The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[Psittacoraptor]

Great photos and models! The Cheirolepis is stunning, both the figure and the presentation on the base.

[ceratopsian]

Cheirolepis looks well worth the wait. Beautiful looking figure.

[Concavenator]

@Halichoeres Congratulations for the new acquisitions!

I am not at all versed on prehistoric fishes, but I saw some people point out some inaccuracies the PNSO Helicoprion has. Still, I'm glad to see you and more people are happy with it. Even though I'm mostly a collector of scientifically accurate figures myself, sometimes we are so  picky with accuracy that it's all we see. A figure is more than that, there's the intention behind it (the intention to portray the animal as an actual living creature, or the intention to show a cool-looking sci-fi monster) and then all the care put onto these figures. In this case, PNSO have done a wonderful job this year. There might be some slight inaccuracies here and there, but at the very least, I appreciate their effort of offering high quality and naturalistic representations of prehistoric fauna.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks, everyone!

Congrats on the new fish, both look like excellent additions (though I know the former is not without some faults). On a similar note I eagerly anticipate seeing the collection of the Life game miniatures adorn this thread some day.

Oh yes, eagerly anticipating those. No idea when they might turn up, but she recently told me that all the molds have been made (a few were troublesome, presumably because of protruding parts).

Strikingly handsome images and figures - they tempt me to try my hand at this subgenre of collecting, to take the plunge, so to speak.

Well, to that I can only say: come on in, the water's fine!

@Halichoeres Congratulations for the new acquisitions!

I am not at all versed on prehistoric fishes, but I saw some people point out some inaccuracies the PNSO Helicoprion has. Still, I'm glad to see you and more people are happy with it. Even though I'm mostly a collector of scientifically accurate figures myself, sometimes we are so  picky with accuracy that it's all we see. A figure is more than that, there's the intention behind it (the intention to portray the animal as an actual living creature, or the intention to show a cool-looking sci-fi monster) and then all the care put onto these figures. In this case, PNSO have done a wonderful job this year. There might be some slight inaccuracies here and there, but at the very least, I appreciate their effort of offering high quality and naturalistic representations of prehistoric fauna.

Yeah, I mean, this is the first Helicoprion toy, barring rubber stretch toys, since 2011. Beggars can't be choosers. If I hold out for perfection on an animal like this, I probably help ensure that perfection will never be achieved. If I don't buy it, the message PNSO hears isn't, "better improve our fish models." The message they hear is, "nobody buys fish models, let's make another Wilson." The perfect is the enemy of the good, and this model is good.

[Halichoeres]

Saurischians of the Cretaceous!


Capcom Gigantoraptor (Dino Expo)
Scale: 1:50 - 1:55
Released: 2009
Cenomanian of Eurasia
I had this figure a long time ago, but sold it because at the time the release of the Battat and large PNSO versions seemed imminent. Neither materialized, and I was stuck with the lousy CollectA version. The current PNSO version is small enough that it doesn't really work for me, so when I saw this one for a steal, I went for it. Kind of a shame Capcom didn't keep going in the prehistoric game; they showed promise with this series.


Despite their being somewhat fragmentary, I wouldn't mind well-made, larger versions of this anachronistic pair.


PNSO Tyrannosaurus (=Nanotyrannus)
Scale: 1:30
Sculptor: Zhao Chuang or someone in his workshop
Released: 2021
Maastrichtian of North America
The first Ty***nosaurus I've purchased in nearly four years, and all it took was calling it something else. I have other proposed ontogenetic synonyms in my collection, so this one is fair game. I think the balance of evidence supports this being a juvenile rex, although I also think that some people treat that with unjustifiable certitude. Anyway, I like the idea of these dodging adults for the first decade or so of their life and hunting the smaller, fleeter prey in their environment, producing a phenotype different enough from the adult to be mildly interesting. As @Sim correctly predicted, this replaces the almost-as-good DeAgostini version.


Not really to scale, but many of you probably have this figure and might find it a useful comparison.


Dragon-i Bambiraptor (Junior Megasaurs)
Scale: meaningless with these proportions, but maybe 1:15-ish
Released: 2021
Campanian of North America
I put this after the new PNSO specifically to give you all whiplash. This is from Series 2 of the Junior Megasaurs Mystery Eggs. Dragon-i toys are pretty crappy, but there are a few oddballs like this and Rugops that caught my attention. This one at least has feathers, although the ones on the arms give more of a crab claw impression than a bird wing impression. This is also possibly an ontogenetic synonym, perhaps being a juvenile Saurornitholestes.


Some misplaced parental instincts from Centrosaurus.


