POLL: What are your favorite toy companies?

[Gwangi]

I almost voted for Bullyland too. I love some of their figures such as the Apatosaurus, Deinonychus and Pteranodon (one of my favorite figures all around). There are also a lot of disappointments, too many to make it a favorite company.

[robustus_]

I chose Carnegie, Battat, and Kaiyodo. The three companies have the best overall quality of models and range/selection of species.

[stoneage]

1. Favorite
2. Papo
3. Carnegie
I like CollectA too, for their diversity and improving sculpt quality, but I hope they (and think they should) keep striving for improvement.

Invicta are no. 1 for me.

Since we're sharing our views, why do so many people like Invicta? I personally don't like them at all. Even as retro figures, they don't do anything for me. I guess it's probably the monochrome colour scheme and the sculpt style. I hate the Invicta Baryonyx, sorry :x

Don't kill me (I know there are many Invicta fans on the board). It's kind of what makes dinosaur collecting so fun, the fact that one person may hate one figure, but another will love it. 

It so happens that my first Dinosaurs were Marx, so I like monochrome.  Besides all Invicta aren't monochrome.





Invicta was the first large Museum line to attempt using scale and did much better then many later companies.  When they came out they were the best line you could buy.  Attacking Invicta is like attacking the USA, or the UK.  They are the cornerstone for modern dinosaur toys.

[tyrantqueen]

I chose Carnegie, Battat, and Kaiyodo. The three companies have the best overall quality of models and range/selection of species.

Agreed, but it's their lack of availability that stops Battats (and to a lesser extent Kaiyodos) from being favourites for me...

Invicta was the first large Museum line to attempt using scale and did much better then many later company's.  When they came out they were the best line you could buy.  Attacking Invicta is like attacking the USA, or the UK.  They are the cornerstone for modern dinosaur toys.

I am aware that painted Invictas exist.
I am not "attacking" Invicta. I was just stating my opinion and saying why I do not particularly like them. I am entitled to my own opinion, am I not? I have as much a right to dislike Invicta as you have to love them.
And "attacking" Invicta is nothing like attacking a country. It is preposterous to suggest such a thing. . Invicta dinosaur toys are lumps of plastic.
I could have said OMG INVICTA SUX PAPO ARE THE BEST TOYS EVURR!!111 but I did not.

Attacking Invicta is like attacking the USA, or the UK

Sorry, and I don't want to start an argument here...but do you realise what a stupid, stupid thing you said?

[Seijun]

If I have had more votes I would have voted for Safari, Carnegie (which is also Safari to me), Collecta, Papo, Favorite & Colorata as well, 'cause I love them all .

Yeah, I know... Carnegie is technically under safari *hides* but enough people seem to distinguish between the two that separating them seemed like a good idea at the time. Although, Ive forgotten by now what carnegies exact relationship is with safari.

I voted for carnegie, invicta, and battat, in no particular order...  (And please note that in this post when I say figure, I mean toy figures)
Battat - For being incredibly accurate on almost every figure, really outclassing every other figure being made in the 90's. Even after 10+ years, most of their figures are still the most accurate ever made, and still hold up very well to current scientific thinking.
Invicta - For being the battats of the 1970's and all the way into the early 90's. Even their most outdated figures (by today's standards) were easily among the most accurate figures back then. To give you an idea, invictas were being sold at the same time as inpros, imperials, and the very first bullylands and carnegies. Several of their models are still among the most accurate ever made (in particular, the dimetrodon, lambeosaurus, ichthyosaurus, and liopleurodon). A few of their other models have mostly only suffered from changing views on dinosaur posture (their baryonyx and diplodocus are pretty accurate aside from their postures). I also love that invictas were unpainted, which allows the viewer to concentrate on the form of the animal and the sculpting quality, rather than on the colors.
Carnegie - Because I have been very impressed with their most recent figures. To my eyes, they look every bit as accurate as resin models. I have been dreaming of a "new battat", and I think Carnegie is a perfect candidate.

Runners up for me were kaiyodo and Dino Riders. I was really torn on Dino Riders, simply because they are awesome toys and full of retro goodness (dinosaurs plus alien laser gun battles can only equal win). Kaiyodo was a runner-up for obvious reasons... routinely exceeding all other competing companies in the accuracy department since day 1 (does anyone know when kaiyodo first started releasing mini-figs? I want to guess 2000's). They are pretty much in a class all their own, IMO.

