The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[PlesiosaurusNessy]

Wonderful collection of your paleozoic animals...and, very important PM sent !!!

[Halichoeres]

Wonderful collection of your paleozoic animals...and, very important PM sent !!!

Thank you, and thank you!

[Bokisaurus]

Nice additions, those fishes are cool, CollectA really need to release a tool set dedicated to them

[Halichoeres]

Nice additions, those fishes are cool, CollectA really need to release a tool set dedicated to them

I wholeheartedly agree!

[SBell]

Nice additions, those fishes are cool, CollectA really need to release a tool set dedicated to them

I wholeheartedly agree!

I third that...I think we can all agree that we can give up on Safari ever doing anything worthwhile in the prehistoric small-figures sets for a while. So now we count on CollectA!

[Shonisaurus]

Halichoeres congratulate you for the new additions of prehistoric fish and especially for the cynognathus of Starlux. 

[Halichoeres]

Some new Paleozoic bilaterians, and a book:


Schleich Dinogorgon
Scale: 1:15
Released: 2018
Late Permian
Always happy to have a new stem-mammal. The synapsids were doing so well until the PT came and made everything archosaurs. I guess they got their revenge in the end. Anyway, slightly boring paint job and blunt teeth, but pretty decent figure from Schleich.


Safari Dimetrodon grandis
Scale: 1:25
Sculptor: Doug Watson
Released: 2018
Early Permian
There are so many good Dimetrodon figures that I don't really think this was needed, but it is a great piece. It displaces my Favorite and Papo versions, both of which I still think are nice figures. Scales pretty well with the non-contemporaneous Inostrancevia. I hope Safari makes more Permian critters; this Dimetrodon needs company.


Parahelicoprion from the "Prey Collection"
Scale: 1:56
Sculptor: Alexander Belov
Released: 2017
Early Permian
I want to paint this, but I think I need to practice on something cheaper and uglier first. I want to do this right. The tail is reminiscent of a thresher shark. Belov took some liberties with this, but it looks pretty great anyway. I also got a built-and-painted copy from Urzeitshop (paint by Martin Garrat), which I haven't received yet. When this one is done I'll post them both and see if you can guess which is which (hint: you'll be able to guess very easily because I'm no Martin Garrat).

Also new: the Colorata Paleozoic Creatures boxed set. I hope they do lots more like this! Best work from them so far in my opinion. These were released in December 2017.


Cephalaspis lyelli
Scale: 1:3-1:4
Early Devonian
Dozens of nominal species have been referred to Cephalaspis over the years, but I'm very glad they chose C. lyelli, the type species, for their figure, because it's likely that every other species will eventually be reassigned, many to new genera. It's appropriately slender, unlike the Starlux, but it's probably for the best that the Starlux was so stout, since if it were more accurate every copy would have broken its tail off. I'll probably trade the Starlux one now that I have this. Beautiful figure.


Scales well with the Kaiyodo Bothriolepis, although they were separated by millions of years.


Acutiramus macrophthalmus
Scale: 1:25
Late Silurian-Early Devonian
Finally there's a third species of eurypterid available. This one actually reminds me a lot of the Dinotales Pterygotus, which has much larger eyes than the Capsule Q version, so might have been designed after Acutiramus instead. I'd have to know more about eurypterid anatomy to be sure. Anyway, I'm pretty happy with this figure.


With some other eurypterids. We still need more Silurian creatures.


Cameroceras trentonense
Scale: 1:60 based on a 6-7 meter specimen
Ordovician
This is the longest figure in the set, and yet it's to scale with Safari's Sarcoprion and Edestus Toob figures. It also works, scale-wise, with the Belov Parahelicoprion, although of course they lived 150 million years apart. This is a really beautiful orthocerid. About time this giant was done justice.


