Battat - New for 2015

[Gwangi]

I'm still yearning as well, if for no other reason than they're Dan LoRusso's last sculpts and I'm nostalgic for the Battat "look". But that's not the only reason. The Pentaceratops is still the best Pentaceratops I've ever seen. The Nasutoceratops is equally fantastic, and I say that being a huge fan of the Safari one. The Gigantoraptor and Europosaurus too, no one has done a decent job sculpting them yet. And I don't care who released what, the Battat Diplodocus is still one of my all time favorite sauropod models and I still want it. The same for the Styracosaurus, and Maiasaura.

[suspsy]

I'm still yearning as well, if for no other reason than they're Dan LoRusso's last sculpts and I'm nostalgic for the Battat "look". But that's not the only reason. The Pentaceratops is still the best Pentaceratops I've ever seen. The Nasutoceratops is equally fantastic, and I say that being a huge fan of the Safari one. The Gigantoraptor and Europosaurus too, no one has done a decent job sculpting them yet. And I don't care who released what, the Battat Diplodocus is still one of my all time favorite sauropod models and I still want it. The same for the Styracosaurus, and Maiasaura.

Yeah, I probably would end up buying the Pentaceratops, the Europasaurus, the Gastonia, and the Gigantoraptor due to their rarity in toy form, but I'd pass on the Nasutoceratops. Already got two solid toys of that one. I also wouldn't bother with the remaining repaints from the original series. Even the Diplodocus.

[CityRaptor]

I'm still yearning but only because Battat figures are so relatively rare over here, so I haven't managed to hold one in my hands yet.
I bought a few but due to shipping they are still at @ASoundOfThunder's house.
I know that Urzeitshop has them but I haven't had the opportunity to add them to anything I bought there before and of the three ones they offer I already bought the one I like at DeJankins.

Well, there is a set on German eBay right now. Has been listened a few times already. Guess rare =/= popular.

[Dinoguy2]

That's rather upsetting. Thanks for the picture. I wonder why Battat isn't releasing the other finished figures, perhaps a request of his family?

Maybe battat doesn't want to make people think there will be new dinos every year

I seriously doubt that's the reason why.

I'm gonna be honest, at this stage, I'm no longer yearning for the remaining Battat toys. Between CollectA, PNSO, and Safari, there's just so much top quality product coming out this year already, I'm just not feeling the desire anymore. That said, if Battat did miraculously start releasing new stuff, I'd probably buy some of them for my boys' dinosaur collection.

Yes, agreed. I'd buy new Battats for the same reason I buy Invictas. But they're very much a nostalgia thing at this point.

Except the v1 T. rex, which I still maintain is the best one ever made. Winter Wilson comes close but doesn't edge it out IMO 

As for why they're not releasing new models, they cost/benefit must not be there. I don't think Terra sold particularly well. The ones still for sale on Amazon in multipacks are likely just factory leftovers. To do new production runs on new models, even if it's just using existing molds, might not be economical. The fact that they instead made NEW molds based on the old ones, with articulation and action features, (an order of magnitude more expensive then just churning out a run of repaints) suggests the static PVC dino model thing was not working for them.

[SidB]

I was an ardent collector of the line and still prize my extensive Battat collection, BUT, as the above so insightfully points out, their time seems to have come and gone. The decisive move that PNSO has made to market their mid-size line will effectively relegate many of the glories of the past to the toy box or at least the storage box. I recently replaced the Battats on my main display diorama with my Safari figures, combined with a sprinkling of Carnegie Safaris. Then I made a new series of dioramas in an old bookshelf for ... the PNSO dinos, combined with several appropriate Papos, which display well together. The Battats went into a couple of boxes. Felt sort of sad about that, they'd been on display for over a half decade! But the PNSOs are remarkable. The new Vitae ones are promising too.

On the other hand, I concur that the Battat T-rex v.1/v.2 remains the best ever made. I've haven't gotten my Winter Wilson yet, so, I'll see. But I suspect that Greg Wenzel's  masterpiece will remain tops.

[Sim]

I'm still yearning as well, if for no other reason than they're Dan LoRusso's last sculpts and I'm nostalgic for the Battat "look". But that's not the only reason. The Pentaceratops is still the best Pentaceratops I've ever seen. The Nasutoceratops is equally fantastic, and I say that being a huge fan of the Safari one. The Gigantoraptor and Europosaurus too, no one has done a decent job sculpting them yet. And I don't care who released what, the Battat Diplodocus is still one of my all time favorite sauropod models and I still want it. The same for the Styracosaurus, and Maiasaura.

