alternate treatment to ALL of the existing molds.  You could designate 5-10% of all pieces manufactured to be painted in a separate factory or a special section of the same factory were painting would be of a much higher standard and with more creative designs.  This approach would give the museum line an air of exclusivity it doesn't currently have.  Plus I don't see the need for pamplets, posters, or bases.  They could release every single mold in both standard and premium museum line.  Put it in a premium box with premium paint and it's a museum line piece and folks will have the option to buy the more sophisticated painted version or the standard painted version.  I say this because the sculpts are in most cases every bit as good in the regular prehistoric line (at least from photos I've seen).  I don't own a museum line piece (yet) but it seems to me like the sculpting in the prehistoric line is on par with museum line pieces.

I'll put it like this, I like my Zhuchengtyrannus so much that I would probably buy a museum line version too.  That is assuming that the paintwork would be a lot more detailed than in the current prehistoric line version AND that it would come in the special foam packed box instead of the vaccuform plastic packaging.  I say this because I don't think there is anything less or lower level about the new tyrannosaur sculpt compared to museum line pieces.  IMO, Zhuchentyrannus could have been a museum line piece because the sculpt is amazing. 

If PNSO followed the dual release format, they would still get the high end buyers and in some instances those folks would perhaps buy both versions?  I think PNSO would also please the mid range buyer who would be delighted to have the option to buy the current museum line pieces for the mid range prices of around $38.99-42.99.  Granted they would have a simpler less expensive paint treatment.

I love PNSO, my PNSO collection is going to continue to grow.  But I think that their approach to the the museum line is faulty, people want dinosaur figures not pamphlets, cards, posters, and some people might not even care for the premium boxes.  Personally I see some value in foam packaging because it does offer better protection to these figures.  I collect a lot of different types of things and when premium packaging is offered I place a premium on it as a means to protect what I bought when it's not being displayed.  Right now I can only speak for myself when I say this but, I'd probably own or consider buying most of the museum line pieces if they were available in regular packaging without all the paper for mid range prices.  Additionally, of the current PNSO mid range priced items I already own, I would want to purchase a museum line grade painted version of the following pieces;  the zhuchentyrannus, the styracosaur, gamba, and the tarbosaurus.  So at the very least just from me personally, PNSO would most likely have an additional $500-600 of my money if they approached the museum line this way.

As things sit right now, the only museum line piece that I feel has a true premium paint job is probably the new tsintaosaurus although some will make the argument that Wilson has a premium paint job too.  I don't doubt he does, but to me the scaly skin detracts from all the fancy paintwork a bit.  The tsintaosaurus is just beautiful, everything from color selction to pattern design is really top notch.  I might have to pick that up in a black friday sale or something like that.

[SRF]

I always interpreted the differences between the Museum Line and the "standard" line like this: the Museum line was there for the best known, mostly larger species, like they did with their initial releases that included bases (T. Rex, Triceratops, Spinosaurus, Giganotosaurus etc.). With the release of Winter Wilson, they've seen to abandon the bases on their Museum Line figures, but the cool thing about that model is that it's based on a specific specimen displayed in an actual museum. So after the release of Winter Wilson, I thought the Museum Line would be the line in which PNSO releases figures based on popular museum mounts. And yes, the same does apply to the new Triceratops and the Stegosaurus, which to me validates that these figures actually "belong" in a "Museum" line, but it doesn't apply to all their figures in this line anymore.

I'm not sure if the Tsintaosaurus is based on a certain specimen. What baffles me the most is that the Tsintaosaurus doesn't seem to be in the advertised 1:35 scale, but even smaller, which makes it more into scale with the newer release of the Mamenchisaurus. I'm not sure if the Iguanodon is based on a specific specimen but the genus could well "qualify" for the Museum Line in my eyes. So does the Parasaurolophus, which has traits of the holotype specimen which actually would make it a contender to be in the museum line in my eyes. The figure is good enough for it, but I'm glad I've got it for the price I've paid for it of course.

Of course other figures in the Prehistoric Animal models line are based on actual specimens as well, but that's mostly we only have one specimen or only fragmentary remains of the animal (i.e. Carnotaurus, Qianzhousaurus, Carcharodontosaurus to name a few). The Allosaurus isn't based on a specific specimen and that is a missed opportunity in my eyes, but it makes it logical to me that despite the fact it's a very popular genus, it's released in the Prehistoric Animal models line.