Safari Ltd - New for 2022

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

I like the rigid plastic on the Baryonyx and Daspletosaurus, and on the older Parasaurolophus.

[Fembrogon]

The rigid plastic is because Safari stopped using plasticizers, which are added to plastic to soften it. Safari prides themselves on being pthalate-free, so the hard plastic is here to stay.

Interesting; how recent of a change is this? Some figures tend to feel more brittle than others, and it seems truer for some of their very newest releases, such as the aforementioned Spino; then again, the Bary and Das feel pretty sturdy overall, whether it's due to the plastic quality or just the manner of sculpting.

[SidB]

I would like Safari to make figures with less rigid plastic because they are prone to falls from shelves to break, I know from bitter experience,

The rigid plastic is because Safari stopped using plasticizers, which are added to plastic to soften it. Safari prides themselves on being pthalate-free, so the hard plastic is here to stay.

UGH that news is frustrating to say the least. Hopefully they can make more durable plastic without using plasticizers. Their spinosaurus is like handling a porcelain sculpture.

I don't think that this is a commercially sustainable move. There are reports of breakage of the extremities and that in the hands of collectors. Can you imagine what the casualty rate will be when these figures are used by children for play? Not good for Safari's reputation.

[suspsy]

I can definitely attest that last year's Spinosaurus is the most fragile Safari toy I've bought yet. I nearly lost the tip of its snout for good when it broke off after falling from the couch onto a carpeted surface (I seriously had to look for it in the vacuum cleaner) and now I treat it like it's made of porcelain.

[Shonisaurus]

For example, they had to cancel my purchase of a daspletosaurus last year from a well-known store in my nation because they received the daspletosaurus with a broken tail. It seems as if the Safari dinosaurs were made of resin, I understand that they should be made with a more durable plastic, not for collectors but for children since they can cause choking hazards in the event that they swallow broken pieces of said figures, children are curious and playful and obviously toy dinosaur figures are made for many (if not most) of them to play with and even throw violently on the ground.

The Safari dinosaurs with this plastic have a more uncertain durability than those of other brands, they remind me of the wild animals of Elastolin or the prehistoric animals of Starlux to give two examples.

They should improve the material although this problem is not foreign to other brands of dinosaurs, for us collectors it is not a problem but for the generations that precede us it is.

Going to the point of the thread of the subject, I hope that the patagotitan is made of a more flexible plastic although I am afraid that I cannot have many illusions.

[Shane]

The rigid plastic is because Safari stopped using plasticizers, which are added to plastic to soften it. Safari prides themselves on being pthalate-free, so the hard plastic is here to stay.

This is not true.

Safari uses plasticizers that are free of phthalates.

There are a variety of reasons why rigid plastic may be used, ie. to avoid warping, increase stability, etc.

When issues arise with breakage, Safari always ensures to take these issues up with the factories to avoid future issues by finding a proper balance between rigid and flexible.

[Flaffy]

The rigid plastic is because Safari stopped using plasticizers, which are added to plastic to soften it. Safari prides themselves on being pthalate-free, so the hard plastic is here to stay.

This is not true.

Safari uses plasticizers that are free of phthalates.

There are a variety of reasons why rigid plastic may be used, ie. to avoid warping, increase stability, etc.

When issues arise with breakage, Safari always ensures to take these issues up with the factories to avoid future issues by finding a proper balance between rigid and flexible.

Does this mean future runs of the notoriously fragile 2021 figures may potentially have less rigid material?

[Shane]

The rigid plastic is because Safari stopped using plasticizers, which are added to plastic to soften it. Safari prides themselves on being pthalate-free, so the hard plastic is here to stay.

This is not true.

Safari uses plasticizers that are free of phthalates.

There are a variety of reasons why rigid plastic may be used, ie. to avoid warping, increase stability, etc.

When issues arise with breakage, Safari always ensures to take these issues up with the factories to avoid future issues by finding a proper balance between rigid and flexible.

Does this mean future runs of the notoriously fragile 2021 figures may potentially have less rigid material?

Potentially, yes. Safari tries to make whatever changes they can in response to genuine customer feedback.

It's impossible to pinpoint when this would happen with a particular item, as it depends on when current inventory would be depleted.

But future production runs on items with frequent issues would likely have those issues addressed and corrected.

This is a fairly common thing in the toy industry in general.

[SidB]

The rigid plastic is because Safari stopped using plasticizers, which are added to plastic to soften it. Safari prides themselves on being pthalate-free, so the hard plastic is here to stay.

