Fembrogon's Bestiary (post-2020)

[Halichoeres]

Ouranosaurus walking into all those maws is a very Ralph Wiggum thing to do.

[SidB]

Ouranosaurus walking into all those maws is a very Ralph Wiggum thing to do.

Very scary without those thumb spikes to either defend itself or at least hitch hike a ride out of there.

[Fembrogon]

Well, the bestiary has slowed down somewhat as of late (blasted real-life nuisances like budget and employment issues), but I've managed a few acquisitions since spring - and totally forgot to list them here! So here goes on catching up:




Beasts of the Mesozoic, Raptor Series no.13 - Velociraptor mongoliensis (black)
Since my original-ver. Velociraptor is in storage, I decided to go ahead and get the newer black variant for comparison with the V. osmolskae and Protoceratops figures (which will, eventually, get proper reviews on the blog, I promise). This color scheme is inspired by the juvenile lammergeier, I'm tempted to say I actually like it more. Apart from coloration, there's no real discernable deference in design, besides my specific figure having some lazy eyes when viewed head-on.
Photographed with backdrop:





Beasts of the Mesozoic, Ceratopsian Series no.06 - Diabloceratops
I couldn't just leave those nestlings unattended forever, now could I? Especially with Lythronax looming on the horizon...
Another very nice, high-quality action figure from David Silva and team. The articulation for the neck in head is particularly good, so I'm excited to pose it with its tyrannosaur contemporary in the hopefully-near future.
Photographed with background again:

...And a couple of family photos:

[bmathison1972]

Glad to see you active again, Fembrogon!

[suspsy]

You should review that trio of babies if you have time.

[Fembrogon]

I forgot the nestlings hadn't been reviewed yet. I'll think about it.




Kaiyodo, Dinosaur Expo 2023 Official Capsule set (Royal Ontario Museum)
My thanks to @brettnj 's assistance in acquiring these; obtaining Kaiyodos for the right price is tricky, and usually the best bargain seems to be getting them new as soon as possible. This isn't the most diverse set, but the individual figures and choices of genera are pretty neat (besides the obligatory-old T.rex, although it's still a nice minifigure).
The individual minis:


Gorgosaurus (skeleton)


Maip


Tyrannosaurus


Zuul (skeleton)


Zuul

[Halichoeres]

It's weird how expensive Capsule Q figures get when the much older Dinotales are still relatively affordable. I agree, it's generally best to get them right away if you don't want to pay a huge markup. This is a cool set for the Maip and the Zuul.

[Eatmycar]

Kaiyodo's capsule collections are just beautiful. I just wish they were easier to get in the US!

[Fembrogon]

LittleSofts Collabs - "Scottie" the Dearc sgiathanach
A surprise treat from a little company I had never heard of before - Scottie is a great little plush overall, and I do believe it is the first toy of this recently-described pterosaur! The toy is very well-made in my opinion, and pretty poseable thanks to a sturdy wire running through the wings, plus one in the tail. I admit the wires feel a little loose in fastening, but so far it's withstood all my handling just fine. The fact that Natalia Jagielska of the paleontological team helped design this toy is especially cool, and I'd love to see more direct toy collaborations like this from companies in the future.

[Fembrogon]

Big load incoming!!



Haolonggood (2023) - Tianzhenosaurus (green version)
A welcome surprise in the form of a new genus - at least, a genus new to me and several more of us. I appreciate Haolonggood taking a risk with what felt like a complete unknown in the dino-collecting sphere; more obscure genera (especially with good fossils to their name) are most welcome!
I hope the above photos also highlight the caliber of these figures' paint schemes; there's no question what contributes the mildly higher price tag for the brand.


Haolonggood (2023) - Pentaceratops (black version)
Following up the obscure ankylosaur is a more familiar ceratopsian. Pentaceratops has had some fairly good figurines before, but this is certainly the best of the lot. As hefty of a model as it is, my favorite detail might actually be the sharp little turquoise-&-yellow eyeballs - they really make the face pop and make the figurine feel alive, even possibly intelligent.


Haolonggood (2023) - Apatosaurus (grey version)
Now for an absolute unit of a dinosaur toy. Haolonggood said they took a risk producing this model; I'd like to think the risk paid off. This is a splendid depiction of the famous Morrison sauropod, massive and majestic in make-up. While I chose the grey version for my collection, I must admit I think a little more subtle patterning - maybe along the back or down the tail - would have spiced up the figure a little more. I'm very pleased with it overall, though; I usually don't put down this much towards individual figurines. I definitely hope we see more sauropods of one sort or another from Haolonggood soon.


Haolonggood (2023) - Pachyrhinosaurus (green "GuoSheng" version)
Haolonggood's two releases for June were probably the least exciting choices for me so far; but by no means were the results bad. Pachyrhinosaurus is another ceratopsian with decent attention given to it in toy representation; but this is another winner of a figurine and probably the best this species is going to get for a while. Holding the figure in hand quickly erased any feelings of indifference I might have previously harbored.
Although I like the green ver. best, I do concede that the frill highlights look better on the brown version, at least in photos. It's a give-and-take sort of thing.


