Top 10 2017 dinosaur models [poll]

[Simon]

*SNIP*

Look I'm sorry but I have to say most people here (and most scientists) disagree with you on what's considered accurate. The PNSO Tyrannosaurus is largely regarded as being highly shrink-wrapped, over-textured (details that shouldn't be visible in life, highly repetitive scale details, etc.), and many disagree about the choice of integument.

*SNIP*
And while I agree with your second point, if you were truly lamenting the wins by overrated species why were you earlier so strongly encouraging the PNSO Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus?

PNSO TRex is "largely regarded as being highly shrink-wrapped.."? 

My impression from perusing these boards is the exact opposite. TRex "Wilson" has been largely lauded as the best, most anatomically accurate, mass-produced TRex sculpt in its scale anyone around here has ever seen.  Even folks who are put off by the strange eye paint up have conceded that. Shrink-wrapped? Are we even looking at the same model?  This is the bulkiest TRex model I've ever seen.  So much so that it almost looks awkward from some angles....

I will agree with you that its not perfect - the head could be a tad larger for the body, and the neck/head angles and details are somewhat speculative (I would prefer a head held a little bit more parallel to the ground).

That's why if and when Cheung Tat does his version of a 1/35 TRex (having seen his impossibly beautiful Giganotosaurus), I will run to get that one too ... 

Triceratops "Doyle", OTOH, is far closer to "Trike perfect" in my view ... almost sublime, with that pracing/dancing "vibe" that Zheng has imbued some of his quadrupeds with (see also the 1/10 Chungkingosaurus).

As far as "lamenting" wins by popular species while voting for "Doyle and Wilson", you will note that I coyly, and freely, confessed to suffering from the same "fanboy" affliction myself... 

The best figure of 2017 is not even on the list above (it probably will be in 2018 due to its very late release date) .. and that is the Vitae Giganotosaurus ...

[Faelrin]

PNSO Wilson does come across a bit shrink-wrapped to me (could use more meat on the fenestra, and tail), but most importantly, it seems to be missing its gastralia. I think it's still a nice model though aesthetically, but of course that is a matter of opinion. Ultimately in regards to the sculpts, I do prefer the Safari Ltd T. rex, because it does have the gastralia, I don't know of any other Tyrannosaurus models that take that into account. Although CollectA did it first, I think the feathers make for a fresh take on this animal as well, since Tyrannosaurus is nearly always depicted scaly, although again that may or may not be accurate, because we still don't have enough data to just know one way or the other, although feathers and scales are not mutually exclusive either. At this point it should just be up to the individual's preferences for the models they buy, in regards to the integument.

I do like both of their color schemes, and I do like the option the articulated jaw provides that PNSO Wilson has. Stability should also be important, but I don't have Wilson yet to know how stable that model is. I do have trouble standing the Safari Ltd one, unless I lean it on its tail, because it is top heavy. If I had the money, and know how where to get the PNSO Wilson, it would be my second pick for a Tyrannosaurus model, although it would probably be my third Tyrannosaurus model (not counting JW action figures), because I own the Terra Battat Tyrannosaurus.

[Simon]

PNSO Wilson does come across a bit shrink-wrapped to me (could use more meat on the fenestra, and tail), but most importantly, it seems to be missing its gastralia. I think it's still a nice model though aesthetically, but of course that is a matter of opinion. Ultimately in regards to the sculpts, I do prefer the Safari Ltd T. rex, because it does have the gastralia, I don't know of any other Tyrannosaurus models that take that into account. Although CollectA did it first, I think the feathers make for a fresh take on this animal as well, since Tyrannosaurus is nearly always depicted scaly, although again that may or may not be accurate, because we still don't have enough data to just know one way or the other, although feathers and scales are not mutually exclusive either. At this point it should just be up to the individual's preferences for the models they buy, in regards to the integument.

I do like both of their color schemes, and I do like the option the articulated jaw provides that PNSO Wilson has. Stability should also be important, but I don't have Wilson yet to know how stable that model is. I do have trouble standing the Safari Ltd one, unless I lean it on its tail, because it is top heavy. If I had the money, and know how where to get the PNSO Wilson, it would be my second pick for a Tyrannosaurus model, although it would probably be my third Tyrannosaurus model (not counting JW action figures), because I own the Terra Battat Tyrannosaurus.

