opinions on the discontinued Schleich Apatosaurus

[sauroid]

i am seriously considering getting the discontinued Schleich Apatosaurus. i want to hear various opinions regarding it, both pro and con. is it considered a retro-style figure btw?

[Horridus]

It has its good and bad points. Good would be its nice fluid, organic 'feel' (an elusive quality - a lot of dino figures look rather stiff!), sheer size, nice wide neck and a suitable amount of heft. Perhaps the biggest negative point is its tail - Apatosaurus had a long, whiplash tail like Diplodocus, but the Schleich figure has a rather short tail.

The feet are wrong too, especially the forefeet. But only weirdos like me care about that

It has something of a retro feel, but not too much. It isn't a tail-dragger, and the skull is the correct sort of shape (rather than having a "Brontosaurus" head).

Of course, this is all presuming you mean the most recently discontinued one. If you mean the even older tail-dragging one then...yeah. That is VERY retro.

[tyrantqueen]

Meh it's ok.

To mind though, most schleich figures aren't actively trying to be "retro", they're just bad.

It reminds somewhat of this Vulcanodon depiction from David Norman's Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Dinosaurs (a very dated but awesome book BTW)

[Horridus]

To mind though, most schleich figures aren't actively trying to be "retro", they're just bad.

True that.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

To mind though, most schleich figures aren't actively trying to be "retro", they're just bad.

True that.

True, but retro is all in appearance to me.  Personally I love the figure..it's just looks heavy and massive and gives you the sauropod " vibe " ..it may be wrong but it feels so right ..

To be clear I'm referring to this one :

[Horridus]

Oh yeah, that's one of the better Schleichs, along with the Giraffatitan and Parasaurolophus. I just wish that tail was longer! A LOT longer.

[JohannesB]

It's probably my favorite fat and ugly dinosaur toy model. It looks alive with charm like some character from a B-movie - if you are open to it. I think it's its face :) But I am possibly exaggerating because I am too emotionally involved ;) I did not need anyone's opinion to form my own on this one. Other people's opinion don't matter one bit, when I am drawn to something on the basis of emotion (in stead of the esthetics of scientific accuracy). It's why I also like the Invicta dinosaur models. They too represent something emotionally: the most beautiful and detailed dinosaur toy models from my childhood (for as far as I was aware of at the time). The 'Dinosaur Renaissance' had already begun and was seemingly also working it's way through the Invicta dinosaur toy model range, which is interesting when comparing the older models with the new ones. Yet it is strange to see how the 1985 Invicta Cetiosaurus model (almost the same hue as the Schleich Apatosaurus) is holding it's tail in the air, while the 1987 Invicta Apatosaurus is still dragging it's tail (in my view it has a typical '80's John Sibbick elephantine appearance). Even for it's time, that Apatosaurus model can be seen as backwards, which - combined with other mistakes like the feet - is why many people don't really like it, I guess. I think the Schleich Apatosaurus is either purposely designed as a retro figure (to answer to some popular imagination?) or the result of a lazy design team/person. Either way, I like it.

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[Gryphoceratops]

Honestly now that i really think about it.  Its probably the best apato you can get at that size right now.  The WS one is more accurate but its also much smaller. 

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Honestly now that i really think about it.  Its probably the best apato you can get at that size right now.  The WS one is more accurate but its also much smaller.

I'm also in favor of the Carnegie / Safari Apatosaurus, it's about the same size and is slightly more accurate ( longer tail, better skull, ect. )

I figure like the Diplo and Brachi Safari will be re-doing the Apato as well sooner or later.

[sauroid]

yes i am talking about the recently discontinued Apatosaurus. well i am aware of its shortcomings, but it is very charming and attractive, not repulsive at all unlike the other Schleich of the same scale like the 2 rexes, Giganotosaurus, and Spino, which i cant make myself look at in the stores.

[Darko2300]

If the Safari Carnegie line does update thier Apatosaurus, I hope it doesn't come out like thier Wild Safari version. Am I the only one that finds that piece really ugly? It's like they tried to take some new thoughts on Apatoasaur anatomy into account and botched it. Blanco's Sideshow version is still the the most beautiful, accurate model out there.

As for the Schleich, I used to own it, and (in my more emotional, nostalgic moments) bitterly resent selling it.  It's in my top 5 of adorable, nostalgia-inducing sauropod models.

[sauroid]

i just bought the disc. Schleich Apatosaurus yesterday. it looks even better in person.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

If the Safari Carnegie line does update thier Apatosaurus, I hope it doesn't come out like thier Wild Safari version. Am I the only one that finds that piece really ugly? It's like they tried to take some new thoughts on Apatoasaur anatomy into account and botched it. Blanco's Sideshow version is still the the most beautiful, accurate model out there.

As for the Schleich, I used to own it, and (in my more emotional, nostalgic moments) bitterly resent selling it.  It's in my top 5 of adorable, nostalgia-inducing sauropod models.

I get you, it looks ok for the most part..but the neck's angle is just a little odd..and the tail is more streamer like than whip like really.  I would prefer a scaled down version of Blanco's piece..maybe a little thinner as they've done on the previous sauropods.

[DC]

There are at least 3 valid Apatosaurus species and Eubrontosaurus.
Apatosaurus louisae was very robust like the Schleich version.  It also reminds me of some reconstructions I have seen of Paralititan.  Have you looked at the retired Bullyland?  That is a slender more active version like A. ajax.   
http://www.dinosaurcollector.150m.com/morrison_files/morissonAptosaurusCeratosaurus.jpg
The Carnegie which is larger A. excelsus, aka Brontosaurus.
http://www.dinosaurcollector.150m.com/morrison_files/LateKimmeridgian.jpg 

[Horridus]

Yet it is strange to see how the 1985 Invicta Cetiosaurus model (almost the same hue as the Schleich Apatosaurus) is holding it's tail in the air, while the 1987 Invicta Apatosaurus is still dragging it's tail (in my view it has a typical '80's John Sibbick elephantine appearance). Even for it's time, that Apatosaurus model can be seen as backwards, which - combined with other mistakes like the feet - is why many people don't really like it, I guess.

It's a strange one. The neck is also nowhere near wide enough for the skeleton. It's one of the few Invicta figures to not be near-perfectly accurate by the standards of the time.

[Takama]

Ive seen the new(now replaced) Schleich Apatoe in person at Toys R Us.

I like how they hollowed it a little and you can knock on its belly.

might buy it as "misc" item because of that (cant afford to start a new collection, my mother would kill me). And I hope some other companies (crosses fingers for CollectA) could take this hollowing approach and produce new larger sized sauropods like (every ones favorite) Argentinasaurus.