Re-issue of Battat former Museum of Science Boston Series

[Doug Watson]

For the record, here is how they should look:
My Battat T-Rex and Acro stand on their own feet without their tails or arms having to touch the ground.
The T-Rex  is made of a hard plastic while the Acro is a slightly softer plastic. It's a shame the new figures did not use the same type of plastic.

I only have the original issue Battats and the only theropods of mine that stand on their own are the Dilophosaurus v3 and the Carnotaurus. I have all 3 versions of the T rex and they all fall over, even after heat adjusting the feet they all topple eventually. My Acrocanthosaurus has never stood on its own. So you got lucky with yours.

[Simon]

For the record, here is how they should look:
My Battat T-Rex and Acro stand on their own feet without their tails or arms having to touch the ground.
The T-Rex  is made of a hard plastic while the Acro is a slightly softer plastic. It's a shame the new figures did not use the same type of plastic.

I only have the original issue Battats and the only theropods of mine that stand on their own are the Dilophosaurus v3 and the Carnotaurus. I have all 3 versions of the T rex and they all fall over, even after heat adjusting the feet they all topple eventually. My Acrocanthosaurus has never stood on its own. So you got lucky with yours.

Yup, its the same exact issue that bedeviled the Rebor Ceratosaurus until they came up with the plastic tray solution.  The Battat "snowshoes" "Version 1.2" TRex was the absolute worst in that regard - not only would the ankles be bent, but the snowshoes were usually bent as well.  A total disaster, but the best TRex model.  Version 1 is superior to the resissued V2....

[ItsTwentyBelow]

Scored the T. rex today at a different Target in the south Seattle area! They had two Acros on the shelf and a whole smattering of the original four Terra dinos, so I asked a very nice young lady if she could check and see if they had any different dinos in the back, and she brought out their last T. rex! $9.99 for one of these is such a steal. I don't remember what the rex would have sold for in the 90's, but ten bucks is a crazy deal if you ask me. Makes me wonder how affordable the Diplodocus will be.

Haven't taken it out of the box yet and I can already tell it will flop right over, but strangely I'm still very pleased. This figure is AWESOME and the paint job is wonderful, very clean. I agree with folks that it is sad about this softer plastic, and I was tempted to try and wait it out for a possible change in material, but who am I kidding? I'm normally a patient man, but being able to pluck (or ask someone else to pluck) boxed Battat dinosaurs off the shelf once again is too much of a treat to me!

I'm sure I'll find some way to stand up my T.rex that satisfies me. I just wasn't going to wait around for a material change that won't come any time soon, if it ever does, and then potentially miss out on this rexey once AGAIN.  As others have pointed out too, tougher plastic may still not ensure that every model will not topple over. The Acrocanthosaurus is just an inherently unstable sculpt, and many online photos of the original release version have more or less over time assumed the tripod position that Battat is now selling it in. You folks with standing Battat Acros got the good ones!

A word on the Acro re-release, though. One of the two others I observed on the shelf today was tied down to the box to the point where it was pretty much resting on its whole right forearm! Not very attractive. I'm very happy with mine.

There was also a "small dinosaur" spot on the shelf marked $5.99 which I asked about, but the gal checked and saw none in stock. Euoplocephalus please one of these days...

[Georassic]

I scored the rex and Acro at a Colorado Springs Target today, also $9.99 each. T-rex is so front-heavy, he needs something solid under his toes to tilt him back a bit, else he faceplants. It's not an issue of its feet/legs warping. It's just too front-heavy.

But my Acro looks like it was designed to lean on its hand. When I stand him on a level surface, both feet stand flat/flush only with the hand brushing the ground. If it wasn't meant to be that way, it seems to me that one or both feet would have to be not flush to the surface or tilted a bit when the hand was on the ground. But that's OK to me, it does give the new guy a slightly different look when posed next to my MOS Acro, which does stand on its own.

[Tyrannosauron]

I scored the rex and Acro at a Colorado Springs Target today, also $9.99 each. T-rex is so front-heavy, he needs something solid under his toes to tilt him back a bit, else he faceplants. It's not an issue of its feet/legs warping. It's just too front-heavy.

Hopefully yours does better than mine, but do be careful. I had done the same thing with my rex, left it for a couple of days, and then found it on the floor below the shelf yesterday morning. Now the toes seem to have warped such that the little props I used don't work anymore.

[ItsTwentyBelow]

Yeah, I immediately noticed that my T.rex is mostly front-heavy. Lots of plastic in front of the hips, very front-heavy model. It's massive, almost twice as large as the Acrocanthosaurus. The problem doesn't seem to be the ankles giving under the weight, it just wants to tip forward.

Mine stands with a small prop under one foot, will see how this does over time.

[Sim]

Found the T. rex and Acrocanthosaurus out on the shelves today! I saw the long Terra boxes from a distance and had to remind myself that I'm an adult and I therefore don't go running across a store for toys anymore.

Hehe!

(For the record: I do have a Hoth Darth Vader figure in my freezer.)

This made me laugh too!  Why do you have it in your freezer?

[Paleona]

(For the record: I do have a Hoth Darth Vader figure in my freezer.)

This made me laugh too!  Why do you have it in your freezer?

Well, it must be because Hoth is an icy planet. 


Congrats to everyone who has gotten the T.rex and Acro!  I haven't been back to my local Target to check for them yet.  For those who have him- would the T.rex stand ok, if he were leaning on another dino?  Like, his head resting on the back of another. 