I am a bit puzzled by your comment about the gastralia ... do you expect their outlines to show through the skin?  The depth of the torso indicates to me that it was sculpted very much with the gastralia ribs taken into account.

As far as the head, I think it could have been done better myself, but detail is really hard to get in a small-ish scale with the hard PVC used for the figure.  As far as being "over-textured" .. OK, I can see that - at this scale the skin scales and folds possibly wouldn't be as obvious as they are on "Wilson"...on the plus side, the massive muscles at the base of the tail, and the generally very wide and deep rib cage and torso of a fully grown adult TRex are depicted very well.

My main beef with the head (other than the teeth being a bit too thick and undefined - due again to the material used) is the angle between the top of the neck and the head - it just looks a bit too extreme an angle to me.  I would also have preferred the head to be a tad larger, we have specimens - like "Stan" - with heads larger than normal for the body size ... supposedly "Wilson" was based on "Stan" ... I don't know, maybe this is just an artistic preference on my part ...

[Faelrin]

When I mean the gastralia is missing, it seems to not have the proper depth and angle from the chest to the pelvic region, unless that too is shrinkwrapping going on there. Either way it looks quite similar to the Battat Tyrannosaurus in that regard. Granted I don't have the figure, so I'm just going off of the blog review's images of it (using the most bottom image as a reference). Would be better for me to tell if I did have it in hand. I'm not sure if this is the most current skeletal with gastralia taken into account, but I suppose this might help show what I'm meaning: http://static.squarespace.com/static/51bf1cd3e4b0a897bf54112b/51bf3928e4b09edc5f83d0af/51bf5cdee4b09edc5f8450df/1382741331075/Tyrannosaurus%20Sue.jpg

Comparing that skeletal with the images on the review, I think you might be right about the head 'needing' to be a bit bigger too, but it is a minor thing.

[DinoToyForum]

We're up to 83 voters. I reckon we can surely get to 100. More than that many members sign in every 24 hours.

[Reptilia]

41 votes so far, quite an impressive performance for the Ceratosaurus considering usual Papo issues such as wrong proportions and heavy stylization! 

[DinoToyForum]

Has anybody not voted yet? I intend to put the video together soon to post it on Christmas Day.

[DinoToyForum]

Last orders please.

[Reptilia]

Did you close the poll, Dr Admin? I've seen you said the Eofauna mammoth made the top 10.

[DinoToyForum]

I never close top 10 polls - they remain open indefinitely.

[Reptilia]

But we have a top 10 for the video, right?

[DinoToyForum]

But we have a top 10 for the video, right?

Right. I'll use the top ten  at the time of making the video.

[DinoToyForum]

Top ten video is now on the dinotoyblog youtube channel. 

[Sim]

Would it be okay to have the video, or a link to it on YouTube, posted in this thread?  I feel it would be good to be able to access the video from this thread, and comment on it here.

[DinoToyForum]

Would it be okay to have the video, or a link to it on YouTube, posted in this thread?  I feel it would be good to be able to access the video from this thread, and comment on it here.

Sure, I didn't do so because I didn't want to post the same video twice (I already shared it in the channel thread), but since there is a demand for it:

https://youtu.be/o3KnOve9uDk

[Reptilia]

So glad the Papo Ceratosaurus and Cryolophosaurus made the top 10, they're such great figures! Glad people voted the Collecta Styracosaurus and Dimorphodon too.

[Nanuqsaurus]

It was definitely a good year for Safari! Half of the top 10 is made by them!

[Ravonium]

Fairly good selection of figures. It is definitely good to see that one of the top 10 wasn't made by one of the big companies.


I voted for about 7 of the figures on the list (including all but one of the Safaris that made the list), so it seems my opinion is quite similar to the general forum consensus.

[Ceratosaurus]

I'm pretty new to collecting figures. Just received my PNSO 1/35 "Doyle" Triceratops and this has to be one my favourite dinosaur figures that I own.

[Jeff008]

I missed the voting, but I think that is a good selection of figures. They are really impressive. Safari has done a good job!