Dr Steve from Geoworld

[SBell]

I have all of the Dinosaurs.  And I think that not enough people give this line a chance. There are so many interesting species to choose from, eve an small ones that other company's are afraid to produce.

Bring this line into your shop, I love this line, and im sure others will too.

And here's Takama's review of the Velociraptor from this line.
http://dinotoyblog.com/2014/02/19/velociraptor-jurassic-hunters-by-geoworld/

I added a note to the review because I had some concerns about whether the line is really "palaeontologist approved" or not.

I think the palaeontologist involved, "Dr. Steve" now, is a legit scientist, but I don't think vertebrates of any kind are really his thing. So while the statement is technically true, that doesn't necessarily mean it's valuable.

I have several in my store--I picked and chose based on species or style. Some are interesting. Most of the ceratopsians are poor or generic. But the company is in a constant state of flux--I think (and I could be wrong) that they are currently into their third or even fourth management/distribution team in North America. This rarely bodes well for a company.

I would also agree that, with the exception of their big T.rex skeletons, which are very poorly made, their skeletons and dig kits are generally well done.

And I can ship worldwide Ikessauro, just saying.

[DinoToyForum]

I have all of the Dinosaurs.  And I think that not enough people give this line a chance. There are so many interesting species to choose from, eve an small ones that other company's are afraid to produce.

Bring this line into your shop, I love this line, and im sure others will too.

And here's Takama's review of the Velociraptor from this line.
http://dinotoyblog.com/2014/02/19/velociraptor-jurassic-hunters-by-geoworld/

I added a note to the review because I had some concerns about whether the line is really "palaeontologist approved" or not.

I think the palaeontologist involved, "Dr. Steve" now, is a legit scientist, but I don't think vertebrates of any kind are really his thing. So while the statement is technically true, that doesn't necessarily mean it's valuable.

Dr. Stefano Piccini: http://www.drstevehunters.com/en/about. I searched for some of his work but couldn't come up with any of the goods. I'm not saying he isn't a legit scientist, only that I couldn't satisfy my curiosity about his credentials. He seems more of a cartoon character than a real person.

[stoneage]

   I'm not a paleontologist but I have to be more then a little skepticle of an expert who claims to find a Jurassic T-rex egg.

http://www.drstevehunters.com/en/adventure

So much for education!

[CityRaptor]

How can you question him? He has a Dino-ploma!
http://www.drstevehunters.com/en/adventure/category/it-all-started-at-the-age-of-six

He also uses highly scientific references!
http://www.drstevehunters.com/en/geoworld/detail/geoworld-group

Fun aside, there are some good Geoworld products, I have some myself, but those are generally fossils, not life restorations.

[Gwangi]

I think Deanm Summed it best when stated go by what your business model demands. I myself enjoy some of these figures and find it silly people spend so much wrath against them but will turn around and purchase a Chaos effect Jurassic Park or Battle damage Raptor, etc. Consider many of the lines that are regularly collected within the forum, wether Definitely Dinos, Dino-Riders, and so many others that are just as poorly designed and inaccurate. I do however wish the Geo_world line would drop any pretense, as Gwangi mentioned, of being Paleo anything approved. I view the line as caricatures of the actual species and for the price, they are somewhat amusing.A dinosaur figure does not have to be perfect to be enjoyed, collected or loved by a child, but it does have to be availible to them.

I get what you're saying but I feel obligated to point out that those of us who collect "Jurassic Park" toys, "Dino-riders", "Definitely Dinos" and the like typically do so for nostalgic reasons. Those are the toys we grew up with and in the case of JP or "Dino-riders" typically based on a source material that we grew up with and loved. That is why I collect JP and Tyco toys, the nostalgia. Certainly not because of any kind of accuracy or quality.  I just felt the need to clarify because I know you belong to a different generation than most of us so they certainly wouldn't have the same nostalgic value for you as say the Marx toys or something from earlier generations might.

[CityRaptor]

That is certainly true. Nostalgia plays a factor in what we collect aswell. I also would say that Dino Riders and a lot Jurassic Park figures were actually quite well done for the time.  Something that can't be said about Geoworld, who also have a poorer quality compared to them.

