The best figure of every species, according to Halichoeres

[Halichoeres]

That thing is too cute, if I had one I think I'll probably pet it like it was a living one.

The temptation is great! I worry about damage from skin oils, otherwise I would pet it all the time.

That's quite an impressive and diverse collection you've got there. That Dicynodont is really lifelike, and honestly reminds me of those cute little critters in Walking with Monsters. Ditto on having that as a pet, if they still existed. Also that Tully Monster looks pretty rad. Wish there was more merchandise on that thing out there, but at least there's the next Paleozoic Pal kickstarter to look forward too, so I can finally get a chance at owning a representation of that weird creature.

Thanks very much! Also thank for the info on the Paleozoic Pals Tully Monster. I see they went with the lamprey reconstruction, which is probably wrong, but any publicity is good publicity when it comes to Paleozoic creatures!

[Shonisaurus]

The dicyodon I suppose will be resin. It is a very beautiful figure. 

[Halichoeres]

The dicyodon I suppose will be resin. It is a very beautiful figure. 

It's actually Sculpey, which is a modeling "clay" made of PVC. However, it is similar to resin in that it would probably not withstand a long fall.

[Jose S.M.]

The dicyodon I suppose will be resin. It is a very beautiful figure. 

It's actually Sculpey, which is a modeling "clay" made of PVC. However, it is similar to resin in that it would probably not withstand a long fall.

Oh no, it wouldn't, I know for personal experience 

[Halichoeres]

Dromaeosaurids (mostly) of the Cretaceous!

This week, I received the second of at least three waves of Beast of the Mesozoic figures from Creative Beast. These are all sculpted by David Silva.


Atrociraptor marshalli
Scale: About 1:7 but hard to say as little of the animal is known.
Time: Maastrichtian of North America
Atrociraptor is known from the anterior 2/3 or so of a set of jaws, and a minority of the facial skeleton. There are more completely known dromaeosaurids, but this one has such an evocative name that I can see why Silva included it. Even with the red eyes, I think this is one of the more convincing figures in the set. I don't think I'd thought about it when I was pledging for these, but they're basically impossible to stand up without the posing rods. The joints in the feet are just too loose.


Balaur bondoc
Scale: 1:7
Time: Maastrichtian of Eurasia
One of the more aberrant maniraptorans, especially the hands and feet, and probably more crownward than the dromaeosaurids. It's named after a many-headed monster in Romanian mythology, not a bad namesake! This figure has a pretty bad underbite, more obvious when the jaw is closed. I probably will need to pop the jaw out and cut away paint to make it fit right. I don't think that should be necessary for a $30-plus figure, but nevertheless this is a good-looking figure.


Dromaeosaurus albertensis
Scale: 1:6-1:7
Time: Campanian of North America
Easy to speculate about some anagenesis leading from this to Atrociraptor. This is the Fan's Choice version. It was really hard to choose between this one and the gray standard edition, so I had my partner (an ornithologist) break the tie. The paint wasn't quite cured on my copy; after a moment of handling it I noticed some brick-red residue on my finger. This figure replaces the horrible GeoWorld Dromaeosaurus, and none too soon!


Linheraptor exquisitus
Scale: 1:6
Time: Campanian of Eurasia
This is the right dromaeosaur to make a toy of, since a large fraction of the skeleton is known, and was found articulated (hence its specific epithet). When I opened this up, my partner said, "That looks like a bee-eater." Did I mention she's an ornithologist? Implausible coloration for a predator of vertebrates, but damned if it isn't attractive.


Pyroraptor olympius
Scale: 1:5 based on the ulna, the longest known element.
Time: Maastrichtian of Eurasia
This is the wrong dromaeosaur to make a toy of. It's known from just a few scraps. But hey, it might have looked something like this. I almost went for the varied thrush version but it struck me as just a little too bright.


Zhenyuanlong suni
Scale: 1:6
Time: Aptian of Eurasia
This is another excellent choice for a toy, as it's proof positive that mid-sized dromaeosaurs had feathers, and the skeleton is virtually complete. It's the only one of the deluxe raptors from the lower half of the Cretaceous, somehow! I haven't checked all the proportions, but at least eye-balling it, it looks good. This is the Fan's Choice version. The standard version looked a little too obviously like a magpie.


My whole pack (so far). These figures have some minor quality control problems, but not too bad. They sort of remind me of some of the reasons I don't collect action figures anymore, as a rule. I had a few Spawn toys when I was young and the same things happened: paint clogged some joints such that they would barely move; forcing them could break them; other joints were so loose they couldn't hold a pose; extremities sometimes just fall off. The wings aaaalmost work but it's hard to actually fold them into poses that they would have assumed when at rest. If these had the same level of articulation as the smaller figures that came with the accessory packs, I would be happier with them. Don't misunderstand, I'm not unhappy with these. I just think these would have looked better as static figures, but I get the feeling that Silva would have found that boring, as though he relishes the challenge of making beautiful sculpts while simultaneously taking on the engineering challenge of making them posable. And they are beautiful sculpts.

