Safari: New for 2017

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Looking at Dejankins it appears he has the new ones all in stock except of course the feathered rex and naturally the psittacosaurus

[suspsy]

I prefer the Safari Kronosaurus. It has a much smoother and more cetacean-like appearance, whereas CollectA's is more reptilian.

Okay, now I am confused. Is the Kronosaurus supposed to look more cetacean or reptilian?

I guess it depends on the artist who depicts it, although I fail to see how the WS Kronosaurus looks any less reptilian than the CollectA one.

[tanystropheus]

Looking at Dejankins it appears he has the new ones all in stock except of course the feathered rex and naturally the psittacosaurus

That must be painful! I know you've been waiting a long time for a proper/updated psittacosaurus. I'm also quite excited since ceratopsians are my favorite dinosaur group.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

Perhaps it will show its spiky little head just in time for Christmas, would be a nice concept! I am just excited the powers that be in the dinosaur toy world finally chose to endow us with a new one, and one that is really solidly done

[Takama]

Someone posted pics of the Kronosaurus on her facebook

[stargatedalek]

I prefer the Safari Kronosaurus. It has a much smoother and more cetacean-like appearance, whereas CollectA's is more reptilian.

Okay, now I am confused. Is the Kronosaurus supposed to look more cetacean or reptilian?

I guess it depends on the artist who depicts it, although I fail to see how the WS Kronosaurus looks any less reptilian than the CollectA one.

Reptilian as in you can see distinctively where "segments" such as the neck begin, and the muscles ripple through the skin. Whereas in most cetaceans you can't detect these sorts of features and instead the entire length of the body forms one fluid smooth section. I don't know which is more realistic, but I prefer the aesthetic of the latter in a large marine animal.

[suspsy]

Fair enough, but you can clearly see where the WS Kronosaurus' neck begins and ends in the photos Takama posted. I honestly think the only thing that makes it look more whale-like than the CollectA version is the white and blue colour scheme.

[Verahin]

Someone posted pics of the Kronosaurus on her facebook

These pictures make it look tubular as much as the old Carnegie version. The head seems a bit too big, and you can clearly define the neck, which you shouldn't. It appears to miss the tail fluke, the back flippers don't seem to be longer than the front ones and the eyes particularly give it a cartoony look. Also the tongue seems huge, don't know if it's accurate or not but looks weird. Collecta's gets right almost everything's wrong here.

[John]

These are not the best pictures of the Kronosaurus.The angle of the model and the closeness of the camera distorts the proportions.

[Verahin]

I don't know, on the first picture there's not much of a distortion, in my opinion. If I look better it does bear a resamblance in shape to Collecta's 2015 deluxe Pliosaurus, ironically, and to me looks like Collecta have done an updated, better take on a pliosaur with their Kronosaurus while Safari copied a bit Collecta's older model.

[suspsy]

The WS version doesn't have a tail fluke, no. And you can clearly discern the neck in all the official photos on Safari's website. And yeah, the WS version's tongue does look ridiculously huge in that one photo Takama posted. Could just be a bad angle though.

https://www.safariltd.com/kronosaurus

Bottom line: while I prefer the CollectA version, I still think these are both superb renditions. You can always think of one as K. queenslandicus and the other as K. boyacensis.

[John]

The WS version doesn't have a tail fluke, no. And you can clearly discern the neck in all the official photos on Safari's website. And yeah, the WS version's tongue does look ridiculously huge in that one photo Takama posted. Could just be a bad angle though.

https://www.safariltd.com/kronosaurus

Bottom line: while I prefer the CollectA version, I still think these are both superb renditions. You can always think of one as K. queenslandicus and the other as K. boyacensis.

While Safari's Kronosaurus is specified as K. queenslandicus on Safari's site,CollectA's preference for releasing species that have not been seen in most lines raises the strong possibility that the CollectA one actually is intended to be Kronosaurus boyacensis.

[stargatedalek]

The lump is where the skull is thicker, I meant how the neck blends into the shoulders. In general though I was referring to how the features (hips, shoulders, jaw, etc.) are more defined. There's nothing so say one or the other is more likely, I just prefer the smoother aesthetic. As for the fin, while I agree it probably had one I'm not a fan of how CollectA applied it, like a fish's fin, I think something more "paddle-like" would suit a large animal like this better, but again that's just my preference.

I'm not seeing the Pliosaurus influence.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I like all three of them.

[suspsy]

Seeing that comparison series makes me want the CollectA Kronosaurus even more. It's going to look great alongside the Pliosaurus. Can't wait to check out the jaw feature.

[Verahin]

I think the stock photo from Safari's website makes the model look more dynamic than it actually looks in those Facebook pictures posted before. Particularly in the first, the one from above, the pose of the model seems pretty similar to that of the Pliosaurus, and also the heads of the two bear some resemblance, while Collecta Kronosaurus shows a more flat head shape, which seems more suitable for a pliosaur.

[John]

I think the stock photo from Safari's website makes the model look more dynamic than it actually looks in those Facebook pictures posted before. Particularly in the first, the one from above, the pose of the model seems pretty similar to that of the Pliosaurus, and also the heads of the two bear some resemblance, while Collecta Kronosaurus shows a more flat head shape, which seems more suitable for a pliosaur.

I got my order in from Safari today,which includes the Kronosaurus and having it in hand,the sculpt is identical to the prototype.

[Verahin]

I am just going to just straight up tell you that you are flat out wrong about the model not being so good.

I would tell it's always a matter of personal taste instead. But you could post clearer pictures of the Kronosaurus and any other new Safari model you got, just to let us shape our opinions.

[John]

I am just going to just straight up tell you that you are flat out wrong about the model not being so good.

I would tell it's always a matter of personal taste instead. But you could post clearer pictures of the Kronosaurus and any other new Safari model you got, just to let us shape our opinions.

It's identical to the prototype that's seen on Safari's site,but what can't be much appreciated from those pics is that the proportions are spot on to the newest skeletals based on K. boyacensis.The way the flippers are positioned it's hard to see from the pictures,but the back flippers are indeed larger than the front ones,and the body is not barrel shaped like the old Carnegie one.The only real difference between it and the CollectA one is the presence of a speculative tail fin based on distant relative Seeleyosaurus on the latter.I should make it clear that despite my preference for the Safari one,the CollectA Kronosaurus is a very nice model,whether I like moving jaws or not.
So in the end,if you like the seamless look that comes with not having moving parts,than the Safari one is the best bet.Or if you prefer the moving jaw or tail fin,than you can't go wrong with the CollectA one.
But who am I kidding here,we ALL know everyone will end up with both sooner or later.
The Kronosaurus is actually made from a slightly softer plastic than the rest,so it feels more like the Toyway Walking With Dinosaurs line than the other Safari models do.
The Microraptor is much sharper looking in detail than the prototype pictures suggest.I would highly recommend this one for the feathered dino fanatics around here,along with the Coelophysis
Also recommended is the Tylosaurus,absolutely flawless,the detail looking even better in person than in promo pics.
The Einiosaurus has a sort of Papo vibe with the way the paint application is on this one,which is exactly like you see in the promo pics,not sloppy at all (at least not in mine).

[amargasaurus cazaui]

For those who aren't as well versed on sea dragons and the models for them, what was the top one pictured, that looks reddish? Who made that one?My own take from this being....they all look kinda neat in their own way ....I seldom have use for much of what Collecta makes but I do find myself wanting this one, and the large Pterosaur coming out.Of course my vein of interest is far from marine reptiles so my  own triggermechanism to get it isn't as subject to critical factors as other models might be.