Re-issue of Battat former Museum of Science Boston Series

[Gwangi]

If you want for example retool the stegosaurus tail is ok to me, but I'll buy it even if it has 8 spikes. But please DO NOT ADD FEATERS to any.

Wouldn't that kill the retro/nostalgia factor for that figure? 

  ....     Really I'm not fond of that stegosaurus so I was much more flexible on changing it. But now that Mr. Dan explained why does it have 8 spikes I'll buy it like is if it is reissued.

Agreed. His explanation for it being the way it is places it in a whole new light.

[tyrantqueen]

Everyone keeps mentioning how the originals cost "hundreds of dollars".. but have you seen the prices lately? Last week a MIB dippy ended at $99 with no bids. Most figures seem to be going for under $50-60 now and that includes mint ones. Prices rise and fall on these all the time. Prices this year have been the lowest I have seen them since I started collecting. I dont know what the prices were before I started collecting, but I have never seen any besides the dippy, rex, and acro sell for multiple hundreds, and that was only if they were mint with tags or factory sealed.

If Dan chooses to not add feathers to anything, it should be because he and the paleontologists he works with agree that there is not enough evidence to support it. I would argue that there is enough evidence but that is not a discussion to have here. I have never seen the original battats as retro anyway. They have always been valuable to collectors because they are very accurate, even to this day. I believe that they should stay as accurate as Dan thinks he can make them Utah and Gali are really the only ones that I think people would strongly argue should have feathers, and if they do get feathers, I dont think anyone will have trouble getting the old unfeathered versions. Utah and Gali are not difficult to get on ebay, being two of the least valuable battats (perhaps because they dont have featers?  ).

I think it would be cool to have a fully feathered rex like the Kaiyodo version (I am personally not a fan of half-feathered dinosaurs), if he gets feathers added  I would love to see this alternative interpenetration of rex in toy form. If not, then I would beg Dan to at least make a Yutyrannus, lol.

This is a smart comment And a Yutyrannus would be epic.

[John]

I'm going to hop on the bandwagon and say yes,I too would love to see a Yutyrannus turn up as a new addition eventually.That to me is the best option for something large,fierce and fuzzy.

[Takama]

I think the Dilophosaurus Could use some tweaking on the head





Make the notch more noticeable, and maybe show more of the teeth.   Or simply chop off its head and sculpt a new one

[darth daniel]

The only Battat dino I own so far is the Amargasaurus. I don´t know if it´s just my figure or an issue with the molds, but the spikes along the neck are much shorter on the right side than on the left side. Maybe you could check the master for this.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

The only Battat dino I own so far is the Amargasaurus. I don´t know if it´s just my figure or an issue with the molds, but the spikes along the neck are much shorter on the right side than on the left side. Maybe you could check the master for this.

I own a resin master of the figure and mine has the same difference in height, I believe that is just how it is intended to look

[loru1588]

I think the Dilophosaurus Could use some tweaking on the head





Make the notch more noticeable, and maybe show more of the teeth.   Or simply chop off its head and sculpt a new one

The resin master for the Dilophosaurus has the "notch" in the upper jaw as did the original sculpt. If you look closely at your pic their is a webbing in there now. This happens when the molds reach their limit. The re-released series will have new tooling so detail will be much sharper.

[loru1588]

Battat is looking to re-release the former MOS, Boston Series because for the most part, the dinosaurs still stand up ( no pun intended! ) to scientific accuracy. They are not being released as a nostalgia/retro line. They will all have new paint schemes. Some of you like them, some will not. I will do my best to update any and all with the blessings of the paleontologists I know and trust. I will not be moving nostrils forward if I am told that only 1 scientist believes this, I will not feather or add quills to any animal that does not have solid proof backing it up on THAT particular species. I never sculpted for the "cool" factor and added spikes and such. If the evidence is questionable at the time, it doesn't get added or subtracted as the case may be. Pronating forelimbs, easy fix. Remember these are at least 20 years old, so the science behind them then was 20 years old or older. I know I'm damned if I door damned if I don't but I have to follow what I feel in my gut along with the evidence in front of me. Feel free to ask more questions and I'll be happy to answer when I can.

