Fembrogon's Bestiary (post-2020)

[Concavenator]

I always liked Dinosaur King. I used to watch it and had the DS game too! 

Yeah, they certainly featured a lot of obscure creatures, and the depictions were pretty good in general.

The DK Megaraptor would display interestingly with HLG's. Would show how our understanding of it has gone from a huge dromaeosaurid to the unusual, basal tyrannosauroid we believe it is today.

[Fembrogon]

I'll definitely do an updated megaraptoran group shot whenever I get around to acquiring the Haolonggood figure. It's quite a diverse array of figurines the group has accomplished, little by little over the years!

[Halichoeres]

I still have a few of those hollow DK figures myself. (Plus one Happinet.) I watched an episode of the show on Netflix once, but I didn't really get into it. I would have absolutely eaten it up as a kid, though!

[Fembrogon]

Sega, Dinosaur King ( series) - Tyrannosaurus



Sega released multiple toy lines in conjuction with the Dinosaur King game and show, and this T. rex seems to be from a candy or capsule-type series. It doesn't assemble, but it's similar in size to Takara Tomy figurines. Apart from the jaw, the only articulation is a pair of odd cuts at the knee. It's decently stable and detailed nicely enough, and overall I'd say this is actually a pretty good rendition of the animal for the 2000s.

[bmathison1972]

Nice; I have a soft spot for Sega for all of their Mushi King insect figures!

[Fembrogon]

My full collection of Large Sega DK figures, 16 total; I think this constitutes almost half the entire series. Cheap kids' toys or not, they're quite beautiful when displayed together!

[Halichoeres]

They really are pretty charming, bright colors and all. And that 'Seismosaurus' is huuuuuuge.

[Fembrogon]

More Japanese goodies from the last big box:

Eikoh Miniatureplanet, Vol. 21 (select figurines)
Minifigures are pretty cool; like any size of toy they can vary in quality. Eikoh is a brand I've known exclusively through the DTF, and one I've admittedly only paid off-hand attention to. The handful of figurines I own of theirs are quite nice, though, so I'm glad I've given them a try and I'll certainly be more interested in what they produce for this series in the future.




#82530 Archelon
*gasp* - an actual toy of Archelon?! I know turtles aren't as obviously cool as dinosaurs, but the ruler turtle is such an iconic "giant prehistoric animal" it feels criminal not to have more regularly available toys of the genus. Japan basically holds down the fort in that regard.



#82531 Meiolania
*gasp* - an extinct turtle toy that ISN'T Archelon?!? Even rarer still. I must admit I don't give prehistoric chelonians their due attention either, but this little fella is positively adorable as a toy. The real-life animals must have been an impressive sight, though, with shells 4-6 feet long!



#82532 Dinornis
Another extinct icon with criminally few toys. It only now occurs to me how much moas look like fantasy animals with their wingless bodies and elegant long necks. What a sight they must have been in life.



#82533 Synthetoceras
Man, mammals can be weird too, can't they? I suppose relatively speaking, looking like a wishbone is growing out of your nose is pretty tame, but what a nose! It's nice to have another decent-looking obscure extinct mammal on the market.



# 82540 Titanis
Is this genus its own thing again, or is it still actually absorbed into Phorosrhacos? I'm not up to speed on terror birds. It's not often one sees the old secretary bird color scheme eschewed, so big points on doing something different. Ironically I think this is one of the best-looking dinosaurs Eikoh has to offer.

[bmathison1972]

The Eikoh Archelon looks like a modified hawksbill sea turtle.

[Faelrin]

I got all of these last year, along a few others (and some of the Kaiyodo extinct mammals as well). Last year was pretty decent for some Cenozoic rep between those two companies.

As far as I know all toys of the moa, except the Yowie, have come from Japan. This includes Eikoh, Takara Tomy, Medicom, and a handful of others I came across before on the JP Mercari (which I know I posted about before, but can't remember where. Might have to do a search to see if I can find out).

