The Battat Dynasty

[joossa]

Great pictures, Boki!

This is a great comparison shot showing some major differences like the shape of the head, forelimb length, and even the curving neck mass right behind the head.

The carnos looks like a mating pair.

[Sim]

Thanks! I honestly don't know too much about these, but after seeing the T-Rex on the shelf, I couldn't pass it up for the price. Now I think I'm getting hooked! I don't know if I'll collect all the repaints, but I'm certainly picking and choosing the ones that appeal to me most.

The Battat dinosaurs line was originally the Boston Museum of Science Dinosaur Collection by Battat.  From 1994 to 1998, 18 dinosaur species were made for this line.  This line was discontinued some time after this, apparently in 2002.  The dinosaurs were sculpted by the palaeoartists Dan LoRusso and Greg Wenzel, each doing 9 dinosaur species.

In 2014, to the happiness of many, the Battat dinosaur line was revived as the Terra by Battat Dan LoRusso Collection.  This line now has new sculpts, and repainted sculpts from the Museum of Science line.  The new sculpts, and the new colour schemes for the repaints are all by Dan LoRusso.

All the dinosaurs are sculpted to be in roughly 1:40 scale.  A number of people have said the Battat MOS line was ahead of its time and it's true!  As a result, most of the figures from the original line still have a very high level of accuracy today.

I hope that's helpful!

I really like the Battat dinosaurs!  When I look at them I can see the research, knowledge, care and skill that's gone into making these dinosaur figures accurate to the real animals.  They really look alive!  In each one I see a different personality!  They're sculpted to be to scale with each other which I feel works well!

[Arul]

Ohh so that is how the history goes...no wonder Battat have so many fans  and i think i start to like Battat now with all the repaint and the box is very interesting too. I must have one of those at least 

[Dinomike]

Great pics Boki! I can't wait to get the Acrocanthosaurus and the Carnotaurus - those are ones I'm currently missing. I think the new T.rex and your old one are different versions - hence the subtle differences in the sculpt.  My old Rexy is more or less identical to the new one.

[Sim]

This is a great comparison shot showing some major differences like the shape of the head, forelimb length, and even the curving neck mass right behind the head.

I'm sure I remember Dan LoRusso confirmed the forelimbs are the same length on both those T. rex sculpts, I just can't find where he said that at the moment.  The forelimbs on the original sculpt only look shorter because they're being held closer to the body.  I think this can be seen in Bokisaurus's photos below:

Between the two sculpts, the head is definitely a different shape.  I've always been very curious about this.  Your post inspired me to look into it, joossa!

It seems the original sculpt which is used for versions 1 and 2 of the Battat MOS T. rex is based on Stan.  The newer sculpt which is used for version 3 of the Battat MOS T. rex and the Battat Terra T. rex seems to be based on Sue.  That's as far as I can tell after looking at Scott Hartman's comparison of T. rex specimens: http://scotthartman.deviantart.com/art/Don-t-mess-with-T-rexes-472216626  If I'm mistaken, Dan or anyone else please feel free to correct me!


At this point, I really don't want the Battat Tyrannosaurus retooled to have the older sculpt's head and the rest of the body of the newer sculpt, as I've seen suggested.  As far as I'm aware the largest known Tyrannosaurus specimen is Sue, so I think it's appropriate to have it be what the Battat figure is based on.  Seeing how the older sculpt is a bit wider pretty much throughout also makes me feel uneasy about combining its head with the narrower body.  Also, the newer sculpt is flawless as it is!  (The standing issue isn't the sculpt's fault, it's due to the plastic not being hard enough.)  The original Battat T. rex sculpt is really great too, but it either has 'bumps' (version 1) or 'snowshoes' (version 2) put on the bottom of its feet to (not always successfully) help it stand.

As far as I'm concerned, I prefer the newer Battat T. rex sculpt and I greatly look forward to getting it from the Terra line.  I don't think its sculpt needs changing.  Like others have said, I'd personally prefer updates be given to older figures that need it and new dinosaur species be made.  It's up to Dan though, of course. 