(These and the accessory packs are also on my Flickr page)

[Patrx]

Great photos, Tim! Thanks for sharing. That Dromaeosaurus is probably my favorite of the lot, but when I pledged, it wasn't in the list, so I selected the Atrociraptor, which should be arriving in a few hours.

[Shonisaurus]

They are very beautiful figures of these raptors but in relation to the articulated members that cause many problems even breaks is something that I have always commented in the forum and that is one of the causes that in my case is not supportive or even dinosaurs with articulated jaw.

But what I said are very beautiful figures and I congratulate you Halichoeres for your new figures of dinosaurs that we have very little information and rare to find in another company of prehistoric toy animals and even resin. 

[Faelrin]

Wonderful group of figures you got there (especially that group shot of them). It seems like your FC Dromaeosaurus is a little pale below the knee's, like with mine. I'd be tempted to get more of them, but for now I must reserve the space for the others in Wave 2 (plus potential future ceratopsians, etc). I'm curious, but what Wave 2 figures did you order? Also do you have any plans to display these alongside the accessory packs (which is totally what I did)?

These are definitely some of the best action figures I've had the chance to play with (in terms of total articulation), outside of the FFVII Play Arts figures I used to have nearly a decade ago, even with some of the minor quirks mine have had (like with the Dromaeosaurus jaw not closing fully, the knee joint being super tight, etc). It makes me glad that I backed that kickstarter all that time ago, since I think it has paid off. However I can understand though why some might prefer static models (or limited articulation) versions of these, especially when the sculpts are so nice (and pretty accurate). I'm curious to see what the 1/18th versions of these will end up like, if they are made down the road of course.

[ceratopsian]

Thanks for your excellent photos and detailed critique. An interesting read. I feel clearer about what I shall do when Everything Dinosaur has them in stock.

[BlueKrono]

Cog Ltd Aysheaia
Scale: about 1.3× life size
This is the last Cog Ltd figure I was looking for, a generous surprise from Bokisaurus. Thanks, Ashley! Great addition to my Cambrian fauna, and my only lobopod! I keep forgetting to pick up the Favorite Hallucigenia.

Now that you got the Cog Ltd Aysheaia, the next one you come across is mine! ;-)

I'll definitely keep an eye out for you! This one was a complete surprise.

I would also put my name in the hat if anyone comes across another Aysheaia. I've been searching for this one in particular because I did my college thesis on tardigrades and have tattoos of the same, and these were their prehistoric forbears.

On an unrelated note, that Linheraptor is a beaut! My favorite of the series so far.

[Halichoeres]

Great photos, Tim! Thanks for sharing. That Dromaeosaurus is probably my favorite of the lot, but when I pledged, it wasn't in the list, so I selected the Atrociraptor, which should be arriving in a few hours.

And thank you! I changed my pledge repeatedly as new stretch goals were met, to my financial ruin.

Wonderful group of figures you got there (especially that group shot of them). It seems like your FC Dromaeosaurus is a little pale below the knee's, like with mine. I'd be tempted to get more of them, but for now I must reserve the space for the others in Wave 2 (plus potential future ceratopsians, etc). I'm curious, but what Wave 2 figures did you order? Also do you have any plans to display these alongside the accessory packs (which is totally what I did)?

These are definitely some of the best action figures I've had the chance to play with (in terms of total articulation), outside of the FFVII Play Arts figures I used to have nearly a decade ago, even with some of the minor quirks mine have had (like with the Dromaeosaurus jaw not closing fully, the knee joint being super tight, etc). It makes me glad that I backed that kickstarter all that time ago, since I think it has paid off. However I can understand though why some might prefer static models (or limited articulation) versions of these, especially when the sculpts are so nice (and pretty accurate). I'm curious to see what the 1/18th versions of these will end up like, if they are made down the road of course.

Thanks! From the second wave I'm getting Saurornitholestes langstoni (i.e. the roadrunner version), Acheroraptor, Adasaurus, and Tsaagan. As for the accessory packs, I'm not really keeping them together. The small theropods and the desert pack look good with these, to my eye. I think the accessory packs with plants look better with my 1:40 dinosaurs, so that's who's standing on them now. If I have a lot of trouble getting these to stay up with just a single posing rod I might reconsider. But the trees in particular look much better with, say, my Malawisaurus.

As for the 1/18 versions, if they're made, I'll probably buy most of them and honestly I might trade/sell the big ones. 1/18 works much better with my existing collection and they would surely have fewer joints. My guess is that only a few species will be available in 1/18, but then again, I wouldn't have guessed that Silva would try to do 50 species of ceratopsian.