[Fembrogon]

Hm, I should finish up documenting this year's beasts:



De Agostini, Super Dinosaurs & Co. - Dryptosaurus
What sorcery is this, a rubber Dryptosaurus of all things that kind of looks good?? Seriously, design-wise this feels like night-and-day compared with many of De Agostini's other dinosaurs (for example, their Dilophosaurus and Dracovenator). It's also funny because it actually feels reminiscent of the Beasts of the Mesozoic figure in certain ways - although De Agostini's does indeed appear to have been made first. It's completely incapable of standing on its own, but it's entertaining to handle.


Oh, dear... It looks like a pecking order has been established...




Haolonggood - Dilophosaurus Pair (both variants)
I don't have as many of HLG's theropods as I do herbivores, so perhaps I can't say this for sure - but I feel pretty confident that these are among HLG's best meat-eaters to date. It doesn't hurt that we've been in short supply of post-2020 accurate toy Dilos, and these seem to deliver all around, at least mostly. I still have some qualms with the sets, but overall these are easily some of the best versions of this dinosaur made yet.


Additional shot of the more colorful pair, Wang Ying & Hu Sang Niang. These two are definitely my preferred of the sets, but you can't really go wrong with either.

[Concavenator]

Yeah, that Dryptosaurus looks very similar to the BotM (which goes to say it's good), but of course, the execution is not comparable.

I like the HLG Dilos, but I'm not sure I can get past a torso that's almost a 20 % too short... I think that's some important messing of the proportions. Still, they're the best Dilophosaurus figures at the moment, beating out the CollectA 2021 which is the only other widely available post-2020 Dilophosaurus figure.

Will you be getting one of the upcoming Creative Beast Dilophosaurus? Looks like it will be the most accurate Dilophosaurus model in the market.

[Fembrogon]

I'd like to, @Concavenator! We'll see if I have budget and space for it. I'm holding out for the BotM version, at least, because I think I'll prefer that one.




Eofauna - Deinotherium
No one else on the market comes even close to Eofauna for proboscideans; I've never been too invested in prehistoric mammals, but when the figures come this good, it's much easier to get sucked in. Deinotherium had a prominent presence in the 4th episode of Walking with Beasts and made pretty frequent appearances in the kids' books I read at the time, so it's satisfying to have one this nice in the bestiary. I'll have to get Konobelodon sometime too, but I'd be even more interested in Eofauna doing Platybelodon someday.

[Fembrogon]

Crazy for Kaiyodo!




Kaiyodo (2022) Capsule Q, Dinosaur Excavation set 10
(subtitle "Greatest Dinosaur Hunters", "Great Hunter Legends", or whatever)
Hell Creek gets some nice representation with this recent minifigure set, which I got as a blind box but successfully acquired all five figures from it with almost no duplicates. Granted, the Hell Creek would be even BETTER represented had they not stuffed an extra T. rex in the lineup - or, dare I suggest it, replaced T. rex and Triceratops altogether with some less-famous genera. I guess it's hard to advertise "Greatest Dinosaur Hunters" without the old rex standing in, though; and to Kaiyodo's credit, they make some GREAT rexes, especially for their size. I still would have preferred an Edmontosaurus instead of a second rex, though, or at least a second Ornithomimus or Dakotaraptor instead.


Tyrannosaurus (grey)


Tyrannosaurus (brown/tea)


Triceratops


Clash of the ages!


Dakotaraptor


Ornithomimus


raptor chase!
@DefinitelyNOTDilo, you were wondering about the scale of some of these? By a rough measurement, the Dakotaraptor hovers around 1:60, while the Ornithomimus is closer to 1:40.

All in all, I can't complain: all five minfigures look beautfiul.


...But not to be outdone...!



Kaiyodo (2022) Capsule Q - Extinct Animals
(subtitle: Recently Extinct, or "Extinct for a Reason" or something like that)
This is certainly a more elaborately designed set than I'm used to seeing from Kaiyodo, at least in my limited experience. That's not a criticism, though! Each of these minifigures feels like a diorama piece; that's not a style of collectible I'm usually pursuing, but it sure is fascinating to examine in hand! For as much as I adore dinosaurs, archosaurs, and their broader reptilian kin, it's good to add some diversity to the bestiary now and then - especially when it's as nice as this.


Hydrodamalis gigas (Steller's Sea Cow)


Megatherium (giant ground sloth)


Platybelodon


Thylacosmilus


Urile perspicillatus (spectacled cormorant)

More Kaiyodos coming to end the year!

