The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[brontosauruschuck]

Did I miss the Anatosaurus?

B @brontosauruschuck Good question! I usually only have one figure per genus, and Anatosaurus is now regarded as a synonym of Edmontosaurus annectens. My current Edmontosaurus is the recent Safari version, which is Edmontosaurus regalis. There are a few figures that were sold as Anatosaurus or Anatotitan back when those names were current, and I think the Geoworld Edmontosaurus could be interpreted as E. annectens at a stretch, but I haven't previously felt like I needed both species in my collection. The head dimensions are a little different, and it's possible that E. annectens lacked the crest that E. regalis probably had, so maybe I should have them both represented. The best E. annectens is certainly Safari's "Anatotitan" from the Sue at the Field Museum line, but it's pretty darn small. I'm not sure what the best one would be at a larger scale, they're all pretty out of date.

PS I've reorganized my invertebrates in the list on the first page, as I think they were categorized too coarsely before. I've provisionally assigned Tullimonstrum to the Spiralia.

Cool. I started doing some research for the Definately Dinos Anatosaurus review and I wanted to start by seeing what's the best one out there. I just read the extensive history of reclassification of E. annectens over on Wikipedia. Fun stuff. Should make for a neat review.

[Halichoeres]

Did I miss the Anatosaurus?

B @brontosauruschuck Good question! I usually only have one figure per genus, and Anatosaurus is now regarded as a synonym of Edmontosaurus annectens. My current Edmontosaurus is the recent Safari version, which is Edmontosaurus regalis. There are a few figures that were sold as Anatosaurus or Anatotitan back when those names were current, and I think the Geoworld Edmontosaurus could be interpreted as E. annectens at a stretch, but I haven't previously felt like I needed both species in my collection. The head dimensions are a little different, and it's possible that E. annectens lacked the crest that E. regalis probably had, so maybe I should have them both represented. The best E. annectens is certainly Safari's "Anatotitan" from the Sue at the Field Museum line, but it's pretty darn small. I'm not sure what the best one would be at a larger scale, they're all pretty out of date.

PS I've reorganized my invertebrates in the list on the first page, as I think they were categorized too coarsely before. I've provisionally assigned Tullimonstrum to the Spiralia.

Cool. I started doing some research for the Definately Dinos Anatosaurus review and I wanted to start by seeing what's the best one out there. I just read the extensive history of reclassification of E. annectens over on Wikipedia. Fun stuff. Should make for a neat review.

I look forward to reading it!

Today's update: vertebrates of the Paleozoic!

Most of today's additions are from Kamyk (http://kamyk.pl/models/), a Polish workshop I happened across when they posted photos online of their vendor table at a gem show. They deal in fossils, replicas, and museum models. They had molds left over from some commissions and were selling casts. I ended up dropping one of the largest sums I've dropped as a collector, but I think you'll agree it was worth it. I reluctantly turned down an offer of a meter-long Ctenacanthus model, but if I were a rich man with a big house...


Kamyk Paramblypterus
Scale: 1:1
Sculptors: Jacek Major and Jarosław Kołodziejski
Permian
The Devonian always get credit for being the Age of Fishes, but fishes never went away. Particular lineages went extinct, though, so by the Permian many of the remaining fishes were actinopterygians belonging to a paraphyletic grade referred to as the 'palaeoniscoids.' There were hundreds of species, and as far as I know none has ever been made into a toy. So imagine my joy when I found a model for sale from Kamyk! They actually sent me two, so I have a tiny shoal.


I don't have anything else from the Permian at this scale, so I guess the Safari ammonite will have to fill in. I'm in the process of making bases for these models. This one is currently on a bamboo dowel, but I think a bicycle spoke might fit into the hole drilled in its belly.


Kamyk Diplocercides
Scale: 1:1
Upper Devonian
I almost didn't buy this one because in my haste I mistook it for a modern coelacanth (or gombessa, Latimeria chalumnae) based on the color scheme. Once I noticed that the proportions were wrong for a gombessa, I had to have it. I wish it didn't have this pattern, however--Diplocercides is not a particularly close relative of Latimeria and had a very different ecology. But stem-coelacanth figures are hard to come by, and the color scheme is literally my only complaint, as this is another beautiful piece. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find sculptor information on Kamyk's web site for this and a couple of other pieces.


Kamyk Kudjanowiaspis
Scale: 1:1
Sculptor: Ewa Stawiarska
Lower Devonian
Of my recent purchses, this one probably has the most difficult-to-pronounce name (at least for an English speaker). Kujdanowiaspis is an arthrodire, but not the gigantic ice-cream-scoop-of-death kind like Dunkleosteus. It was part of a weird family called the actinolepids, which had scales over the whole body, and spikes, perhaps to deter the bigger arthrodires. Look at the incredible texture on its armor plates! This is one of my favorite Kamyk pieces.


