British Museum (Natural History) by Invicta

[postsaurischian]

Throughout their life people tend to change their opinion about what is aesthetically beautiful and what is not.
I for one think the Invicta Lambeosaurus is still the most beautiful figure of its species and I mean this in the most aesthetically way.
I was just a bit younger than you are now when the Invictas were the highest-quality Dinosaur figure series in the world. This explains a bit how I feel about them .

[Crackington]

I think Postsaurischian has hit the nail on the head about the Invictas. Beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder and I think there is always a "stunned" moment when you see a particular model or make of model. For many posters this may be a Battat or a Papo, but is very related to the context of the times you grow up in.

For me, the first time I saw the Invicta Diplodocus around a school friend and fellow dino-fan's house I was awe-struck.  This was the mid 70s and until up to then I'd only seen Aurora Prehistoric Scenes,  Pyros, Inpros and other "Hong Kongo-saurs" (we didn't get Marx or MPCs in the UK). Much as I liked and even collected the other models, the Invictas just looked in a different league altogether and I couldn't wait to go to the Natural Museum to see the rest. This wasn't easy as I lived in the North East, so visits to London were rare and special.

Thus for me the Invictas were amazing models based on real science which made me look at dinosaurs in a different way, away from the "monster" imagery. It's interesting that they still stand up so well today, despite the advances in the science.

[Balaur]

I don't own a single Invicta, but they do look great, though its probably because I love Retro-Dinosaurs.

[tyrantqueen]

I think Postsaurischian has hit the nail on the head about the Invictas. Beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder and I think there is always a "stunned" moment when you see a particular model or make of model. For many posters this may be a Battat or a Papo, but is very related to the context of the times you grow up in.

For me, the first time I saw the Invicta Diplodocus around a school friend and fellow dino-fan's house I was awe-struck.  This was the mid 70s and until up to then I'd only seen Aurora Prehistoric Scenes,  Pyros, Inpros and other "Hong Kongo-saurs" (we didn't get Marx or MPCs in the UK). Much as I liked and even collected the other models, the Invictas just looked in a different league altogether and I couldn't wait to go to the Natural Museum to see the rest. This wasn't easy as I lived in the North East, so visits to London were rare and special.

Thus for me the Invictas were amazing models based on real science which made me look at dinosaurs in a different way, away from the "monster" imagery. It's interesting that they still stand up so well today, despite the advances in the science.

I grew up in the '90s when JP mania was at its peak. At school, we had toy dinosaurs to play with, and the JP toys always got snapped up quickly. If you weren't quick enough to get a JP dinosaur from the toy box,  a couple of Invicta dinosaurs were left, and most kids didn't want to play with them. I remember in particular, the Tyrannosaurus and the Lambeosaurus got chewed up by some kid's mouth pretty badly.

I hate to sound mean, but I really don't think they stand up well to science today. The Tyrannosaurus and Megalosaurus have crocodilian scutes on their bodies, nearly all of the dinosaurs have dragging tails, and theropods have pronated hands.

I've tried to like Invicta. I have owned them in the past as well, but eventually sold them because I didn't like them. No matter how much people tell me how great they are, how advanced they were for their time etc etc, I just don't get it. Maybe I just don't have the nostalgia goggles that everyone else has.

The only Invicta model that I like somewhat is the Lambeosaurus. But I had to repaint it, because I don't like the beetroot colour scheme.

Sorry if I offended any one with this mini rant. Just sharing my thoughts Oh, and I thought I'd mention this: I don't own a single Kenner dinosaur either 

[Crackington]

Fair points TQ, though I don't think we'll ever see eye to eye on this  .

However, to mount a final defence, the Invictas were cutting edge in their day and blazed a trail for the museum/toy link-ups which continue to this day - they deserve respect.  I'll keep on seeing them, through my nostalgia-goggles, as elegant beasts from a more civilised time (with apologies to Alec Guinness)....

By the way, I do have a Kenner dino, one of the original velociraptors and you're right, they are great toys. My youngest still play with it - it has very interesting conversations with her barbies.

[tyrantqueen]

Fair points TQ, though I don't think we'll ever see eye to eye on this  .

However, to mount a final defence, the Invictas were cutting edge in their day and blazed a trail for the museum/toy link-ups which continue to this day - they deserve respect.  I'll keep on seeing them, through my nostalgia-goggles, as elegant beasts from a more civilised time (with apologies to Alec Guinness)....

By the way, I do have a Kenner dino, one of the original velociraptors and you're right, they are great toys. My youngest still play with it - it has very interesting conversations with her barbies.

Thanks. I appreciate that you didn't try force your opinion down my throat. I've had that in the past when I said I mentioned I didn't care for Invicta

I do understand why people like them, even if I don't share that opinion.

[Crackington]

No problem TQ, its different strokes for different folks.

In a way I wish that more people hated them, then they might be a bit cheaper on Ebay! 

[Raptoress]

No problem TQ, its different strokes for different folks.

In a way I wish that more people hated them, then they might be a bit cheaper on Ebay! 

http://youtu.be/ZygZaqhxwZI?t=2m20s

In this documentary on 'brontosaurus' it appears this guy doesn't like them, either. xD I actually kind of feel sorry for that poor 'brontosaurus' Invicta toy getting his head chopped off.

