The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

Congrats on the new CollectAs. I didn't know Saltriovenator was known from such scant material. Still, it's a great improvement over their past theropods. So, even if it didn't look like this, it'll make for a better Ceratosaurus than their actual Ceratosaurus.

It actually does make a pretty good Ceratosaurus, and it doesn't look like it's going to a Juggalo convention. Ceratosaurus is one of those genera where I think all existing figures are good, but not great, so I have a hard time choosing one.

Still, they look really nice. The Pleuroceras looks especially good! I think o have to open a new branch at home. Cephalopod Figures. Damn.

the US government is sabotaging the postal service

Wat. I think i just do not want to ask more about that...

To the first part: if it helps, there aren't all that many cephalopod toys, but they really do liven up a shelf.

To the second: perhaps I shouldn't say more here, it's certainly a political matter.

Anyways I'm just glad everything you ordered safely arrived. I get you on that Saltriovenator, particularly with how fragmentary it is. Granted on the other hand I guess it is nice to have another ceratosaur that isn't Ceratosaurus (though if I'm recalling right that is still the best known).

Yeah, that's probably right, unless you're counting abelisaurs, which as far as I know is where most ceratosaurian diversity is.

Cool ones and that Saltriovenator is much better than I expected, I skipped it when I ordered mostly due to the cost ( I used that $ for shipping instead), but now I really wish I got it. Next time.

Yeah, its really disgusting what they are doing to the Postal service, it's beyond nightmarish!

What is this forum for if not convincing each other to buy things?

[Sim]

There was a big stir when the taxon was announced because few dinosaurs are known from Italy, but I don't think Italy has to envy anyone, as they have some of the most incredible Triassic faunas in the world: drepanosaurs, nothosaurs, thalattosaurs, and funky coelacanths, for example. I find these scraps of theropod bone a really pointless subject for a figure; I'd rather have had some of Italy's other ancient denizens.

I agree with all of this, @Halichoeres!  Pterosaurs are more of Italy's amazing Triassic fauna.  My favourite prehistoric animal from Italy is Eudimorphodon.  I was disappointed that CollectA decided to make Saltriovenator instead of something better known from fossils of Italy, just like I was when CollectA made Fukuiraptor and Fukuisaurus instead of Utatsusaurus and Futabasaurus.

[Halichoeres]

Definitely on the same page, @Sim . I will say that I think CollectA's lineup overall is really strong this year. I'm guessing only the Microraptor really appeals to you, now that they've fixed the tail. I'm also excited about the Caviramus, which is from pretty nearby in Switzerland. Despite being named more than 50 years ago, Eudimorphodon only has 3 figures, none of which really do it justice, so I too would welcome a good version.
Speaking of Triassic animals from Eurasia, here's the only one I've managed to add recently:


CollectA Lisowicia bojani
Scale: 1:20
Sculptor: Matthias Geiger
Released: 2020
Late Triassic
The first dicynodont from a major manufacturer in 18 years, this figure doesn't disappoint. It's funny, people have been clamoring for a good Placerias for years, but this big brute of a basically-also-Placerias comes along and gets all the press, and thus the only decent dicynodont toy. People really like figures of The Biggest            . Anyway I'm very happy with this figure and hope that the very diverse dicynodonts get more attention in the future (not that I'm holding my breath).


With its close relative Placerias. Lisowicia is made at the same scale as the Saltriovenator, but does not come with the scale figure while the latter did.


And with Shringasaurus, though the two were separated by at least 32 million years.

[suspsy]

The Lisowicia really is awesome. Who'd have believed that the first dicynodont toy since Dino-Riders would be such a juggernaut? Be nice if CollectA releases a Smok toy next year to accompany it, although given that we presently don't know if it was a rauisuchian or a dinosaur, maybe they'd be better off going with a bipedal Postosuchus instead.

Desmatosuchus and Eyrops would also be most welcome.