Takara Tomy Titanosaurus (Ania Nobita's New Dinosaur)
Scale: 1:55 or so
Released: 2020
Maastrichtian of India (then a separate continent)
Kind of cute, although like other Ania figures, it's articulated in fairly pointless ways. Not a lot of figures specifically called Titanosaurus, which has been regarded as a nomen dubium but might actually have more material than is currently published. One to keep your eyes on, perhaps. This is, as far as I know, the largest figure specifically of this genus.


They'd have never met, because I don't think hadrosaurs ever reached India.


Titanosauria indeterminate
Scale: 1:1 or perhaps a shade larger
Released: 2001
Campanian of South America
I'd actually begun to believe that this figure didn't exist, but one turned up recently and I pounced on it. It's from an exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (why do they call it county, as though anybody cares about Pomona?) that highlighted the titanosaur embryos preserved at the Auca Mahuevo lagerstätte. The presence of teeth suggests an animal shortly post-hatch rather than an embryo. These are distinct from the titanosaur embryos published last year with the egg tooth on the snout. The Auca Mahuevo embryos still haven't been given a name, but they're unlikely to be from an already-named adult taxon.


Safari Ltd Saltasaurus (Carnegie Collection)
Scale: 1:30
Released: 1997
Maastrichtian of South America
Rounding out the titanosaur trifecta is this longtime piece of my collection. I realized recently that after the great Photobucket debacle, I had never taken a new photo of this model, so here it is.


And now you know how big the NHMLA hatchling/juvenile is. It's huge!

[ceratopsian]

I'm glad you put the Saltasaurus for size comparison.  My brain fooled me into judging that the hatchling from Auca Mahuevo was about three inches long, as my eye had skipped over your 1:1!  Not a model I'd ever come across.  Good to have a representation of a titanosaur from such an interesting site.

[Eocarcharia]

I put this after the new PNSO specifically to give you all whiplash.

Oh no, not again!

It is always interesting seeing all the unique and/or bizarre figures from obscure lines and companies showcased in this thread, like that nice hatchling titanosaur, even if they're not something I would ever get for my own collection. I'm also surprised that's there isn't a better Bambiraptor figure out there than that thing.

[ITdactyl]

...to think this Chibi doesn't suffer from bunny-hand syndrome....
...surreal...

[Faelrin]

Congrats on all the recent acquisitions. Also yes you certainly did give me whiplash for that highly stylized dromaeosaurid.

That large titanosaur hatchling is really interesting stuff though. Congrats on finding such a rarity.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Yet again I come to see an odd clash of styles. It does make for an interesting collection overall. Congrats on the Gigantoraptor, I think that's not easy to get. Congrats also on the subadult Tyrannosaurus too, and congrats on whatever the other thing is. The baby Titanosaur looks like a nice quality figure too. Very noice

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for stopping by, everyone! I hope I haven't hurt your eyes too much with the Bambiraptor.

@ITdactyl it really is odd that they get that bit right while so many companies don't.

[Smilodon P.]

I hope I haven't hurt your eyes too much with the Bambiraptor.

Don't worry, the beauty of the baby sauropod helped to counterbalance the post. (Besides, your bambiraptor probabbly cost less than the one sold on the Permia website).

[Halichoeres]

I hope I haven't hurt your eyes too much with the Bambiraptor.

Don't worry, the beauty of the baby sauropod helped to counterbalance the post. (Besides, your bambiraptor probabbly cost less than the one sold on the Permia website).

I wasn't familiar with the Permia figures! Theirs is actually pretty affordable for being handmade. I don't generally buy fragile stuff like that unless it's a fish, but that one is tempting.

Saurischians of the Jurassic!


GR Toys/Haolonggood Dicraeosaurus
Scale: 1:30
Released: 2021
Upper Jurassic of Gondwana
I've always liked this animal, since it appeared in David Peters's Gallery of Dinosaurs & Other Early Reptiles (I know, I know, but this is before he went off the deep end). It's just so oddly proportioned compared to what my idea of a sauropod was. I'm glad to have this figure, which replaces the tiny old Starlux version.


Gothmog the Baryonyx showed a similar photo in his thread, and look, it just makes sense. So I'm repeating this combination here to represent the Tendaguru formation. They aren't quite in scale, but it's rare to have three close-enough representatives of a formation from somewhere other than Eurasia or Anglophone North America.


And with its relative separated by thousands of kilometers and millions of years. Forget the predator defense hypothesis, I wonder if any sauropods flirted by entwining their tails, like playing footsie.