For me it's the Gastonia that I want.  CollectA's doesn't appeal to me at all.

[EmperorDinobot]

Perhaps we could start a petition?

[Wallnut]

Perhaps we could start a petition?

Did we really need those battats the ones that need figures would be gigantoraptor and gastonia other ones has good looking accurate figures but just holding them would be great.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

If Battat released the remaining Terra dinosaurs I'd buy them all, no question. Battat has always been the gold standard of dinosaur toys.

I think the Terra series had such a short lifespan because they were retailer exclusives. Had they been available in museum shops and toy stores, they would probably have done much better, especially since they were priced less than Safari, for the same quality figure. They even had the opportunity to take over after the Carnegie Collection ended and take advantage of dinosaur popularity following Jurassic World.

I have considered resculpting the remaining figures myself for my own collection. I started a Yutyrannus when I first saw Dan's photo of the unfinished sculpts, but didn't get very far on it.

[suspsy]

Perhaps we could start a petition?

Won't work. Guaranteed.

[Newt]

Every Battat display I ever saw at Target was on a back endcap at a far corner of the toy section - not an ideal location. I guess Battat just didn't have enough clout to take prime real estate away from some of the bigger toy manufacturers. Which is fine, business is business, it's just weird that Target would bother to commission an exclusive line and then not try very hard to promote it. I bet if they had stocked their Battat dinos adjacent to the JP/JW merchandise they would have sold much better and we wouldn't be having this conversation. *sigh*


I'm regretting now that I didn't buy all the figures when they were readily available. I only have four, and that's probably where my collection will remain for the foreseeable future.

[Bread]

Every Battat display I ever saw at Target was on a back endcap at a far corner of the toy section - not an ideal location. I guess Battat just didn't have enough clout to take prime real estate away from some of the bigger toy manufacturers. Which is fine, business is business, it's just weird that Target would bother to commission an exclusive line and then not try very hard to promote it. I bet if they had stocked their Battat dinos adjacent to the JP/JW merchandise they would have sold much better and we wouldn't be having this conversation. *sigh*

I think the placement of the figures on shelves is based on the store. Some have them in the back, others put them out in the open. The Targets in my area, one being a super target and the other being a regular store, have their battat figures displayed in the front of the toy isle. However the display is small, but again they do not have that many products. Usually I see the Tyrannosaurus, Parasaurolophus, and Dacentrurus. However, the articulated figures do out number the originals. I have not been to the targets in my area in a while due to the pandemic, so they may not be there anymore.

[thedeadlymoose]

I check my local Targets regularly for these figures, but they've been gone for a very long time. Still wishing for those unproduced sculpts, and the reproduced repaints. The repainted Ouranosaurus is one of the best things I've ever seen -- a dream figure.

I'm regretting now that I didn't buy all the figures when they were readily available. I only have four, and that's probably where my collection will remain for the foreseeable future.

For what it's worth, the formerly-Target figures still appear readily available on Amazon US for now, except for the Nanshiungosaurus. You can buy them in bundles for cheap, and some are available individually -- albeit for fairly high prices.

[EmperorDinobot]

Perhaps we could start a petition?

Won't work. Guaranteed.

A boy can dream...

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

They certainly weren't Target exclusives here in the UK as there aren't any Target stores here, I'm not even 100% sure what sort of shop Target is but I know they get Star Wars exclusive figures sometimes.
Apart from Schleich and Mattel we sont have anything in physical stores any more,  though we did get Papo when Toys R Us were still here. That said Battat dinosaurs were apparently randomly found at TK Maxx which is basically a clothes store.

[CityRaptor]

Yep, they were also sold at German TK Maxx stores, too. I think it is more of a mixed store, but they mainly have clothes and decoration stuff.

[Gwangi]

Yep, they were also sold at German TK Maxx stores, too. I think it is more of a mixed store, but they mainly have clothes and decoration stuff.

TJ Maxx (TJ in the U.S., TK in Europe) is an overstock store, so Battat toys being there wouldn't have significant meaning. They sell the extra stuff that other stores don't want, basically.