The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[Halichoeres]

Now making do without a light box, we'll see how it goes. More amniotes of the Jurassic (large scale).


From five different makers.


GeoWorld Jurassic Hunters Compsognathus. I like the paint job, and some aspects of the sculpt aren't bad. But I wouldn't mind replacing this with a model that 1) had the right number of fingers on the hand, 2) had a stance that wasn't so unrealistically erect, and 3) reflected the fact that Compsognathus belonged to a clade that implies it had feathers. About 1:5.


Safari Rhamphorhynchus. Looks good stooping, although that's probably not a realistic behavior for this species. Should probably also be hairier, but still the best Rhamphorhynchus toy ever made. About 1:3 - 1:4.

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Safari Dimorphodon. One of few Dimorphodon toys to get the wing proportions more or less right (although the forthcoming Rebor version looks promising). About 1:5.


Dino Riders pterosaur standing in for Pterodactylus. Funny that the genus often used to refer to all pterosaurs almost never has a toy made of it (yes, there's the Starlux but...). As Pterodactylus, this is about 1:2 - 1:3.


Papo Archaeopteryx. Definitely not the most accurate Archaeopteryx out there (that honor probably belongs to the Safari version), but the feathers are just so finely wrought. About 1:4 - 1:5.


One of my new favorites, Yujin's Henkelotherium. More Mesozoic mammals, please, gashapon makers! Posted up on a ginkgo and about 1:2.

[joossa]

I always thought the WS Rhamphorhynchus looked so wicked. I don't collect pterosaurs, but I have been tempted by that one every time I see it. 

[stargatedalek]

I never actually realized just how small Pterodactylus was, that Dino Riders figure really is a beauty, I don't have many Dino Riders but its the one I'm gladdest to own.

[SBell]

I always thought the WS Rhamphorhynchus looked so wicked. I don't collect pterosaurs, but I have been tempted by that one every time I see it. 

It is a great one--the first really well-done Safari pterosaur.

[Halichoeres]

Just realized that every animal in the last batch is European. And only a little anachronistic...

I never actually realized just how small Pterodactylus was, that Dino Riders figure really is a beauty, I don't have many Dino Riders but its the one I'm gladdest to own.

It's my favorite too. The only other one I have is the Saurolophus, but it's just keeping a seat warm for the Favorite.

I always thought the WS Rhamphorhynchus looked so wicked. I don't collect pterosaurs, but I have been tempted by that one every time I see it. 

Give in to temptation! One of us! One of us!

[Halichoeres]

Some natant sarcopterygians of the Mesozoic (and one poor cephalopod):

Small batch today.


Carnegie Ichthyosaurus. Flawless, probably the best marine reptile from the Carnegie line (Tylosaurus is a close second). 1:10.


Kaiyodo Axelrodichthys version A. Nice to have a coelacanth that isn't Latimeria, and isn't somebody's prey.


Version B.


Version B isn't quite just a repaint, they tweaked the sculpt too. B photographs better, but A looks equally good in person (almost iridescent). Love these guys. About 1:10.


Safari Henodus (Prehistoric Sea Life Toob). One of the plainer figures from the set, but still looks pretty good. About 1:15 (Henodus was small!).

[SBell]

Some natant sarcopterygians of the Mesozoic (and one poor cephalopod):

Version B isn't quite just a repaint, they tweaked the sculpt too. B photographs better, but A looks equally good in person (almost iridescent). Love these guys. About 1:10.

Many of the B series (more correctly referred to as S1v2, series 1, version 2, because pedantry!) were resculpts as well as repaints--in pretty much every case, both were improvements.

[Halichoeres]

Many of the B series (more correctly referred to as S1v2, series 1, version 2, because pedantry!) were resculpts as well as repaints--in pretty much every case, both were improvements.

