Remko's collection and customs - * Updated August 6th 2023 *

[Remko]

In this thread I will display my collection and eventually my customs.

Although I have quite a few dino (and prehistoric animal) toys, I don't have any photo's of them yet. But this will be remedied soon enough! 

My main interest is marine reptiles, Pliosaurs, Plesiosaurs, Mosasaurs and Ichtyosaurs. I just received the Carnegie Kronosaurus and Tylosaurus yesterday. I already have the Invicta Liopleurodon and Ichtyosaurus, as well as the Schleich Kronosaurus and Elasmosaurus.

I'm currenty looking for the Schleich Shonisaurus, and have a few possible shops I can get it from. But as everybody knows, the Schleich Shonisaurus is not representative of the latest scientific evidence. Therefore I have decided to try and improve it.

My thought is as follows: cut it in half between the front and rear flippers. Make the body longer using somekind of tube (hoping that the model isn't solid on the inside) and adding an outer layer of putty to fil up the gap. Cut away the backfin, and sand it down. Possibly improve the tail as well. After that just a new coat of paint, and you'll have an excellent Shonisaurus (or even Shastasaurus) toy!

Any thoughts on this?

Also, is the Horizon Elasmosaur kit worth adding to a collection? Looks pretty good in my opinion, and they run reasonably cheap on ebay.

[tyrantqueen]

In this thread I will dislay my collection and eventually my customs.

Although I have quite a few dino (and prehistoric animal) toys, I don't have any photo's of them yet. But this will be remedied soon enough! 

My main interest is marine reptiles, Pliosaurs, Plesiosaurs, Mosasaurs and Ichtyosaurs. I just received the Carnegie Kronosaurus and Tylosaurus yesterday. I already have the Invicta Liopleurodon and Ichtyosaurus, as well as the Schleich Kronosaurus and Elasmosaurus.

I'm currenty looking for the Schleich Shonisaurus, and have a few possible shops I can get it from. But as everybody knows, the Schleich Shonisaurus is not representative of the latest scientific evidence. Therefore I have decided to try and improve it.

My thought is as follows: cut it in half between the front and rear flippers. Make the body longer using somekind of tube (hoping that the model isn't solid on the inside) and adding an outer layer of putty to fil up the gap. Cut away the backfin, and sand it down. Possibly improve the tail as well. After that just a new coat of paint, and you'll have an excellent Shonisaurus (or even Shastasaurus) toy!

Any thoughts on this?

Also, is the Horizon Elasmosaur kit worth adding to a collection? Looks pretty good in my opinion, and they run reasonably cheap on ebay.

The cheap ones you see for sale on eBay are recasts, which are poor quality illegal bootlegs made by asian recasters.

The real kit is good, although very outdated (with the swan neck)

[therizinosaurus]

(hoping that the model isn't solid on the inside)

It's solid, the figure is very heavy.

[Remko]

(hoping that the model isn't solid on the inside)

It's solid, the figure is very heavy.

I was afraid of that... No matter. I've got a good drill. I'll just hollow it up enough to insert the tube.
Might need to get two if I can... If the project fails, I would have at least have an original one in the collection.

[Remko]

First pictures of my collection (Extinct animals).

First of, the Invicta collection. There's a shop in Holland which has a couple of them around, so I'll try to collect them all.



My Pterosaurs, not all of them, as I also have a few of the Jurassic Park Pteranodons. I know the Quetzalcoutlus toy on the left is from DinoRiders, but I always wanted to own one of those. Together with the Kentrosaurus.



My biggest love, the Marine reptiles. The small plesiosaur with curved neck (looking over it's shoulder) is from Bullyland. The rest should be quite familiar. I actually have another of those small ichtyosaurs, and might use one or two to customize into Mixosaurus. They came (just like the small Elasmosaurs and Tylosaurus) with a Panini collectible sticker book. Despite their small size, some of the animals are actually quite accurate. The Carnegie Kronosaurus and Tylosaurus are my most recent additions. I'm considering using the plastic bases as a display stand by painting them and gluing them on a small underwater diorama.



Last one of the extinct animals for today, an Uintatherium from a (to me) unknown brand. Side just says "Made in Hong Kong". It's also very old.

[Roselaar]

Good stuff! Always nice to see a fellow Dutch collector.

Interesting to hear about a shop still selling Invictas. Is it a second hand store or something?

The Uinthatherium may be a Marx rip-off. It came in various sets of 11 figures, along with several more of those, in the early nineties.

[sauroid]

or it could be a Jaru/Jaru copy (tho im not sure if the Jaru Uintatherium is a copy of the Marx model)

[Jetoar]

Wonderful figures friend  .

[Remko]

It's been a while since I posted any of my collection here. And there wasn't much to post anyway. But after reading a lot of reviews at the DinoToy Blog the past two months or so, I expanded my collection considerabley.
I'm especially fond of ceratopsidae, and they no make up the bulk of my collection.

But I'm also collecting the many dinosaur figures available ftom Shapeways. These are often extremely accurate and proportioned. They are also very expensive, about three to four times the price of a similar sized regular toy. So I stick to the smaller ones for now. Until I win the lottery or something...

