Fembrogon's Bestiary (post-2020)

[Concavenator]

Good start of the year for your collection! I only have one Kaiyodo figure so far (the Zuul), and they are surprisingly detailed and well-painted for their size, consistent with what I've been able to see on pics/reviews online. Also ordered the Ichthyosaurus as a replacement for Safari's. Will save a little bit of space, plus funnily enough the Kaiyodo has both a more complex color scheme and a better paint app despite being fairly smaller. The 2 Safari Ichthyosaurus copies that I've owned are defective. But yeah, I understand they might be aimed at different targets.

[Fembrogon]

Thanks, @Concavenator. I would reckon the small size of the Dinotales (and other Kaiyodo sets) is the tradeoff for getting such exquisite detail at a low price, although given the plastic quality of the Dinotales it's probably true that they were meant for an older customer base, too.

[Fembrogon]

2nd haul of the year:


Collecta 2023 Deluxe - Koolasuchus

It's been 25 years since WWD's "Spirits of the Ice Forest", but Koolasuchus finally has a toy to its name - and what a gorgeous toy! This is easily one of my favorite figures by Collecta; it has great shelf presence and tons of great detail. I learned about scaly amphibians thanks to discourse surrounding this toy, so it was educational even for me!
Definitely a 2023 figure-of-the-year contender.


Get a load of that magnificent maw.


Collecta 2023 - Brighstoneus

This was a new genus for me, so once again I appreciate Collecta's choices in genera (boy does Iguanodon have a complicated history). I also finally realized I've been reading/pronouncing this dinosaur's name as "Brightstoneus" all this time. Oh dear.


Mojo 2019 - Triceratops

I've been slow to act on this one, but I've confidently felt since its original reveal that Mojo's "new" trike might actually end up being one of the best on the market. Having held it in hand, I'm still confident it's one of the better choices, even with more competition released since then. A more thorough review is in the pipeline (eventually).

PNSO 2023 - Megalosaurus

I'll never say PNSO is bad at theropods, even if last year felt like an excess. Megalosaurus has been criminally underrepresented in the current toy market, given how significant the genus is for paleontology history. Edward isn't the most dynamic example from PNSO, but it's still low-key gorgeous. The tail, in particular, has such a delightful swoop and curve to it that it feels very real. Dinosaur tails are important!


Posing with the Collecta figurine. For a budget toy the Collecta's perfectly fine, but Edward is certainly the more charismatic model of the two.

[Concavenator]

The Koolasuchus was definitely an unexpected but appreciated surprise.

[Fembrogon]

Aliexpress sales are dangerous.    I didn't really intend to take advantage of the last sale, but with some finagling of different offers and discounts, I decided it was worth the opportunity.

The first two arrivals:

PNSO Prehistoric Animal Models 075 - Donald the Saurophaganax


Unique genus or not, I've always been intruigued by the notion of an extra-large theropod prowling the Late Jurassic USA - I guess it all goes back to the "bigger than T.rex" buzz that was kicking off when I was still young. Once again, as excessive as PNSO's theropod releases were last year, they are unquestionably among the best companies tackling this group. Donald is work of beauty, and just holding him in hand makes me hungry for more stegosaur toys to pose him with!

Here's a shot of him hanging out with fellow theropod Edward instead in the meantime:



Haolonggood (2023) Megaraptor

This wasn't, admittedly, my most anticipated release from Haolonggood last year - Edmontonia, Ouranosaurus, and Dilophosaurus were all genera I was longing for more - but color me very impressed all the same. As fragmentary as its remains are, Megaraptor is a genus I feel ought to be a lot more famous than it is, given its mysterious and weird nature (and easily sensationalized), and Haolonggood's model captures this strange theropod beautifully. I'm simply amazed by how well it balances in the running pose, too! For this alone I'd consider this one of the best theropod models of late.

[SidB]

You couldn't lose with those choices, @Fembrogon .

[Fembrogon]

A couple more Mattels from the past week - here I keep thinking I'm done collecting from this line...

Mattel Hammond Collection - Metriacanthosaurus

Tetanuran theropods are my weakness, and this looked to be one of the nicest HC figures yet, so I finally gave in. It's a good likeness for a generic allosaur-ish meat-eater.

I must admit some of the articulation feels a bit lacking, though. As @Gwangi described in his Blog review, the upper jaw doesn't even hold its own weight half the time. That's just sad, Mattel; you should be past quality control issues like that by now. A good, but not great, theropod action figure.

Mattel Dino Trackers (Habitat Defender) - Triceratops

Now this is a figure I didn't expect myself to get at all, due to space worries - but man it was looking good from the pictures and reviews, so when it went on sale at Amazon, I caved. It's a really good likeness of the JP Trike, and appropriately big to scale with Mattel's various rexes (it looks great with the HC rex). Articulation is serviceable; I do like the ball-jointed head. A worthwhile acquisition, although I did indeed find myself wondering where to put it!

[Gwangi]

Your Metriacanthosaurus has a loose jaw too? That's unfortunate. Was hoping it wasn't a common issue.

I was tempted by the Trike sale too but I also have no place to put it. I'm about maxed out on space for Mattel dinosaurs. You should review it!