[stargatedalek]

direct evidence for feathers is not always necessary, some species have more than strong enough evidence in cladistics alone, such as utahraptor and gallimimus

[Paleogene Pals]

Plenty of evidence to move the nostrils forward on brachiosaurs and other sauropods. Nostrils on the top were based on an outdated idea that they were used for snorkeling.

[loru1588]

Plenty of evidence to move the nostrils forward on brachiosaurs and other sauropods. Nostrils on the top were based on an outdated idea that they were used for snorkeling.

Other than Witmer comparing a sauropod skull to that of a Komodo Dragon can you point me in the direction of any other studies?

[loru1588]

direct evidence for feathers is not always necessary, some species have more than strong enough evidence in cladistics alone, such as utahraptor and gallimimus

Not necessarily so, I have seen several examples of actual impressions and have a casting of Gorgosaurus skin. It shows NO signs of feathering or points where feathers would anchor.

[John]

direct evidence for feathers is not always necessary, some species have more than strong enough evidence in cladistics alone, such as utahraptor and gallimimus

Not necessarily so, I have seen several examples of actual impressions and have a casting of Gorgosaurus skin. It shows NO signs of feathering or points where feathers would anchor.

Good,that also means no inappropriately feathered Tyrannosaurus rex just because it's popular on the internet.

[John]

Plenty of evidence to move the nostrils forward on brachiosaurs and other sauropods. Nostrils on the top were based on an outdated idea that they were used for snorkeling.

Other than Witmer comparing a sauropod skull to that of a Komodo Dragon can you point me in the direction of any other studies?

To be honest,I'm not aware of any follow up studies either refuting or supporting Witmer's idea.I don't know what the general consensus of it is among researchers now.

[Patrx]

Witmer pretty much proved it, honestly. As far as I can tell, no one did any follow-up work because it wasn't necessary. About a third of the way through this article on Tetrapod Zoology, Darren Naish discusses Witmer's work with some detail.

As far as Utahraptor goes, I daresay nobody knows more about dromaeosaur reconstructions than Emily Willoughby.
A lot of (often most) what we know or suspect about a given extinct taxon comes from phylogenetic analysis, not direct inferences from their fossils.

Honestly, these days, if the Tyrannosaurus has no feathers at all, it will look "retro" to many people.

[loru1588]

Thanks for the info folks! This will definitely be taken into consideration! But, NO TRUNK on Diplodocus!!!!

[Patrx]

Thanks for the info folks! This will definitely be taken into consideration!

Glad to participate

But, NO TRUNK on Diplodocus!!!!

I should hope not! 

[John]

...Honestly, these days, if the Tyrannosaurus has no feathers at all, it will look "retro" to many people.

I can understand where those people are coming from,in light of Dilong and Yutyrannus,but "retro" looking or not,there are still the scaly impressions from the patches of skin impressions from the as of yet unpublished "Wyrex" specimen,as well as impressions from Tarbosaurus and Gorgosaurus all showing scales where the earlier Dilong and Yutyrannus are feathered,so there's still the possibility of the scaly T. rex being right.That's why I suggested the option of having the original available too,should he decide to feather it. 

[Gwangi]

I tend to agree that Tyrannosaurus probably had feathers but I'm good either way if it does or doesn't. An animal like Utahraptor however is so closely related to birds and other feathered dinosaurs that it really should be feathered. To not feather an animal like Utahraptor would be like leaving feathers off of phorusrhacids (terror birds) because we don't have them preserved. It's pretty much a non-debate until some evidence suggests otherwise.

[John]

I tend to agree that Tyrannosaurus probably had feathers but I'm good either way if it does or doesn't. An animal like Utahraptor however is so closely related to birds and other feathered dinosaurs that it really should be feathered. To not feather an animal like Utahraptor would be like leaving feathers off of phorusrhacids (terror birds) because we don't have them preserved. It's pretty much a non-debate until some evidence suggests otherwise.

In the case of Utahraptor,I agree with you.I have that opinion of Gallimimus too,based on the feathers of Ornithomimus edmontonicus coming to light recently via carbonized traces.