[Faelrin]

It really is impressive. I'm stunned at how much it dwarfs the Placerias, but well it would have dwarfed the real one as well. I definitely need to get this one next year. I hope these will show up in stores stateside, like DeJankins or Happy Hen Toys, but at least Everything Dinosaur and Minizoo have them if need be.

@suspsy A bipedal Postosuchus, a Desmatosuchus, and Eyrops would be great. I'd love to see those tackled by them. I especially hope they keep the trend of making Paleozoic and Triassic animals alive anyways. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I would like to see them take on a Diplocaulus or eurypterids too. Edit: Like @Shonisaurus said, Moschops too would be great.

@Halichoeres Also I'm surprised to see your avatar has changed after all this time. What's it of btw?

[Shonisaurus]

Collecta's lisowicia looks great. That animal reminds me of a cross between a hippo and a lizard, along with edaphosaurus of the best of the Paleozoic that Collecta has done to date. I hope that in time he will make a shringasaurus as perfect or even superior to the Safari brand, a diplocaulus and a moschops with the same degree of genius as his lisowicia and edaphosaurus.

[Halichoeres]

The Lisowicia really is awesome. Who'd have believed that the first dicynodont toy since Dino-Riders would be such a juggernaut? Be nice if CollectA releases a Smok toy next year to accompany it, although given that we presently don't know if it was a rauisuchian or a dinosaur, maybe they'd be better off going with a bipedal Postosuchus instead.

Desmatosuchus and Eyrops would also be most welcome.

I'll be happy as long as CollectA continues to include Triassic/Permian animals. There are still very few in their lineup, comparatively. I'd definitely buy any of the ones you mention.

It really is impressive. I'm stunned at how much it dwarfs the Placerias, but well it would have dwarfed the real one as well. I definitely need to get this one next year. I hope these will show up in stores stateside, like DeJankins or Happy Hen Toys, but at least Everything Dinosaur and Minizoo have them if need be.

@suspsy A bipedal Postosuchus, a Desmatosuchus, and Eyrops would be great. I'd love to see those tackled by them. I especially hope they keep the trend of making Paleozoic and Triassic animals alive anyways. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I would like to see them take on a Diplocaulus or eurypterids too. Edit: Like @Shonisaurus said, Moschops too would be great.

@Halichoeres Also I'm surprised to see your avatar has changed after all this time. What's it of btw?

Moschops is my favorite suggestion among those.

The avatar is Brembodus, which is coincidentally another Triassic animal from Italy! It's a pycnodont, one of a group of reef fishes that crushed animals like corals and mollusks.

[Sim]

The CollectA Microraptor doesn't appeal to me as it lacks the alula.  I know of only two Eudimorphodon toys, the large one which is by Dinomania and a juvenile one from Gimiki's journey.  What's the third Eudimorphodon figure?

[Halichoeres]

The CollectA Microraptor doesn't appeal to me as it lacks the alula.  I know of only two Eudimorphodon toys, the large one which is by Dinomania and a juvenile one from Gimiki's journey.  What's the third Eudimorphodon figure?

Galoob made a skeleton version for their National Geographic-branded Micro Machines dinosaur line in 1998. I wish it had been a fleshed-out figure, I really like tiny pterosaurs for their diorama value. Compared to the dinosaur merchandise that Nat Geo puts their name on now, the Micro Machines figures were amazing.

[Halichoeres]

Today, Paleozoic bilaterians!


Custom Gogonasus andrewsae
Scale: 1:1
Sculptor: Jacek Major
Late Devonian
Gogonasus hails from the Devonian Gogo Reef, a shallow marine environment where fishes preserve in exquisite 3D nodules. You find a round rock, crack it open, and inside you might find an entire fish in perfect condition. This fish is one of our distant relatives, lying on the tetrapod stem along with Eusthenopteron, Rhizodus, and many others. The model is another instance where I asked a sculptor online whether there were casts of their work, and instead they just made me brand new hand-sculpted models. It shipped from Poland around the time international postage went to hell. It must have sat in a hot warehouse for a long time, because when it arrived the varnish had melted to the foam it was shipped in. I managed to clean it off with oil soap, but it's still tacky, so I'm planning to seal it with Mod Podge acrylic craft sealer. If you have experience with that product and think that's a bad idea, please let me know!


