Safari Ltd.: New for 2018

[Faelrin]

So does that mean the skinny legs on the Amargasaurus are correct as well? I'm starting to think I was a bit too harsh towards this model.

[Simon]

I just perused the Safari Ltd home page to see the different angles of the critters.  I must say that this THE best one-year crop of critters that any company has ever released.

Magnificent!!  (The only sad exception is the oddly shaped and proportioned Amargasaurus, but hey, everyone's entitled to a "miss" once in a while...)

I assure you, the shape and proportions are perfect. Amargasaurus was oddly shaped and proportioned.  You don't have to like it, though.

Exactly. It's strange that folks here don't seem to understand or want to understand what an Amarga is supposed to look like. I'm not even from a Paleo background but it is pretty obvious to me that the Safari model matches with known skeletal restorations.

I defer with regards to anatomical accuracy to those who are actually familiar with and have studied the fossils, of course. 

But I still don't find the sculpt appealing (the paint job may well be a big part of that - I don't like green colored dinosaurs - except for the feathered ones. I don't think that green is a realistic color for a large animal).

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

My second batch of 2018 Safaris came in last week; here are a few comparison shots.

[tanystropheus]

I just perused the Safari Ltd home page to see the different angles of the critters.  I must say that this THE best one-year crop of critters that any company has ever released.

Magnificent!!  (The only sad exception is the oddly shaped and proportioned Amargasaurus, but hey, everyone's entitled to a "miss" once in a while...)

I assure you, the shape and proportions are perfect. Amargasaurus was oddly shaped and proportioned.  You don't have to like it, though.

Exactly. It's strange that folks here don't seem to understand or want to understand what an Amarga is supposed to look like. I'm not even from a Paleo background but it is pretty obvious to me that the Safari model matches with known skeletal restorations.

I defer with regards to anatomical accuracy to those who are actually familiar with and have studied the fossils, of course. 

But I still don't find the sculpt appealing (the paint job may well be a big part of that - I don't like green colored dinosaurs - except for the feathered ones. I don't think that green is a realistic color for a large animal).

Yeah, I'm not a fan of green on sauropods. At the very least, the colors on Nigersaurus, Diplodocus and the recently released Amarga blend well. As far as the sculpt is concerned, the Amarga does seem to have very distinctive diplodocid features (and, that explains why the face looks rather longish or horse-like)

[tanystropheus]

My second batch of 2018 Safaris came in last week; here are a few comparison shots.

Great shot! The Regali scales well with the rest of the crew. Now to add that Triceratops...Glad to see Vaga in the group (it's often overlooked for no good reason).
The Ankylosaurus is a definite improvement.

[John]

As nice as all the recent ceratopsians have been,the new Triceratops is my favorite one of the bunch.It was actually one of the ceratopsians I wanted to see the most,so I'm happy to see it turn up this time around.
And I'm happy that the titanosaurid actually did turn out to be Malawisaurus.

[Neosodon]

Wouldn't it just be dandy if the new Triceratops was in the same scale as our lovely feathered Tyrannosaurus by Safari?

They are both in 1:35 scale.

For a 29 foot long Triceratops and 40 foot T. Rex I got 1:45 for the Tric and 1:40 for the Rex. The scale is not bad but were did you get 1:35 from?

How are you getting accurate scale without the model in hand? You can't use lengths given by the company since that is the spacial length of the model and not measured the way a palaeontologist would. Fossils are measured with the skull and vertebrae laid out in a straight line on a floor or table without any curves in the neck, back or tail. The only way to accurately get scale is to run a string from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail following every dip and curve of the vertebrae. The scale can be off by a percentage point due to shrinkage since I have to estimate that and add to the length of the original but it will usually be dead on or within a small percentage.
For example for my T rex I based it on Sue whose maximum length is reported at 42 feet. My production sample in hand measures 14.375" along the vertebrae. 42' x 12 = 504"÷ 14.375" = 35.06 or 1:35

Ok I thought the T. rex figure was smaller. But what size speciman is the scale for the Ticeratops based of of?

