Safari 2019 Hopes and Dreams

[Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews)]

My answer is a resounding YES.

I really couldn't care less if Safari were to make a Gigantoraptor with a head that ends being rendered inaccurate as a result of a new discovery. It wouldn't take away from the quality of the toy, especially if Doug Watson was the one who sculpted it. The Feathered T. rex may or may not seem to be too shaggy now, but that sure didn't stop it from being voted Best Toy of 2017 by Prehistoric Times readers. Or look at Dan LoRusso's Gigantoraptor. It's got a prominent crest and it looks great. It's downright criminal that Battat hasn't released it. It's clearly a top quality dinosaur figure, regardless of whether or not it's accurate.

I realize people have different standards and preferences, but the way I see it, we have Gigantoraptor skeletons in museum exhibits and Gigantoraptor represented in paleoart, so there's absolutely no harm in Safari releasing a Gigantoraptor toy. I'd buy it the instant it became available.

Hear hear. 100% agree with everything here.

[Renecito]

Yes!!! I would love a Gigantoraptor and a Therizinosaurus for 2019!!!

[John]

Actually,I would pass on either Therizinosaurus or Gigantoraptor,as neither are known from enough remains for anyone to confidently do accurately.This is especially true in the case of Therizinosaurus.I would much rather see Citipati osmolskae or Beipiaosaurus inexpectus if they were to go in that general direction with dinosaurs.

[tanystropheus]

Actually,I would pass on either Therizinosaurus or Gigantoraptor,as neither are known from enough remains for anyone to confidently do accurately.This is especially true in the case of Therizinosaurus.I would much rather see Citipati osmolskae or Beipiaosaurus inexpectus if they were to go in that general direction with dinosaurs.

It would be really difficult to top Carnegie's Beipiaosaurus. However, it is possible. DW's texture work on the Mastodon is sublime. Maybe, he could do something similar for a WS Beipiaosaurus?

[Shonisaurus]

An oviraptor feathered by safari is a pending issue on behalf of this company to be done after the disappearance of their Carnegie counterparts and the oviraptor with nest based on the brilliant work of Luis Rey.

I would like a feathered oviraptor on the same scale as the oviraptor on a nest, but with its own format and sculpted in an upright way, not sitting down.

[ITdactyl]

I know people are sick of Pteranodon, given the glut of [inaccurate] versions flooding the market - but aside from the tiny Kaiyodos and the Favorite "Geosternbergia" I can't think of any other [non resin or 3d printed] figures that depict the updated take on this old favorite.

Or.... Safari could make a Thalassodromeus

[Sim]

Actually,I would pass on either Therizinosaurus or Gigantoraptor,as neither are known from enough remains for anyone to confidently do accurately.This is especially true in the case of Therizinosaurus.I would much rather see Citipati osmolskae or Beipiaosaurus inexpectus if they were to go in that general direction with dinosaurs.

I wouldn't buy a figure of Therizinosaurus or Gigantoraptor either.  They would be unsatisfying to me as I wouldn't be able to look at them with any confidence that that is how they might have looked when they were alive.  I'm reminded of something Darren Naish once said:

Therizinosaurus – currently known from forelimb and a bit of hindlimb material only – is the biggest of the therizinosaurs and an argument can be made that we know enough about the members of the group anyway to already have a good idea as goes what it was like. But Therizinosaurus is a giant, potentially one of the biggest theropods of all. Not only would it be really, really cool to know exactly what it looked like (I guarantee it isn't just going to be a super-sized version of Nothronychus or whatever)

From here: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/fossils-we-want-to-find/
I find particularly interesting the part I bolded in the above quote.

It would be really difficult to top Carnegie's Beipiaosaurus. However, it is possible. DW's texture work on the Mastodon is sublime. Maybe, he could do something similar for a WS Beipiaosaurus?