Haolonggood (2023) - Wuerhosaurus
I recall being pretty excited when Vitae released their Wuerhosaurus several years back, so I don't know why I felt so less enthused by Haolonggood's release. Maybe the awareness of the errors in plate reconstructions tempered my interest. Whatever the cause, this is definitely a nice-looking figurine all the same; I'd consider it only marginally "lesser" of a design than its predecessors, probably due to something in the paint apps. I must say, I'm loving all the purples, blues, and greens we've been seeing in Haolonggood's color schemes; I'd better be careful not to let the pendulum of my collection swing to far into excess!

[bmathison1972]

Helluvagood Haolonggood collection 

[Fembrogon]

Haolonggood Collection (July 2023)
Here are all my Haolong-goodies as of the first half of the year; I wanted to get a group shot in before Edmontonia arrived as something of a time stamp. In a few months Haolonggood has hit most of the broadly-familiar herbivorous dinosaur clades, with the 2021 Carch and Dicrae taking the vanguard (plus the Quetz). The company seems to be of good integrity, and nearly every release so far has been of high quality. Already their new summer figurines have shown even more promise, and I hope we'll be watching the company expand and improve further for many years to come.

[Bread]

Just goes to show how important colorscheme and applications are. The variety here in this one image is fantastic!

Great comparison and photos! I 100% agree on the hope for Haolonggood to expand.

[bmathison1972]

Now that I am on the Haoloongood bandwagon, I wish I had gotten the Dicrae when it was more readily available (at least, it's not on their Amazon site). I will probably get the Penty next time they have a species I want.

[TooOldForDinosaurs]

All these colors look so good!

[Fembrogon]

I forgot to post a photo last week following the Kaiyodo Expo set: here's a megaraptoran group shot!



Featured figures are Favorite Co. Fukuiraptor (museum soft model), Happinet Fukuiraptor, Mattel Megaraptor, Collecta Fukuiraptor, AAoD Australovenator, and Kaiyodo Maip.
Megaraptorans have had surprisingly decent representation over the years, especially within the last 5 or so. It's funny to compare designs and track how understanding of the individual genera have evolved, sometimes dramatically. I don't even have any of the old "giant dromaeosaur" toys, and you can still see the mishmash of would-be allosaurs, megalosaurs, and tyrannosaurs here.

[Concavenator]

Megaraptorans are currently considered to be basal tyrannosauroids (Naish & Cau 2022 and Novas et al. 2014), so on that sense, I'd say the Kaiyodo Maip might be the most accurate depiction of one out of those. It will be interesting to see how Haolonggood tackles Megaraptor...

[Fembrogon]

Texas Toy Distribution - Trilobite
A local dino-themed activity center opened up last year, and I finally got around to visiting it one day this summer. It's a pretty small place, oriented mostly for little kids; but it was neat all the same, and they had a nice variety of merchandise in stock. I'm not familiar with Texas Toy Distribution, but their website seems to offer a nice variety of plush animals and other goods.
I have no idea what genus & species this trilobite plush represents, but I was surprised and pleased enough just to SEE another plush trilobite in existence that I couldn't resist. It's got some pretty nice detail to the pattern and exoskeleton, although the legs underneath are just cut-out fabric.



Texas Toy Distribution - Horseshoe Crab
The trilobite was cool - but the horseshoe crab is even cooler. Texas Toy Distribution has decent extinct animals, but their extant marine animals look truly excellent, at least from my limited awareness of them. Lots of solid stuffed legs underneath really sell this as a real horseshoe crab captured in plush.
Of course, horseshoe crabs are often described as living fossils; but I can't say I've ever studied how old the four living species actually are. I honestly forgot there even WERE as many as four today. Time to brush up on my arthropod history, I suppose!

[Fembrogon]

Haolongood (2023) - Edmontonia
(red "Jiebao" & blue "Jiezhen")
Without a doubt, this is my favorite release from Haolonggood so far this year (with Ouranosaurus as a close second). Edmontonia might not be especially famous, but I read enough Dorling Kindersley books featuring the Royal Tyrrel Museum model that I couldn't help noticing the animal's absence in the toy market. For years as a kid, I depended on Animal Planet's Battat knockoffs to fill the void (the same sort as those @Skorpio V. recently acquired); but eventually I could feel the lack of something nicer to represent the genus. It would take me quite a while longer to even become aware of the genuine Battat figure, much less Schleich's newer take. I completely overlooked the Procon/Collecta figure, too; actually, Edmontonia has had relatively decent toy coverage, all things considered.

Nonetheless, we've been due for a new, revised figurine that could reflect 2010/2020s-era scientific knowledge, one that could stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Safari's Sauropelta or PNSO's Sede the Ankylosaurus - and Haolonggood is the company which stepped up to base and delivered. While I think I prefer the color contrast of the blue variant, both color schemes are very attractive. This is definitely one of the more satisfying dino purchases I've made in a while; a gap has been filled.

Additional comparison shots - red ver. with classic Battat, from above:


blue ver. with fellow Haolonggoodian Tianzhenousaurus:

[Jose S.M.]

Those Edmontonia look great. I've plan to get them later this year and can't wait to have them in hand.