The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[Shonisaurus]

Collecta's coopoceras, what a beautiful creature!

[ceratopsian]

The pyritised ammonite makes a fascinating display piece.  Looking forward to getting my own Cooperoceras - let's hope CollectA keeps putting out things like this.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Lovely acquisitions, looking forward to the Cooperoceras myself later, for my Permian shelf.
Interesting to see the game of life figures, some interesting species choices already, and I believe there are loads of unique species to come.

[Flaffy]

Congrats on the new acquisitions! And wow did not realise how miniscule those Life miniatures were, just goes to show how impressive it was for O @Oammararak to be able to pack so much detail into such a tiny sculpt, not to mention the lovely paint! I can imagine it must've taken a long time to have all 274(?) species painted up

Looking forward to seeing the rest of these little guys on your thread!


As for the CollectA Cooperoceras, I'm also glad that these cephalopods are selling well enough to justify their continued production. Who else but CollectA would be willing to tackle such obscure species like this? Though I'd also like to see them expand their prehistoric arthropod collection too... The last ones were 3 years ago in 2019, being the trilobite Redlichia and extant Horseshoe crab. (speaking of, has anyone managed to ID which species of Horseshoe crab the CollectA figure represents?)

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for visiting, everyone!

The paint job on those does indeed look great. Where did you get the Kamyk fish from? I've never heard of those before.

@BlueKrono The Kamyk figures are here: http://kamyk.pl/models/models-perm.php
It's a Polish workshop that mostly does fossil sales and museum exhibits, but they'll sell their designs to ordinary collectors, too. I have several of their fishes, although they also have a variety of interesting invertebrates and a handful of tetrapods, even small dinosaurs. Nearly all are life-size, so beware. I couldn't justify pulling the trigger on their meter-long Ctenacanthus.

Lovely acquisitions, looking forward to the Cooperoceras myself later, for my Permian shelf.
Interesting to see the game of life figures, some interesting species choices already, and I believe there are loads of unique species to come.

Yeah, at least 100 of these taxa have never been made as figures before, to my knowledge. It's just a completely unprecedented project.

Congrats on the new acquisitions! And wow did not realise how miniscule those Life miniatures were, just goes to show how impressive it was for O @Oammararak to be able to pack so much detail into such a tiny sculpt, not to mention the lovely paint! I can imagine it must've taken a long time to have all 274(?) species painted up

As for the CollectA Cooperoceras, I'm also glad that these cephalopods are selling well enough to justify their continued production. Who else but CollectA would be willing to tackle such obscure species like this? Though I'd also like to see them expand their prehistoric arthropod collection too... The last ones were 3 years ago in 2019, being the trilobite Redlichia and extant Horseshoe crab. (speaking of, has anyone managed to ID which species of Horseshoe crab the CollectA figure represents?)

Yeah, painting all these was surely quite an undertaking. I was expecting the paint jobs to be a bit slapdash but they are generally careful and attractive. A few got a bit scuffed in transit but not too egregious.

I agree, I'd generally like to see a variety of invertebrates from CollectA. There is essentially limitless potential. As for the horseshoe crab, B @bmathison1972, who is I think in the best position to know, thinks it best matches the modern Atlantic horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus: https://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=8265.msg264693#msg264693


ETA: @paintingdinos I love the new "HONK" avatar lol

[Psittacoraptor]

Great acquisitions. And that pyritised ammonite is wonderful! I like that it still has some raw edges, and is not as overly prepared as most ammonites you see for sale.

[Crackington]

Glad that you have O @Oammararak  amazing painted figures. They look well worth the wait! Looking forward to seeing the others over the next few years!

[Halichoeres]

Great acquisitions. And that pyritised ammonite is wonderful! I like that it still has some raw edges, and is not as overly prepared as most ammonites you see for sale.

Thank you! I like that about it too, a reminder that it came out of the earth and didn't just magically manifest.

Glad that you have O @Oammararak  amazing painted figures. They look well worth the wait! Looking forward to seeing the others over the next few years!

Ha ha, yeah, it's going to take a while to get through them!

Today, it's eurypterids of the Silurian! Another batch of Oumcraft miniatures for the Life... game. All of these were designed and painted by Oammararak Suchimonsri.


Slimonia
Scale: 1:30 for the largest species; for smaller ones it would be more like 1:6
The unmistakable square-headed eurypterid. This seems to be missing the chelicerae, but the other appendages look good. The telson spike is a little short, but if it were longer it would probably be prone to breakage. The lateral eyes and medial ocelli give it a distinct personality. Simple but effective paint work.


Mixopterus
Scale: 1:15 - 1:30
Another large eurypterid, previously represented (so far as I know) only by the fossil version in Safari's Ancient Fossil Toob. This one is more accurate in some respects, in that it represents all the appendages, although it is maybe a bit foreshortened in proportions. I actually kind of dig this color for it, although I think eurypterids for which coloration is known tended to be marbled brown shades.