While the Carnegie Beipiaosaurus has good qualities, its feathering doesn't look like the feathering Beipiaosaurus is known to have.  The Carnegie figure doesn't have Beipiaosaurus's long and stiff feathers that rise out of its layer of down feathers.  It also has a tail fan, though a Beipiaosaurus tail that preserves the feathering shows a tail fan isn't present.

An oviraptor feathered by safari is a pending issue on behalf of this company to be done after the disappearance of their Carnegie counterparts and the oviraptor with nest based on the brilliant work of Luis Rey.

I would like a feathered oviraptor on the same scale as the oviraptor on a nest, but with its own format and sculpted in an upright way, not sitting down.

The two versions of the Carnegie Collection "Oviraptor", and the Safari "Oviraptor" with nest, aren't actually Oviraptor.  They represent a famous oviraptorid specimen that currently doesn't have a scientific name, it's the one labelled "D" in this image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oviraptorinaeprofiles.jpg  The remains of Oviraptor are too incomplete to reliably reconstruct it.

[Halichoeres]

I know people are sick of Pteranodon, given the glut of [inaccurate] versions flooding the market - but aside from the tiny Kaiyodos and the Favorite "Geosternbergia" I can't think of any other [non resin or 3d printed] figures that depict the updated take on this old favorite.

Or.... Safari could make a Thalassodromeus

I'd like to see them make more pterosaurs in general.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

If we're talking therizinosaurs, falcarius would be nice to see. It isn't as extreme as the more derived species but would still make a good figure.

[Sim]

You're telling me you don't find the Xidi/Lontic Saurornithoides compelling?


I'd also prefer a new Saurornithoides to a new Troodon.

Hehe!  I think that figure is hilarious, and I'm pleased Saurornithoides was made as a figure.  However, it has two of the things that guarantee I won't want a figure: food permanently attached to it, and not having the feathers it should have.

Troodontids existed and are fascinating animals, I would really like to see toy companies reflect this!  None of the main toy companies have ever made a troodontid.  Troodontids lok similar to dromaeosaurids but also noticeably different at the same time, which gives them a distinctive look.  A good troodontid toy from Safari would offer something that currently doesn't exist in the toy market.

An interesting thing about Saurornithoides is it was the first troodontid known from more than teeth.  Preserving a good amount of the animal, Saurornithoides thus allowed people to see what a troodontid was like for the first time.  Saurornithoides is still one of the troodontids that is best represented by fossil remains, so I definitely think it's worth considering to make into a toy.


Out of the Late Cretaceous troodontids, I think Saurornithoides is the best choice to make into a figure.  For comparison:

- Stenonychosaurus and Latenivenatrix are known from very incomplete remains and I think the only part that can be reconstructed with confidence is the foot/hindlimb of Stenonychosaurus.

- Zanabazar is known from a beautiful skull but unfortunately not much else.  I think it's reasonable to reconstruct the rest of Zanabazar as resembling Saurornithoides and other troodontids, but there is something I think makes this uncertain.  Zanabazar is known from the Nemegt Formation, and I've read that the diagnostic remains for Zanabazar don't overlap with those of two other troodontids from the same formation which might mean either of these two could be a junior synonym of Zanabazar.  The first of these is Borogovia which has very weird feet, the second toe which typically has the "sickle claw" in troodontids and dromaeosaurids seems to have regained a weight bearing function in Borogovia.  Does this mean Zanabazar's feet were like this too?  Not necessarily.  The other troodontid from this formation is Tochisaurus, which appears to have had only two weight bearing toes as is usual for troodontids and dromaeosaurids.  Additionally, there are at least four different troodontids known from the Djadochta Formation, so it's definitely possible the Nemegt Formation had three or more troodontids.  However, the foot of Borogovia appears to show just how uncertain a troodontid's foot can be if it isn't known, and highlights that the foot is one of a number of parts of Zanabazar for which the appearance is not known.

- In contrast, the foot of Saurornithoides mongoliensis shows this species has a sickle claw on the second toe like dromaeosaurids and other troodontids.


