Patrx's Collection (Fauna Prehistorica)

[Patrx]

Yep, the Deinonychus really is fantastic. Occasionally I get the feeling it really should be in a museum rather than my dingy little living room 

Looking back in noticed you have the Kaiyodo Mosasaurus, with the tongue wagging out. Just curious, do you like how it looks, I have been on the fence about this, just curious on your thoughts.

It's not bad! There is a little bit of a retro quality to the overall style, but nothing truly inaccurate as far as I can tell. The pose really makes it stand out despite being such a tiny figure. The forked tongue, in particular is a neat detail - it's a nice way to illustrate the animal's close evolutionary relationship to lizards and snakes. I covered it in a little more detail in my review of the set. Initially, I had thought that the extra teeth on the roof of the mouth had been left out completely, but they are there, just unpainted.

[Gwangi]

That Deinonychus is better than the models in most museums.

[Roselaar]

Lovely Deinonychus! Certainly one of the best models of the species I have ever seen.

[Patrx]

That Deinonychus is better than the models in most museums.

Lovely Deinonychus! Certainly one of the best models of the species I have ever seen.

It's true, Deinonychus seems to be a tricky creature for most sculptors to get right. That's one of the things that drew me to this piece. Actually, it's a problem for dromaeosaurs in general, it seems nobody wants to make them birdlike enough to be anything like the real deal.

Safari has a very bad quality control, seems like when they go through the production process their models get really cheapened. There's a Safari retailer in my area and I couldn't find a single model without faults, and they have plenty of both "Wild Safari" and "Carnagie Collection" lines.

Hm, defects? What sort of issues do you mean? The biggest issue I have with their products is the dulling of claws, teeth, and other points for safety reasons - The original pieces are much, well, sharper, in that regard. But, for the price, there's really nothing to gripe about in my opinion. Sometimes the factory paint's a bit sloppy, but one can always redo that. In any case, thanks to Doug's research, they're generally quite accurate, and that's what counts for me

[Rain]

Wow, what a beauty. It must have cost you a small fortune to get it but it definitely looks like it was worth it. Nice collection btw 

[Patrx]

Wow, what a beauty. It must have cost you a small fortune to get it but it definitely looks like it was worth it. Nice collection btw 

Thanks! Yep, it was pretty steep. I think shipping it to the UK and back is was the most costly bit. Worthwhile, mind!

[Patrx]

Valid complaints, all, particularly regarding the Guanlong - that one has some issues  Also, I like the Carnegie Tylosaurus, but it's old now and lacks a tail fluke. Safari does seem more apt to dull the points on its dinosaurs than other manufacturers are. However, the fact that they're quality sculpts to start with is enough to make them one of my favorite brands. CollectA figures tend to have one or two weird anatomical issues that put me off (although there are exceptions), and while the Battatt sculpts are generally quite good, most of them are decades old.

[Patrx]

Still interested to see Postosuchus and Nasutoceratops in hand, though.

Those two are definitely worthwhile! The Nasutoceratops is probably one of the best-looking plastic dinosaurs I've ever seen, though its paint scheme is a little simplistic.

[Gwangi]

And don't forget the Sauropelta. Another fantastic Safari model. It, along with the Nasutoceratops and Postosuchus are some of my absolute favorite models.

[Patrx]

And don't forget the Sauropelta. Another fantastic Safari model.

Good point, that one may be even more impressive than the Nasutoceratops, particularly in person.

[Patrx]

Even more new stuff!



Pycnonemosaurus nevesi
("Thick forest reptile")
Sculpted and painted by Ademar Pereira Do Nascimento


Tyrannosaurus rex
("Tyrant reptile king")
CollectA


Euoplocephalus tutus
("Protected well-armed head")
Sculpted by Dan LoRusso for Battat Co.


Parasaurolophus walkeri
("Walker's near crested reptile")
Sculpted by Gregory Wenzel for Battat Co.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

That's some happy, happy carnivores! lol

[Patrx]

That's some happy, happy carnivores! lol

Hah, the theropods do have a certain gleeful property to their countenances. The Pycnonemosaurus in particular occasionally catches my eye and makes me laugh 

[Patrx]

Whoah, this thread is in dire need of an update! I've got a lot of stuff here, so I shall spread out the posts over a few days to avoid one giant page of photos in the "Recent Posts" feed.


Deinonychus pair diorama
Sculpted by Jesús Toledo (Jetoar) for PaleoCreatures
A really charming little set depicting life as usual in the early Cretaceous 



Deinocheirus
Sculpted by Doug Watson for Safari, LTD.
The feathering detail on this zany beast is flat-out amazing and, for the purpose of my collection, renders last year's version by CollectA wholly unnecessary.

Not that I don't appreciate a good CollectA figure:


Thalassomedon
CollectA
It's great to see Thalassomedon reconstructed in toy form; it's a favorite of mine, having made an impression on me via the innovative display at the local museum.



Psittacosaurus
Sculpted by Doug Watson for Safari, LTD
As with the other Psittacosaurus in my collection, it's really neat to have scientific information of any kind regarding the color and pattern of an ancient animal - plus, I always like small dinosaurs restored in comparatively larger scale.





Velociraptor
Sculpted by Doug Watson for Safari, LTD.
And finally (for today's update), the first truly excellent figure of Velociraptor ever to hit the shelves. It's been a long wait, but I knew it could be done. Also, this is the only Safari piece that I know of that's cast in two pieces. Observe the seam on the left shoulder.

[Patrx]

Tyrannosaurus rex
Sculpted by Doug Watson for Safari, LTD.
This one gets a lot of photos, because, well, look at it. Is it the best Tyrannosaurus ever cast in plastic? Probably so.

[Daspletotyrannus]

Man I really need to get that Tyrannosaurus. How common is the balance issue? That the only reason I've been holding back.

[Patrx]

Man I really need to get that Tyrannosaurus. How common is the balance issue? That the only reason I've been holding back.

It is pretty cool! My own copy hasn't had trouble standing, but that's not much of a sample size.

[suspsy]

Man I really need to get that Tyrannosaurus. How common is the balance issue? That the only reason I've been holding back.

Mine became wobbly after a few days, but a boiling water treatment fixed that issue.

[Simon]

Tyrannosaurus rex
Sculpted by Doug Watson for Safari, LTD.
This one gets a lot of photos, because, well, look at it. Is it the best Tyrannosaurus ever cast in plastic? Probably so.

*Chuckle*  Some folks might say that it isn't even the best Tyrannosaurus cast in plastic in 2017 ... (which is not a knock on Doug's SUPERB feathered TRex at all) ... its just a way of reminding you about THIS FELLOW that is also cast in plastic:

[Patrx]

Nah, that one doesn't count because it doesn't have feathers