With the Artificial Animals Ateleaspis


And an atmospheric shot with the Diplocercides


Kamyk Weejasperaspis
Scale: about 2/3 life size
Lower Devonian
Perhaps the most whimsically named of my recent purchases. It means "shield from Wee Jasper," a town in Australia where, according to legend, a Scotsman found small green gemstones and declared that they must be "wee jasper." Anyway, Weejasperaspis is part of a primitive group of placoderms called Acanthothoraci ("spine-chested ones") because they bore prominent spines at the back of their thoracic shield. I think this one's spine is not prominent enough, and it probably resembles an arthrodire too much in other respects--acanthothoracids had a somewhat ratfish- or grenadier-like aspect. Despite that, this is a really lovely replica that I'm glad to have.


Chasing Pteraspis


Kamyk Diademaspis
Scale: 1:1
Sculptor: Marcin Widera
Upper Silurian-Lower Devonian
This is the figure that caught my eye and started my correspondence with Kamyk. It's one of the larger early osteostracans, so this is one of my largest pieces. At first I thought it might be a Cephalaspis, but the dorsal ridge, the eye placement, and the shape of the head shield are all different. These things just looked like alien spaceships, I love 'em.


With the Artificial Animals Ateleaspis


Ordovis Studio Coccosteus
Scale: 1:2 for a large specimen, 1:1 for a smaller one
Released: 2019, I think
Middle-Upper Devonian
Last but not least, this phenomenal little arthrodire. Ordovis is a Japanese workshop. I found them on Twitter, where they posted photos from their booth at an exposition, where they were selling replicas of coelacanths and a variety of Paleozoic animals. Most of the taxa they were offering were already represented in my collection, but not this one (and one more that's still in the works--stay tuned!). A lot of Dunkleosteus restorations have their rear halves modeled after this animal, which has been preserved in its entirety, unlike its larger relative. But the head shape is pretty different, which is captured nicely in this model. And of course, this smallish animal is a pretty unreliable way to try to infer the shape of an animal thousands of times more massive. On another note, I wish all fish models came with bases like this! The same goes for flying pterosaurs.


With the Paleozoo Remigolepis and Kaiyodo Psychopyge

[Shonisaurus]

The prehistoric fish of that group that I like the most is the diademaspis is a very curious and exotic fish.

[Faelrin]

Those are some fantastic acquisitions there. Makes me wish CollectA or Safari Ltd would put out a tube of these (and early tetrapods and/or Paleozoic amphibians as well). I really long for some of these animals in my collection, but there are not many options out there that are affordable for me. Nice to see a proper Coccosteus too, after how long companies have been giving Dunkleosteus the poor thing's tail all the time, but otherwise not acknowledging it.

[Halichoeres]

The prehistoric fish of that group that I like the most is the diademaspis is a very curious and exotic fish.

Certainly it's the one that most obviously screams, "I'm prehistoric!"

Those are some fantastic acquisitions there. Makes me wish CollectA or Safari Ltd would put out a tube of these (and early tetrapods and/or Paleozoic amphibians as well). I really long for some of these animals in my collection, but there are not many options out there that are affordable for me. Nice to see a proper Coccosteus too, after how long companies have been giving Dunkleosteus the poor thing's tail all the time, but otherwise not acknowledging it.

Oh, I'd love that. As much as I love these, I wouldn't have bought them if they were available from the companies you mentioned, or Colorata, or Kaiyodo, or maybe even Yowie. And of course, I couldn't have afforded them if I were collecting JW merch in earnest!

[Faelrin]

Good point about Colorata, Kaiyodo, etc, though at least those have put out some neglected Paleozoic species so far, etc (which I have many on my wishlist). Come to think of it, it would be nice to see PNSO, if not others like Eofauna, branch out to Paleozoic stuff as well, as I'm sure there's a plethora they could pull off well (I really appreciate them making figures of Anchiornis, Mei, Sinosauropteryx, Tianyulong, and many others).

Also yes, you got me there, lol. If I was spending less on JW figures I'd certainly have more to go around for other brands, among other reasons. At the very least I have patience and am in no rush for most of what's on my wishlist, and am willing to wait years even (JW is pretty much the exception because of limited short life, and when combined with distribution issues, and then scalpers ruling the after market much of the time, they are just a bad mix for getting my hands on things later).