Yeah, I've noticed that the joins are tighter in several of the v2 figures. My v1 Anhanguera constantly sheds its wings, but not the v2. Same with the Bothriolepis until I glued the pectorals into place. I think the paint job on v1 Axelrodichthys is actually really good, but it's a little boring in that it's a minor variation on the same paint job that every other coelacanth toy has ever had, when there's no good reason to think that they all looked like that (especially this species, which seems to have lived in much shallower water than the modern coelacanth).

[SBell]

Many of the B series (more correctly referred to as S1v2, series 1, version 2, because pedantry!) were resculpts as well as repaints--in pretty much every case, both were improvements.

Yeah, I've noticed that the joins are tighter in several of the v2 figures. My v1 Anhanguera constantly sheds its wings, but not the v2. Same with the Bothriolepis until I glued the pectorals into place. I think the paint job on v1 Axelrodichthys is actually really good, but it's a little boring in that it's a minor variation on the same paint job that every other coelacanth toy has ever had, when there's no good reason to think that they all looked like that (especially this species, which seems to have lived in much shallower water than the modern coelacanth).

I found the same about them--I also notice that your V2 is more horizontal than the V1--looking at my database photos (which are from several years back, and so are quite terrible) that appears to be true of mine as well. I never noticed that the poses might be altered a little!

[DinoLord]

I just looked at my Dinotales display and my V2 is also more horizontal. It also actually stays assembled without too much trouble; one of the pectoral fins on my V1 kept popping out until I glued it in place.

[Halichoeres]

I definitely think they display better together by virtue of their different angles of attack. Pectoral fins did seem to be a problem for Kaiyodo early on...

Now, more aquatic sarcopterygians of the Mesozoic (recent additions):



Sega Dinosaur King Futabasaurus. I got this one because I thought the Kaiyodo and Colorata ones were probably too small to fit in my collection (I try not to collect things smaller than about 1:50). It's my only Sega figure and it's not terrible, but it's not great either. I only estimated based on photos, but does anyone actually know how big the Colorata or Kaiyodo ones are? This one is about 1:25.


This one. Bullyland made this ichthyosaur and printed on the belly: "Ichthyosaurus/ Scale 1:30." The tag reads: "Leptopterygius Ichthyosaurus/ Scale 1:60." That leaves 4 possibilities: Ichthyosaurus in 1:30, Ichthyosaurus in 1:60, Leptonectes (the valid name for "Leptopterygius") in 1:30, Leptonectes in 1:60. If you actually measure this, as Ichthyosaurus it's about 1:10. As Leptonectes it's about 1:20. So Leptonectes it is.


Kaiyodo Capsule Q Ichthyosaurus. On a base, as all marine reptile figures should be.

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Whelping. Like the Dinotales version, which this one just replaced, about 1:25.


2x Fame Master puzzle Plesiosaurus. They don't look bad at all, if you ask me. I think plesiosaurs take better to reproduction as inexpensive toys because they don't look less realistic with no texturing. And I had to get these because of their prey:


Little coelacanths. When they redecorated the plesiosaur, they even redecorated its snack. The fish are missing their pelvic fins so they can fit in the plesiosaurs' mouths, but it occurs to me that since these are puzzles, they could easily have been fit with a removable pelvic fin piece. But no big deal, these are still well rendered for being accessories (see CollectA's Ichthyovenator victim).

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He's going to have a hard time swallowing. The plesiosaur is in about 1:25. This coelacanth looks suspiciously like Latimeria, but another member of the same family that lived at more or less the same time as Plesiosaurus was Holophagus, which I'm pretty sure means, "he who eats everything."

[Sim]

You have an impressive collection, Halichoeres!  Also impressive is how quickly it's grown!  I imagine it's taken a considerable amount of time to get all those figures?  I didn't get round to commenting until now as when I first read this thread there was a lot of posts already!

[SBell]

I definitely think they display better together by virtue of their different angles of attack. Pectoral fins did seem to be a problem for Kaiyodo early on...