[Tylosaurus]

Yeah I remember Invica alright, back in 1983 when I went to the Brisbane Museum Queensland with a preschool trip I bought some of them Monochrome Invicta models I even have a few colored ones which I setup up in my Dino-riders Displaya s neutral animals and between my Orchids and plants, they seem to blend in very well they were the first good scale models I seen of Prehistoric animals and yeah everything like Papo, Safari, Carnegie and all the others followed much later heh more like mid to end 90's and up.

Invicta is a legend when it comes to old but high quality model brands, but it's not my favorite since there are so many more choices out that that offer much more realistic molds , but again for it's time Invicta was tha bomb.

Still cool to see complete Invicta collections here, thanks for posting Stoneage
My favs from Invicta would be their Pteranodon and their Baryonyx, they look the best to what I have seen from hard rubber models, hands down for those two

[brontodocus]

Funny, isn't it... I was just thinking, I would have given Bullyland a vote, too, if there had been more than three votes.

[Tylosaurus]

We could make a new poll, for brands that were not favored in this one, just an idea there That way we do get more choices

[Seijun]

Perhaps one of the mods could change the poll to allow everyone to vote for as many choices as wanted.

[Tylosaurus]

Yer good idea   That would make this poll more sensible 

[Gwangi]

Invicta is a legend when it comes to old but high quality model brands, but it's not my favorite since there are so many more choices out that that offer much more realistic molds , but again for it's time Invicta was tha bomb.

That pretty much sums it up for me as well. They were excellent for their day but with the stuff coming out now they don't hold up as well. You can only hold on to the past for so long I suppose. Some of their models are among my favorites though, in particular all the sauropods. I also love the Tyrannosaurus as I remember having it as a kid and so it has nostalgic value. The best of them all must be the Lambeosaurus which may be my favorite Ornithopod figure, I don't have one though.

[stoneage]

I chose Carnegie, Battat, and Kaiyodo. The three companies have the best overall quality of models and range/selection of species.

Agreed, but it's their lack of availability that stops Battats (and to a lesser extent Kaiyodos) from being favourites for me...

Invicta was the first large Museum line to attempt using scale and did much better then many later company's.  When they came out they were the best line you could buy.  Attacking Invicta is like attacking the USA, or the UK.  They are the cornerstone for modern dinosaur toys.

I am aware that painted Invictas exist.
I am not "attacking" Invicta. I was just stating my opinion and saying why I do not particularly like them. I am entitled to my own opinion, am I not? I have as much a right to dislike Invicta as you have to love them.
And "attacking" Invicta is nothing like attacking a country. It is preposterous to suggest such a thing. . Invicta dinosaur toys are lumps of plastic.
I could have said OMG INVICTA SUX PAPO ARE THE BEST TOYS EVURR!!111 but I did not.

Attacking Invicta is like attacking the USA, or the UK

Sorry, and I don't want to start an argument here...but do you realise what a stupid, stupid thing you said?

I don't think you understand.  Invicta is the most important company in Museum Dinosaur Toy Evolution!  At the time of it's release in 1973 with Scelidosaurus, they were the only dinosaurs made in scale with each other, and #1 collection around.  They were closer to scale then most modern dinosaurs.  They lasted till 1993 when their classic collector dinosaur figure Lambeosaurus ended production.  For 15 years until Carnegie dinosaurs appeared in 1989 they ruled Supreme.  Schleich which came out during the 90's were for the most part inferior when they started.  Bullyland didn't come out to the 90"s either.  They were way ahead of their time.  Battat are great but they didn't appear until 1994.  I can't believe you would call the Invicta collection lumps of plastic.  :'   Their sauropod figures alone have more heart then most modern figures.  They are works of art.  It is that simple.  That's my opinion!  And I have nothing at all against the Papo figures.  They are the Greatest of all JP Inspired Dinosaur Figures.

[Seijun]

Everything we collect is technically a lump of plastic 

[stoneage]

Everything we collect is technically a lump of plastic 

I don't believe anything that is well sculpted, no matter what material it is made, is a lump.  By saying it is a lump that's like saying it is crap!

[Lio99]

Everything we collect is technically a lump of plastic 

I don't believe anything that is well sculpted, no matter what material it is made, is a lump.  By saying it is a lump that's like saying it is crap!

a lump of plastic but a heap of painting skills!

