The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[Stegotyranno420]

The Ruyangosaurus is a colossus.
Also I appreciate you taking the time to add an "etymology " section too.

[SBell]

I've been debating on the Ruyangosaurus... I don't buy as many dinos these days. But it does look pretty awesome.

We'll see on the others. I like spinosaurids... but that one is based on so little

[JimoAi]

You passed on the collectA mosasaurus and the shastasaurus this round?

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for stopping by and commenting, everyone!

Nice; I actually have also gotten all of these new additions of yours. Except for the Ceratosuchops since it's only known from a few jaw fragments, especially given the constant changing of interpretation of spinosaurids...

I was a bit taken aback by the small size of the Hadrosaurus, but several of their similar ornithopods lately have been about that size it seems

I almost didn't get the Ceratosuchops either. As for the Hadrosaurus, it's actually really similar in size (and scale) to the Kamuysaurus from 2021. If I were wishing, I'd want them both just 15 or 20% bigger, but not as big as their huge Edmontosaurus from last year. But I'm pleased enough with them!

The CollectA Ruyangosaurus proves that the days of large sauropod figures are not behind us.
Missed opportunity by Safari there to make a truly impressively sized Patagotitan.

The Safari Patagotitan doesn't actually appear much smaller than Ruyangosaurus; the bulk and posture of the neck is the main issue. Isn't Ruyangosaurus speculated to be the longer of the two anyway?

They're similar in length, although they're pretty different in bulk. I put each of them on my kitchen scale, and the Patagotitan is about 11.75 ounces (333 grams), while the Ruyangosaurus is about 18 ounces (510 grams). It does seem that length estimates average a bit higher for Ruyangosaurus, although given how little is known of it, that is speculative as Fembrogon suggests. Anyway, I think the pose of the Patagotitan, with its lowered head, probably contribute to an impression of small-ness. Understandable given the AMNH mount, but I suppose I would have preferred a more Field Museum-like pose. The masterful Camarasaurus from Safari proves they're capable of it too! (But who knows how it sells. I think I've only seen it at retail once.)

The Ruyangosaurus is a colossus.
Also I appreciate you taking the time to add an "etymology " section too.

I thought you might enjoy that!

I've been debating on the Ruyangosaurus... I don't buy as many dinos these days. But it does look pretty awesome.

We'll see on the others. I like spinosaurids... but that one is based on so little

Part of me slightly regrets the Ceratosuchops, since I'm encouraging companies to keep making figures of theropods based on maxilla fragments. Right now I refuse to buy Spinosaurus proper unless it comes with a fish; maybe I should extend that rule to other spinosaurids too!

You passed on the collectA mosasaurus and the shastasaurus this round?

Certainly not!    They'll be featured here by-and-by, just seemed like a pretty full update just with the archosaurs.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Excellent releases, glad to see the Ruyangosaurus in that scale, I can finally have a semi-decent sized Titanosaur in the Cretaceous section of my main board. A lovely set of English Cretaceous dinosaurs too.

[Halichoeres]

Excellent releases, glad to see the Ruyangosaurus in that scale, I can finally have a semi-decent sized Titanosaur in the Cretaceous section of my main board. A lovely set of English Cretaceous dinosaurs too.

Thank you! Yeah, the scale math was a nice surprise.

And now, protostomes of the Cambrian!


F-Toys Hallucigenia
Scale: 2× life size
Released: 2022
Middle Cambrian
Etymology: L. "producing hallucinations"
It's been several years since someone made a Hallucigenia, and I think this is the nicest toy version yet. It came in several color versions, and honestly I think they all looked good, with vivid colors befitting its name. It has several joints, which isn't generally my preference, but they aren't too obtrusive. The detail is fine enough that I'm replacing my Favorite Co version from 2016. This paint version sort of gives me the impression of aposematic vermicelli.


Still have the Favorite Wiwaxia, though.


