Fembrogon's Bestiary (post-2020)

[SidB]

Certainly a magnificent creature. I wonder if re-heating the pedal articulation might tighten it up (hopefully not make it worse). My only qualm about the figure is the presence of the "hoodie", which I can't unsee, unfortunately.

[Fembrogon]

The hoodie is a bit distracting, but less so than I was afraid of. There are ways of working around it at least a little, depending on the pose and the angle. If anything is truly distracting, it's the big black gap around the thigh when the leg is extended a significant amount.

Ironically, I suspect the heating process is what over-loosened the feet in the first place. The additional feet are fine, though, so maybe I'll give that a try.

[Fembrogon]

I forgot I was going to post these after my review of Thabo went up: a couple bonus comparison shots of Suchomimus for fun.


Alongside the Wild Safari Sarcosuchus - croc mimic and pseudo croc contemporaries.


Nest to the much larger-scale Yvy Irritator; these two are practically reversed in sizes.


"Hey, give that back!!"

[Paleo Flo]

An irritated Irritator 

[Fembrogon]

February 1st, 2023: another month began with the arrival of some surprising treats!


Toyway WWD Tyrannosaurus
It's a little surreal for me to own this figure - my very first Toway WWD figure - a good 20+ years since I first saw these on shelves when the BBC series was still new. A lot has changed about our reconstructions since then, of course, so this T. rex is looking rather weird next to my other rexes; nevertheless, I appreciate the nostalgia the figure brings, reminiscing on what was the greatest TV show ever for my younger self.
This particular copy is pretty banged up, which is probably why it was sold for so little. I've never tried repainting/repairng a figure before, but I'm tempted to try with this one. I'd better do some research on techniques and supplies first, though.


Invicta Muttaburrasaurus, painted ver.
An even bigger find, and from the same listing! One never knows what could be awaiting discovery in the marketplaces. I'm pretty fond of Invicta models in general, but I think this is pretty easily one of the best sculpts the line produced. the color scheme is applied nicely, too; some of the other colored models I've seen photos of aren't quite as convincing.
Of course, like the rex above, these two are actually pretty scuffed up - I can even see the exposed soft plastic on the beaks and tail tips from how worn they are. I'll probably trade or resell one of these, because I don't need to keep both; I might try fixing up whichever one remains.


Carnegie Carnotaurus 1997
The rest of these figures were basically bonuses on the deal. I honestly have a bit of nostalgia for this little theropod, just from remembering all the times I used to see it and its Carnegie counterparts on display in the museum shops I visited. Those were the days; some of those same shops have pretty sorry selections now. Next to the current Wild Safari model, plus the fine Battat/Terra figure I have in storage, I haven't worried about acquiring this figure anymore; but I also won't complain about keeping it!


Carnegie Iguanodon 1992/98 (mold 2 ver 01)
I wasn't very fair to ornithischians in how little attention I gave them as a kid, so naturally this was one of the Carnegie figures I ignored. It makes a nice "evolution step" in between Invicta's model and more recent figures by Safari and Collecta. If only I had those at hand for a lineup!


AAA "Dromaeosaurid" (Deinonychus)
I don't recall encountering AAA dinosaurs as a kid - I think Imperial and UKRD were the more dominant "cheaposaurs" I had access to. This dromaeosaur is a rather amusing oxymoron of a figure (a retro raptor, hahaha!), but it's got a John-Sibbicky charm that's enamoring me.

[SidB]

Hey, @Fembrogon , just a thought - if you're planning to paint these two figures, why not get a couple of disposable figures and experience the learning curve on them. Don't attempt the Mutta and rex until you become "pleasantly surprised" with your work on the experimental pieces. Don't rush it.

[Fembrogon]

I've been thinking I might do exactly that. It would be smart to get some practice in, especially on a subject I care a lot less about.
Of course, I also need to check on paints, finishing sprays, etc. first, to know what best to work with.

[SidB]

I've been thinking I might do exactly that. It would be smart to get some practice in, especially on a subject I care a lot less about.
Of course, I also need to check on paints, finishing sprays, etc. first, to know what best to work with.

Fortunately, plenty of good advice and relevant experience on relevant threads here on the DTF. Maybe almost too much, if that's possible.

[Halichoeres]

Two painted Invicta Muttaburrasauruses! That's very cool. I remember seeing that AAA dromaeosaur in a gift shop when I was a kid, but it was way out of budget. Definitely one of the better dino toys available at the time.

[Fembrogon]

I just might try getting more AAA figures in the future; a lot of them seem to pop up cheap and they've got a nice retro aesthetic.


Speaking of retro...


Rebor - Tyrannosaurus, Mesozoic Rhapsody (Valley) & Californiacation (VHS)



So, these guys are pretty cool - mostly. I've been meaning to get the "Valley" rex for a while, but it seems to be going out of stock everywhere or otherwise rising in price; so when I saw both figures being offered on eBay together for roughly retail, I jumped. They came loose, no boxes, but that's fine.
Both Valley and VHS are excellently sculpted, throwing back to depictions from the early to mid 20th century. Coloration is pretty plain on both, but applied well enough. Amusingly, they actually stand with their tails balanced off the ground - the one time a company could fully rationalize a tripod stance, they opt out. Thankfully they balance fine on a flat surface; but anything less and they'll tip over on their noses.
One thing that's really irking me, though, is the articulation. The arms and heads on both figures can be unassembled, and in the case of Valley, that becomes a problem. The head on my copy doesn't fit snug in place; there's just a hint of wiggle room that allows the head to jostle loose and fall off at the slightest provocation. I've already tried applying a couple layers of nail polish, and it hasn't helped yet. The right arm of my copy also appears to be molded wrong, so there' an ugly gap in between the shoulder and the arm where the peg inserts to the body (thankfully not too visible in photos, at least). And then there's the jaw, which moves from mostly closed to slightly open. This I know is standard for the figure, which feels like a waste of articulation. Maybe it's just a side effect of the sculpt? VHS opens its mouth fine.
Overall they're good models, but I wasn't expecting these issues with Valley, which is the one I wanted most; so my enthusiasm is very tempered right now. I'd enjoy seeing another company take a stab at "retro paleoart" figures in the future.