Now, more aquatic sarcopterygians of the Mesozoic (recent additions):

Sega Dinosaur King Futabasaurus. I got this one because I thought the Kaiyodo and Colorata ones were probably too small to fit in my collection (I try not to collect things smaller than about 1:50). It's my only Sega figure and it's not terrible, but it's not great either. I only estimated based on photos, but does anyone actually know how big the Colorata or Kaiyodo ones are? This one is about 1:25.

Little coelacanths. When they redecorated the plesiosaur, they even redecorated its snack. The fish are missing their pelvic fins so they can fit in the plesiosaurs' mouths, but it occurs to me that since these are puzzles, they could easily have been fit with a removable pelvic fin piece. But no big deal, these are still well rendered for being accessories (see CollectA's Ichthyovenator victim).


He's going to have a hard time swallowing. The plesiosaur is in about 1:25. This coelacanth looks suspiciously like Latimeria, but another member of the same family that lived at more or less the same time as Plesiosaurus was Holophagus, which I'm pretty sure means, "he who eats everything."

I was always sad that the Invicta, or even the Wild Republic, Baryonyx didn't come with a better fish, since it looks so lose to wanting to be Lepidotes or something. Not that it's removable.

The only others with decent fish-victims are the Takara Spinosaurus with Mawsonia and original Kinto Desktop Spinosaurus with gar.

As for the Holophagus assignment (I know, they didn't make it all that easy)--is it synonymized with Undina or not? I have found references for both. I suppose it doesn't matter much for small PVC fish, but still.

As for the Futabasaurs, I do have the Kaiyodo and Colorata (and a really small Dinosaur King) as well as the large one.

The Colorata is close to 15cm long; the Kaiyodo is maybe 10cm (it has a very bent, hard to measure shape); and the Dinosaur King is 10 cm (I'm taking these measurements from pictures with rulers, so there could be some distortion/exaggeration in lengths).

So if my lengths are even close, even the Colorata is close to 1:50. But it's a much better model...

[Halichoeres]

You have an impressive collection, Halichoeres!  Also impressive is how quickly it's grown!  I imagine it's taken a considerable amount of time to get all those figures?  I didn't get round to commenting until now as when I first read this thread there was a lot of posts already!

Thanks! You'd think so, wouldn't you? It hasn't taken nearly as long as it should have. It's sort of swamped all my other hobbies the last six months.

I was always sad that the Invicta, or even the Wild Republic, Baryonyx didn't come with a better fish, since it looks so lose to wanting to be Lepidotes or something. Not that it's removable.

The only others with decent fish-victims are the Takara Spinosaurus with Mawsonia and original Kinto Desktop Spinosaurus with gar.

As for the Holophagus assignment (I know, they didn't make it all that easy)--is it synonymized with Undina or not? I have found references for both. I suppose it doesn't matter much for small PVC fish, but still.

As for the Futabasaurs, I do have the Kaiyodo and Colorata (and a really small Dinosaur King) as well as the large one.

The Colorata is close to 15cm long; the Kaiyodo is maybe 10cm (it has a very bent, hard to measure shape); and the Dinosaur King is 10 cm (I'm taking these measurements from pictures with rulers, so there could be some distortion/exaggeration in lengths).

So if my lengths are even close, even the Colorata is close to 1:50. But it's a much better model...

I actually have that Mawsonia (with Spinosaurus accessory), but it's just so darn small. It is well done, though. I guess there's also the Pegasus kit with the Xiphactinus corpse, but that seems like a lot of money to spend just for a carcass.

As for the coelacanth, I just used the first name I could think of that was about the right time. The description of Wenzia (Clement 2005, J. Vert. Paleo. 25: 481) from the Jurassic of France--but probably too late to coexist with Plesiosaurus-- regards Holophagus and Undina as distinct. There might be something more recent that synonymizes them, but if so I haven't happened across it.

You might have just sold me on the Colorata. There are plenty of non-miniature figures that are farther from 1:40 than that, like the CollectA Hydrotherosaurus or the Safari Elasmosaurus.