With the contemporaneous coelacanth Diplocercides (Kamyk)


CollectA Redlichia rex
Scale: 1:3 or a shade smaller
Sculptor: Matthias Geiger
Released: 2020
Middle Cambrian
After a recent flood of Olenoides figures, it's great to have a different trilobite. Redlichia isn't a new genus, but R. rex is a new species described in 2019. Given that this year's wonderful crop of protostomes was at the behest of a museum, I'm not optimistic that we'll see more like this from CollectA. Still, I dearly hope we do. Some of the really strange trilobites would be most welcome: Walliserops, Erbenochile, and Dicranurus would be a good start.


Chasing Colorata's Olenoides


They're not really quite to scale, but this is the closest thing I have from the Cambrian. The Olenoides is about 1:2 or 1:2.5, so Redlichia was actually even larger than this photo would suggest. Despite the fact that it doesn't display comfortably with much in my collection, I'm happy to have this toy. And the price sure is right.

[Faelrin]

That's a beautiful lobe-finned fish model there. Never heard of that genus before, but what better way is there to learn about things like this then seeing them? it is honestly another good reason I like to browse your thread here. I learn so much. Too bad about the damage and the time it took to get to you. I like the bit of gravel added to the base as well. It's a really nice touch.

I too am really glad we got a new trilobite genus to add to our collections. I also agree with your suggestions, particularly Walliserops. I mean it had a fork on its cephalon of all things. There's also all the spines too. Honestly would be good to see Safari Ltd or CollectA do a trilobite TOOB in the future, if not other brands doing some. There's so much potential that has yet to be tapped into.

[Shonisaurus]

I congratulate you on your two new acquisitions. Indeed, as you and other DTF members say Halichoeres, we undoubtedly need more species of toy trilobites, Collecta's decision to make this trilobite and not give it a generic name has been very successful. Prehistoric marine animals like invertebrates and fish need a little more love from prehistoric toy animal brands.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for visiting!

That's a beautiful lobe-finned fish model there. Never heard of that genus before, but what better way is there to learn about things like this then seeing them? it is honestly another good reason I like to browse your thread here. I learn so much. Too bad about the damage and the time it took to get to you. I like the bit of gravel added to the base as well. It's a really nice touch.

Speaking of damage, I left it to dry overnight after one last cleaning session, and it rolled off the table onto the carpet, which had two effects: 1) now it has carpet bits stuck to it, so I need to clean it again. 2) the anterior dorsal fin has a jagged crack. This is kind of putting me off high-end models, to be honest. I have a couple more on the way, but that might be it for a while.

[ceratopsian]

Commiserations. Not a nice feeling. It happens occasionally, as I know to my cost.

[Bokisaurus]

Awesome new additions!

[brontosauruschuck]

This is the full set. Some of the molds are unfamiliar to me, and some are clearly misidentified. The "Pachyrhinosaurus" is suspiciously like the Chasmosaurus from the Safari Feathered Dinos Toob, but it's roughly half the size. This little pachycephalosaur doesn't immediately remind me of any toy I've seen before, but it looks a little more like Pachycephalosaurus than Stegoceras, which might suggest a knockoff.

Hey, I got that suspicious ceritopsian from a thrift store a few years ago and I've been trying to ID it! Yay!

[Halichoeres]

B @brontosauruschuck, funny you should mention that one! It turns out to be a knockoff, which I'll show below.

Now, more ornithischians of the Cretaceous!