[Takama]

I asked Dan about this, and he says he cant say if the two models are based on two different specimens, because he did not Sculpt the Battat T.Rexes.

[Dinoguy2]

It seems the original sculpt which is used for versions 1 and 2 of the Battat MOS T. rex is based on Stan.  The newer sculpt which is used for version 3 of the Battat MOS T. rex and the Battat Terra T. rex seems to be based on Sue.  That's as far as I can tell after looking at Scott Hartman's comparison of T. rex specimens: http://scotthartman.deviantart.com/art/Don-t-mess-with-T-rexes-472216626  If I'm mistaken, Dan or anyone else please feel free to correct me!

Version 1 was instantly my favorite dinosaur figure of all time when I got it back in '95 or '96 and nothing has been able to beat it since. It's just got that extra something over the newer one, IMO. The pose with the arms in, as if holding them out of the way during an attack, and the wide, barrel-shaped body and bulldog-wide mouth, all scream T. rex more than almost any other figure. At the time, the only other T. rex I had was the version 2 Carnegie (based at least on the pose of the AMNH specimen), which is pretty "flat" laterally, making it seem more allosaur-like. Other T. rex figures, including the version 3 Battat one, don't capture the robustness of tyrannosaurs this well. It's a shame the newer version was used for the repaint, though it also justifies me getting it since it won't be a double of the same sculpt I also much prefer the feet of the newer one with the Emu-like skin folds.

If version 2 is supposed to be Sue, somebody forgot to look at front/top view. Stan was only excavated in 1992, I'm not sure if there were any mounted skeletons or skeletal diagrams around by the time the figure was made for that to have been the inspiration...? It looks like the first Stan mount debuted in 1995. Sue wasn't unveiled until 2000 but I think there were some skeletal floating around in the early '90s... A safer bet would be that they're both based on the AMNH mount, like everything else before the late '90s, or some early GSP skeletal of a generic T. rex, and that the differences were just made to make the model less front heavy.



_{EDIT - cut out a few extraneous photos} 

[suspsy]

I have to say again, I much prefer the head on the original Battat T. rex. It's bigger and beefier and captures the essence of the animal far better. Dinoguy2 is dead on when he notes that the reissue is definitely no Sue. As it stands, I think the toy is decent enough, but I'm certainly not enamoured by it like so many other fans are.

The two ceratopsids and the three ornithopods look very appealing though.

[Sim]

Dinoguy2, I changed the size of the two images you posted to have them be the same size as my v3 Battat Tyrannosaurus.  I then compared the figure to the images and it seems to match-up well.  I also compared the two Battat T. rex sculpts to photos of the different T. rex specimens (not just the ones in Scott Hartman's comparison I posted earlier) including photos from different angles, and Stan for the older sculpt and Sue for the newer sculpt seem like the closest matches to me.  I might be mistaken though.  I did see similarites with the AMNH 5027 T. rex specimen in both sculpts and I wouldn't be surprised if they were both based on it, or a Greg Paul skeletal of a generic T. rex!  Hehe!

I still prefer the newer Battat T. rex sculpt over the older one.  I can see what others like about the older one though.  I prefer the forelimb pose on the newer sculpt as it really shows how powerful the arms of T. rex would have been.  The way they are posed can also be seen as being used to hold struggling prey while T. rex uses its jaws to kill it.

[John]

The 3rd version of the MOS Tyrannosaurus rex didn't come out until 1997 despite it still reading 1994 on it,so there is a good chance that particular one actually was based on the "Stan" specimen.

[Fembrogon]

I just want to say that if the 1st T.rex sculpt got a new Terra release, I would eagerly pick it up. The 1st sculpt is the one I knew from photos as a kid, and was the one I had my eye on later on.

[Simon]

Well, having gotten back to the States after 3 weeks in Europe, I calmly walked into my local Target and went to the Terra spot.  There were 3 Acros. and 1 TRex.  I wanted to see what they looked like, had no plans to buy them.