Granted some of the models from this site in particular are sadly above my spending limit as it is (which I try to keep to no more then $100+ a figure. The BotM adult Triceratops will probably end up being the most expensive figure in my collection, if not the Toyway Allosaurus), so even if I cut down on those, I still would be coming up short, unless I saved up for a long time, but there are certainly some I see that I could afford such as their brachiopod Orthis sp (which reminds me that these are also sorely neglected when it comes to figures, despite how common in the fossil record they are. I get it they wouldn't make the most exciting,toy, but still), and Pleurocystites sp (which at least Kaiyodo made before), etc, which would certainly make fine additions to my collection if I could get around to it. I assume I would need to use the contact us on their website to buy anything from them? What material are these made of as well (I apologize if I missed it)?

Not gonna lie though, if I had enough funds and space I would love to own that life sized Anomalocaris they made, among plenty of others, such as the eurypterids.

[Halichoeres]

PNSO has hinted that they plan to make products featuring the Chengjiang biota, so that's promising. I'd love to see some of the Permian, Devonian, and Silurian fauna of China made into figures as well.

Yeah, I definitely get the appeal of JW stuff for fans of the movies. I'm not really into pop culture merch, but I was when I was younger. I do have the Lego Simpsons sets, though. And I think it makes a lot of sense to prioritize things that will only be sold for a short time.

Yeah, I emailed Kamyk directly, a fellow named Piotr was very solicitous and even offered to make new species to my specifications. I limited myself to their existing offerings. They seem to be polyurethane resin, but if not, they're a very similar material. (You didn't miss it, I think I never specified.)

[Halichoeres]

Cretaceous ornithodirans!


Safari Qianzhousaurus
Scale: 1:25
Sculptor: Doug Watson
Released: 2020
Maastrichtian of Eurasia
I always figured we'd get an Alioramus from a US or European company, and Qianzhousaurus from PNSO, but surprise! I mean, maybe they'll be synonymized some day anyway, but in any case it's cool to have this, one of the most distinctive tyrannosaurids. It stands freely on both its feet, but a little precariously. I have it almost propped against another figure to keep it from toppling if it should receive a jolt. Solid figure.


Safari Concavenator
Scale: 1:35
Sculptor: Doug Watson
Released: 2020
Barremian of Eurasia
I think this is pretty unequivocally the best Concavenator, but the Carnegie and Favorite ones are also really nice, so the improvement, while clear, is pretty marginal. I don't like the Favorite's quill knobs, and I like that this one has a realistic amount of soft tissue. It's also a better scale fit to my collection than the other versions. Oddly, though, adding this figure felt really perfunctory, which is a feeling I've only had once before, when I bought the PNSO Tyrannosaurus in 2017. I didn't derive a lot of joy from this, and I think it's because I'm just tired of buying slight improvements on commonly made theropods. I think I might have to stop buying theropods unless they're new taxa (like the Qianzhousaurus) or major improvements over existing figures.

For example, if someone could make an improved version of this post-haste, that would be great:

Planeta-DeAgostini Aucasaurus (Dinosaurs & Co. Super Maxxi)
Scale: 1:25
Released: 2020
Coniacian or Santonian of South America
I'm aware of two figures of Aucasaurus: this, and the one from DinoWaurs. Of course, this one barely counts--it's exactly the same mold as the rubber Carnotaurus in the same series. I'll give you three guesses what color the Carno is, and the first two don't count. This is almost the same trick that Rebor is trying to pull with their upcoming "Ekrixinatosaurus." The only difference is that Rebor actually went to the trouble of removing the horns. Anyway, Aucasaurus is the abelisaurid I'd most like to see as a figure, given that it is almost completely known.


Favorite Co Geosternbergia (Soft Model Series 1, sold as Pteranodon)
Scale: 1:40
Sculptor: Takashi Oda
Released: 2004
Santonian-Campanian of North America
For the most part, the 2013 series of Favorite prehistorics failed to improve on the 2004 series. This one is no exception, although I never made it a high priority to replace the 2013 version, which I've had for several years. I found the stand for sale cheap at Urzeitshop, and I bought it thinking it could be useful for any number of figures. Miron very kindly included the figure along with it. So now it replaces the 2013 Favorite version and I no longer have any from that series left in my collection.

And some comparison shots with the newcomers:

Concavenator + Iguanodon


Aucasaurus + Qianzhousaurus


Geosternbergia + Quetzalcoatlus

As always, I'll try to accommodate additional comparison requests if I can.

[SidB]

The Aucasaurus could double-up as a host: Aucasaurus with elephantiasis.

[Shonisaurus]

I have the Geosternbergia (pteranodon for Favorite) of Favorite Soft Model but without the base or the support set of said pterosaur. It is more beautiful with the base than without it.

The qianzhousaurus of Safari is spectacular.

[Killekor]

Thanks for the photos and for the interesting comments, Halicoeres!
I like a lot that Qianzhousaurus, as always @Doug Watson made a masterpiece!