PNSO Torvosaurus
Scale: 1:30
Sculptor: Zhao Chuang or someone in his workshop
Released: 2021
Upper Jurassic of everywhere
I haven't been taken with PNSO's recent glut of theropods. When people were (jokingly?) begging them to let up on new releases, I was waiting for them to release enough things to interest me that I could justify placing an order (I have 5 of PNSO's 2021 releases, and the Olorotitan will make 6). This is a nice-looking figure, although I think there are some issues with the head--I haven't looked into it in much detail. But it's a rarely-made genus and I think this is the best of the few options. I think it will replace my CollectA Torvosaurus, even though this is T. tanneri and the CollectA is T. gurneyi.


This head looks pretty silly to me, with the overbite you'd give to a dinosaur on The Simpsons. Maybe theropods had ever-exposed teeth, but I still tend to doubt it. I think I'll be displaying this one with its mouth open.


Attacking Brachiosaurus (not to scale, but you could regard it as a subadult getting just big enough to be unwise prey for a Torvosaurus).


Mattel Gasosaurus (Jurassic World)
Scale: 1:20
Released: 2020
Middle Jurassic of Laurasia
When this was announced I was hoping it meant some high-quality potty humor for the Camp Cretaceous series, but as far as I know this Gas did not come to pass. Anyway, you could consider this the first figure of the genus, although a very ugly Ausini figure was at least sometimes sold under the name Gasosaurus. The Mattel figure replaces the Ausini in my collection.


Possible contemporaries.

[Gwangi]

I feel the same way about the PNSO Torvosaurus, I find the overbite really off putting. It's the same problem I have with Wilson too. This is one reason why I don't understand the preference for lipless theropods. I guess the exposed teeth make them look scarier or something but it just looks silly to me. I can deal with semi-exposed teeth, like on the Carcharodontosaurus, but this is too much.

The Dicraeosaurus is absolutely gorgeous. I'm a big fan of the genus as well.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Congrats on the recent acquisitions of more lovelies to your collection. The Dicreosaurus is especially beautiful. Shame GR Toys may have cut a few corners.
I will be opening Connor on Friday if all goes moderately according to plan.

[SBell]

It's kind of generic, but I would like to get my hands on that Gasosaurus

[Shonisaurus]

My congratulations on all your new acquisitions. I honestly thought that the dicreosaurus was bigger it is almost as big as the badajasaurus from Collecta. The torvosaurus PNSO looks spectacular, what a collection you have Halichoeres.

[Dusty Wren]

The Simpsons reference for the Torvosaurus was so apt you actually got a laugh out of me! That is, indeed, what it looks like. I like the paint job and the overall proportions on the Torvosaurus, but that extreme overbite is such a turn off that I keep putting off buying it.

Love, love that Dicraeosaurus, though. And that little Gasosaurus is pretty charming, too.

[Lanthanotus]

If that Dicraeosaurus would only be a bit cheaper... it`s such a lovely figure.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for visiting, everyone!

I feel the same way about the PNSO Torvosaurus, I find the overbite really off putting. It's the same problem I have with Wilson too. This is one reason why I don't understand the preference for lipless theropods. I guess the exposed teeth make them look scarier or something but it just looks silly to me. I can deal with semi-exposed teeth, like on the Carcharodontosaurus, but this is too much.

The Dicraeosaurus is absolutely gorgeous. I'm a big fan of the genus as well.

Yep, off-putting is just the term for it. The overbite makes it look just a bit derpy.

The Simpsons reference for the Torvosaurus was so apt you actually got a laugh out of me! That is, indeed, what it looks like. I like the paint job and the overall proportions on the Torvosaurus, but that extreme overbite is such a turn off that I keep putting off buying it.

Glad to offer some amusement! The rest of the figure is quite well done, I agree. Compared to the CollectA, the tail, torso, limbs, and skin texture all look much nicer.

My congratulations on all your new acquisitions. I honestly thought that the dicreosaurus was bigger it is almost as big as the badajasaurus from Collecta. The torvosaurus PNSO looks spectacular, what a collection you have Halichoeres.

Thank you! It is a bit on the small side, which suits me, because Dicraeosaurus was on the small side for a sauropod.

It's kind of generic, but I would like to get my hands on that Gasosaurus

Had a bit of help from a fellow forum member, as is usual with these things.

If that Dicraeosaurus would only be a bit cheaper... it`s such a lovely figure.

Worth it for me, but yeah, not exactly a bargain bin purchase.

Congrats on the recent acquisitions of more lovelies to your collection. The Dicreosaurus is especially beautiful. Shame GR Toys may have cut a few corners.
I will be opening Connor on Friday if all goes moderately according to plan.

Do you mean on the toenail paint or some other little inaccuracy?