[stargatedalek]

with the case of Jurassic Park I'd say it goes slightly beyond nostalgia, in that they have a broader range of appeal, not just as dinosaur figurines, but as dinosaur figures meant to tie in with a franchise I'm sure many of us are fond of
there is of course nostalgia involved, but as film tie ins they have a yet broader appeal on top of that

[CityRaptor]

Same with Godzilla Figures, which also include a range of Dinosaurs.  Most of those however do not claim to be accurate.

[Gwangi]

That is certainly true. Nostalgia plays a factor in what we collect aswell. I also would say that Dino Riders and a lot Jurassic Park figures were actually quite well done for the time.  Something that can't be said about Geoworld, who also have a poorer quality compared to them.

Agreed. They also appeal to people that don't just collect dinosaur models. Collectors of movie or television memorabilia, action figures etc. can find these toys worth collecting. The main difference between say these and the Geoworld model is that the former really are just toys. They do not claim accuracy or even strive for it, they are not simply models to be displayed but also toys to be played with. Geoworld claims accuracy and fails, often terribly. The Geoworld models want to be like Safari, Papo or CollectA. Geoworld wants to be collectable and yet the models they produce often look like cheap toys. Since many of their bipedal dinosaurs are stuck on bases (are they removable?) even the playability is limited so they kind of fail at being a collectable model or a toy to be played with. Of course some collectors see their appeal, some people like the quantity over quality business model. There is a colorful and diverse selection but with so many more misses than hits I cannot really see them being worth the effort to collect them. I might end up with a few some day but I'll certainly never be a completest.

[Roselaar]

I would welcome GeoWorld into ED's stock (as it would be my first source for these figures), though I must admit, I would definitely not buy them all. It's hit and miss with this line, but there's plenty of models I deem good enough to purchase. And with a little luck quality and accuracy will prove on the rise for this line, as they were with Collecta.

Favorite and Mojo would also be great additions to ED's stock. But let's keep it one additional line at a time.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Just to clarify...when I mentioned the Jurassic park figures I purposely chose the Battle damage line and Chaos effect figures for my point because I too agree the original figures did provide a tangible accuracy for their time, and I did not wish to mistate the case.


I do disagree with the idea dino riders or definitely dinosaur figures were or are accurate for their time. The ones I am familiar with at least are ar from accurate by any measure.I fail to see how they are any better than Geoworld for any reason.

I do understand the concept of nostalgia for its own sake. I by admission collect Generation one Transformers, including the dinobots and the cassette tapes (slugest and overkill)that were dinosaurs, which noone has really mentioned yet. None of those could be said to be accurate however they are a nostalgia thing for me.


There are so many badly done figures out there that people regularly collect, that I really do not think Geoworlds deserves any special notice. They are really not any better or worse than a dozen other lines that are out there.

[Gwangi]

Just to clarify...when I mentioned the Jurassic park figures I purposely chose the Battle damage line and Chaos effect figures for my point because I too agree the original figures did provide a tangible accuracy for their time, and I did not wish to mistate the case.


I do disagree with the idea dino riders or definitely dinosaur figures were or are accurate for their time. The ones I am familiar with at least are ar from accurate by any measure.I fail to see how they are any better than Geoworld for any reason.

I do understand the concept of nostalgia for its own sake. I by admission collect Generation one Transformers, including the dinobots and the cassette tapes (slugest and overkill)that were dinosaurs, which noone has really mentioned yet. None of those could be said to be accurate however they are a nostalgia thing for me.


There are so many badly done figures out there that people regularly collect, that I really do not think Geoworlds deserves any special notice. They are really not any better or worse than a dozen other lines that are out there.

Some of the "Dino-riders" toys were quite accurate for the time. So much so that The Smithsonian started marketing the dinosaurs as their own museum line (dinosaurs only, no weapons or anything).

A few examples of some of the better models...

Kentrosaurus


Protoceratops


Edmontonia


As for the  "Definitely Dinosaur" line, yeah they were certainly geared more towards younger kids. They were put out by Playskool after all. Some weren't that bad though, I loved the Parasaurolophus when I was a kid. That said, I don't collect them.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

I guess the garish seam lines and obvious leg joints for the Dino-riders for me at least preclude much suggestion of accuracy however I can see why the Kentrosaurus might be considered accurate. Flip side the protoceratops, which to me looks very far off, although I cannot state for certain when the dinosaur began to be presented as more slender, with a longer tail, l and of course the jugals and feet are entirely wrong. The frill lacks any fenestrae, although they are known from as far back as psittacosaurus at least. The edmontia is hard to see in the image but looks good. I once had the large sauropod from the line in my hand and noticed many of the old school ways it was made as well.
  That parasaur from definitely dinos might be the high point of the entire line. I think I own two from that set, the psittacosaurus and the other ceratopsian....think it might be a microceratops or leptoceratops.