[Raptoress]

Throughout their life people tend to change their opinion about what is aesthetically beautiful and what is not.
I for one think the Invicta Lambeosaurus is still the most beautiful figure of its species and I mean this in the most aesthetically way.
I was just a bit younger than you are now when the Invictas were the highest-quality Dinosaur figure series in the world. This explains a bit how I feel about them .

The Lambeosaurus Invicta toy does have a very nice pose and seems like they spent time and effort on it. To be completely honest though, there aren't really that many Lambeosaurus toys out there. It still doesn't really appeal to me though. But I do appreciate that a lot of accuracy was put into it.

I liked reading your comment on how you were just a bit younger than me when Invictas were the highest quality. I can see myself looking back on my favourite models one day like that.

[Crackington]

I think we should bear in mind that the lambeosaurus, baryonix and muttaburrasaurus were produced much later than the T-Rex and the other Invicta "tail-draggers", when the science had moved on.  It makes you wonder what might have been if the relationship between the NHM and Invicta had kept going...

[Daspletodave]

I agree with Crackington. The Invicta dinosaurs were the first toy dinosaurs I ever purchased. Back in October 1995 I went to our local art gallery to see an exhibit called "Dinamation's Dinosaurs" (I still have the ticket stub). Jurassic Park had come out in 1993 and suddenly dinosaurs were cool again. I saw the animatronic dinosaurs, and after the show went into the gift shop - and there they were. They had the factory painted Invicta dinosaur collection. I just had to have them - I bought them all -  Diplodocus, Brachiosaurus, Cetiosaurus, Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus, Megalosaurus, Muttaburrasaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and Baryonyx. I also bought Safari's "Dinosaurs of China" Yangchuanosaurus and Therizinosaurus. I thought these models were the best dinosaur replicas available anywhere. Then I put them away in a box and forgot about them
I did not buy another dinosaur until January 2005 when I saw the entire 14 model Favorite Collection Dinosaur soft model set on EBAY. Comparing the Invictas to my new Favorite dinos it was clear that the Japanese set was far superior- but after all 10 years had passed!
Considering when the Invictas were made (I believe from 1974 to 1993) they were the ultimate museum series. The Carnegie museum figures from the same time (1988 to 1993) were pure crap! The Invictas were carefully researched and made to a constant 1:45 scale.
I still like my Invicta dinosaurs. In fact I now have the complete collection, including all the factory painted ones. Once they were state of the art and now they're "retro", but to me they'll always be cool.

[Daspletodave]

Just out of curiosity I looked up "Dinamation " on Wikipedia. Sadly, the company, and its Dinosaurs Alive robotic exhibits went extinct in March 2001. The show I saw in 1995 had Tyrannosaurus, Apatosaurus, Parasauroplophus and her babies.

[postsaurischian]

Just out of curiosity I looked up "Dinamation " on Wikipedia. Sadly, the company, and its Dinosaurs Alive robotic exhibits went extinct in March 2001. The show I saw in 1995 had Tyrannosaurus, Apatosaurus, Parasauroplophus and her babies.

What is the relation to Invicta?

[tyrantqueen]

Just out of curiosity I looked up "Dinamation " on Wikipedia. Sadly, the company, and its Dinosaurs Alive robotic exhibits went extinct in March 2001. The show I saw in 1995 had Tyrannosaurus, Apatosaurus, Parasauroplophus and her babies.

What is the relation to Invicta?

Exactly what I was thinking...

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

They probably just carried them in their giftshops or the museums / zoos / ect that had the exhibits purchased Invicta for sale in their shops at the time.

I'm a big Dinamation collector, my first exhibit was in 1988 in Chattanooga , TN and what did I leave with ?  An Invicta Apatosaurus .

[Horridus]

Just out of curiosity I looked up "Dinamation " on Wikipedia. Sadly, the company, and its Dinosaurs Alive robotic exhibits went extinct in March 2001. The show I saw in 1995 had Tyrannosaurus, Apatosaurus, Parasauroplophus and her babies.

Can't resist an opportunity to plug one of my blog posts: http://chasmosaurs.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/vintage-dinosaur-bots-dinamations.html (Please excuse the formatting, I didn't know what I was doing back then...)

Re Invicta in gift shops: they have been known to still pop up in odd places. Dr Admin procured an Invicta Dimetrodon for me from a museum gift shop a mere 4 years ago. Ah, but for the days when they were stacked high in the NHM shop...instead of that horrible Toyway stuff.

[Daspletodave]

Hey tyrantqueen and postsaurischian. Are you too stupid to read the post right above the one you are questioning?

[tyrantqueen]

Hey tyrantqueen and postsaurischian. Are you too stupid to read the post right above the one you are questioning?

Wow, rude.

[Yutyrannus]

Hey tyrantqueen and postsaurischian. Are you too stupid to read the post right above the one you are questioning?

Wow, rude.

I agree.

[bigbear]

Oi! Dapletodave, it's not nice to call people names, even if you do think they're stupid! Having got that off my chest, I do agree with you about the differences/similarities between Invicta and Favorite. The main difference is that Favorite operate in a world where everybody and their dog makes model dinosaurs, whereas, I think that Invicta was alone in that primeval market. I certainly had some of them and also the Pyro kits, which formed my personal view of Dinos for many years. Nowadays, my shelves contain Papo, Collecta, Favorite and suchlike, as well as still having complete sets of that nostalgic group of Invicta, Pyro, etc.