BrontoScorpio's Recent Acquisitions & finds ( Please Don't Quote Pictures !!! )

[BrontoScorpio]

Speaking of Resin kits - Once more I stumbled across and took part in a feeding frenzy ...

As in last year (2023)  -

The aftermath of my Rollercoaster adventure at "The June Carnage on YAJ" ( 2024 )  : 



A whole table of Dinosaur Resin kits : The Spoils of war  - my loot from the Carnage -




And some more followed shoertly after :




Just for the sake of the story :
My day could have been just perfect had I put my hands on these additional two on that occasion -




But my shopping server just crashed at a critical moment, probably under the overload of items, so I missed out the one on the left ...
And the one on the right arrived with one foot missing - so I asked my agent to return it back -
Unexpectedly it got a nice sum when resold with only one leg -
But I stayed out of it - knowing myself - this kind of flaw will have been too conspicuous for me to ignore over time -
I'll end up struggling to get me a 2nd - one that is whole ...




Next I'll take them out, one by one,  here after, for introduction ...

[BrontoScorpio]

Starting with 2 small items from the bag at the top left -

First, this unique and exceptional looking specie -




A small Resin kit from the old 1984-88 Kaiyodo MINI collection series Dinosaurs -by Araki Kazunari - of about 1/20 scale -




As you may have noticed - seller could only find 3 legs -
but I could not just pass this one away - as it is so hard to come by - so I improvised some prosthetic leg made from scraps ...




In any case - the display side on this shelf is the left side ...  




As I know the creature to be called 'Nothosaurus' - it is puzzling to find it named differently -
Here, from various Kaiyodo Catalogs




Also on these 2 color catalog - the terms by which it describes are two :
- Metanotosaurus ( メタノトサウルス ) 
- Inai-Ryu ( イナイリュウ )




Found some rare references on the web -

 


With my two Starlux and the rubber Imperial (or some version of it )




Here is a more recent model by Araki - already nicked just as Nothosaurus  -




Here, as part of a book of model collection -




And finally, another one-of-a-kind Nothosaurus by Araki -

[BrontoScorpio]

The 2nd small item from the bag at the top left -




And the under belly - It looks a bit hairy to me - like that of a bat :




Assembled and ready -
Kaiyodo Garage Kit ( 海洋堂ガレージキット ) 1/35 scale Pteranodon B ( プテラノドン B ) by Araki from 1985 -




The attachment along the wings was somewhat challenging as being long and narrow




With another Kaiyodo old Pterosaurus resin kit - with its own difficulties




The Pteranodon  from 'King Kong vs. Pteranodon' - 'Confrontation scene'  By Shinobu Matsumura -




And the only other pterosaur fron the old Kaiyodo line - the Dimorphodon from the MINI series -




The collection series did not include any other pterosaur -
But it actually had another 2nd Pteranodon version - seeing here together -




Here they are - both version from the Kaiyodo Catalogs of the 80's -
A) by Takeshi Shirai ( 白井武志 )
B) by Kazunari Araki ( 荒木一成 )




And in colors - from the ARTPLA Magazine & the Kaiyodo Catalog - both from 1986 -
You can see - Dimorphodon and Pteranodon are the only flying species made - up until then -




Later on, Araki made many one-time models of Pterosaurs - here is a part of them from a collection book -

[Libraraptor]

I really love Nothosaurus and the different approaches of the figures.

[crazy8wizard]

Did the distal part of the Dimorphodon's tail get broken off or was it really sculpted that short?

[BrontoScorpio]

Did the distal part of the Dimorphodon's tail get broken off or was it really sculpted that short?

You are right - come to think of it - the 2nd part of the tail is missing -
but in all the pictures that I see from models on the net or from Catalogs - the tail is that short -
so - That is the sculpt !
Could be that 40 years ago this was the known design of the animals -
or that 40 years ago it was problematic making such a small Resin model with a long tail and a ball-like shape at the end.

[crazy8wizard]

My thought is that since the rest of the model includes light assembly maybe the tail was meant to be filled in with wire? Then again if that were the case maybe it would have been included. The illustrations from a locomotion paper by Harry Seely in 1901 have the long tail though so I don't know if it was a reconstruction mistake from the time as much as just from this company. Interestingly the english text calls it "Dimorhodon". Translation error maybe.

[BrontoScorpio]

That last one made me wonder - Do I have more 'Pteranodon' -
Just this specific species - without any other Pterosaurs, Pterodactyls, other flying reptiles , etc.
Because I don't really collect those on their own.