Carcinosoma
Scale: 1:25 - 1:60
Before crab, there was crab-bodied eurypterid. Several nominal species came in a variety of sizes, which is why I give such a large scale range. I think it ought to have spines all over its legs, though they are rendered pretty simply here. Still, the overall shape gives a pretty good impression of one of the earlier feints toward carcinization.


All the big boys, with Colorata's Acutiramus for scale.


Hughmilleria
Scale: 1:6 - 1:8
This little buddy was hot-dog sized and I'd be fine coming across one while swimming in the ocean. Some of its big siblings would give me the heebie-jeebies, though. Turns out just "Milleria" has been a moth genus name for ever and ever, so they had to use someone's first name in the honorific too, and now we all know whose. I didn't mean to look him up, but he turns out to have been a somewhat tragic figure.


Anyway, a miniature of his namesake alongside one of Schmalkalder's crinoids.

[ceratopsian]

I had no idea that we knew the coloration of any of the eurypterids!

[bmathison1972]

Very nice! When I expanded my collection to non-arthropods, I narrowed what arthropods I would collect. And, game pieces were out. So, I won't be getting these, but it's lovely to see them! :-)

[Strepsodus]

These are too small for my taste, but I really like this group. I have about 4 genera of Eurypterid. Just out of curiosity, how much did the set you purchased cost, and did you pre-select them?

[SBell]

I'm sorry I've missed this so far.

The painted models look great so far. O @Oammararak  did a really good job given the small size and scope of the undertaking.

For the record, I think I had mine before almost anyone else, along with the game! Even my second batch!

S @Strepsodus I don't know the price, but it was a Kickstarter. @Halichoeres supported with the option for the whole dang thing, fully painted.

But it was possible to just support for the game, or with a certain amount to then put towards whatever figures were chosen. I went with that. As well, for supporters, there was a period where more figures could be ordered at a reduced price.

Individual pieces, as well as the game (which is well-designed btw) can be ordered from her site still. And through contacting, I found out that it's possible to order individual painted models too, but not sure the prices!

[Flaffy]

Thanks for the pictures of your painted set again @Halichoeres !

I now really regret not adding the Slimonia & Carcinosoma to my order, they're such bizarre looking Eurypterids and I highly doubt any company will ever tackle these two species. I'm sure I'll be adding more and more of these LIFE figures to my wishlist as you post your collection.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

I had no idea that we knew the coloration of any of the eurypterids!

Yes indeed! Their particular chemistry is evidently conducive to it. A description of a Carcinosoma specimen from 1958 says it is light brown, with dark brown shading to black on enlarged scales, medium brown 'pustules' on the metasoma, dark brown legs with black-tipped scales, and spines that are dark brown shading to black again. The telson is also black. Here's a reconstruction from the paper:

I wouldn't mind if someone one day made a larger version following this general pattern.

Very nice! When I expanded my collection to non-arthropods, I narrowed what arthropods I would collect. And, game pieces were out. So, I won't be getting these, but it's lovely to see them! :-)

Aha! I had figured you might be among the few to spring for the full set, but yeah if you exclude game pieces that's not gonna fly. I make exceptions to pretty much all my rules if it means I can have a cool fish. Initially I was just going to get the several dozen unique fish in this set, but if I'd done that I think the campaign would have failed. And anyway, there are so many cool invertebrates in this set, and realistically, many are very unlikely to ever be made in any other format.

These are too small for my taste, but I really like this group. I have about 4 genera of Eurypterid. Just out of curiosity, how much did the set you purchased cost, and did you pre-select them?

It was the "Fully Painted Museum" pledge, and it was $2000. That's a full set of miniatures, the game, and several other goodies. I'm guessing the genera you have are Eurypterus, Acutiramus, Pterygotus (but actually also Acutiramus), and maybe Mixopterus from the Ancient Fossils Toob? Maybe Megalograptus, one of the Imaginext toys resembles that genus.

As for the size, the non-player characters are maybe twice the size on average, so more on par with something like a Toob figure. Overall I'm pretty pleased with the sizes, but there are a few animals I'd like to have bigger versions of.

I'm sorry I've missed this so far.

The painted models look great so far. Oammararak  did a really good job given the small size and scope of the undertaking.

For the record, I think I had mine before almost anyone else, along with the game! Even my second batch!

Strepsodus I don't know the price, but it was a Kickstarter. @Halichoeres supported with the option for the whole dang thing, fully painted.

But it was possible to just support for the game, or with a certain amount to then put towards whatever figures were chosen. I went with that. As well, for supporters, there was a period where more figures could be ordered at a reduced price.

Individual pieces, as well as the game (which is well-designed btw) can be ordered from her site still. And through contacting, I found out that it's possible to order individual painted models too, but not sure the prices!

I agree she did a really good job. There was some minor scuffing of some of them in transit, but what're you gonna do. I have to say that I hope if she's selling individual pre-painted pieces they cost at least twice as much per piece as mine did!