[bmathison1972]

Great pics of wonderful additions!

[Fembrogon]

Final haul of the year!



Kaiyodo - Dinotales 1, assorted lot (set A & B)

Have I mentioned before the first time I learned of Kaiyodo was through the Dinosaur Toy Blog? It was quite something to see reviews of these tiny, overseas toys matching or surpassing all the regular-sized brands in overall quality per figure. It would be many years before I acquired a few of my own to appreciate. Now here I am several more years later, still beholding many of these early Dinotales in-hand for the first time. If Kaiyodo was ever distributed even half as widely as a company like Safari Ltd., I'm sure they would be recognized as one of the big "great" dino brands.
(which is not to say they don't have plenty of fans, but I wonder how large of an international fanbase they have, comparatively speaking)

Here's the new near-dozen joining the bestiary:


003 Triceratops (ver. A & B)
Probably the most mundane figure of the lot; somehow that feels familiar. The A figure needed some glue work for one leg, but doesn't appear the worse for it.


Pictured: the march of progress.


006 Cladoselache (A)
Poor fellow has a chipped pectoral fin, and the lower tail lobe wasready to break off entirely. Thankfully the tail has been securely glued with minimal evidence. Sharks are always cool, right? Especially when they're something besides Carcharodon or Otodus.


007 Parasaurolophus (B)
Is it just me or has this lovely little sculpt age really, really well?


010 Sinosauropteryx (B)
How is this dinosaur so cute?? It's a travesty we haven't seen this genus from nearly any of the major brands already.


016 Bothriolepis (A)
Once again I'm reminded how delightfully weird prehistoric life could be, regardless of dinosaurs.


018 Sinemys gamera (A)
Okay, I have to admit I'm just tickled to see a fossil named after Gamera. It also feels more apt than Gojirasaurus was.


019 Brontotherium [ie Megacerops] (A & B)
The old name is better, if you ask me. Alas for nomenclature.


022 Psychopyge (A & B)
It LOOKS crazy too!


024 Triceratops skull (B)
I can't say I like this one. The assembly and disassembly are a major pain and I feel like I've almost broken it already.

Thus ends another year of prehistory collecting. We'll see what 2024 brings!

[Fembrogon]

I just realized I did a major "OOPS" and completely left out two sizeable acquisitions - so rather than awkwardly edit them into a prior post, here's a rundown all of its own...




Colorata Discover Dinosaurs: Cretaceous Vol. 2
I've kicked myself over how long it's taken me to actually acquire this set, especially after obtaining (and reviewing!) the 1st and 3rd Dino sets several years ago. The catch with this set is there were two releases, with different Spinosaurus figures; so I waffled over how to acquire both versions without buying the set twice and eventually forgot. Now, of course, it's not so affordable to import, so it may still be a while before I find that ver. 1 spino at a price I like.


no. 01, Spinosaurus
It's funny; sometimes the Japanese companies seem very slow to catch up with current paleontology, while other times they're so fast it's astounding. Colorata and so many other companies seemed to waste little time in pumping out new Spinosaurs.


no. 02, Carnotaurus
This is surely the lankiest Carno I've ever seen; I know it's practically a meme by now how long the dino's legs might have been, but this is something else!


no. 03, Deinonychus
Rockin' those Walking with Dinosaurs colors.


no. 04, Styracosaurus
This fellow does not like to stay fastened to the base at all - makes repositioning for photos quite annoying. 


no. 05, Maiasaura
It mildly concerns me this is the first time I've owned a figure of Maiasaura. We desperately need more figures of this genus!


no. 06, Futabasaurus
This must be one of the best-represented plesiosaur genera in the entire market.


no. 07, Mosasaurus
More WWD colors, albeit on a completely unrelated reptile now. Mosasaurus wears them well, however.




Colorata Extinct Animals: Paleozoic Creatures

More Paleozoic representation is always nice, and this set has a nice mix of creatures familiar and almost-familiar. I'd love to see a Vol. 2 someday.


no. 01, Anomalocaris


no. 02, Olenoides


no. 03, Cameroceras


no. 04, Acutiramus


no. 05, Cephalaspis


no. 06, Dunkleosteus


...And THAT should wrap up 2023 properly! I'll do a recap post tomorrow (would have done it today, but then I realized my omission).