Battat Styracosaurus
Scale: 1:40
Sculptor: Greg Wenzel
Released: 1994
Campanian of North America
My first purchase as a collector was Papo's full roster (at the time) of marginocephalians. I didn't know any better, so like many fledgling collectors, I was suckered by their detail. Three of them (Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, and Triceratops) long ago found other homes. This is the second Battat Styracosaurus to pass through my hands, and the more I look at it, the more I like it. The new one from Safari is technically more accurate and up-to-date, but I like the regal calm of this version, and it's a better match for my scale preferences. So this is my Styracosaurus now, finally displacing my last Papo marginocephalian.


"Watch where you're pointing that thing, buddy."


Disga Brachyceratops
Scale: 1:25
Campanian of North America
Brachyceratops is only known from subadults, and probably pertains to one or more known adult centrosaurines. One specimen was referred to Rubeosaurus, so this could stand in for that genus. Brachyceratops is the older name, but McDonald (2011, PLoS ONE 6: e22710) claimed that it can't be a senior synonym because the type material isn't diagnostic. That might be correct, as the features that diagnose close relatives tend to 1) arrive late in ontogeny and 2) be taphonomically fragile. But also, Rubeosaurus is McDonald's name (McDonald & Horner 2010). There's an old saying that scientists would rather use one another's toothbrushes than their terminology. So as a non-expert, I think I'll reserve judgment until the taxonomy is tackled by someone without an incentive to maintain a particular name (grad school made me cynical). Regardless, interesting choice from Disga.


When I got it, it was still in the package, although the blister was separating from the card.


Having the package made it relatively straightforward to discern which genera I had (I think the other three are Kentrosaurus, Parasaurolophus, and Plesiosaurus). It might otherwise have been difficult, since the figures themselves are stamped with "DISGA" and no other markings. I'm not aware of any source (even Dinosauriana) that attempts to catalog Disga's offerings, so it was news to me that they made a Microceratops, Nodosaurus, and Stegoceras. If anyone has those or knows where there are images of the actual figures, I'd love to hear about it.


Check out the right rear leg. It has either an extra joint or a debilitating break in the tibia and fibula. Goofy little toy.


CollectA Fukuisaurus
Scale: 1:30
Sculptor: Matthias Geiger
Released: 2020
Barremian of Eurasia
I'm on the fence with this one. It was billed as 1:40, and my existing figures of this genus (by Favorite Co) are around 1:50 and 1:20. I generally prefer 1:40 for animals in this size range, so I was a bit disappointed when I measured this one and it was too large by a third. Now I'm trying to decide which figure(s) to keep. If anyone knows serious anatomical flaws in any of the figures that might help.


Out of scale with Kaiyodo's Fukuiraptor.


Finally, once in a while a figure gets reinstated in my collection after its ouster. I recently added the Funtastic "Stegoceras," but then I learned that the mold is actually a Jurassic Park III miniature from Hasbro, and Funtastic just ripped off most of the line. The Chasmosaurus shown above falls into the same category. I don't abide knockoffs knowingly, so the Ideal Transmutazors Stegoceras is back on my shelf.


Getting ready to kick the impostor to the curb.

[SBell]

Having the package made it relatively straightforward to discern which genera I had (I think the other three are Kentrosaurus, Parasaurolophus, and Plesiosaurus). It might otherwise have been difficult, since the figures themselves are stamped with "DISGA" and no other markings. I'm not aware of any source (even Dinosauriana) that attempts to catalog Disga's offerings, so it was news to me that they made a Microceratops, Nodosaurus, and Stegoceras. If anyone has those or knows where there are images of the actual figures, I'd love to hear about it.

I'd be wary of their identifications though... that pachycephalosaurus looks a bit 'off'!

[bmathison1972]

and the Stegoceras looks like Dilophosaurus, but it could be I am having trouble making out detail...

[SBell]

and the Stegoceras looks like Dilophosaurus, but it could be I am having trouble making out detail...

I think that one's just a weird perspective with the dome and a ring around it!