Safari Ltd - new for 2014

[tyrantqueen]

I think resin is brittle: it's very hard, but lacks any flex, and extreme stress will cause it to shatter.

[amanda]

I have several resin kits that are not "brittle" but can be broken. Although, in some thin areas, yea maybe a little brittle. None would I ever give a child (or adult) to play with, no. But as display items they're fine. I think Bokisaurus has posted pics of some resin Battat figures. I could see issues with a tail or neck, leg etc if they were knocked against something or knocked over. Although, a good hit, like a drop to the floor from high up (a hard floor) will shatter the vulnerable pieces. I guess it depends too on the quality of the materials used in the first place. Either way, not a suitable solution for the toys.

I think that is the thing. These ARE still toys, so have to be made with that in mind. And, the sales have to be profitable or there would be no point for the company, so some compromises do have to be made. It will be interesting to see what the plan is.

[tyrantqueen]

I believe that the reason most toy companies use flexible, soft rubber for their toys is that it won't break apart easily (small pieces could easily injure a child) and we know how most kids are pretty rough with their toys. It does flex a little, which means that over time, it is vulnerable to manipulation by heat and pressure. For example, if you pull on the neck of a sauropod toy that is made of soft plastic, it will stretch and return to its original shape, but if you tried to do that with a resin model, the resin would be immovable, or you would break the resin apart.

If only there was a compromise between the rigidity of resin, but without the warping of the soft plastic that most toy companies use.

[tyrantqueen]

Btw, didn't some of the old Jurassic Park toys have soft rubbery bodies, but the legs and feet were made of a harder plastic? I remember at the least the big red rex was like that...

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Btw, didn't some of the old Jurassic Park toys have soft rubbery bodies, but the legs and feet were made of a harder plastic? I remember at the least the big red rex was like that...

Yep. I think almost all the big dinos with " realistic skin " were made that way.

[KeU]

Btw, didn't some of the old Jurassic Park toys have soft rubbery bodies, but the legs and feet were made of a harder plastic? I remember at the least the big red rex was like that...

My Thrasher T-Rex from the Lost World line was made that way. But her legs still warp. She was made too big and heavy.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Btw, didn't some of the old Jurassic Park toys have soft rubbery bodies, but the legs and feet were made of a harder plastic? I remember at the least the big red rex was like that...

My Thrasher T-Rex from the Lost World line was made that way. But her legs still warp. She was made too big and heavy.

Now the legs on my Thrasher are okay and haven't warped..but it is too front heavy.

[Concavenator]

OK,now I'll tell my  problems with the Carnegie Collection,and I hope those to be fixed:
First,and most important,the tripod pose.The tripod pose spoils some figures.It doesn't fit on other theropod dinosaurs either.If you pose a dinosaur model in atripod pose,you may have trouble putting the tail in a correct position etc.I don't really know what the excuse is when they have models like the (10th) Anniversary Tyrannosaurus and the Albertosaurus in a bipedal pose.It really gets annoying in some models,especially the Concavenator .The tail is (more or less) straight and then it awfully curves down.Very unnatural.
If they don't want to put them in bipedal stance,how about posing them in for example,lying positions,like the CollectA Daspletosaurus?That pose isn't common and it'd make the models be more positively evaluated,given that making a reconstruction accurate in such a pose is difficult.
Pleaase Carnegie fix that.
In the next issue,the sculptor may not have anything to do,but I'll anyways tell:
The paintjob.First,the paint choice is very predictable,and they could apply more exciting or unusual clors to their replicas.I won't say that's bad--it's boring.And then please improve the quality of the paintjob.
A example of those 'errors' combined would be,I think,Carnegie's Concavenator.The quality of the sculpt itself is great just like almost all the Carnegies.But then the awful pose and the poor paintjob kills it.
I'd also like the resculpting proccess was faster,by the way 
Well,tha's it.I hope to be heard.
Despited all these errors,I think the Carnegue Collection is the 2nd best dinosaur brand,after Papo.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Just to reinforce the fact, it is not Carnegie selecting the tripod poses, it is Safari.Carnegie has refused to use oversized feet for their models and so Safari has dictated the tripod stances.The colors and paint patterns are also very likely chosen by Safari, although I am unsure.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

The tripod pose has been essential to please retailers. It's been said they working on an alternative method to stabilize figures if I recall correctly.

The Anniversary Rex also has a bad tail design..the real animals couldn't curve back under itself as a prop like that.

I wouldn't mind sitting or laying poses myself, but it's not an " active " pose which seems to sell better . Most kid's , the primary target group,  like roaring, walking, moving replicas to play with.

The paint job is a two headed problem, it's the issue of who makes the decisions at the company or Carnegie and then the quality of it's application is a problem for the factory in China.

You've mentioned the Concavenator quite a bit..it's really not a bad piece..but it's not outstanding enough and I think that made it a weak introduction this year.

[sepp]

I just got the Suchomimus in the mail today (shamefully the first dinosaur I've bought in a long time...) and I've got to say, he's delightful! I love his squishy looking chubby tail base! Haha. I wish he stood on his two hind feet without assistance from his forearms, but I really do like this one. I'm really happy with the figures Safari has been releasing these past few years!

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I just got the Suchomimus in the mail today (shamefully the first dinosaur I've bought in a long time...) and I've got to say, he's delightful! I love his squishy looking chubby tail base! Haha. I wish he stood on his two hind feet without assistance from his forearms, but I really do like this one. I'm really happy with the figures Safari has been releasing these past few years!

Awesome ! Great to hear some more dinos have found their way to you finally ! lol

I'm kinda hoping I get him for Christmas..been on my list !

[KeU]

Dan released several photos on the Carnegie Tyrannosaurus and the Safari Pachyrhinosaurus on Facebook.
I am bothered by the overall lack of texture on the Tyrannosaurus.
It has smooth skin...
I really hope it is just the photos' poor resolution.

[Takama]

Full Walkaround of the Suchomimus

[tyrantqueen]

Dan released several photos on the Carnegie Tyrannosaurus and the Safari Pachyrhinosaurus on Facebook.
I am bothered by the overall lack of texture on the Tyrannosaurus.
It has smooth skin...
I really hope it is just the photos' poor resolution.

Filched from Dan's FB.

[Dan]

Having seen all of the Safari 2014 pieces in person, it looks like they resemble their stock photos pretty closely. Most of the differences are negligible, paint application for example, which can be easily corrected. The new anniversary T.rex is excellent, with beautiful proportions, and at 1:40 can stand right next to the older versions. I especially like the head, which clearly demonstrates the amount of research and careful study that went into its design.

I also like the Pachyrhinosaurus, which is absolutely cram-packed with surface textures, and the high-contrast paint really makes it pop. You can see how this animal had one of the most interesting skulls, even among ceratopsians.

[tyrantqueen]

Regarding the Tyrannosaurus rex, how big it is compared to the Anniversary version?

[Dan]

Well, every Carnegie Rex after the original is sort of considered an "anniversary" edition, so I'm not sure what you mean. They're all the same scale, so they're the same size.

[alexeratops]

Wow, nice Rex and Pachyrhino! T rex skin is so smooth.
Pics of the Monolophosaurus? Please?

[tyrantqueen]

Well, every Carnegie Rex after the original is sort of considered an "anniversary" edition, so I'm not sure what you mean. They're all the same scale, so they're the same size.

I was referring to its brown predecessor. Which, btw, is not 1/40 at all, but 1/35. Hence my question.