Oumcraft Leanchoilia
Scale: 1:4 - 1:5
Released: 2022
Designer: Oammararak Suchimonsri, but influenced by Palaeopedia Tumblr blog
Middle Cambrian
Etymology: after Leanchoil station, a defunct stop on a railroad in BC, Canada, which was itself named after a farm in Scotland.
One of the megacheirans ("big-handed" arthropods), and as such probably on the chelicerate stem, that is, closer to spiders and horseshoe crabs than to millipedes and insects. It had ridiculously long flagella on its four anterior appendages, which are kind of hard to represent in a 3d print, but otherwise Oumcraft's version looks pretty good. In overall structure it kind of reminds me of an amphipod, even though they aren't closely related.


Oumcraft Emeraldella
Scale: 1:5
Released: 2022
Designer: Oammararak Suchimonsri
Middle Cambrian
Etymology: after Emerald Lake in BC, Canada ("-ella" is a diminutive suffix)
One of several Oumcraft figures that noticeably improved between the Kickstarter and actual production. The antennae and last tergite in particular are much more accurate. This little jewel is in a clade that also contains trilobites, so its position relative to living arthropods isn't clear. But a cool little addition of a fairly basic arthropod to my Cambrian collection.


Oumcraft Nectocaris
Scale: 1:6
Released: 2022
Designer: Oammararak Suchimonsri, possibly influenced by Palaeopedia Tumblr blog
Middle Cambrian
Etymology: Gr. "swimming shrimp"
Despite the name, this animal might be more closely related to the mollusks. Too bad we can't just get some DNA sequences and put that to the test. Some researchers have even thought it was a chordate, because of its fins, but it doesn't seem to have a notochord, a dorsal nerve cord, or a chordate-style pharynx. The coloration is a fun choice, recalling its distant relative, the venomous blue-ringed octopus.


F-Toys Anomalocaris
Scale: 1:7 - 1:9
Released: 2022
Early to Middle Cambrian
Etymology: Gr. "anomalous shrimp"
This is kind of a tough one. It's similar in size/scale to the Kaiyodo "Great Leaps in Evolution" Anomalocaris, which is a really elegant little figure. This one is more up to date anatomically, if not quite as pretty. It would be an easier choice if this one were all the way up to date, it still has slightly too few flappy-flaps. Still, it's enough of an accuracy improvement that this is probably my new small Anomalocaris.


Its anterior appendage came as a separate piece, so I took advantage of the opportunity to photograph it by itself. You can kinda see how isolated fossils of this were interpreted as a whole crustacean, rather than as just part of a larger animal.


Anomalocaris isn't really to scale here; it would have been a bit bigger. But hopefully the Redlichia gives a good idea of everybody's size.


And finally, an oddity: a piece of aquarium decor from a Japanese company called Sudo (Starpet).


It features several Cambrian animals:


Leanchoilia, with the long, whiplike flagella.


Opabinia with what looks like an Amiskwia in its little grabber.


And Sanctacaris.


I bought this to satisfy my curiosity more than anything. I have versions of all these animals I'm happy with, and the components aren't really to scale with each other, so I don't think I'll keep it. But man, what a cool thing to have in an aquarium, especially if you had something vaguely prehistoric-looking like a bichir or arowana, or better yet a lancelet.


It's one of several prehistoric-themed aquarium sculptures from this brand. This is the coolest of them, in my opinion.

[Faelrin]

That aquarium decoration is so neat. Great find there. Glad to see some of those F-Toys figures, and more of the Oumcraft ones as well.

[ceratopsian]

I'm astonished that any firm thought up that aquarium decoration. The Hallucigenia is a beautiful thing.

[triceratops83]

I've never seen anything that cool in any petshop. Good catch! I think you should still keep it though, in case you do decide to get an aquarium.

[Gwangi]

That aquarium decor is really cool, and I don't usually go for unnatural looking aquarium decor but that's something I would make an exception for. Figures that Japan would have better and more diverse representations of Cambrian fauna on their aquarium decor than any western toy company does. Anyway, my vote is to keep it with Triops. 

