Safari Ltd.: New for 2018

[Faelrin]

This was already discussed above (edit: on page 68 of this thread). See Paleodude's post (and the link in it, which contains the artist of the artwork's thoughts on this). It's certainly not the first time this has happened (the retired Safari Ltd Oviraptor on Nest figure, Schleich and Papo aside), and probably won't be the last. I'm going to guess the sculptor referenced google images just like what has happened in the past for some Schleich figures (their recent Carnotaurus, etc). At least the pose is different, and the green is a different shade.

[Ravonium]

I'm all for inspiration but this is just straight up copying

This has already been discussed not once, but twice and it's honestly getting a bit tiring. I'm just going to quote my analysis of most/all of the differences between the two artworks from when this was first discussed:

Looking back at the figure and comparing it to the actual artwork, it isn't a full-blown copy of the artwork, and has quite a few (mainly anatomical) differences. The head on the Safari Ltd Anzu is feathered, ableit in the colours of the unfeathered head of the Anzu in the artwork. The wings on the Safari Ltd Anzu also look more broad than those in the artwork. Finally, red feathers are used in parts of the tail and wings that are green in the artwork (and in the underside of the Anzu, which isn't feathered in the artwork)

In conclusion, I just think this is a classic case of 'Google Images Inspiration'. It's no different to what Papo and Schleich does in any major way.

[DinoToyForum]

The Safari Ltd Anzu was sculpted from the ground up based on skeletals, so any similarity in sculpt and pose is coincidental. They obviously copied the colour, though.

[CityRaptor]

Red, green and blue seems to a common combination when it comes to birds.



I'm not saying stealing is not wrong, but taking inspiration from artwork is all too common. At least it was not Geoworld.

[Reptilia]

In conclusion, I just think this is a classic case of 'Google Images Inspiration'. It's no different to what Papo or Schleich does in any major way.

I'd say that Papo's sculptor takes more specific inspirations rather than generic Google search, one of the latest example being the Cryolophosaurus from "Dinosaur Revolution".

[Shonisaurus]

I sincerely agree with the administrator, I also believe that it is a mere coincidence. I think a world is being made by the colors of the Safari anzu.

I understand that the colors of the anzu are generating a controversy out of the ordinary from my point of view.

While it is true that Papo cryolophosaurus is based on the series "dinosaur revolution" for example, if it is good and there is no demand or does not prosper, what does it matter? The important thing is that it is a nice and cool figure.

I still maintain that Safari's anzu with respect to the paleoartistic recreation treated is merely coincidental. It does not stop being anecdotal sincerely speaking. 

[spinosaurus1]

I'd say that Papo's sculptor takes more specific inspirations rather than generic Google search, one of the latest example being the Cryolophosaurus from "Dinosaur Revolution".

also the coloration is near identical with the color scheme on the sideshow ceratosaurus.

a lot of papo figures take inspiration from sideshow statues actually.

[John]

Why does this uninteresting subject of one company or another copying something from someone else keep popping up again and again on this thread?No one cares about this so-called "plagiarism"(no one owns a copyright on a dinosaur,much less a color pattern in the case of this latest complaint),certainly not enough to not buy the Anzu wyliei figure out of self righteous protest...

[Fenestra]

I doubt that the artist that sculpt the figure has any say on how the figure gets painted.
I think those are two different departments.

[Jose S.M.]

I doubt that the artist that sculpt the figure has any say on how the figure gets painted.
I think those are two different departments.

Doug Watson has said the color scheme is of his choice on the figures he sculpts. I don't see why it would be different for the new sculptor

[tanystropheus]

Why does this uninteresting subject of one company or another copying something from someone else keep popping up again and again on this thread?No one cares about this so-called "plagiarism"(no one owns a copyright on a dinosaur,much less a color pattern in the case of this latest complaint),certainly not enough to not buy the Anzu wyliei figure out of self righteous protest...

As creatures of habituation, we occasionally attempt to break the formula by engaging in theatrics.

[Minmiminime]

Maybe that artist is the sculptor! Unlikely granted, but entirely possible...

Regardless, I love this figure. It's very fine and striking

[CityRaptor]

Nope, the artist is not the sculptor:
https://smnt2000.deviantart.com/journal/It-s-raining-cats-and-Anzus-725727413
https://smnt2000.deviantart.com/art/Trieboldia-Ehrm-I-meant-Anzu-319871282

[tyrantqueen]

I believe the artist should contact Safari if he feels he has a case. I personally do not think you can copyright colours. Yes, credit would have been nice but it's not theft.

This is getting boring.

[Sim]

The artist said they contacted Safari in the comments section in the two links CityRaptor provided.  They say it in Italian in comments in the first link.  In the second link though, they say it in English in a comment from 17 January.

[tyrantqueen]

The artist said they contacted Safari in the comments section in the two links CityRaptor provided.  They say it in Italian in comments in the first link.  In the second link though, they say it in English in a comment from 17 January.

