PNSO - New for 2024

[Sim]

I still think ornithomimosaurs are poorly represented overall, unless they are Deinocheirus. I agree that they're better off than troodontids, though.

I agree with all of this!

In addition to the ones you mentioned there is the Geoworld Troodon which isn't too bad (even if it is a ripoff of someone's artwork) and the WWD minifigure by Vivid, although I personally don't like that one.

Yeah, I don't consider those good.  The Geoworld is poor quality as usual for their toys, lacks dewclaws and has an unfeathered underside of the tail.  The WWD lacks pupils, is contorted into a weird shape and its head doesn't look like any troodontid skull I'm aware of.

There's also the 3D printed Stenonychosaurus that was available on the Wild Past website, which is significantly better than all the above. I'm aware that not everyone is into 3D prints though (and anyway it's sold out now, go figure  . I think I actually bought the last one.)

It's not a toy and is unpainted, so it's not for me.  There's still a need for a good troodontid toy!

[Turkeysaurus]

3d prints aren't toy?

[Sim]

Well, I guess a 3D printed figure can be a toy, but the type Elengassen referred to aren't.

[Elengassen]

I think someone commented in another thread that whether or not something is a toy depends on how you use it
Although obviously I concur that they're not intended as toys.

[GojiraGuy1954]

Regarding Gallimimus, it was once disclosed that there was reluctance to make it and Coelophysis due to how thin the animals are.  However, Coelophysis and Gallimimus have subsequently been made without having structural problems, so it appears that concern about thinness has been overcome.  I also remember Anthony Beeson of CollectA saying he prefers Struthiomimus being made to Gallimimus which is why they made that genus and not G.  I too am surprised there isn't a good Gallimimus figure though.
As for which groups are the leas represented, if you look at ornithomimosaurs as a whole, their representation is better than one might expect.  If you limit it to ornithomimids, then there's only two good figures by my count, the CollectA Horseshoe Canyon Struthiomimus and the Kaiyodo Struthiomimus sedens (labelled Ornithomimus).  These two Struthiomimus figures represent different species for those interested in that...  Troodontids have less satisfactory representation in my opinion, the only good figures of them being an action figure of a juvenile and the sleeping PNSO Mei.  I hate this, I wish there was a good "standard" troodontid figure.  I do think it would be good to have more satisfactory ornithomimosaur figures too though.

I still think ornithomimosaurs are poorly represented overall, unless they are Deinocheirus. I agree that they're better off than troodontids, though.

In addition to the ones you mentioned there is the Geoworld Troodon which isn't too bad (even if it is a ripoff of someone's artwork) and the WWD minifigure by Vivid, although I personally don't like that one.

There's also the 3D printed Stenonychosaurus that was available on the Wild Past website, which is significantly better than all the above. I'm aware that not everyone is into 3D prints though (and anyway it's sold out now, go figure  . I think I actually bought the last one.)

How does a 3D print sell out? Isn't it a file??

[stargatedalek]

They were selling physical prints and only made so many ahead of time, rather than printing them on demand.

[Daspletodave]

It's quite simple. Size and scale are why certain groups of Dinosaurs aren't made into models much.

The exceptions being Pachycephalosaurus, Dinocheirus etc are exceptions because they're big enough to make into figures that are between 1:25-1:35.

Gallimimus was quite big though so I'm surprised there aren't more models of it.

You hit the nail on the head. That is exactly why certain dinosaurs are never made. And carnivores get made way more often than herbivores - hence there is no shortage of raptor dinosaurs. Prosauropods surprisingly are rarely made. Herrerasaurus has strangely been ignored. Deinocheirus is the only ornithomimid that ever gets made, though it hardly has the classis body plan of a speedy ostrich mimic. I think Carnegie made the only good Oviraptor. Small dinosaurs like Troodon, Lesothosaurus, Heterodontosaurus, Stegoceras, and Hypsilophodon deserve to have figures but probably never will because the toy companies aren't in it to educate consumers with a wide range of different types of dinosaurs when they can make the same theropod (PNSO) over and over again and just slightly change the pose or the head, give it a new name, and it sells!

[Turkeysaurus]

I think  they get ignored because they look boring for casual dinosaur fans.

They are not giants, they look like modern ostrich , cassowary etc. They don't have horns, spikes , big teeth & claws for marketing.