Thanks for the pictures of your painted set again @Halichoeres !

I now really regret not adding the Slimonia & Carcinosoma to my order, they're such bizarre looking Eurypterids and I highly doubt any company will ever tackle these two species. I'm sure I'll be adding more and more of these LIFE figures to my wishlist as you post your collection.

My pleasure of course! As for the likelihood that any of these taxa will be made by someone else, I agree it's generally low, but I do think the existence of these makes all of them just a little bit likelier. Once somebody takes the chance, it puts it on more people's radar. I'm hoping it at least calls some attention to the wonderful weirdness of the Paleozoic.

[Bokisaurus]

Wow, those are cool figures but they are really small! They make the small Kaiyodos look like giants!

[Strepsodus]

Unfortunately I lack a Pterygotus, but I might want to wait until someone releases a Pterygotus designed after the actual fossils (Collecta?). My fourth Eurypterid is the Paleocasts Adelophthalmus.

[bmathison1972]

Almost everyone is missing Pterygotus as the Kaiyodo figures are actually Acutiramus. I don't know any true figures of Pterygotus.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

I've never seen so many eurypterids in one place before. That life game is already proving quite a significant marker as it were.

[Halichoeres]

Almost everyone is missing Pterygotus as the Kaiyodo figures are actually Acutiramus. I don't know any true figures of Pterygotus.

Yeah, even the Oumcraft one looks kind of like Acutiramus to me.

I've never seen so many eurypterids in one place before. That life game is already proving quite a significant marker as it were.

Yeah, absolutely unprecedented!

And now, asaphid trilobites of the Ordovician! Another batch of miniatures from Oumcraft.


Symphysops
Scale: 1:2
Late Ordovician
A trilobite with eyes so large that they merge into a wraparound viewport spanning three sides of the head. I guess an animal this small really had to be on the lookout.


Ampyx
Scale: 1:2
Early to Late Ordovician
A long-lived genus perhaps most famous for a fossil slab from Morocco that shows a procession of individuals all lined up, perhaps as part of a migration or mating behavior. Buy a dozen to recreate the tableau. Very tiny, very pointy!


I'm loving these miniatures for how they round out displays for neglected periods like the Ordovician. The Ordovician has been so thoroughly ignored that these miniatures are now an outright majority of the figures I have from the period.


Isotelus
Scale: 1:25 - 1:35
Middle to Late Ordovician
That's right, history's largest trilobite rendered in a scale compatible with a standard dinosaur collection. An absolute monster for a trilobite, although several modern crustaceans get considerably bigger. I wonder why trilobites never did.


Cameroceras could get a bit bigger than this, but this seems like a plausible matchup.


Remopleurides
Scale: 1:1
Middle to Late Ordovician
The orientation of the eyes, plus the oblique spine on a posterior thoracic segment, make me think this thing was trying to escape death from above and behind. The spine also puts me in mind of a bumper car. Picture this at a paleo-themed amusement park.


With the much larger Kaiyodo Triarthrus

[Halichoeres]

A selection of Cambrian arthropods, courtesy of Oumcraft (Life: The Evolution of Life on Earth):


Cambropachycope
Scale: 12× life size
Late Cambrian
A tiny, apparently one-eyed arthropod found in Sweden. The whole bulbous structure at the front of the head is housing for the eye, the rest of the head is below and behind it. Like a miner with a headlamp.


Goticaris
Scale: 25× life size
Late Cambrian
From the same formation in Sweden, another incredibly tiny arthropod with a single eye. It must have operated near the lower limit for the utility of compound eyes, although I think there are some living wasps that are even smaller. This is the best demonstration I know that you can't have everything to the same scale: if this were 1:35 scale it would fit inside a typical human cell.


Martinssonia
Scale: 25× life size
Late Cambrian
And one more tiny Swedish arthropod, this one without the gigantic eyeball. It did have a little array of complex appendages up at the front for catching food, maybe plankton? Something very small at any rate.


The Safari TOOB Sanctacaris is actually too small to be in scale with these other pipsqueaks, but it's the closest thing I have.


Tamisiocaris
Scale: 1:15
Middle Cambrian
Orders of magnitude larger, but possibly also a plankton feeder. Tamisiocaris had a fine comb on its anterior appendage that would have been well-suited to the task. This is a tiny figure, so the many teeth of the real deal are rendered as just a few bristles.


Amplectobelua
Scale: 1:15
Middle Cambrian
Another large radiodont with distinctive appendages, jointed in a way that might have let it grasp things almost like a crab claw. The figure mostly looks like Anomalocaris, though.


Kerygmachela
Scale: 1:12
Middle Cambrian
This eldritch horror, who knows what it was doing. The two cerci at the back are probably incorrect, it seems to have had a single long spine at the back instead. Its narrow eyes don't really show up on this model, which might make it look spookier?


With the 2015 Kaiyodo Anomalocaris.