[SBell]

I guess the garish seam lines and obvious leg joints for the Dino-riders for me at least preclude much suggestion of accuracy however I can see why the Kentrosaurus might be considered accurate. Flip side the protoceratops, which to me looks very far off, although I cannot state for certain when the dinosaur began to be presented as more slender, with a longer tail, l and of course the jugals and feet are entirely wrong. The frill lacks any fenestrae, although they are known from as far back as psittacosaurus at least. The edmontia is hard to see in the image but looks good. I once had the large sauropod from the line in my hand and noticed many of the old school ways it was made as well.
  That parasaur from definitely dinos might be the high point of the entire line. I think I own two from that set, the psittacosaurus and the other ceratopsian....think it might be a microceratops or leptoceratops.

I think the Placerias may be one of the DR weakest points--but their mammals were fairly good (with mega-pig being the highlight).

[Gwangi]

I guess the garish seam lines and obvious leg joints for the Dino-riders for me at least preclude much suggestion of accuracy however I can see why the Kentrosaurus might be considered accurate. Flip side the protoceratops, which to me looks very far off, although I cannot state for certain when the dinosaur began to be presented as more slender, with a longer tail, l and of course the jugals and feet are entirely wrong. The frill lacks any fenestrae, although they are known from as far back as psittacosaurus at least. The edmontia is hard to see in the image but looks good. I once had the large sauropod from the line in my hand and noticed many of the old school ways it was made as well.
  That parasaur from definitely dinos might be the high point of the entire line. I think I own two from that set, the psittacosaurus and the other ceratopsian....think it might be a microceratops or leptoceratops.

They certainly aren't flawless but you have to consider that these were toys from the late 80's that tied into a Saturday morning cartoon (like Transformers). Where dinosaur toys are concerned this is the same time period the Carnegie collection was first launched and the Invicta models were probably the best you could get. Taken in context, the Tyco dinosaurs were really much better than they should have been. Hell, they even had a feathered Struthiomimus!

As for Protoceratops, I still prefer the Tyco one over the Geoworld version.

[tyrantqueen]

That Protoceratops was actually heavily swiped from a sculpture on DeviantART, by Red-Dilopho



Stay classy, Geoworld

[Patrx]

Good grief. It's like they just Google the name of a taxon and copy the first manageable-looking image that pops up.

[Everything_Dinosaur]

We really appreciate all the comments and views expressed over the Geoworld product range and their Jurassic Hunters models, the feedback is greatly appreciated.

[DC]

I have a Jstor account and looked for papers attributed to Dr. Steve.  I found a paper that credited him for access to his fossil collection.  My impression was that the authors were uncomfortable with the idea that he made "money" selling fossils rather than be just being an academic.  He is well spoken of by his peers in the toy business.  He was involved with the Salvat some years back so has experience in the figure market in addition to the fossils.  I do not believe he personally reviews all the figures in detail but has employed another paleontologist from a museum in Italy to do the bulk of the work detailing the figures.  My personal impression of GeoWorld is that when Dr. Steve is doing the work it is well done, not all his employees are motivated to his level.     

[DinoToyForum]

I have a Jstor account and looked for papers attributed to Dr. Steve.  I found a paper that credited him for access to his fossil collection.  My impression was that the authors were uncomfortable with the idea that he made "money" selling fossils rather than be just being an academic.  He is well spoken of by his peers in the toy business.  He was involved with the Salvat some years back so has experience in the figure market in addition to the fossils.  I do not believe he personally reviews all the figures in detail but has employed another paleontologist from a museum in Italy to do the bulk of the work detailing the figures.  My personal impression of GeoWorld is that when Dr. Steve is doing the work it is well done, not all his employees are motivated to his level.     

Thanks for the info  . Hmm, you mean the Salvat line that produced knocked off versions of Safari Ltd, Battat, and other figures? Doesn't really shine a complimentary light on him, does it?