[Halichoeres]

Today, more swimming sauropsids of the Mesozoic!


CollectA Pliosaurus. A delight. I'm so impressed with this giant. Part of the Deluxe range, so billed as 1:40. It could be 1:40 using the absolute uppermost estimates for a plausible pliosaur length, but I would say it's a little closer to 1:35. It does not look at all incongruous on the 1:40 shelf, though.

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The lamprey side. There's one on its belly, too. Nice touch. No lampreys are known from deposits containing Pliosaurus remains, as far as I know, but their presence can be reasonably inferred from lamprey body imprints in Carboniferous and Early Cretaceous deposits. Unfortunately, they don't fossilize often, since their hardest parts are their keratin "teeth."


Safari Liopleurodon. Textured like a shark, which is a neat conjecture (or is there evidence for that? I don't know from sauropterygians). Sharks owe this texture to placoid scales, which are histologically identical with teeth, but I'm not aware of any evidence of osteichthyans bearing placoid scales. They have the function of creating tiny vortices that reduce friction drag; it would be cool if highly modified reptile scales could do the same thing. Anybody heard anything about plesiosaur skin? About 1:35-1:40.


CollectA Temnodontosaurus. Looks pretty good except for the head. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think ichthyosaurs would have had a big ridge of lumpy scales around the eyes. It looks to me as though somebody saw a Temnodontosaurus skeleton and interpreted the sclerotic ring as an external feature, rather than an internal support for the eyeball. I can't think of any reason to give a dolphin-shaped animal a bunch of protruding scales right up at the front to create drag at the most critical point. To my mind, this is the biggest "oops" from CollectA's 2015 batch. (Or I am sorely mistaken about ichthyosaur anatomy.) About 1:45-1:50.

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Kaiyodo Plesiosaurus (Capsule Q marine set). So tiny, so detailed.


But I still like the original so much that I kept them both. Both are about 1:35-1:40.


CollectA Hydrotherosaurus. A little static, a little scaly, but hey, it's the only representation around. A little small, too: about 1:60-1:65.


With a few of their buddies. The Hydrotherosaurus is the most wildly out-of-scale figure in this picture.

[Sim]

The Plesiosauria Wikipedia page has some information on plesiosaurian skin, in the Soft tissues section: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plesiosauria#Soft_tissues  I considered the skin on the WS Liopleurodon might be inspired by shark skin, but would that be visible at this scale (even on a shark figure)?

Regarding the CollectA Temnodontosaurus, I completely agree with you.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for the link! That does seem to suggest that it shouldn't have placoid scales. Even if it did, you're right, they probably wouldn't be visible at 1:40. All the same, I'm tolerant of some out-of-scale texturing (like the scales on Papo's ceratopsians), provided it's done subtly. The Colorata sharks all have this texturing, but it's very very fine--you almost have to touch it to even notice it at all.

[SBell]

I consider the Pliosurus to be a great base for the first Lamprey figures I know of (and at 1:40 scale, those must be large lampreys!).

[Halichoeres]

I consider the Pliosurus to be a great base for the first Lamprey figures I know of (and at 1:40 scale, those must be large lampreys!).

I like that interpretation. You're right, they'd be about 30% larger than the largest extant ones. Amazing what having a bunch of plesiosaurs and mosasaurs to feed on will do for you...

Anyway, I'm pretty happy with these until somebody gets around to making a Priscomyzon.

[Halichoeres]

I got my first 3D-printed model recently. I'm afraid I've opened the door to a dark, dark place.


Kannemeyeria (1:35), from an eBay seller named tams7prairie (others have mentioned him on the forum before for his pachyderms). I probably should have verified this, but I get the impression that they are his own designs. This model needs extensive sanding and some paint, neither of which I've done in many years. Should be fun! If anyone knows any reason why I can't use the acrylics I have lying around, let me know!


With its (approximate) contemporaries in comparable scales. Still not a lot from the Triassic at this scale.