[Fembrogon]

It was discussed a few pages ago whether or not to try a full collection tour, or some collective end-of-year group shots. While I'm feeling a bit daunted at the notion of trying to unload and organize everything inside my light box, I did manage to put together some collages of just about everything from the past year of acquisitions. These aren't fancy or anything, but they suffice in a pinch:

January-February


February-March


March-June


June-October


October-November


November-December


The two Colorata sets are the only glaring omissions from the collages, which would go in the October-November grouping.

Some (rough) bestiary stats, from my own archives and with DTC's aid:

• about 150 figures were added, including color variants and sets
• At least 39 new genera were added, half of which were non-dinosaurs
• 7 new companies - AAA, Eikoh, LittleSofts, Rebor, Texas Toy Dist., ToyMonster, Toyway - are now represented
• Kaiyodo was the surprise top-contributing company (27 new figures), with Sega, BotM and Haolonggood tied for second (15), and Colorata coming in at thrid (13)
• Safari Ltd. remains the dominant cumulative company in the bestiary, with 150+ figures altogether, counting pre-2020 storage items. Second place goes to PNSO with 59, third is now tied between Kaiyodo and Mattel at 44, and Collecta coming in fourth with 34

It's been a shaky year at times, but the collecting spirit has remained strong. Now to begin another new year of new acquisitions!

[Halichoeres]

The Colorata Paleozoic box is the coolest thing they've ever done. Unfortunately, I think it's also the most frequently copied as knockoffs; I wince every time I see a photo of the copies. I hope that doesn't stop them from making interesting things in the future (I never see knockoffs of their Cenozoic set, so there's that).

2024 was a huge year for you! Kaiyodo is an excellent company to be dominating the additions.

[Fembrogon]

The new year begins - the Kaiyodo train continues!



Kaiyodo Dinotales 1 - 006 Cladoselache  (1st ed)

I had not realized before that certain figurines in the first Dinotales series had revisions even within the original set. This little shark has a brighter palette than the later issue (already in the bestiary) and subtle differences in the skin patterns. I was prepared to hold on to just one before, but it looks like both are keepers now.


The two side by side.


Kaiyodo Dinotales 1(a) - 010 Sinosauropteryx

If the sculpts weren't the same, one could almost pass off the "A" figurine as the chick and the "B" figurine as the adult; that's what the color schemes remind me of, at least!


Off they go, probably to start mischief somewhere...


Kaiyodo Dinotales 1 - 011 Liopleurodon (2nd ed)

Another duplicate-but-not-quite figurine. I reviewed the "early" release of this figure a long time ago on the Blog; this later issue has more defined markings and a slightly darker shade of blue.

Kaiyodo Dinotales 1 - 013a Dimetrodon

Classic Dimetrodon in miniature. The resting pose is a subtle but unique choice.

Kaiyodo Dinotales 2 - 033 Struthiomimus

This rascal is a pain in a butt to attach to the base - it's too loose! Lack of feathers notwithstanding, though, this is probably still among the best toy ornithomosaurs available.

Kaiyodo Dinotales 2 - 036 Ichthyosaurus

Such a little beaut! Every time I acquire an ichthyosaur I'm left scratching my head as to why toy companies don't do them more often.

Kaiyodo Dinotales 2 - 037 Tanystropheus

I have a soft spot for this weird old Triassic critter, so it's nice to have another representation in the bestiary. I'll have to do a comparison shot with the Carnegie sometime.

Kaiyodo Dinotales 3 - 067 Glyptodon

Good ol' Glyptodon - something about this roly-poly mammal is very charming at a small scale. Another group shot I'll have to do soon!

Kaiyodo x Coca-Cola - Jurassic Park III 013 Spinosaurus skull

I can't say I'm very interested in skulls, but this one is nice enough. It's interesting to see a take on the animal's internal anatomy circa early 2000s. I had to heat up the balancing rod, though, as the figurine was badly bent over.


That does it for the Kaiyodos; next batch will be a more "traditional" mix.