Turns out - by mere chance -  I have quite a few :

From Japan -



Takara Tomy Arts - Jurassic World, Bandai Realsaurus , SEGA Vignitteum S2,
Happinet Great Dinosaur Era, Colorata discontinued, Favorite ( soft model , Mini Model Box , Duo )
Furuta choco egg mini, Yujin Dinosaur Encyclopedia, Gaibunsha Diorama Zaurus , Kaiyodo ( JP3 Coca-cola, DINOTALES, CapsuleQ Museum )




Found some more at a 2nd browse -
Daiso miniature polyresin , Colorata Cretaceous Vol.1, SEGA mini, Eraser ( Bandai 90's ? )




And then from the other countries :




Papo, Schleich, Inpro, SRG, Bullyland, Invicta ( Mono & Color ), Starlux, Diener, Panini
( Couldn't find my ROM and Carnegie ... )




And also found some more at a 2nd browse -
Bullyland (Standard size , surprise eggs ), Marolin/Plaho, Marx(mpc) , Play visions, Danone, Topps JP3 Candy Egg




Amazingly I did not notice the biggest in my collection - Sega Dinosaur King




And suddenly realized there is more than one kind of 'Crest' for the species 'Pteranodon' ...

[BrontoScorpio]

Going back to my 'June Carnage 2024' -

Some I'll put aside for trade - and will build just these 10 kits out of the whole bunch :

[BrontoScorpio]

Of those 10 kits - One is significantly exceptional than the other nine -
so I'll start with it -




Inside the Bag - The lower jaw and two horns -




Sockets and attachment surfaces are well clean cut -




All built and assembled now - Kaiyodo 1/35 Triceratops ( トリケラトプス ) Resin kit ( レジンキット ) from 1988 by Shinobu Matsumura ( 松村しのぶ )




With the front right leg held up in the air -




Full of wrinkles that is -




And the anguish troubled expression of the face -




Appears at first only as late as in the Kaiyodo 91' Catalog -




And then a glimpse on the 'Dinosaur Science Frontline' Edition no. 9 




And when colored - on the net :




Also Here in a comparison shot -




Speaking of comparisons - here is the same comparison shot made by me -




Against the Kaiyodo 1/35 DINOLAND Soft Vinyl pre-made Triceratops by Shinobu Matsumura -




They are actually at the same size -




But the sculpt has different features -




Most distinctives are the open mouth and the front leg up in the air -




It is said that There must have been issues with balance when standing and the closed mouth when making it into a soft vinyl kit -
so, only few Resin kits were sold - and a different posture was selected when materialized into a Soft Vinyl ( ソフビ ) kit -




Next to the earlier 1/35 Triceratops by Araki -




For some reason - both have their front right leg on the air -




But It is all clear to the eye that the Matsumura sculpt is much superior in its appearance -




And uses a much more modern technique than the old Araki model -




The method is that of the other stand-alone model by Matsumura - from 1987 - the 1/35 Scolosaurus -




These two belong to a group of four 1/35 'Phantom' ( 幻 ) Resin model kits (  レジン 模型  ガレージキット ),
made at about the same time by the artist, that never made it to the DINOLAND Vinyl Series,
and also included a Para and a T-rex -

[BrontoScorpio]

Gathered all other 9 kits -
These are earlier works by Kaiyodo, before Shinobu Matsumura ( 松村しのぶ ) from above had joined the company.
Made by other artists :
- 6 were made by Kazunari Araki ( 荒木一成 )
- 3 were made by Eito Hara ( 原 詠人 )

[BrontoScorpio]

Starting with these 3 kits :




Three old 'Stand-Alone' Resin kits by Araki Kazunari ( 荒木一成 ) -
From left :
- Ceratosaurus ( ケラトサウルス )
- Gasosaurus ( ガソサウルス )
- Triceratops ( トリケラトプス )

[DinoToyForum]

'Metanotosaurus' is a mispelling of Metanothosaurus (i.e. 'meta-nothosaurus'), a Japanese nothosaur of dubious validity.

The eyes in nothosaurs often get put in the temporal sockets in vintage art and in models that copied vintage art, as in many of these examples. But nothosaur eyes, like plesiosaurs, were actually positioned quite far forward on the head. I'm still jealous anyway though!

[BrontoScorpio]

The 1st of the three is also the sensational of this Lot -




Probably the oldest Resin kit I have - clearly a lot was invested in the piece - although I can sense the company's inexperience -




it has already been undergo some kind of treatments - cavities were filled with putty ,the attachment surfaces were trimmed and the feet are already attached to the legs -




Obviously the Torso is the biggest of all 10 parts - Heavy and impressive piece that projects presence -




The under belly shows how old it is - a truly vintage item -


 

Half way built - it looks like a plucked chicken - but never the less - keeps its balance - like the Hut of Baba-Yaga from my Grandmother stories -

[BrontoScorpio]

And now, adding Head and tail alike - It keeps being perfectly balanced on those chicken legs ...




Kaiyodo ( 海洋堂 ) "Plastic model kit"  ( プラスチック・モデルキット ) 1/20 Ceratosaurus ( ケラトサウルス )  by Kazunari Araki (  荒木一成 ) -




As old as is - some necessary filling was due and applied -




Most impressive is the monster-like tail as that of  a Gwangi Dragon -




Introduced at first on the Hobby Japan April 1984 issue ( ホビージャパン1984年4月号 ) with the Original Prototype from 1978,
When Araki was still in High school, having gigantic legs :




and later was revised with smaller legs as it became Kaiyodo's first Resin kit released in 1984  :




On the right - from the 1st Kaiyodo Catalog of 1984 - not having updated their picture yet to the revised kit -
On the left - from the newer 'Garage kit Catalog' of 1985 (?)