Thanks for your excellent photos and detailed critique. An interesting read. I feel clearer about what I shall do when Everything Dinosaur has them in stock.

And thank you for the kind words! Glad I could be of some use.

I would also put my name in the hat if anyone comes across another Aysheaia. I've been searching for this one in particular because I did my college thesis on tardigrades and have tattoos of the same, and these were their prehistoric forbears.

On an unrelated note, that Linheraptor is a beaut! My favorite of the series so far.

Cog needs to make more of the Prehistoric Panorama sets, if you ask me. The Linhe is a pretty one, for sure, and the one I find most difficult to pronounce. Maybe you'll have some sympathy for this: I alway want to say "LIN-yeh," as though it were Portuguese, instead of "lin-HEH" as it probably should be.


Adding these guys to the spreadsheet I use to track my collection, I realized that Zhenyuanlong is the 500th nominal genus in my collection!

[Reptilia]

Great pics Halichoeres, and very useful. Now I have a clearer idea of how those figures look like. Thanks!

[Cretaceous Crab]

I had some of the same issues with my Build-a-Raptor Kit from BotM. Still a good figure for $40

[Roselaar]

Absolutely stunning figures, them Raptors! Speaking of which, any I should add to the USL? And can I use your pics for that?

[Halichoeres]

Thanks, guys!

@Roselaar: You may use them, certainly. I think the Pyrorapter knocks off Magister Militum, but Zhenyuanlong, Linheraptor, Atrociraptor, and arguably Balaur should be added. I say arguably because I believe that forum member Brandem briefly made some polyurethane resin casts of a Balaur sculpt. There can't be many copies in existence.

[Lanthanotus]

Great photos!

While I am not as excited about the series as others - simply as I am neither a big fan of raptors nor ceratopsians - I really appreciate the details in sculpt and paint job in this line. And I am out for one or more of the environment packs, that's for sure. But a question that always tickles me... they are ment to be "action figures". I know there's been a lot of multi articulated figures in the last decades that could really be used a action figures like the old days SW Kenner figures, M.A.S.K. or MotU. Those raptors are sure a bit expensive to be used as toys.... but if you'd like to treat them that way, would they be able to withstand the stress?

[Halichoeres]

Thanks! And I would say the BotM figures are action figures in the same sense as high-end action figures from NECA or McFarlane: They're articulated, but they probably can't withstand much play. A better term might be "posable models." I'm worried about these things even falling from a shelf, let alone bashing against one another like actual toys.

And now, tetrapods of the Triassic! I recently "completed" my Dawn of the Dinosaurs collection. I don't collect entire lines, but I did finally manage to chase down every figure from the line that I wanted.


Exaeretodon frenguelli
Scale: roughly 1:10
Released: 2010
Time: Carnian (Late Triassic)
I had this before and never actually made it available for trade, but I got an offer I couldn't refuse. I'm happy to have a new copy on my shelf.


Saurosuchus galilei
Scale: 1:35-1:40
Released: 2010
Time: Carnian (Late Triassic)
This is the one that proved most elusive. I've been looking for it for at least two years. It looks better in person than in photos.


These figures aren't really made to scale, but the Saurosuchus works reasonably well with the smaller Ischigualastia and Exaeretodon.


The whole gang. There are two other fleshed-out capsule figures, a smaller resin Frenguellisaurus/Herrerasaurus (the book version), and several capsule skeletons, but these are the ones that interested me. To me the Triassic is the most interesting period of the Mesozoic because there were all these dead clades walking, and it wasn't yet obvious that the sauropsids, let alone the dinosaurs, would dominate the remainder of the Mesozoic. This set is so great because it shows some of that variety, including the doomed temnospondyls and dicynodonts. Not often you get this kind of taxonomic variety out of such a small set. I only wish more of the fauna of the Ischigualasto formation were made into toys!

[Shonisaurus]

For those who are fans to buy resin figures in your case find an exaeretodon again has had to be a huge achievement first for its rarity in the market and second for its high price. On the other hand the saurosuchus I imagine that it must be a more spectacular figure in person than watching it in promotional videos or in photographs. 

[Roselaar]

Thanks, guys!

@Roselaar: You may use them, certainly. I think the Pyrorapter knocks off Magister Militum, but Zhenyuanlong, Linheraptor, Atrociraptor, and arguably Balaur should be added. I say arguably because I believe that forum member Brandem briefly made some polyurethane resin casts of a Balaur sculpt. There can't be many copies in existence.

Thanks for your cooperation!  I agree with these choices, have never seen them in any other form.

[Megalosaurus]

Hello Tim.
That last set is one that I dream to have, as I love triassic as you do.
How not to love that poor Exaeretodon? Look at that face!