I will start with the Shapeways figures. From left to right, Cryolophosaurus (2×), Concavenator and Achillobator. In the foreground is Dilophosaurus. All are app. 1/32nd to 1/35th scale.



Next is a Dsungaripterus facing of a Linheraptor. Both in 1/6th scale.


My pair of Baryonyx.


And a Mosasaurus, compared to the Schleich Kronosaurus.


All of these need to be painted of course.
And more are in the way. I currently have two different Europasaurus and Centrosaurus figures as well as a Pentaceratops and a Quetzalcoatlus on order.

[Remko]

Like I said, I also have a good sized collection of normal toys. But because I have just restarted collecting I had somewhat catching up to do. 

Here's the first batch I got a whole ago. Mainly Collecta ceratopsians as well as a few others.



Second batch (most of them), came in yesterday and today. I had no idea there were that many different ceratopsian toys available! And I have to say, the Collecta and Papo versions are nice, but Safari blows them away. These are amazing sculpts!
I really hope Safari will produce Utahceratops, Kosmoceratops, Xenoceratops, Mercuriceratops, Medusaceratops and Achelousaurus as well someday. I know we'll be getting Styracosaurus and I'm really looking forward to that beauty!

And why two of the 2018 Safari Triceratops? One is getting a repaint and some customizing.



My collection also lacked Sauropods. I'd love the Battat Diplodocus, but that one is too expensive for me. I still need a Giraffatitan, and am considering the Tamiya kit.
I had my doubts on the Malawisaurus, but that thing is crazy. Such a weird animal. And the blue Diplodocus is beautiful, even though the rear legs are a bit in the "I really need to poop" position. 



My two Ankylosaurs. Polacanthus from Papo and Sauropelta from Safari. I'd love an Edmontonia someday, but haven't found a nice toy yet.



Last but not least, two of my favourite dinosaurs. Shantungosaurus giganteus from PNSO and Einiosaurus procurvicornis from Collecta. According to my measurements both figures are in app. the same scale of 1/35th. Einiosaurus being not much larger than a small rhino. But that hadrosaur is massive!

Here they are out and about on the edge of lake.





I have a few more figures on the way and will post photo's when they arrive.
Now I need to figure out where to put all these beauties!

[Remko]

I almost forgot. My two Stegosaur figures (aside from the Invicta Stegosaurus): The exquisite Miragia from Safari and the tiny Gigantspinosaurus from Collecta. The latter really need a bigger figure!



And sometimes you wonder where companys get their inspiration for the pose of their figures.
Well, the Torosaurus from Schleich was very familiar to me. It's dead on for this image from the old book "Let's draw dinosaurs". Which features a lot of Gregory S. Paul art not often seen in other publications by the way.
Still available from Amazon if anyone's interested:

https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Draw-Dinosaurs-Pterodactyls-Other/dp/185471354X

[tyrantqueen]

Actually that artwork is based on this Torosaurus by John Sibbick- I guess the artist just copied his work It was a fairly common thing for artists to swipe each other's work in the eighties and nineties.

[CityRaptor]

Not to mention that the shown artwork does not even look like GSP's art.

[Remko]

Not to mention that the shown artwork does not even look like GSP's art.

Ah, I see. This particular drawing wasn't GSP's, but others are. Sorry for not being accurate. I should have written that the book also featured lots of GSP's artwork. 

[Remko]

Actually that artwork is based on this Torosaurus by John Sibbick- I guess the artist just copied his work It was a fairly common thing for artists to swipe each other's work in the eighties and nineties.

I disagree. It's very similar, that's for sure. And the drawing in my book is likely based upon the John Sibbick painting, but there are differences. The head is held more flat, mouth closed and the right foreleg is lifted from the ground as in mid stride.
I'm pretty sure the Schleich toy is based on the aforemetioned drawing. It mimics it exactly, except for the brow horns.

Is that drawing from Dougal Dixon's "The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric Creatures"?

[Remko]

And now for something completely different...

As a kid I had a lot of the well known large dinosaur toys. You know, the ones Chalie is playing with in Jurassic Park 3.

But there was one I always wanted, but never got. The Tyrannosaurus rex! I finally got my hands on one a while ago. Not very cheap (€ 15 euro's), but totally worth it.
Also nice, the forearms are pretty accurate. Palms face each other instead of the normal "bunnyhands".

I have to admit that this is only my fourth T. rex. The others being the big red one and dino-damage junior T. rex from the original Kenner Jurassic Park toy line, and the tiny metal Jurassic Park statue. Might have to get a more modern and accurate toy or figure soon.

[Jose S.M.]

You have a really nice collection, lots of ceratopsians, that's my thing 

[Halichoeres]

Nice collection! Good to see a collection thread revived after such a long hiatus...

[Remko]

Update to my collection. I received the beautiful (but YUGE!) PNSO Triceratops last week. This is app. 1/20th scale. Only downside is the weight. It's hollow and feels "toyish" when handling. But other than that, beautiful figure.



Compared to the Safari-Carnegie Miragaia.



And with a couple of my other 1/20th scale animals. Collecta Styracosaurus, Daeodon and Megaceros.

[ceratopsian]

It is indeed a beautiful figure.  The upside of it being hollow and light is that it made shipping cheaper when I bought it!