[Dromaenychus]

It looks like the sizeof the new Triceratops is roughly the same as the current one, (the brown and green one, not the XL) so it'll look great next to T-Rex!

[Jose S.M.]

It looks like the sizeof the new Triceratops is roughly the same as the current one, (the brown and green one, not the XL) so it'll look great next to T-Rex!

It's almost the same length, well at least linear length, but I think it's bulkier and taller. They will look great together no doubt about it.

[Doug Watson]

Ok I thought the T. rex figure was smaller. But what size speciman is the scale for the Ticeratops based of of?

I don't have a production sample yet to see if I estimated the shrinkage properly but if I did it is scaled 1:35 for an animal approximately 29.5 feet long. Even with the shrinkage it should dwarf the smaller scaled previous WS Triceratops.
I'll post a comparison shot with the original 1:35 T rex when I add them to my collection thread.

P.S. I just posted a couple images of the original Triceratops with the original Feathered T rex on my collection thread.

[Dromaenychus]

I was going to wait until the end of November to order the last set of figures, but it looks like I'll be ordering as soon as they're available. Must have that Triceratops!
I'm already getting questioned by my fiancé about the constant dinosaur boxes. Had to explain the drip feed of releases. Looking forward to the last set until next year.

[Shonisaurus]

From what Doug says the triceratops is bigger than its predecessor. I sincerely welcome that fact and I have it in mind since I really like dinosaurs and prehistoric PVC animals of big size within a certain margin.

The ankylosaurus is almost as big as Carnegie's, apparently it looked like it was a medium-sized dinosaur pulling big. In any case, they make a very good group. I keep saying that it is the best ankylosaurus made to date from my honest point of view and not just because it is Safari.

On the other hand the regaliceratops looks more voluminous than the rest of the figures of Safari ceraptosides even more than the pachyrhinosaurus has a huge head and well proportioned and more detailed than the previous versions. I am counting the days to buy these figures. It is without a doubt the best year of Safari has surpassed even the previous year of 2017 without that it does not take away that all its figures I like a lot.

[Doug Watson]

@Doug : Did you consult for the Triceratops? I must say it looks somehow different than what I'm used to, but that may be because it is very accurate. I personally find it majestic, and that coloration makes it look more intimidating.

I lied when I said I didn't consult on the Triceratops, I forget these things since it been so long since I worked on it. Someone on my collections thread asked a question about the scales and that sent me back to my reference for photos. While I was there I found personal correspondence from Dr. Scott Persons and myself. I had contacted Dr. Robert Holmes to see if he had personally seen the "Lane" specimens and he put me in touch with Dr. Persons who had inspected the fossils. He gave me his detailed description and also addressed my question on quills or bristles. I have posted a couple pictures of the Lane specimen in my answer on my collection thread.

[Sim]

If it's okay for you to say, Doug, I'm curious to know when you made the 2018 Wild Safari prehistoric figures?

[Doug Watson]

If it's okay for you to say, Doug, I'm curious to know when you made the 2018 Wild Safari prehistoric figures?

Actually I am not sure if I can say that. Let's just say it was a while ago.

[sauroid]

does anyone have any idea how big the Macrauchenia would be? i hope it'd be as big (or almost the same size as the very nice Schleich classic figure of this mammal)

[Sim]

If it's okay for you to say, Doug, I'm curious to know when you made the 2018 Wild Safari prehistoric figures?

Actually I am not sure if I can say that. Let's just say it was a while ago.

Oh, no problem.  I was curious as from how you referred to it for both the Triceratops and Ankylosaurus, it sounded like you had made them quite a long time ago.  I also seem to remember that some time ago you said how long it was between when you made certain Wild Safari figures and when they would be released, but I can't find the posts, so I'm unable to check them to get an idea.  But it's fine.

[Faelrin]

So apparently the new Triceratops is now available on Safari Ltd's website to purchase. Just figured I'd mention this in case any plan on buying it sooner then later.

[Sim]

@Doug: I managed to find posts that I was referring to in my previous post!  I think I get an idea of the time it can take between the making and releasing, although you did say it varies year to year.

[Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews)]

WOW! I was NOT expecting some of those last few models! This is another banner year for Safari!