[Eatmycar]

Metriacanthosaurus is a gorgeous figure, but it can be a bit finicky in terms of QC. I have two - one had a stiff lower jaw for MONTHS. I actually was going to sell it, but... I picked it up the day I was going to sell it... and lo and behold. The lower jaw wasn't locked in place anymore.

[Halichoeres]

The Megaraptor is really nice. And lightweight enough that it might stay balanced long-term!

[Fembrogon]

I was tempted by the Trike sale too but I also have no place to put it. I'm about maxed out on space for Mattel dinosaurs. You should review it!

You know, I could have sworn someone had reviewed it already, but I guess not! I'll put it under consideration once I finish more of my review queue.

The Megaraptor is really nice. And lightweight enough that it might stay balanced long-term!

I'm simply in awe of how well it balances so far - one of Haolonggood's best works yet. This is definitely the toy megaraptoran to get.


Speaking of megaraptorans, how about an updated family photo?


Megaraptor, Fukuiraptor, Australovenator and Maip - produced by Mattel, Sega, Happinet, Kid Galaxy, Collecta, AAoD, Favorite, Kaiyodo, and Haolonggood. Not a bad assembly, overall.

[Reuben03]

I was tempted by the Trike sale too but I also have no place to put it. I'm about maxed out on space for Mattel dinosaurs. You should review it!

You know, I could have sworn someone had reviewed it already, but I guess not! I'll put it under consideration once I finish more of my review queue.

The Megaraptor is really nice. And lightweight enough that it might stay balanced long-term!

I'm simply in awe of how well it balances so far - one of Haolonggood's best works yet. This is definitely the toy megaraptoran to get.


Speaking of megaraptorans, how about an updated family photo?


Megaraptor, Fukuiraptor, Australovenator and Maip - produced by Mattel, Sega, Happinet, Kid Galaxy, Collecta, AAoD, Favorite, Kaiyodo, and Haolonggood. Not a bad assembly, overall.

not bad indeed. wow. its so nice to just look at, that is an awesome collection. did you see that cute maip plush??




though i have to say that ankylosaurid has stolen my heart

[Concavenator]

For a group as poorly known as megaraptorans, that's quite a bit of model attention they've gotten! I think HLG's Megaraptor is the highlight there. It also helps that it's the most well-known member of the group (although this isn't saying much, either  ).

[Fembrogon]

Let's get back into this, shall we?

Invicta painted series (1980s?) - Megalosaurus

The Megalosaurus is one of my favorite sculpts from the Invicta line; it's the perfect charismatic image of a retro-theropod. While I think the Baryonyx wears this color scheme better, the Megalo is still quite dapper-looking in this bright green-and-yellow getup. I'm most pleased to have acquired this model.

I ended up having a lot of fun photographing the figure for my Blog review, experimenting with different backdrops and environments - to the point that I had way too many photos that turned redundant. So, these above are a couple I'm fond of that didn't make the review cut.

[Halichoeres]

I like the sepia-toned vegetation as a background. It lets the color of the paints shine through.

[Fembrogon]

My brain has been scattered to the winds lately...

Invicta painted series (1980s?)

Cetiosaurus

Although not as charismatic as the other sauropods in the line, the Cetiosaurus is a pretty decent early-renaissance figure. I also think the figure actively benefits from the paint job more than some other figures in the line. The coloration is simple, but effective.


Woolly Mammoth

...But if we want to talk about paint glow-ups, the mammoth is the best example. The original monochrome release was quaint, in my opinion; but the layered washes of color bring out the depth of the sculpt and make the figure come to life. This might be one of my new favorites from the entire Invicta line.

[Fembrogon]

TNG - Stegodon



I've been particularly drawn to this figure out of all their releases since TNG made their presence known. Acknowledging that this may be a very "inspired" figurine, it's nonetheless splendidly designed and produced, with fine sculpt detail and an interesting paint job beyond a flat gray. Stegodon fits right in with the like of Eofauna's prestigious proboscideans.


^Comparison with Eofauna Deinotherium and Safari ltd. African bush elephant.

[Fembrogon]

Haolonggood (2023)

Dacentrurus (green)


It's occurred to me recently that I've been taking stegosaurs for granted; they're really unusual-looking animals, and for sure some of the most iconic dinosaurs for their silhouette. My Battat Terra Dacentrurus is in storage, but even if weren't the Haolonggood is a marked upgrade & complimentary figure. I was hesitant to choose the green variant, given the cliché with stegosaurs, but ultimately decided this was indeed the more pleasing of the two for me. I've got some other brown stegos to balance it out, at least.

Kosmoceratops (red)


Isn't it cute? by stereotypical dino standards it's surprising to remember how small some ceratopsians really were. The rusty-red coloration is a delight on this variant, and compliments the blue frill patterns perfectly.

Tlatolophus (brown)


If a swan was a horse, the size of an elephant... Or something like that, I guess. This is a very elegant-looking piece, with very fine detailing. It's almost hard to tell if Haolonggood just did without scales on this sculpt or if their detailing has just gotten that subtle.

[suspsy]

Are you planning to review the Stegodon?

[Gwangi]

I almost added that TNG Stegodon to my cart when I ordered the Chasmosaurus but went with the HLG Edmontonia instead. I think I will probably get it eventually though.

I don't have the Dacentrurus yet but when I order it I'll also be choosing the green. A lot of PNSO figures are basically red or green and I tend to alternate between the colors. In the case of the green Dacentrurus I just think it looks better.