[ceratopsian]

Yet again you have led me astray @Halichoeres!  I've ordered the F-toy Hallucigenia and Anomalocaris. You are a dangerous person to know!  Given that I bought an Ottoia that's just arrived, it seemed unavoidable. Though the Ottoia might not appreciate the Anomalocais coming into view...

[Halichoeres]

Thanks, everyone! The aquarium set really is like nothing I've ever seen. I wonder if this kind of stuff is commonplace in Japanese pet shops. For a while I checked out pet shops in the states for even some plants that could look prehistoric, but I came up empty. This is just wild. Set 969 also looks pretty cool, with the Anomalocaris and Marrella (even more out of scale than the ones on set 970).

That aquarium decor is really cool, and I don't usually go for unnatural looking aquarium decor but that's something I would make an exception for. Figures that Japan would have better and more diverse representations of Cambrian fauna on their aquarium decor than any western toy company does. Anyway, my vote is to keep it with Triops. 

Now you've got me thinking. I actually have a package of Triops eggs.

Yet again you have led me astray @Halichoeres!  I've ordered the F-toy Hallucigenia and Anomalocaris. You are a dangerous person to know!  Given that I bought an Ottoia that's just arrived, it seemed unavoidable. Though the Ottoia might not appreciate the Anomalocais coming into view...

Ha ha, I'm not sorry at all! I hope they don't elicit as wrinkled a nose as the Ottoia did...

[ceratopsian]

I think His Lordship will find them easier to appreciate than a worm!

[Halichoeres]

A few Cretaceous dinosaurs:


Mark Co Ltd Scolosaurus
Scale: 1:25
Released: ?
Campanian of North America
Etymology: Gr. "stake lizard"
I happened across this one while shopping for other figures accident. Even though it came in its original box, I can't tell when it was released. The sculpt style is either vintage or retro, and I lean toward vintage. That said, the box has a Japanese "ST" safety seal, a seal that didn't come into use until 1971, so it's no older than that. My best guess is it's from roughly the same era as the Starlux Scolosaurus, late 70s to early 80s. But I can't exclude the possibility that it's a more recent release made in a self-consciously retro style.


It's part of a series simply called "The Kyoryu" ("The Dinosaurs"). I don't know anything about Mark Co Ltd apart from the fact that it is clearly Japanese; the name is so unremarkable and similar to names of other minor toy companies (plus one major one!) that I haven't turned up anything other than the cursory information in DeMarco's Dinosauriana.


The series included a mildly interesting lineup, with Scolosaurus instead of the standard Ankylosaurus, and Kentrosaurus instead of the standard Stegosaurus. I broke up a set to buy this one, which I feel only a tiny bit guilty about.


The box includes this cool scenic insert with simple but recognizable sketches of plants. They're kind of a hodgepodge geologically, but this would be a great backdrop for, say, a schoolkid's shoebox diorama.


Anyway, weird figure, but kind of cool. I know that most Euoplocephalus figures are based more on Scolosaurus specimens; nevertheless, I think this is the nicest toy bearing the name Scolosaurus, and as such it replaces my Starlux version.


Kaiyodo Ornithomimus (MiniQ Dinosaur Excavation 10)
Scale: 1:35
Sculptor: Sugaya Naka
Released: 2022
Campanian and perhaps Maastrichtian of North America
Etymology: Gr. "bird mimic"
I had to double check my math on this, but this is the first new release from Kaiyodo that I've added to my collection in more than five years. When I buy miniatures, I like them to be of small animals, and they've almost exclusively made large animals in the last few years, so nothing to interest me. But this is a nice 1:35, fitting well with my existing figures from the Late Cretaceous. The Dakotaraptor proved to be a bit too small, at around 1:55 - 1:60, so I don't plan to keep it. At some point I need to revive my trade thread for that and other unwanted figures.


It's a nice update to the Kaiyodo Struthiomimus, although I plan to keep both for now. This does, however, replace my old Geoworld Ornithomimus.