This is not true.

Safari uses plasticizers that are free of phthalates.

There are a variety of reasons why rigid plastic may be used, ie. to avoid warping, increase stability, etc.

When issues arise with breakage, Safari always ensures to take these issues up with the factories to avoid future issues by finding a proper balance between rigid and flexible.

That makes sense, I had initially assumed that increased rigidity/ freedom from warping was their goal, especially with the theropods. Apparently finding the right balance isn't so easy, then.

[Shane]

That makes sense, I had initially assumed that increased rigidity/ freedom from warping was their goal, especially with the theropods. Apparently finding the right balance isn't so easy, then.

It's a process.

Hearing feedback from customers lets Safari know what to be on the lookout for in the future, during any internal reviews and approvals for new items.

But yes, it can be a difficult balance to strike. You want a figure that can stand on its own, not wilt or droop over time, not warp during shipping, etc. but it also needs to hold up to play and general use.

[suspsy]

The rigid plastic is because Safari stopped using plasticizers, which are added to plastic to soften it. Safari prides themselves on being pthalate-free, so the hard plastic is here to stay.

This is not true.

Safari uses plasticizers that are free of phthalates.

There are a variety of reasons why rigid plastic may be used, ie. to avoid warping, increase stability, etc.

When issues arise with breakage, Safari always ensures to take these issues up with the factories to avoid future issues by finding a proper balance between rigid and flexible.

Does this mean future runs of the notoriously fragile 2021 figures may potentially have less rigid material?

Potentially, yes. Safari tries to make whatever changes they can in response to genuine customer feedback.

It's impossible to pinpoint when this would happen with a particular item, as it depends on when current inventory would be depleted.

But future production runs on items with frequent issues would likely have those issues addressed and corrected.

This is a fairly common thing in the toy industry in general.

Indeed. David Silva knows all about this problem, what with how many replacement ceratopsian legs he's had to send out. But at least he's directly addressing the problem, unlike some toy companies. Good that Safari is doing the same.

[Halichoeres]

While we're all trying to divine the size, worth noting that Spielzeug Guenstig has changed the price to 29.98€, including a 19% value added tax. So [shrug]

[suspsy]

A teaser image of the Patagotitan is on Safari's Facebook page. Colours look to be the usual sauropod combination of browns.

[Dusty Wren]

For those who don't want to venture to Facebook:

[Flaffy]

So we're doing a weird mosaic game this year huh?

[suspsy]

So we're doing a weird mosaic game this year huh?

As long as they don't stretch it out for weeks on end, I'm fine with it.

[Dinoguy2]

The rigid plastic is because Safari stopped using plasticizers, which are added to plastic to soften it. Safari prides themselves on being pthalate-free, so the hard plastic is here to stay.

This is not true.

Safari uses plasticizers that are free of phthalates.

There are a variety of reasons why rigid plastic may be used, ie. to avoid warping, increase stability, etc.

When issues arise with breakage, Safari always ensures to take these issues up with the factories to avoid future issues by finding a proper balance between rigid and flexible.

Which plasticizers are they using? I can't imagine they're as effective given how rigid recent figures have been. If it's an intentional choice to make the figures more rigid, it's an odd one since harder figures are more likely to break in transit and (slightly) more dangerous for kids to play with compared to earlier Wild Safari figures that were a bit softer. Though I guess they eliminated pthalates in the early 2000s so they must have been using something else for those.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

It looks great already! I can't wait!

According to the Facebook post, we should see pictures this week.

[Shane]

As long as they don't stretch it out for weeks on end, I'm fine with it.

Individual reveals will not be dragged out forever.

However, as has been mentioned, the reveals themselves will be coming at different times throughout the year instead of all at once.

[Shane]

Which plasticizers are they using? I can't imagine they're as effective given how rigid recent figures have been. If it's an intentional choice to make the figures more rigid, it's an odd one since harder figures are more likely to break in transit and (slightly) more dangerous for kids to play with compared to earlier Wild Safari figures that were a bit softer. Though I guess they eliminated pthalates in the early 2000s so they must have been using something else for those.

I am not at liberty to go into too much detail regarding this, as much as I would enjoy a deep dive on how the sausage is made, but there are many non-phthalate plasticizers on the market.

All figures are tested for safety by third parties, and also tested to meet shipping requirements.

That said, sometimes things happen. Breakage occurs. And steps are taken to hopefully alleviate future issues.