Like many other members, when I saw them my pulse got faster, and as I realized that the paint jobs were much, much better than in the original versions, I picked 1 of each and decided to buy them.  By the time I got to the check out counter I was excitedly explaining to the lady in front of me (who had commented on the dinosaurs I was holding) as to why these fellas were so special - as another member put it a couple of weeks ago - the ability to buy a boxed, off-the-shelf Battat Trex and Acro. for $9.99 each was something that I couldn't pass up!! [And to those who do not remember, the Acrocanthosaurus was the rarest of all the Battats on ebay and in the past only the Diplodocus sold for more]

Yeah, they are rubbery (no doubt to protect the kiddies), but the paint doesn't scuff easily like it did on the version 1 models.  Well, at these prices I guess I have no excuse for not buying all the models as they come available ....

[Dinoguy2]

Anybody notice the new T. rex is closer to the actual statue at the Boston Museum than the original, in terms of color? Pretty cool!



For those who didn't see it, the original Battat series all shared a paint job with the other restorations at the Boston Museum of Science. It would be pretty cool if future releases that weren't in the original line used some of these color schemes.

[Ichthyosaur]

Anybody notice the new T. rex is closer to the actual statue at the Boston Museum than the original, in terms of color? Pretty cool!

I hadn't, but you're absolutely right!  Makes me like my new Rex even more! ....thanks for sharing!

[Simon]

Anybody notice the new T. rex is closer to the actual statue at the Boston Museum than the original, in terms of color? Pretty cool!

I hadn't, but you're absolutely right!  Makes me like my new Rex even more! ....thanks for sharing!

The reason for that is that Dan LoRusso also sculpted the big Boston MOS TRex.  In fact in the thread about the Battat reissue repaints last year he specifically said that he gave it that paint job to match his big TRex at MOS....

[Simon]

Here is a picture of Dan LoRusso mounted astride his as-yet-unfinished Boston MOS TRex taken probably in the late 1990s:

[Sim]

For those who didn't see it, the original Battat series all shared a paint job with the other restorations at the Boston Museum of Science. It would be pretty cool if future releases that weren't in the original line used some of these color schemes.

[deleted defunct image]

I can't find where it was said now, but I'm pretty sure the dinosaurs in that chart that have the same colour scheme as Battat MOS dinosaur toys had their colouration based on those of the toys.  The chart being made sometime after the toys could explain why the Velociraptor and Gallimimus on the chart have feathers, but the Battat Utahraptor and Gallimimus don't.

[Daspletodave]

I have to say again, I much prefer the head on the original Battat T. rex. It's bigger and beefier and captures the essence of the animal far better. Dinoguy2 is dead on when he notes that the reissue is definitely no Sue. As it stands, I think the toy is decent enough, but I'm certainly not enamoured by it like so many other fans are.

The two ceratopsids and the three ornithopods look very appealing though.

I also prefer the Battat Version 1 & 2 (identical except for the "snowshoes") to the Battat version 3 & Terra repaint. I think it is quite clear that version 3 was slimmed down not to copy Sue, but to make it stand better, by making it less front-heavy. The legs are also repositioned to make it more steady, and the tail is effectively turned into a third leg.
The version 3 is still good, but the version 1 is GREAT!

[Dinoguy2]

Anybody notice the new T. rex is closer to the actual statue at the Boston Museum than the original, in terms of color? Pretty cool!

I hadn't, but you're absolutely right!  Makes me like my new Rex even more! ....thanks for sharing!

The reason for that is that Dan LoRusso also sculpted the big Boston MOS TRex.  In fact in the thread about the Battat reissue repaints last year he specifically said that he gave it that paint job to match his big TRex at MOS....

Cool! Though I always assumed the original Battat coloration with bright yellow and blue was based on Greg Wenzel's painting of a Tyrannosaurus pack hunting edmontosaurs. I had that as a poster from The Dinosaur Society back in the early '90s so I would guess it predates both the museum stuff and the Battat figures.

[loru1588]

Brian Franzak didd the poster for the Dinosaur Society, He was a partner in the Dinosaur Studio for a while.