Edmontosaurus has had enough of their crap.


PNSO Pachycephalosaurus
Scale: 1:20
Sculptor: Zhao Chuang or someone in his workshop
Released: 2021
Maastrichtian of North America
Etymology: Gr. "thick-headed lizard"
When this first came out I kind of ignored it because I was a bit annoyed to see yet another Pachycephalosaurus, while other, more completely known pachycephalosaurs continued to be ignored. But on closer examination, it really is a phenomenal figure, probably the best of the genus. It replaces both my Safari and CollectA versions.


Unfortunately, it doesn't scale well with my figures of its contemporaries, but it looks pretty good with the Creative Beast Monoclonius.


Toy Monster Pyroraptor (Jurassic World Captivz)
Scale: 1:11
Released: 2022
Maastrichtian of Eurasia
Etymology: Gr./L. "fire thief"
Not great, but not the worst thing in the world. At this size, the weirdly shaped skull with its weirdly placed eyes aren't as noticeable as on the larger figures. It's more or less reasonably feathered. Obviously I'm still keeping the Creative Beast action figure, but I don't mind having another, smaller feathered dromaeosaur for another shelf. The pose, no doubt a constraint of the mystery egg packaging, makes it look like it's about to stain some snow.


Just a bit too large to scale with Creative Beast's 1:18 figures; Pyroraptor should be a bit smaller than Dromaeosaurus, if anything. The Marx Cynognathus is just here because I imagine it's a more universally familiar scale bar.


With the Captivz Lystrosaurus.

[Stegotyranno420]

I love Scolosaurus. One of the first dinosaurs i knew, and I have fond memories of it, despite not knowing much about it. It sure does show up in the most unexpected places, for example obscure Wii video games, random books, etc.
As for the Pachycephalosaurus, it is one of their most finest figures from that sub-period, but im not sure if its worth 30-40 dollars for that size.

[bmathison1972]

Wow that Scolosaurus looks like it stepped right out of a 1960s Toho Studios film...

[Gwangi]

That Scolosaurus and its packaging are fantastic! I have no idea when it would have been released but it gives me late 80's and early 90's vibes.

I agree about the PNSO Pachycephalosaurus. I was mildly annoyed that it came out so close to Safari's but I bought it anyway and am happy to have both. I'm trying not to repeat too many genera but I do make some exceptions.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks for stopping by, everyone!

I love Scolosaurus. One of the first dinosaurs i knew, and I have fond memories of it, despite not knowing much about it. It sure does show up in the most unexpected places, for example obscure Wii video games, random books, etc.
As for the Pachycephalosaurus, it is one of their most finest figures from that sub-period, but im not sure if its worth 30-40 dollars for that size.

I wouldn't expect Scolosaurus to show up in a Wii game, that is surprising! I definitely remember it from a lot of books when I was a kid, though. As for the Pachy, the Safari is certainly a better value, but for me price is kind of a secondary consideration. I've spent more than $30 for much smaller figures, and uglier ones at that.

Wow that Scolosaurus looks like it stepped right out of a 1960s Toho Studios film...

I had to look that up, but yeah, it has a lot in common with the various vinyl kaiju figures that sell for insane sums on the Internet.

That Scolosaurus and its packaging are fantastic! I have no idea when it would have been released but it gives me late 80's and early 90's vibes.

I agree about the PNSO Pachycephalosaurus. I was mildly annoyed that it came out so close to Safari's but I bought it anyway and am happy to have both. I'm trying not to repeat too many genera but I do make some exceptions.

Yeah, it might easily be as late as the 90s. DeMarco estimates a release date in the 1960s, but that's clearly impossible because of the safety seal. I guess in theory it might have been in production continuously, but I think we'd see these more often if so. And the condition this figure is in suggests a more modern production, too.

And yeah, this Pachy merits an exception if anything does! I'd love it if PNSO made a Stegoceras one day, even if it were only a mini.