Good! Hope he can get credit.

[Sim]

Good! Hope he can get credit.

It doesn't sound like that's what will happen.  In a comment in Italian the artist said Safari replied to him about the colour scheme, saying it's just chance.  Personally, I wouldn't hold Safari responsible for the figure's colouration inspiration.  Like Jose_S.M. said, it's most likely the sculptor who chose that colouration for inspiration.  I have a feeling that the Anzu's sculptor might not be new, and that it might be the same one who made many of the non-Doug Watson figures.  All the Safari figures I can think of that to me seem to be strongly inspired by existing palaeoart aren't by Doug, e.g.: the Anzu, the Dino Discoveries Oviraptor, the Tapejara (check the second paragraph in its DTB review to see the palaeoart it was inspired by: http://dinotoyblog.com/2009/09/13/tapejara-wild-safari-collection-by-safari-ltd/ ), and a number of the toob figures in particular quite a number of the ones from the prehistoric crocodiles toob and prehistoric sharks toob.  If anyone ever wondered why the toob Cladoselache looks weirdly like a computer-generated image, well, it looks like it's because that's what was copied to make the figure: http://dinosauralive.wikia.com/wiki/File:Cladoselache.png

I don't know if I'm right about most of the non-Doug Watson Safari figures being by one person, I do see some sculpture similarities, such as between the 2017 WS Giganotosaurus and 2008 WS Allosaurus.  But maybe I'm wrong.  In any case, out of the figures that are most likely by the same "mystery sculptor", only some seem strongly inspired by existing palaeoart.  Personally, when it comes to taking strong inspiration from existing palaeoart to make a figure, I don't have much of an opinion when it comes to colour schemes.  In contrast, when it's easy to see the sculpture was based on existing palaeoart (so due to the 3D figure itself, not due to its colours), I tend to feel it's quite tasteless.  This doesn't apply if a figure is based on a reconstruction that intends to show correct (known) anatomy of the animal (e.g. skeletals, or reconstructions of Microraptor/Psittacosaurus/Sinosauropteryx that precisely show known features), in which case work that is created to show correct anatomy would be great to reference.


If someone decides to boycott Safari due to how strongly inspired by existing palaeoart a particular figure may be, I would offer a few things for consideration:

1. Should all of Safari's figures, including the ones by Doug Watson be boycotted as well?  Doug didn't sculpt the Anzu or choose its colour scheme, he and his figures have nothing to do with the Anzu figure.  And as I mentioned earlier, all figures I noticed are strongly inspired by existing palaeoart aren't by Doug.  What about Safari figures that aren't by Doug that don't appear to be strongly inspired by existing palaeoart.  Should one refuse to buy these as well?  Or should the only figures that are refused be ones that bother a person due to their strong similarity to other palaeoart?

2. Perhaps it would be good to consider to what extent Safari but also other companies have copied existing reconstructions.  A lot have copied colour schemes, a number have copied the Jurassic Park Velociraptor...  Then when it comes to taking strong inspiration from less obvious reconstructions, Papo has done this a lot.

3. If you're not going to buy figures that take such strong inspiration from existing palaeoart, would you be okay with buying bootleg figures?  If yes, why?  Bootleg figures is truly stealing.

[Halichoeres]

Sim, that seems like a pretty sound analysis to me. I would go just a shade further than you, in that I find copying a color scheme tasteless, in addition to copying a pose or a sculpt. That depends on the color scheme, though. For example, there are so many green Stegosaurus figures with red or orange plates that it's hard to say any of them is a copy of another. Likewise with relatively muted countershaded colors (gray sauropods, streaky brown maniraptorans, etc.), or species whose coloration is known (Sinosauropteryx, for example). But this particular example is very distinctive and a very precise copy. Geoworld was reviled--rightly, to my mind--for their copy of Gabriel Lio's Troodon, although of course that one committed the additional offense of replicating the pose.

Obviously people leveling accusations of copyright infringement are missing the distinction between illegal and merely gauche. And personally I don't plan to boycott Safari over this. But I do think it's worth talking about, even though clearly some people are tired of it. (There are loads of threads on the forum that I find boring but I generally don't feel the need to point it out.)

[Doug Watson]

I doubt that the artist that sculpt the figure has any say on how the figure gets painted.
I think those are two different departments.

Then you would be wrong, in my case anyway and I didn't do this one. My sculpting department is upstairs, then the moulding dept is downstairs, finishing and painting is back upstairs. I can't get along with any of them. In case you don't get it they are all me.

[postsaurischian]

I must interfere! The Deviant Art artist "colour scheme inventor" has revealed him- or herself.
In the last sentence of his or her Anzu page he or she goes: "Coloured with Tria Markers, Pencils and Adobe Photoshop. Based on green ara and cassowary."
So the copyrights belong to Green Ara and Cassowary ....... or to God in the end . Then they would belong to the public domain. Case closed.