Safari Ltd - New for 2022

[suspsy]

I don't think Safari would pull such a cheap stunt. They know full well what we adult fans are like. They'd never hear the end of it if they repainted one dinosaur to represent another.

[suspsy]

Okay, Safari has actually done exactly what I said they wouldn't do. They really are trying to pass off one dinosaur as another. They made a *#%^ing Nanotyrannus in spite of the fact that there are multiple research studies which concluded that it was a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex.

I'm very disappointed to say the least. I really thought they were better than this.

[Shane]

Okay, Safari has actually done exactly what I said they wouldn't do. They really are trying to pass off one dinosaur as another. They made a *#%^ing Nanotyrannus in spite of the fact that there are multiple research studies which concluded that it was a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex.

I'm very disappointed to say the least. I really thought they were better than this.

This is discussed on the figure's product page https://www.safariltd.com/products/dino-dana-nanotyrannus-toy-dinosaur-figure

And in the Dino Dana movie that this figure is based on.

[CarnotaurusKing]

https://youtu.be/SiQPIshCgjc

Good model, but why'd it have to be Nanotyrannus  I was really hoping for a new Albertosaurus/Gorgosaurus. This is a skip, but I'm waiting to see the other models.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Scientists do not remain divided on the issue though, it is definitely a Tyrannosaurus.

I've decided Safari are no longer my favourite company either  they are now 2nd, behind CollectA.

[Gwangi]

I'm not pleased with it being a Nanotyrannus, I would have preferred Gorgosaurus or Albertosaurus (also in Dino Dana). That said, it's a really nice figure and I like it more than PNSO's. I might get it just to represent what it actually is, a juvenile T. Rex.

[SenSx]

Oh ok a Nanotyrannus, well I'm not too excited as we alwready got the PNSO one.
I was hoping for another non represented specie.
But at least it looks good, a bit bigger and cheaper than the overpriced PNSO.

Well I'm not too surprised as Safari has stated manifacturing bigger figures is getting harder in the current situation, so big Tyrannosaurus might be a nope from now on.

[GojiraGuy1954]

All of you are so pessimistic, this is a new Dinosaur and sculpt.

The pessimism is not unwarranted. The 2022 "Rock Agama" was a very disappointing reveal. If Safari wanted to get more mileage out of that sculpt, they could've easily repainted it into the hundreds of morphs of bearded dragons in the reptile trade.

Dinoxels took the picture...

[Shane]

Scientists do not remain divided on the issue though, it is definitely a Tyrannosaurus.

I've decided Safari are no longer my favourite company either  they are now 2nd, behind CollectA.

That copy was written some time ago; it's been adjusted to reflect more current attitudes, thank you for pointing that out.

You are free to like or not like any company you want.

[SBell]

Scientists do not remain divided on the issue though, it is definitely a Tyrannosaurus.

I've decided Safari are no longer my favourite company either  they are now 2nd, behind CollectA.

I'd have to agree. I don't care if there's a movie or whatever. Nanotyrannus isn't a valid taxon. Safari used to work with scientists, this is disappointing.

EDIT so I just saw the link explaining the reasoning. Logical I guess. But still underwhelming.

[suspsy]

Okay, Safari has actually done exactly what I said they wouldn't do. They really are trying to pass off one dinosaur as another. They made a *#%^ing Nanotyrannus in spite of the fact that there are multiple research studies which concluded that it was a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex.

I'm very disappointed to say the least. I really thought they were better than this.

This is discussed on the figure's product page https://www.safariltd.com/products/dino-dana-nanotyrannus-toy-dinosaur-figure

Scientists still remain divided on the validity of Nanotyrannus as its own genus.

The number of legitimate paleontologists who still insist that Nanotyrannus is a distinct genus can literally be counted on one hand. The majority of proponents are amateurs and commercial fossil hunters like Clayton Phipps who seek to promote the concept of Nanotyrannus in order to try and profit from it. As I noted above, there are multiple published research studies which all concluded that it is a juvenile T. rex. The most recent came out in 2020. By contrast, there hasn't been a single paper in nearly a decade which concluded in favour of Nanotyrannus.

I'm sorry, but no matter how you cut it, this is poor science on Safari's part. I don't think I've ever been so disappointed by a Safari product and it makes me truly sad. More so because this looks like a pretty decent juvenile T. rex figure, feathers or no feathers.

And in the Dino Dana movie that this figure is based on.

Albertosaurus was in that movie as well, complete with a rather vivid colour scheme. My fingers are crossed that Safari is tackling that one as well.

[Dusty Wren]

It's pretty clearly a marketing move. They're using both the Dino Dana tie-in and the fact that most people don't follow paleontology closely to attract parents who might not pick up another T. rex for their kids, but who might be interested in this new "Nanotyrannus" thing. No shade on Safari (or PNSO, for that matter, who did the exact same thing) for making savvy business decisions, but call a spade a spade. This doesn't have much to do with the actual science.

It's a nice sculpt, but we're kind of drowning in good T. rex figures this year, so it's not of much interest to me. Looking forward to seeing what else they reveal.

[GojiraGuy1954]

I hate that they made a Nanotyrannus as well, but I didn't hear nearly as much complaining on the thread when PNSO did theirs

[GojiraGuy1954]

Also damn, this is the most active i've seen the forum in a long time

[bmathison1972]

I won't be getting it. Not because it's not a nice figure, but I am not such a completist with dinosaur taxa that I need a dubious taxon (for the same reason I don't have a Stygimoloch).
It looks lovely, however. Just not for me.

[SenSx]

It does not really matter if Nanotyrannus is a genius specie or not, it's just a juvenile T-rex then.
Still interesting to have in a collection to me since we know juvenile Rexes probably occupied a different ecological niche than their parents, just by themselves.
The Nanotyrannys name is just for marketing reasons.

[Renecito]

I like it.

https://youtu.be/Vg_NcRKXmOw

[Thialfi]

I think it's a pretty great sculpt, would love to add it to my collection. Couldn't care less what they name it to be honest, when to me it's a juvenile T Rex. Does the name really matter that much to other people?

[Shane]

Scientists still remain divided on the validity of Nanotyrannus as its own genus.

The number of legitimate paleontologists who still insist that Nanotyrannus is a distinct genus can literally be counted on one hand. The majority of proponents are amateurs and commercial fossil hunters like Clayton Phipps who seek to promote the concept of Nanotyrannus in order to try and profit from it. As I noted above, there are multiple published research studies which all concluded that it is a juvenile T. rex. The most recent came out in 2020. By contrast, there hasn't been a single paper in nearly a decade which concluded in favour of Nanotyrannus.

I'm sorry, but no matter how you cut it, this is poor science on Safari's part. I don't think I've ever been so disappointed by a Safari product and it makes me truly sad. More so because this looks like a pretty decent juvenile T. rex figure, feathers or no feathers.

That specific line has been adjusted, sorry for the drama it caused.

[Dinoxels]

All of you are so pessimistic, this is a new Dinosaur and sculpt.

The pessimism is not unwarranted. The 2022 "Rock Agama" was a very disappointing reveal. If Safari wanted to get more mileage out of that sculpt, they could've easily repainted it into the hundreds of morphs of bearded dragons in the reptile trade.

Dinoxels took the picture...

lol