Olenoides serratus
Scale: 1:2.5
Middle Cambrian
The only trilobite anyone makes anymore. Obviously I would have preferred a different trilobite, but at least this rendition is really nice. Its cephalon looks much more accurate than the one on the similar-sized CollectA version. It's not as detailed as the Favorite version, as for example the antennae don't show the segments (flagellomeres in insects, but I'm not sure if that term is used for trilobite antennae). But of course it's also much smaller than the Favorite, so I think that's forgivable. Like the Cephalaspis and Acutiramus, it has a slightly metallic-looking finish that I think works well with armored things.


With another trilobite in the same scale.


It's a very attractive set, although I probably won't keep the Anomalocaris or the Dunkleosteus. I hope there are more Paleozoic animals in store from Colorata, or maybe a boxed set of pterosaurs? The ones they've made for the dinosaur sets are really nice, as is the World's Largest Pterosaurs exhibition exclusive Quetzalcoatlus. A boy can dream.

Finally, I got a great little book with illustrations by Hirokazu Tokugawa. Favorite hasn't released any sculpts by him in a while, but this prehistoric atlas will help hold me over.



Some sample pages from the part of the continent where I grew up:

[Libraraptor]

Again,  great additions!

[Roselaar]

Wow, those Coloratas look gorgeous!

[Shonisaurus]

I do not have any prehistoric animal of the brand Colorata (I can not cover many figures for economic reasons) but I have to admit that they are precious figures and are ideal to collect for all the lover of extinct scientific prehistoric animal figures. 

[bmathison1972]

Thanks Tim, my Colorata box set should arrive tomorrow! Keep in mind there are technically two other genera of eurypterids available. The Safari Ancient Fossils TOOB figure represents Mixopterus (mind you, in its fossil matrix and not a free-standing figure) and Jetoar made Pentecopterus decorahensis for his Paleo-Creatures line

[SBell]

Thanks Tim, my Colorata box set should arrive tomorrow! Keep in mind there are technically two other genera of eurypterids available. The Safari Ancient Fossils TOOB figure represents Mixopterus (mind you, in its fossil matrix and not a free-standing figure) and Jetoar made Pentecopterus decorahensis for his Paleo-Creatures line

Don't forget this little weird one from Imaginext!

[Sim]

Previously in this thread I mentioned that I decided not to get the Wild Safari Microraptor.  I'm reconsidering this, as it does appear to be a good figure.  I would like to have a figure of Microraptor, and since I'm not getting Beasts of the Mesozoic figures the Wild Safari seems to be the only good option for this animal.  The lack of seams/holes for action features is also appealing to me.  I hope to get the Wild Safari Microraptor in the not distant future.

[Halichoeres]

Thanks Tim, my Colorata box set should arrive tomorrow! Keep in mind there are technically two other genera of eurypterids available. The Safari Ancient Fossils TOOB figure represents Mixopterus (mind you, in its fossil matrix and not a free-standing figure) and Jetoar made Pentecopterus decorahensis for his Paleo-Creatures line

Oh yeah, I generally don't count fossil replicas, but I'd forgotten about Jetoar's.

Previously in this thread I mentioned that I decided not to get the Wild Safari Microraptor.  I'm reconsidering this, as it does appear to be a good figure.  I would like to have a figure of Microraptor, and since I'm not getting Beasts of the Mesozoic figures the Wild Safari seems to be the only good option for this animal.  The lack of seams/holes for action features is also appealing to me.  I hope to get the Wild Safari Microraptor in the not distant future.

I like it. Maybe for iridescence coat it with a bit of used motor oil, haha. I hope that you enjoy it if you get it.

I do not have any prehistoric animal of the brand Colorata (I can not cover many figures for economic reasons) but I have to admit that they are precious figures and are ideal to collect for all the lover of extinct scientific prehistoric animal figures. 

Didn't you just spend $300 for two Battats?

[Bokisaurus]

Those Coloratas are beautiful, now added to my bucket list

[Shonisaurus]

The figures of the company Colorata are fabulous. In general, the figures of Japanese companies (miniatures) such as Colorata, Kaiyodo or Favorite are very well finished figures, worthy of decorating the office of a paleontologist. 

[Megalosaurus]

Great new figures Tim.