Killekor

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Excellent finds, I agree that is the best Concavenator. And the display stand for Geosternbergia does look nice. Have you tried any other flying animals on it?

[Halichoeres]

The Aucasaurus could double-up as a host: Aucasaurus with elephantiasis.

Haha, I love it. This, then, is the first figure of a prehistoric nematode. An entire new phylum!

I have the Geosternbergia (pteranodon for Favorite) of Favorite Soft Model but without the base or the support set of said pterosaur. It is more beautiful with the base than without it.

Thanks, I agree! All in-flight pterosaurs should come with bases.

Thanks for the photos and for the interesting comments, Halicoeres!

And thank you for visiting! I agree, Mr. Watson has done another great job this year.

Excellent finds, I agree that is the best Concavenator. And the display stand for Geosternbergia does look nice. Have you tried any other flying animals on it?

I haven't yet, but I really should. I'd have to rig up a little string saddle for anything else, as most figures don't come with the little metal loop that this figure does.

PS I've added these figures to the reference list on page 1.

[ITdactyl]

Thanks, I agree! All in-flight pterosaurs should come with bases.

...with removable bases. Just to be on the safe side, in case the makers really are paying attention to this forum.

[Sim]

Following on from what ITdactyl said, I would like flying pterosaurs to have bases like the Invicta marine reptiles.  That would allow them to rest on the base and avoids them having a hole.

[Halichoeres]

@ITdactyl I agree that bases should be removable; let's not have a repeat of the tree-climbing Starlux pterosaurs.

@Sim I love those Invicta bases. I don't have any of their marine reptiles, but I have two of the bases, and they are wonderfully versatile--the privilege of resting on one rotates among my various swimmers. I don't mind holes, personally, but I can see why some do. I imagine the metal loop on the Series 1 Favorite Geosternbergia is probably also unattractive to you?

[Sim]

Yes, the metal loop on the Favorite series 1 Pteranodon and Plesiosaurus is something I dislike.  I think some later releases of those figures came without the metal loop, I had a Plesiosaurus like this.

[Sauroswan]

The only Triassic figure I've managed to find since my last Triassic update back in March:


Mattel Mussaurus (Jurassic World: Dino Rivals)
Scale: slightly smaller than life-size for a hatchling (about 1:1.3)
Released: 2019
Upper Triassic
Mussaurus was originally described from very young juveniles, but is now known from a pretty good growth series. From the various stages we can tell that the babies were quadrupeds and the adults were bipeds (like people!). Given its posture and scrawny neck, I don't think this one can be interpreted as anything but a very young individual. If it were a bipedal adult it might be a reasonable scale with other JW figures, but as it is it only works as a life-size baby. Never mind that the hands are shaped all wrong. This is my second Mattel JW figure, and my 4th JP/JW figure, and as far as I know they all represent animals not depicted in the movies. This replaces my Sellanomer (Gimiki's Journey) Mussaurus.


Littlefoot meets Petrie. When I was a kid I would have loved Land Before Time toys, but all they made were those silly hand puppets from Pizza Hut and a couple of other gimmicky fast food tie-ins. Anyway, the PNSO Nemicolopterus is the closest thing I have to the Mussaurus, scale-wise, and the comparison shot really put me in mind of the movie.

@Halichoeres, as a new member I've really enjoyed going through this thread. Lots of great comparison photos and useful information about scale etc. And it's nice that you take the time to add your personal thoughts, too. What a great collection of accurately scaled figures!:)

[Halichoeres]

@Sauroswan Thanks so much for the kind words! I'm glad that you've enjoyed visiting.

[Halichoeres]

Five year update! I started collecting at the end of February, 2015. Time flies! Since then, I've accumulated:

628 pieces, representing
574 taxa, from
87 different companies in
16 countries. Their releases span about
65 years.

I've moved three times in those five years, and after the last relocation the majority of my terrestrial animals remain packed away in boxes. The photos below are an overview of my current displays, which consist mostly of my aquatic animals, plus a few of my more recently acquired landlubbers. Here's to another five years!


The Mesozoic at around 1:60


The Jurassic and Cretaceous at about 1:40


The Mesozoic at about 1:40


The Mesozoic at around 1:30


The Paleozoic and Triassic at about 1:40


Around 1:30


The entire Mesozoic in about 1:20


Around 1:20


Around 1:10-1:15


Around 1:9. Embarrassingly dusty.


Around 1:6


In my office (~1:6 Cretaceous animals)


Around 1:3


The Triassic at life size


The Lower Paleozoic at life size


The rest of the Paleozoic at life size. Definitely my most expensive shelf.


The Paleozoic, larger than life (okay, there's exactly one Triassic animal here).