And from the Colored Catalog and the Artpla Magazine - both from 1986 :




As being the oldest in the group - It had almost no mentioning in the 1988 Catalog but as a small line at the bottom corner of the page :

[BrontoScorpio]

As being Kaiyodo's first Resin kit - It is a center piece in the Kaiyodo Museum setup :




And other arrangements - like this from Kaiyodo's Treasure Island ( 海洋堂の宝島 ) , held in Kochi in the summer of 2008 :





Most notably it got recent attention just last year ( 2023 ) having introduced at the "Dinosaur Encyclopedia - Imagination/Creation of Lost Worlds" exhibition




Taken from the ' Hiroshi Tamura collection' ( 田村博 コレクション )





As described - got its own page in the Exhibition Catalog -

[BrontoScorpio]

Actually, I have never seen any other unfinished kit of that Ceratosaurus - at least during last 10 years.
And also no built up model other than the ' Hiroshi Tamura ' from above -
So, it was refreshing to discover and be able to compare it to this built and primed model at the Dan LoRusso's 'The Dinosaur Studio' site -
What quickly Grabbed my attention were those formidable sets of teeth applied to the model.
I am not sure these teeth are the originals from the kit - if any ever existed...

Teeth of old kits is a problematic issue :

- sometimes the model was never intended to have any - so it was up to one's talent or desire to shape some on the new model  -
  either by carving through the Gums or by building them from scratch.
- In many cases they appear just as tiny parts which are regarded as garbage - 
  and people tend to through them away - not realizing what they really are.
- Or you get several sets of tiny teeth attached a long a Resin pole - 
  and it is up to you to separate each and every one of them without breaking - and apply them into the mouth one by one - 
  In such cases - most likely the animal will end up looking like it urgently needs a treatment of a specialized Orthodontist ...




Now for the obvious comparison needed - with some other Ceratosaurs out there ... next to some smaller models :
( Battat , Schleich replicasaurus , Kaiyodo Chocola-saurus 4 , Safari , SEGA Dino king action figure , Happinet great era )




And next to one big Itoy Ceratosaurus :




And the Kaiyodo 1/20 scale own version of the 'Bandai' battle - with a Vinyl Stegosaurus :

[BrontoScorpio]

The 2nd of the 3 'Stand-Alone' Resin kits by Araki Kazunari ( 荒木一成 ) -  Gasosaurus ( ガソサウルス ) from 1988




All 7 parts of the kit -




Where as one part alone constitutes the bulk of the entire model :




When done -  a rather odd looking creature -




A Chinese gas company discovered the fossil and contributed to its excavation, hence the aptly named 'Gas lizard' ...
Have to admit that contributes for this dinosaur to be considered a mysterious to some extent.




Amazingly it can pull on it's own weight - with the back side of the right leg used for balance :




It was made for Kaiyodo but never made it as a one of it's retailed sold kits -




I have no other 'Gasosaurus' to compare it to - other than the Mattel JW - which is not something I consider having -
but I found this one and only other mentioning - and in  a group -

[BrontoScorpio]

The 3rd and last of the 3 'Stand-Alone' Resin kits -




Triceratops ( トリケラトプス ) - probably by Araki Kazunari ( 荒木一成 ) made for Kaiyodo in the mid 80's or early 90's  :




A 9 parts kit who has attribute of a slightly more modern kit - like the clean cut attachment surfaces and the leg parts not include the shoulders - 




The impressive main torso part -




With a scaly back as that of a crocodile - like they used to do it back then -




The under belly with the attachment places for the legs -




And the head part - with a relatively small frill -




Once assembled and complete -




It stands firmly on the ground with five (5!) points of contact to the ground - Amazingly without swinging -




At a slight diagonal tilt it's easier to better appreciate this model -




And a front charging view -




I like the calm manner and closed mouth - not typical to Araki's works -




As in this Araki's anguished 1/35 kaiyodo Museum Series model - so we know scale is bigger than 1/35 ...




But it is also smaller than 1/20 - next to the 1/20 kaiyodo Museum Series model -




Actually, I haven't been able to locate any Mentioning of that model in any Japanese source -
nor did I found any reference for this model in the numerous Kaiyodo Catalogs I looked in.
But as in many other instances - Don Glut has had one up close - and also in a group shot :

[BrontoScorpio]

And to finalize :
All  3 'Stand-Alone' Resin kits -  Together - built and complete :




And why 'Stand-alone' : As they do not belong to any Set or series of models ( By Kaiyodo or in General )
But rather issued separately, two of the three without even any mentioning in a single retail Catalog.
And now in a standing pose -