[Stegotyranno420]

@Halichoeres Scolosaurus was not the only unexpected animal in that particular Wii game. There was also

Spoiler

Suchomimus, "Troodon"(they have become more popular now but at the games release were a bit obscure to public media), Gastonia, Edmontonia, Dacentrurus, Miragaia, Wuherosaurus, Juravenator, Chasmosaurus, Einiosaurus and even Archosaurus, but that one was depicted as a theropod covered in armour for some reason.

[close]

You wouldn't expect this from a game, although I suppose JWTG had added many of these recently.

[Halichoeres]

Theropods of the Cretaceous (and one chondrichthyan):


X-Plus/Star Ace Spinosaurus
Scale: 1:35 - 1:40
Sculptor: Sean Cooper
Released: 2022
Cenomanian of Africa
Etymology: L./Gr. "spine lizard"
The bottom of the base says "Spinosaurus maroccanus", which isn't generally regarded as a valid species. It's a pretty decent representation of the genus, but that's not why I bought it. Still, it's nice enough that I think it will replace my 2019 PNSO Spinosaurus. I haven't bought a Spinosaurus for its own sake since 2017, and with this I maintain my streak. Like all other Spinos I've bought since then, I bought it for the fish:


X-Plus/Star Ace Onchopristis
Scale: 1:80 for a very large specimen, but it could be a youngish individual and be to scale with its assailant.
Sculptor: Sean Cooper?
Released: 2022
Albian - Maastrichtian
Etymology: Gr. "barbed saw"
It's more accurate than the one that came with the 2019 PNSO Spinosaurus, although it still has surprisingly many problems, looking generally more like a sawfish than a sclerorhynchoid. And naturally it's a bit more bloodied than I'd prefer. Prototype images seemed to suggest this would be a free piece rather than fixed to the base, and by the time I realized that wasn't the case, I had already paid a non-refundable preorder deposit. Oh well. I kind of appreciate the daring paint job, trying to give the impression of light filtering through water, but the lines are too haphazard for it to be effective.


PNSO Suchomimus
Scale: 1:30
Sculptor: Zhao Chuang or someone in his workshop
Released: 2022
Aptian of Africa
Etymology: Gr. "crocodile mimic"
It's a very nice figure. The colors on the head are really similar to those on the Tsintaosaurus, but they're displayed far enough away from each other that the similarity doesn't bother me much. This replaces my Safari Suchomimus.


It's okay with me if manufacturers take a nice long break from spinosaurids now. We have plenty. (Also, this photo might look kind of dark on some devices, sorry, but I don't want to set it up again.)


Schleich Gallimimus
Scale: 1:20 - 1:25
Released: 2023
Maastrichtian of Eurasia
Etymology: L./Gr. "rooster mimic"
Well, it's not the worst thing Schleich has ever made. The beak had some paint rubbed off when it arrived, and the weird little fists are pretty off-putting. Still, it's one of only a handful of feathered Gallimimus figures. It's nice enough that I'm replacing my old AAA Gallmimus, which I've been anxious to do since the plastic on it is really sticky and unpleasant to handle.


Safari or PNSO could definitely make a nicer companion to this Qianzhousaurus.


PNSO Therizinosaurus
Scale: 1:30 based on arm elements
Sculptor: Zhao Chuang or someone in his workshop
Released: 2022
Maastrichtian of Eurasia
Etymology: Gr. "reaping lizard"
I've been generally unhappy with existing Therizinosaurus figures. Up to now I've stuck with the 2012 CollectA version, which I still thought was better than their later deluxe version. Then last year Favorite and Haolonggood made disappointing versions. I'd almost resigned myself to ordering the Favorite, so when this came out and saved me the trouble I was pretty happy about it. They did a really excellent job.



Two animals famous for their hands on their way to get manicures. Since PNSO is doing feathered stuff now, it wouldn't surprise me if they made a Gigantoraptor in the near future, or even a Gallimimus.

As always, other comparison photos on request.