I can't wait to see your painted helicoprion (& Martin's too).

[Halichoeres]

Ausini Monoclonius.
Scale: 1:40
It's ugly as sin but it's somehow slightly less crude than the Starlux one, which it replaces for the unknown interval between now and the release of the centrosaurine series from Creative Beast.


Ausini Incisivosaurus
Scale: 1:5
Early Cretaceous Asia
When Soldier Bear sold this mold, it was called Avimimus. This and the Monoclonius were part of a playset, but another Ausini playset includes a very similar sculpt to this which is sold as Psittacosaurus. I'm pretty sure that the American company Imagination Generation is also using Ausini molds. None of them is very good, but hopefully someday somebody will make these taxa properly.


It's something of a photo negative of the Schleich Oviraptor, shown here biting the face of its Bizarro World counterpart.

Don't worry, I've gotten some good stuff recently, too:


CollectA Mapusaurus
Scale: 1:30
Sculptor: Matthias Geiger
Released: 2018
Late Cretaceous South America
I've had enough CollectA theropods start to lean over on their bases that I'll probably keep the plastic saddle on this one. It's a very nice looking sculpt, although if I were picking CollectA theropods to replace I would have had more urgent priorities than their fairly decent standard sized version. The old one was about 1:40, too, unlike this somewhat larger figure (which is confusingly and inaccurately called 1:40). Nevertheless, it is an improvement, so it replaces the standard version on my shelf.


CollectA Iguanodon
Scale: 1:30
Sculptor: Matthias Geiger
Released: 2018
Early Cretaceous Eurasia
Absolutely beautiful. One of CollectA's finest pieces to date. Like the majority of CollectA's "1:40" figures, it's not remotely 1:40. It's 1:32, minimum, based on the largest known individuals. It replaces my Bullyland Iguanodon.


Which I guess means at least it scales well with the Mapusaurus. It seems like we can kiss 1:40 scale figures goodbye for the most part, 1:30-1:35 is the new standard.


CollectA Mantellisaurus
Scale: 1:40
Sculptor: Matthias Geiger
Released: 2018
Early Cretaceous Eurasia
Wait, I lied. CollectA sometimes makes 1:40 dinosaurs, but almost never calls them 1:40. They're almost all in the standard range. Anyway, this moderately large ornithopod was split from Iguanodon because its inclusion in the genus seemed to render it paraphyletic. Good looking toy.


Scales pretty well with the Safari Malawisaurus, though of course they would never have met.


CollectA Sciurumimus
Scale: 1:5
Sculptor: Matthias Geiger
Released: 2018
Late Jurassic Laurasia
As others have observed, this guy looks better in hand than it does in the promo photos. It's adorable and lifelike. Who knows what the adult looked like, but the juveniles were hella cute. Really nice set of releases from CollectA this year, and they're releasing in two batches instead of three, making it easier to justify ordering them all the way from MiniZoo in Australia.


Scales well with the Kaiyodo Yi qi. Feather fight!

Finally, one more craptacular dinosaur:

Ausini Gasosaurus
Scale: 1:30
Middle Jurassic Laurasia
Believe it or not, this figure is brand new. It just looks that filthy right out of the box. No doubt it has gone by many names in Ausini's varied releases, or in releases by other companies using similar molds. Since it's a Chinese taxon, it seems likely that one day one of the more respectable companies will make Gasosaurus right (well, as right as one can given the very fragmentary holotype). Anyway, I hope you're all thoroughly offended that I included these monstrosities alongside the gorgeous new CollectA dinosaurs.

[Jose S.M.]

I wasn't sure of getting all the Collecta's this year but the more photos I see the more I like them, now Iguanodon is a sure thing, and Mantellisaurus and Sciurumimus too, I'm still debating of Mapusaurus but looks really good. Also Mantellisaurus looks great in the wetlands pack base. And what happened to the snout of that Monoclonius? 

[BlueKrono]

Did you not fancy the Safari Iguanodon from a couple years ago?