I think that's why Gallimimus has forgotten in time despite being in an iconic scene in Jurassic Park.

[crazy8wizard]

They are not giants, they look like modern ostrich , cassowary etc. They don't have horns, spikes , big teeth & claws for marketing.

That's the weird thing though, Gallimimus is really big and Ornithomimids also do have really long sharp claws. I think the reason they get neglected is because it's a little hard to differentiate them unless the company making them has a consistent scale and wildly different colors for each figure like Creative Beast

[Elengassen]

Small dinosaurs like Troodon, Lesothosaurus, Heterodontosaurus, Stegoceras, and Hypsilophodon deserve to have figures but probably never will because the toy companies aren't in it to educate consumers with a wide range of different types of dinosaurs when they can make the same theropod (PNSO) over and over again and just slightly change the pose or the head, give it a new name, and it sells!

I agree with this, although I can't really blame the companies. As a small business owner myself I am aware of the need to remain financially viable and make a living. I think we do get a pretty decent range of different dinosaur groups from PNSO and others, all things considered (although non-dinosaurs might be another story  ).

This is the reason why I don't mind going for 3D prints. They are usually fairly affordable for small species in the 1:35 scale range, and they fill a niche in the market that it's not really plausible for PVC figures to fill. The only downside is that you have to either paint them yourself or pay someone to do it. Fortunately, I quite enjoy doing the former 

(Also, none of this is to say that I wouldn't welcome more underrepresented species from toy companies. I think collectors need to vote with our wallets if we want this to happen though  .)

[Sim]

I think people are getting too concerned about species not selling well.  First, dromaeosaurids.  I've already explained why I think they sell well, but I will add Velociraptor is the third-most-often reviewed genus on the Dinosaur Toy Blog.  One dromaeosaurid also frequently is present in prehistoric animal figure series.  They have large claws and are often requested to be made.  I even know of people outside the prehistoric animal community having Deinonychus as their favourite dinosaur or Utahraptor (this one is J K Rowling's child's favourite dinosaur).  Austroraptor and Utahraptor are very large too, larger than some ceratopsids as well.  I think companies can be afraid of making them due to worrying about how they will be received, but when they do make them it tends to be a success.

Yes, Gallimimus is big and ornithomimids have big claws, I think a good figure of it would sell well, we just need someone to make it!  I also think that "Troodon"/Stenonychosaurus is large enough to have a good chance of being made, now that "Latenivenatrix" has been found to be a synonym of it.

[Sim]

I thought there was something I wanted to add...  Where do we draw the line of what sells well?  Safari has said ceratopsians don't sell well for them, yet they made so many, although most are now retired.  But Haolonggood is making lots, so... do they sell well only sometimes?  Safari retired their Kentrosaurus, but have now re-released it.  Does that mean it didn't sell well enough, or that it does sell well enough to release once again?  If dromaeosaurids are considered to not sell well because Safari retired their Microraptor, what about Safari retiring their Qianzhousaurus?  Does that mean tyrannosauroids don't sell well?  And what about hadrosaurids?  They tend to lack impressive qualities, does that make them poor sellers?

[thomasw100]

I think people are getting too concerned about species not selling well.  First, dromaeosaurids.  I've already explained why I think they sell well, but I will add Velociraptor is the third-most-often reviewed genus on the Dinosaur Toy Blog.  One dromaeosaurid also frequently is present in prehistoric animal figure series.  They have large claws and are often requested to be made.  I even know of people outside the prehistoric animal community having Deinonychus as their favourite dinosaur or Utahraptor (this one is J K Rowling's child's favourite dinosaur).  Austroraptor and Utahraptor are very large too, larger than some ceratopsids as well.  I think companies can be afraid of making them due to worrying about how they will be received, but when they do make them it tends to be a success.

Yes, Gallimimus is big and ornithomimids have big claws, I think a good figure of it would sell well, we just need someone to make it!  I also think that "Troodon"/Stenonychosaurus is large enough to have a good chance of being made, now that "Latenivenatrix" has been found to be a synonym of it.

