Safari Ltd: New for 2023

[Dilopho]

its not the worst but to me the paint on that kentrosaurus makes it look like an airbushed bootleg of itself

[Gwangi]

It's alright, and although a completely new sculpt would have been preferable it's cool that they're re-releasing an old one. If nothing else it gives you hope that they'll do it again in the future with other retired figures. I have the original green one so I won't get this one. The colors are fun but I never like it when the spikes and plates are painted the same color as the skin. On the original the plates are a different color green than the body and edged in black. The spikes are the same color as the body but tipped in black. It's a really small toy though and if Safari had tried to paint the spikes another color it would possibly end with a lot of runoff. Compromises, I guess. Anyway, always been a fan of this little figure, even with its inaccuracies. I still display mine.

[Jose S.M.]

its not the worst but to me the paint on that kentrosaurus makes it look like an airbushed bootleg of itself

This is how I feel about it. Better application could've made the textures pop better.

[Faelrin]

Folks were right about it. That said I do like the coloration on it. It's not something you see on stegosaurs very often. Kind of odd for them to repaint an older retired figure though. Not the first time it has happened, but I'm left wondering why?

[Dilopho]

its not the worst but to me the paint on that kentrosaurus makes it look like an airbushed bootleg of itself

This is how I feel about it. Better application could've made the textures pop better.

to be clear i mean the application too, not the colour scheme itself. theres nothing to bring out the features and the shoulder spikes in particular look pretty bad
i don't know how big this figure is, i'm assuming it's pretty small..but i've seen small figures done much better.

[Lynx]

In hopes of them not retiring another herbivore, I'll probably grab this one if I ever see it in stores. That said, the coloration is a tad odd, but as with the Utahraptor it could easily just be the promo photos

[Sim]

I think the old version of the Kentrosaurus had better colours but it had worse application than this newer version (a line painted for the mouth on skin that isn't the mouth, the tail tip painted like the spikes).  So I think this new one is an improvement.  On one hand it's cool that Safari has re-released this figure, especially at a time when there is interest in having a Kentrosaurus.  Now there are two stegosaurians in the Wild Safari range again, which is nice.  On the other hand it would have been so good if Safari had corrected the placement of the spikes on this figure.  It's disappointing that in 10 years they haven't corrected their Kentrosaurus and instead only re-released it.  The lack of spikes on the tail end makes me not want this figure.

The possibility of more retired Safari prehistoric figures getting repainted is interesting!  The only one I currently would like is the 2020 Edmontosaurus though which is an extremely recently retired figure so I think it wouldn't get repainted soon.

[Shane]

So there is always a possibility that certain figures might get the chance to shine again through a rerelease or repaint.

This was a fairly rare, mostly fondly remembered figure so it was thought that maybe folks would want another chance to own it.

This can't be done for everything, for example Carnegie is off limits, and the molds have to still be viable to use, as sometimes older molds can deteriorate if not maintained.

Just a note - the shoulder spike will probably be orange in the final release. The current photos are of an early sample (which was all that was available) but the blue accent on the shoulder spike wasn't really working so the final release will likely just be orange.

[Skorpio V.]

I can see where critiques are coming from but before it was rumoured to be rereleased, as Shane said, it was decently sought after and fondly remembered after its discontinuation. If I were one of the people who advocated for the rerelease I'd be punching the air to see the people I'd expect to welcome it back with open arms to be finding the inaccuracies they never looked for prior. I think the comments to the sculpt are valid but in this case unneeded.

[Faelrin]

S @Shane Thanks for the input. I do appreciate Safari did this. It might not be the most accurate, but I did think it was a charming little figure for the time. It's worth picking up for the meantime. The blue and orange is definitely eye catching.

Much better in these pics:







Edit: Some other new releases caught my eyes. The new Axolotl, and the Australian Toob:

[Ludodactylus]

I'm overjoyed to see this. The Safari Kentrosaurus was sitting on my list of "figures I'd love to own if I ever find one at an affordable price" so for it to be rereleased makes things so much simpler for me. Love the bold colors as well!

[crazy8wizard]

The inclusion of the Weta and Tuatara would pair very nicely with the Toyway Leaellynasaura! I've actually been searching for figures of both for my repaint series.

[Pliosaurking]

I never had this figure but I always liked it so I'll be grabbing one!

[bmathison1972]

It's nice to see all the positive feedback, even for a 13 year old re-released sculpt! I have added it to my '2023 to purchase' list (which I was probably going to do anyway LOL).

Curious, is this a Doug Watson sculpt?

[Doug Watson]

It's nice to see all the positive feedback, even for a 13 year old re-released sculpt! I have added it to my '2023 to purchase' list (which I was probably going to do anyway LOL).

Curious, is this a Doug Watson sculpt?

Nope, not mine.

[Gwangi]

Those outdoor photos are really selling it. Even with the older version on my shelf I might buy this repaint too. I'm not normally interested in repaints but it's small and affordable enough.

The sculpt looks like it was done by whoever was doing a lot of Safari figures at that time. The Postosuchus, Allosaurus, and Brachiosaurus etc. Wish we knew who that was, I love most of their sculpts.

[Sim]

The Kentrosaurus looks very good in those outdoor photos!  It makes me wish even more that the spikes were in the right places...  This reminds me of my disappointment when it was confirmed the Battat Stegosaurus wouldn't have two pairs of tail spikes removed.  But now, I have two excellent Stegosaurus figures (the 2019 Safari and the 2021 PNSO adult).  Maybe someone else will make a Kentrosaurus I'll be happy with.  PNSO or Papo perhaps?

[Saarlooswolfhound]

I don't have an issue with them reusing moulds. This one isn't my cup of tea as Shane pointed out its an early production model so it may catch my eye later.

Can't wait to see what else is on the way!

[SidB]

I'll be keeping my old Safari Kentro - we have a bit of mileage together. Prefer the older paint scheme anyways.

[Ikessauro]

Not gonna lie. I am a bit disappointed it isn't a new sculpt, but of the older stuff, this one is a good one to re-release I guess. I like the bold colors, love the fact it is not green with orange/reddish plates. That color scheme for Stegosaurids is overused. That said, the paint job can make it look a bit sloppy, judging from these images. The unpainted nails, the unpainted mouth, plates same color as the skin and lack of some sort of dark(?) wash over it makes it look like cheap knock offs. I think just a dark wash of the right color could make it shine. But paint jobs are easily fixable if you're into custom painting, so not the worst problem.