[Fembrogon]

Last week proved quite the busy one for new arrivals; I'll take these one or two at a time.


Eofauna Atlasaurus
Far and away, this is the most impressive figure of last week's lots. I've been meaning to nab this one for a while and keep kicking myself for not grabbing it yet, so a surprise online coupon code was the prime excuse to finally quite stalling. Atlasaurus is a genus I'm sure I saw mentioned at least in passing various times in my old books, but largely forgot about. This model truly drives home what an extraordinary specimen it was, and done so in beautiful detail. People have mixed feelings about Eofauna's dinosaurs, but this one is an unquestionable A++. More weird sauropods please, Eofauna!

[bmathison1972]

I am leaning more and more to getting that Altasaurus; maybe I'll add it to my next Minizoo order when the next batch of 2023 CollectA are released!

[Fembrogon]

Bonus shot: while I was finishing up my last MPC review, I decided to play a little more and get a group shot of all the different genera represented in the line.



One figure for every mold (sans the cavemen which I accidentally left out) - 23 genera in the span of two years!

[Fembrogon]

Getting back on schedule...



PNSO Prehistoric Animal Models 043 - Haylee the Helicoprion
How a shark ratfish bigger than a great white with a veritable buzzsaw in its mouth hasn't become a mainstream spokesman species for paleontology is baffling to me. Helicoprion has been through a number of artistic interpretations over the years, but even at their most conservative there's no evading how weird and wonderful this creature looked. It's about time someone did a large-scale figure of this creature, and hopefully its not the last.


PNSO Prehistoric Animal Models 056 - Requena the Livyatan
I'm embarrassed to say I think I've been misreading this genus's name as "Livy-a-titan" for probably several years now; I thought I had broken that childhood dyslexia habit (no, I don't think I actually have that, I'm just a sloppy reader probably).
Otodus megalodon and Basilosaurus tend to hog all the attention for Cenozoic marine giants, but I'm sure Livyatan would have been quite the spectacular and formidable sight in life too. Alhtough the head seam is kind of ugly on this figure (and a bit annoying on a $40 item), PNSO's rendition looks overall terrific - again, a very cool species deserving of more attention and toy representation. I REALLY hope PNSO delivers more marine life in the near future.

[Fembrogon]

AAA - Allosaurus (medium?)
My second-ever AAA dinosaur; there's a very strong retro charm to this line, even though I'm sure the brand was just not up-to-date with the times yet (considering these were being released in the 80s & 90s, iirc). Funny enough, this Allosaurus actually seems to be a T. rex through and through - I guess Harryhausen wasn't the only one who tended to view the two theropods as basically the same. 
I got this one for very cheap on eBay - probably because of that nick in the back and the broken tail tip. Otherwise it seems to be in good shape, and I like the level of detail to the sculpt, as well as the rubbery plastic style. It honestly feels like this Allosaur could have stepped out of a stop-motion sfx movie.

[Ludodactylus]

Wow, that brings back memories. I had him and a reddish Stegosaurus in the late 90s that I was very fond of.

[Fembrogon]

AAA - Dimetrodon
Without a doubt, this is the most lizardlike toy depiction of Dimetrodon I've ever seen - the flat, oblong head is what clinches it. There's a lot of old-school, schlocky stock paleoart charm to this heavy-bodied, reptilian beast; but as a reasonable Dimetrodon depiction, it's just bad, and it would have been bad back then too.


AAA - Parasaurolophus
The classic hadrosaur fares much better in this line; this is a pretty typical pre-renaissance depiction of the animal, I'd say. Coloration is a bit funky on some of these AAA figures, as if one side missed a dark wash or something. For some reason, the slit eyes and dark beak of the Para remind me strikingly of some living animal; but I can't place what animal it is and it's driving me crazy.


AAA - Triceratops
Aaaand the pendulum swings back. This is a hideous Triceratops, to be quite frank. It's not the first squat, sharp-toothed Trike I've seen, but the look hasn't gotten any better. I feel like herbivorous dinosaurs seem a little harder to get "right" than theropods - you can dress up or exaggerate a theropod and it can still look cool, but try that with a ceratopsian, sauropod, etc. and the results often look ugly. Maybe it's just a matter of approaching the stylization wrong?

[SidB]

@Fembrogon , this is likely a mediocre analogy, but the greater likelihood of botching a trike or sauropod versus a theropod, seems very roughly like the aging of a spruce or fir, which depend on perfection of symmetry for their "correctness", over against a pine, which as it ages and becomes increasingly irregular, develops "character". The former is considered ugly, the latter interesting.

[Duna]

AAA dinosaurs from that line were the most colourful of the time, more brightful and multicoloured than any other. I think the parasaurolophus is the best of them, along with the reddish brown brachiosaurus that is very good, too. There is also the hatchling-baby version of 6 of them.

[Fembrogon]

AAA - Dilophosaurus
If it weren't for the brand engraving, you could have fooled me had you told me this figure was from a separate company. This Dilophosaur actually looks more contemporary in design, with a particular resemblance to the Battat figure in color scheme. It's still somewhat crude-looking - actually worse in terms of skin texture compared to the other figures - but it's likable enough. Dilophosaurus doesn't have many great figures to its name, sadly.