I think that PNSO would have the capacity to make excellent figures of Utahraptor, Austroraptor and Gallimimus, maybe also another genus of therizinosaurs like Segnosaurus or Erlikosaurus. They have demonstrated that they are capable of making excellent and crisp sculpts of feathered dinosaurs. They do also have (access to) the high precision molding machines and the right recipe of PVC that you need to bring the intricate textures of feathers really out.

[Turkeysaurus]

They are not giants, they look like modern ostrich , cassowary etc. They don't have horns, spikes , big teeth & claws for marketing.

That's the weird thing though, Gallimimus is really big and Ornithomimids also do have really long sharp claws. I think the reason they get neglected is because it's a little hard to differentiate them unless the company making them has a consistent scale and wildly different colors for each figure like Creative Beast

They not big compared to most peoples expections from dinosaurs. They look like ostriches with long tails.

They don't have "cool" or "strange" factor that attracts people.

At least that's how i explain lack of Gallimimus toys despite being one of the most known dinosaurs.

[Turkeysaurus]

I got Therizinosaurus yesterday. Even with most plain colors it still looks incredible. Gallimimus , Utahraptor , Nanuqsaurus better be in their upcoming projects. A new yutyrannus as well.

Why wait until other companies reach their level? Haolonggood took advantage of lack of 1/35 Sauropods. PNSO didn't do that for lack of great feathered dinosaurs, despite they are proven to be able to.

[crazy8wizard]

They are not giants, they look like modern ostrich , cassowary etc. They don't have horns, spikes , big teeth & claws for marketing.

That's the weird thing though, Gallimimus is really big and Ornithomimids also do have really long sharp claws. I think the reason they get neglected is because it's a little hard to differentiate them unless the company making them has a consistent scale and wildly different colors for each figure like Creative Beast

They not big compared to most peoples expections from dinosaurs. They look like ostriches with long tails.

They don't have "cool" or "strange" factor that attracts people.

At least that's how i explain lack of Gallimimus toys despite being one of the most known dinosaurs.

There are gallimimus toys, I think another part of the problem is the ultra high expectations for perfection that a lot of collectors have. Plenty exist, they just aren't up to the same level of rigor that us collectors have seen in droves lately with the likes of PNSO and Haolonggood

[Sim]

There isn't "ultra high expectations for perfection" for Gallimimus toys, the only options have incorrect integument, bizarre and unsightly upside-down hands (Schleich), or are a very old toy that has become sticky.  There are literally no good figures of Gallimimus.  Are you seriously suggesting people should settle for one of these?

While on the topic of ornithomimosaurs, Safari has retired their Deinocheirus, but I notice CollectA has their two more recent ones as well as their Beishanlong and Strutiomimus still available.  So they might not be as poor sellers as one might think, it might just be that the Safari Deinocheirus was made too small to be popular.

On the subject of large feathered dinosaurs, I wonder if Gigantoraptor would sell well.  It's a giant and an impressive dinosaur.  And regarding the claim that the only good Oviraptor is by Carnegie, the Kaiyodo and Colorata versions are even better than it in my opinion.  I was harsh on Colorata's feathered dinosaur set, but I've changed my mind on them, I now think it's a great set!  The pennaraptorans might have more of their fingers exposed than some might like, but for the most part I think it's still plausible, since the feathers do seem to cover some of the long fingers of the animals.

[crazy8wizard]

See this is what I'm saying. If your expectation is that the anatomy has to be to a specific level of accuracy and that it has to be the right texture, that's a level of expectations. You don't have to like them personally but it is entirely up to you. Sure, it's annoying that there aren't figures that aren't up to expectations of some, but at the end of the day the expectations of what people do and do not like is up to them.

[Sim]

Not quite.  You said there's "ultra high expectations for perfection" which I don't believe is the case.  There's simply desire for a Gallimimus figure that does a good job at looking like the animal as we understand it.  A Gallimimus being covered in scales instead of feathers is something major.  So is giving it upside-down hands.  The impression I'm getting from you is you don't have standards for prehistoric animal figures?  If you are satisfied with these Gallimimus figures, that's fine, but it's not fair to call it a problem that others aren't satisfied with these objectively poor representations of the animal.  And I haven't even commented on that old sticky Gallimimus toy.  I wonder if you think people should be satisfied with it too.

[Gwangi]

I have four Mattel Gallimimus toys and an old Jasman Gallimimus and I still want a scientifically accurate one.