Pliosaur toy by Tone Hitchcock for the Bristol Museum

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I started following a paleoartist recently on Facebook, Tone Hitchcock : https://www.facebook.com/tone.hitchcock

He's creating a life size Pliosaur for the Bristol Museum :



You can find posts here if you use facebook :

The museum will also have a replica of the live size version available for sale, and according to Tone they will ship.



Here's a quote from Tone regarding the figure's availability :

Once we're up and running, you should be able to contact the museum directly to order them. It's Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, UK.

The full sized beast is due to go on show on 10th June; we're hoping we'll have the toys by then, but I suspect it may be a bit later. As I said, though, I'll keep you informed. She's going to be a permanent exhibit there (the fossil was found 12 miles from my house, so she's a local girl!), so they're hoping the toys will be on sale for a good long while.

I'll update with more info as I get it.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I saw this too, but I didn't realize they'd be on sale to the public. I'll probably order one once they're ready.

[Roselaar]

Lovely figure! Be sure to keep us posted, I wouldn't mind one of these myself.

[Moodyraptor]

That is very cool indeed.

[BlueKrono]

Must. Have.

[sauroid]

cant wait to see the actual finished product, both the huge museum exhibit model and the toy version.

[Halichoeres]

Cool! And it's got its mouth closed, which is a plus for me.

[ZoPteryx]

Sounds neat, can't wait to see the finished product!

So, is it a new species or just a generalized pliosaur model?

[Libraraptor]

I love museum / theme park exclusives! Basel Tsintaosaurus, Korbach Procynosuchus, Wolfhagen Protochirotherium, the White Post figures, the Kleinwelkas - and now Bristol Pliosaurus? I find it very attractive. And hope for a reasonable price.

[Halichoeres]

I love museum / theme park exclusives! Basel Tsintaosaurus, Korbach Procynosuchus, Wolfhagen Protochirotherium, the White Post figures, the Kleinwelkas - and now Bristol Pliosaurus? I find it very attractive. And hope for a reasonable price.

And the AAoD Australovenator!

So, is it a new species or just a generalized pliosaur model?

It's Pliosaurus carpenteri, which was described in 2013.

[Silvanusaurus]

Yay it's in the UK. I might have to try and visit the museum and get one of these.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

[DinoToyForum]

Has Tone said which pliosaur researcher(s) he consulted with for his models?

[BlueKrono]

Duct tape on the neck?

[DinoToyForum]

Duct tape on the neck?

Maybe he thought the neck was too long/short and decapitated it to make changes.

Just eyeballing the pic, the neck looks rather long for a Pliosaurus to me, more like a rhomaleosaurid than a pliosaurid.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Has Tone said which pliosaur researcher(s) he consulted with for his models?

Let me check, i know he said the species was Pliosaurus carpenteri,  but I can't recall any specific name.

Duct tape on the neck?

Temporary to hold the lower jaw in  after  the teeth were inserted.  The jaw has to be removable for casting.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Painted maquette :


I did some digging in older posts, Tone mentions using a skeletal provided by Dr. Sassoon ?



skull recreation Tone made for the same museum

[DinoToyForum]

I did some digging in older posts, Tone mentions using a skeletal provided by Dr. Sassoon ?

Probably just the skull - Judy published on this specimen, including a reconstruction of the skull, in 2012. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01151.x/abstract

Trouble is, nobody is sure about the relative proportions of skull size to body size in Pliosaurus - there are no complete skeletons. Which means, there are no reliable full skeletal reconstructions (as far as I'm aware).

[Silvanusaurus]

Does it have an articulated jaw?

[Halichoeres]

Looks like somebody took a bite out of its right hind flipper.