As far as I'm aware, the only troodontid toys that haven't represented a North American species have been the featherless Saurornithoides Halichoeres has shown in his post, and a feathered but very cartoony Sinornithoides, both of which are far from the real animals.  I'd like to see an attempt to do an Asian troodontid well for a change, and also because the North American troodontids are all known from poor remains.  I've liked Saurornithoides since I was little, and it has become one of my favourite dinosaurs.  Saurornithoides was named in 1924, I hope it will get a good figure representation before it's 100 years since it was named!

[Shonisaurus]

Many people forget about prehistoric amphibians. It would also be interesting to make the following prehistoric amphibians that other companies have discontinued in an acceptable size. To me as the people of the forum know I am not interested in the scale.

-Mastodonsaurus is a prehistoric amphibian little represented in the market of the toy except the disappeared of Bullyland.
-Crassigyrinus
-Triadobatrachus
-Eryops
-Cacops
-Peltobatrachus.
-Diplocaulus.
- Gerrothorax
- Eogyrinus
-Platyhystrix

Also prehistoric marine reptiles like the placodus
-A reediction of the tanystropheus after the disappearance of the Carnegie company.
- Shonisaurus (as one member of the forum said) is my favorite prehistoric animal.
- Nothosaurus (a little-treated marine reptile).
- The henodus.

I know that obviously we can not attend to all our wishes in the short or long term. But a prehistoric amphibian or a little-known marine reptile in the toy market would be interesting on Safari's part. In my case, dreaming is free.

On the other hand a titanosaurus of acceptable size for example of the size of huanghetitan of PNSO but it of massive PVC would be great.

[Mini Minmi]

Good call on the amphibians, it's true I haven't seen a good affordable one in a while and they can be so charming in their strangeness.

[Jose S.M.]

Hopefully they'll continue mixing other groups with dinosaurs, like last year, of course like it was said before here, it's not likely they'll do 6 amphibians but they can make some of them, some reptiles and fishes, mixed.  I would like to see Mesozoic mammals, we never get mammals that live with dinosaurs, I think that would be nice.
On the dinosaurs again I would like to see Pachycephalosaurs, since Dracorex there's hasn't been one of those.

[Halichoeres]

@ Sim I wouldn't mind seeing one of the more completely known troodontids. I'm with you in that I don't usually like figures with food in their mouths, but for a different reason: a lot of the times it's a fish, and the fish is the most interesting part to me!

On amphibians, I would like to see some, but I'd rather see some new taxa than the PV set recapitulated. Prionosuchus, Koolasuchus, Fayella, Eocaecilia, that sort of thing.

@ Jose I'd like to see more Mesozoic mammals as well! And I'd love to see a Stegoceras. I wonder if the reason there are essentially no Stegoceras figures is that the name is too close to Stegosaurus and companies are worried about confusion.

[Mononykus]

I will be happy if they just give us a few new additions to the Unique Species list, whatever they may be.

[Shonisaurus]

@jose Totally agree with you for example I would like a pleasure as a prehistoric mammal or an Ischigualastia either of the two would be great.

[Sim]

And I'd love to see a Stegoceras. I wonder if the reason there are essentially no Stegoceras figures is that the name is too close to Stegosaurus and companies are worried about confusion.

I get the feeling the reason Stegoceras has almost never been made is because Pachycephalosaurus exists.  Pachycephalosaurus seems to be more popular, in part due to its larger size and coexisting with T. rex.  And then Dracorex and Stygimoloch also seem to be more popular than Stegoceras.

[MoarCrossovers]

I wanna see Safari or another company do Martharaptor, if only because I just discovered the species and find the name hilarious.

[Stuckasaurus (Dino Dad Reviews)]

I wanna see Safari or another company do Martharaptor, if only because I just discovered the species and find the name hilarious.

MARTHA!!!!!!!

[John]

I wanna see Safari or another company do Martharaptor, if only because I just discovered the species and find the name hilarious.

MARTHA!!!!!!!

WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!?