[ItsTwentyBelow]

Of course it does, especially if posed attacking a quadruped. Mine looks pretty cool with its jaws resting on the back of my Battat Maiasaura's neck.

I've found that a transparent 2x2 flat Lego (or Mega Bloks) plate stuck under the left foot of my T.rex in the right place supports it very well, with the tail just touching the ground. Maybe among the simpler and least conspicuous fixes for the instability issue.

[Takama]

Gone in today.   Still no sign of them.    Asked about them and they haven't even got to resetting the end cap yet.  They tell me to come in Friday as if it were that easy.        Needless to say, I'm very

[Sim]

How is the Battat Terra Tyrannosaurus fastened to its box?  I'm guessing its feet are tied to the box?  What about its tail, is that tied to the box?

[Georassic]

How is the Terra Tyrannosaurus fastened to its box?  I'm guessing its feet are tied to the box?  What about its tail, is that tied to the box?

Both feet and tail were tied to the box so securely that I was worried about rubbing off paint while untying them. On the Acro, both feet and one hand were tied.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I stopped in today, the toy aisles were in chaos. Nothing on the shelf, the one guy I gave the DCPI to said they were either in the back somewhere or they were expecting them, they just weren't in yet despite what the site says.

I did score the last JW Mosa they had..so with that I'm done with JW toys.

[Tyrannosauron]

(For the record: I do have a Hoth Darth Vader figure in my freezer.)

This made me laugh too!  Why do you have it in your freezer?

It started out as a test to see how long it could be in there before the lady of the house commented. Now I keep it there as a strategically placed reminder that the frozen pretzels are mine. Lord Vader will be replaced as soon as someone puts out a good Nanuqsaurus figure.

[Sim]

Both feet and tail were tied to the box so securely that I was worried about rubbing off paint while untying them. On the Acro, both feet and one hand were tied.

Thanks!  I asked as I was curious about how well supported it was from warping while in the box.  By the look of things the Tyrannosaurus doesn't come with anything like the transparent plastic supports the Battat Cryolophosaurus and Nanshiungosaurus and some other bipedal figures come with.  Keeping the T. rex on one of those supports might've been one way for it to stay standing.

I've had/seen many bipedal dinosaur figures from almost every company which have suffered from drooping - despite having oversized feet, being in a tripod pose, having a permanently attached base, having a removable base or having too wide hips.  The CollectA Ichthyovenator has both a permanently attached base and too wide hips yet it still droops forward.

In my experience using very hard plastic for the figure really helps to avoid the drooping issue.  However, even that might not be enough sometimes - as Doug has said, his Battat MOS Tyrannosaurus (all 3 versions) eventually topple over.  I'm also reminded of this Favorite Deinonychus review: http://dinotoyblog.com/2010/02/11/deinonychus-soft-model-by-favorite-co-ltd/  If one reads the review and what people have said in the comments section, it can be seen some people have ones that stand fine and other people have ones that won't stand.  This figure, like others in the same line, is made of very hard plastic despite being called a "soft model".

I'm now reminded that I went through something like 8 Carnegie 2009 Spinosaurus before I got one that would stay standing and didn't have a very sloppy paintjob.  Despite all being in the same tripod pose, after about one hour most would have started leaning forward with their tail off the ground and a few hours later they would have toppled over.  Only 2 or 3 stayed standing, and of those the one I kept was the only one with a paintjob that wasn't very sloppy.  Although it had some small defects here and there like a chipped large scale on its side even before I opened the factory sealed bag it was in.  It was definitely the best of the lot though.

[Fembrogon]

I went to my second Target today, and sure enough, I found a couple of Acro's & rexes. I grabbed both.



Acrocanthosaurus's color scheme delights me, but I'm not sure how I feel about the pose. The feet have definitely been sculpted in favor of a leaning-over position, resting on the forearm. It looks kind of lazy. Did I mention I love the color scheme, though?
Acro 1, Acro 2, Acro 3, Acro 4, Acro 5.

I wasn't initially planning on picking up the Tyrannosaurus (yet) - but as soon as beheld the figure, I knew I wanted him. I'm glad I got him; I knew of the old figure from only a single catalog picture, but owning & handling him now, I feel like I've retrieved a piece of my childhood I never had (kitschy, right?  )
This figure is a BEAST.
rex 1 rex 2 rex 3 rex 4

I'll reaffirm that the plastic for these two is very soft - bendy, even, at the limbs and tails. Frankly, they're so front heavy I doubt it makes much difference, but it's still odd to me, considering how nice & hard the first Terra figures were.
What I really, REALLY like about these figures is how very much they look and feel like quality toys. When I hold a Carnegie figure, I simply tend to admire it's design and detail, whereas holding the Battat T. rex I want to grab an herbivore and go "AAAARRRRRRRGHGH!!!!!" *dinosaur battle noises*. 
Standing issues aside, I am positively in love with Battat's figures.

[Tyrannosauron]

That is a great picture! Inaccurate, though: we have no evidence of patio tiles before the Paleogene.

[Jetoar]

Wonderful Battats, I dont know very well if some day I will have some of these figures in my hands .

[joossa]

What I really, REALLY like about these figures is how very much they look and feel like quality toys. When I hold a Carnegie figure, I simply tend to admire it's design and detail, whereas holding the Battat T. rex I want to grab an herbivore and go "AAAARRRRRRRGHGH!!!!!" *dinosaur battle noises*. 

Well stated and great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[Simon]

Paint job on that Acro is beau-ti-ful!!