[Tylosaurus]

Well to be very honest many are made of compressed rubber or PE aka Polyethylene High quality materials such as these are found in high quality products such as these static models, so please don't refer them as a lump of plastic, since plastic has hardly anything to do with them also

As the paint arts go, these are done with machinery, the more expensive the product, the better the paintjob and also the greater the chance the paint jobs are done by hand or professionals.

Although I have seen some kick@ss custom hand paint jobs here in this very forum incl the old archive and really even they have a much greater factor of detail when it comes to beauty
Everyone here has tallent especially when it comes to customs and man I can learn a lot form your people as that behalf goes and I am thankful to that 

[Gwangi]

Everything we collect is technically a lump of plastic 

I don't believe anything that is well sculpted, no matter what material it is made, is a lump.  By saying it is a lump that's like saying it is crap!

Would a lump of molded plastic polyethylene be less offensive?

[tyrantqueen]

I don't believe anything that is well sculpted, no matter what material it is made, is a lump.  By saying it is a lump that's like saying it is crap!

I don't think that Invicta are "crap". I only said lump of plastic because you were comparing a children's play toy to the USA or UK, and it was a bad comparison to make. That's what they ARE, in comparison. Some people are willing to die for their country. Would you die for a plastic dinosaur toy?

I can see they were sculpted by someone with a considerable amount of skill. Their style of sculpting just does not particularly appeal to me. If you like Invicta, that's fine and dandy. I don't like them, and it is well within my right of free speech to say so. 

please don't refer them as a lump of plastic, since plastic has hardly anything to do with them also

I'll call them whatever I want You are entitled to call Papo, Carnegie or any other company any name under the sun (there are tons of Papo bashers on this forum, I've noticed, but no one complains about that...) because it's your opinion. I refuse to look at the Invicta line through rose tinted glasses, sorry.

Now, can we all be friends again?

Although I have seen some kick@ss custom hand paint jobs here in this very forum incl the old archive and really even they have a much greater factor of detail when it comes to beauty
Everyone here has tallent especially when it comes to customs and man I can learn a lot form your people as that behalf goes and I am thankful to that 

I googled "repainted Invicta" but I couldn't find anything. The only repainted Invicta I have seen that I liked was a Baryonyx, I think it was by Martin Garrett....
I'd be interested in seeing a repainted Invicta...

[Tylosaurus]

Tyrantqueen has some good points there and she never mentioned the word "crap" in neither of her posts, so I am thinking of a communication misunderstanding there Stoneage, People have ways of expressing things, but in ways they don't tend harm to others by such sayings 

No offense there bud And hay it's cool you love Invicta like others love their brands and it's also okay if someone says that he or she does not like what you like, you can do the same for them likewise, that should not be a problem

Brands are just brands and they don't change anything in the way we should love and collect Dino's and similar Prehistoric life forms, we collect these things due to our interests and the impressions they give us, makes us like them to a certain point that we like  to collect them

After all a brand is just some trademark imo, it's the looks of the models that are important, their skin & muscle details and such, they are also important.
Everyone has their own likes and interests, and that should be accepted from all views.

Like Invicta, like Papo like Safari and like many others they all have their beauties and differences, they all have good models and bad ones, so all in all it all comes to the same point if you ask me, no need to make a big fuss about it Every brand has it's ups and downs

[tyrantqueen]

Tyrantqueen has some good points there and she never mentioned the word "crap" in neither of her posts, so I am thinking of a communication misunderstanding there Stoneage, People have ways of expressing things, but in ways they don't tend harm to others by such sayings 

No offense there bud And hay it's cool you love Invicta like others love their brands and it's also okay if someone says that he or she does not like what you like, you can do the same for them likewise, that should not be a problem

Brands are just brands and they don't change anything in the way we should love and collect Dino's and similar Prehistoric life forms, we collect these things due to our interests and the impressions they give us, makes us like them to a certain point that we like  to collect them

After all a brand is just some trademark imo, it's the looks of the models that are important, their skin & muscle details and such, they are also important.
Everyone has their own likes and interests, and that should be accepted from all views.

Like Invicta, like Papo like Safari and like many others they all have their beauties and differences, they all have good models and bad ones, so all in all it all comes to the same point if you ask me, no need to make a big fuss about it Every brand has it's ups and downs

Thanks, I pretty much agree with everything you said. If everyone collected the same thing, it wouldn't be so interesting. 

Stoneage, I am sorry if I offended you by calling Invicta toys "a lump of plastic". However, I still respectfully disagree.