Controversial opinions on dinosaur toys

[Duna]

It is made out of plastic, and every company's figures will warp over time, PNSO is no exception. Of course, some companies have found ways to fix this.. sort of.. (big feet, tripods, over-the-top poses) but a simple plastic rod solves this without making the figure itself worse.

I don't agree at all. There are a plenty exceptions of very good figures that DO stand on their own, without clown feet, tripods and over-the-top poses. For example, the Eofauna giganotosaurus and the GR Toys Carcharodontosaurus. You can't say Eofauna figure has clown feet (in fact it rests on the toes of a foot), it's just a very well balanced figure made of a good material. Mine has stood perfectly from the first day (and I know others that do after first fixing). GR Toys Carcharodontosaurus not only has not large feet, but they also are perfectly in line with the vertical of the body. They used an inside skeleton to avoid warping.
What is a shame is that a quadrupedal figure like the PNSO Corythosaurus can't stand at all from the first day, no matter what you do to it.

[Lynx]

I do not own the GR Toys Carcharodontosaurus, but I do have the Eofauna one. Even after fixing, it warps incredibly easily and falls over with the slightest touch. I have to have it leaning against the wall to even keep it from sliding over.

In the sentence 'every company' I was intending to put 'most companies', as I have heard of some companies coming up with solutions, as GR Toys has done.

It is made out of plastic, and every company's figures will warp over time, PNSO is no exception. Of course, some companies have found ways to fix this.. sort of.. (big feet, tripods, over-the-top poses) but a simple plastic rod solves this without making the figure itself worse.

I don't agree at all. There are a plenty exceptions of very good figures that DO stand on their own, without clown feet, tripods and over-the-top poses. For example, the Eofauna giganotosaurus and the GR Toys Carcharodontosaurus. You can't say Eofauna figure has clown feet (in fact it rests on the toes of a foot), it's just a very well balanced figure made of a good material. Mine has stood perfectly from the first day (and I know others that do after first fixing). GR Toys Carcharodontosaurus not only has not large feet, but they also are perfectly in line with the vertical of the body. They used an inside skeleton to avoid warping.
What is a shame is that a quadrupedal figure like the PNSO Corythosaurus can't stand at all from the first day, no matter what you do to it.

Edit: Let me not forget to mention many people have also had  problems with feet warping on the GR Toys model.

[Lynx]

I personally think the way a figure is balanced or the quality of such is based on that individual's figure. Someones might balance, while someone else's might not. One might be easily fixed via hot water, another just can't be. One can have a bad experience with a company, but another good. Most of the time, it is by chance that one may get a worse figure than another. For example, a lot of my Safari models had scuffs and issues that caused me to dislike the brand for a bit, but others shared that this never occurred to them. It goes the other way around, as well.

One has an experience that may differ from another, and I think that's something that should be accounted for. Not specifically targeted at those in the current conversation, but everyone in general.

[ceratopsian]

My experience with Safari bipeds has been particularly bad - but I know that others have been luckier!

[Halichoeres]

I think it's a genuinely hard problem and only partially in the hands of the manufacturer. Bipedality is intrinsically unstable. The AAoD Australovenator seems to have a higher density material over the hips, which makes it a lot more stable than other theropods with a similar pose, but plastic is plastic, so it can warp over time, or it can be squashed during shipping or incautious storage. You can find people on the forum whose Australovenator does not stand. Personally I think a transparent rod is one of the least objectionable solutions to the problem.

[Flaffy]

Hot take inbound: I can't justify any figure that requires an 'optional' posing rod to hold it up. It turned me off of BoTM's raptors, and it keeps me away from PNSO entirely. Their herbivores are nice, but it's 2022. Why can't their figures stand without warping? I feel way too many hold them up on a pedestal because they are "paleoaccurate", but if it can't even stand on its own, it is barely a step away from a statue. At least some of Mattel's worst sculpts can usually stand on their own.

It's a damn shame, too, because that Deinocheirus is gorgeous.

Meanwhile Mattels infamous JWFK Allosaurus struggles to stand, despite its ridiculous clown feet. Same goes for their Rugops and many others.

[Faelrin]

@Flaffy Thankfully they fixed that with the Extreme Damage one that released this year. That was one of my biggest peeve's of both the 2018 and 2019 version (skipped the 2021 retools). The only way I got the previous figures to stand at all was leaning in an extreme tripod pose, and crammed between some of my other figures.

As you said, even huge feet are not a good way of securing stability. Posture is also important, tight joints (on action figures anyways), etc.

[ceratopsian]

Agreed it is an intractable problem because of the inherent instability of the bauplan. And yes, I'm one of those whose Australovenator arrived unable to stand and which heat treatment rectifies only briefly.

I'm deeply allergic to clown feet. And bases don't work over time if the legs sag. For me a transparent rod is the best option. They are unobtrusive. Of all my PNSO theropods, however, the only one that doesn't stand without help (in this case Bluetack) is the first Wilson way back. My more recent ones all stand well - though I display them with the supplied rod to avoid stressing the plastic.

And the only quadruped that fails to stand for me is the Corythosaurus. But that is an older model now and PNSO quickly learnt from their mistake with too thin legs for a quadruped. There has been no repetition of skinny legs as on the Corythosaurus and the Lambeosaurus released around the same time.

I think it's a genuinely hard problem and only partially in the hands of the manufacturer. Bipedality is intrinsically unstable. The AAoD Australovenator seems to have a higher density material over the hips, which makes it a lot more stable than other theropods with a similar pose, but plastic is plastic, so it can warp over time, or it can be squashed during shipping or incautious storage. You can find people on the forum whose Australovenator does not stand. Personally I think a transparent rod is one of the least objectionable solutions to the problem.

[Carnoking]

The support rods do come in handy for me. Even if the PNSO figure they come with doesn't need it I can usually find a figure or two in my collection that does. The standing Nanmu Baryonyx won't stay upright even with a pegged base while the REBOR Acrocanthosaurus will tumble over even with its larger feet, so spare PNSO rods help them out. At this point, I couldn't tell you which rod goes with which PNSO figure cuz they've been shuffled around and loaned to other dinos so frequently. In fact, I'd gladly buy just a multipack of those pegs at this point as a backup for the less stable figures on my shelves.

That being said, I'll share a somewhat amusing solution I've taken to lately. Whenever I visit a museum, I like to get those squished penny souvenirs to mark the visit. Problem is, I don't really have a specific place to store them, so I've taken to slipping these dinosaur-imprinted flattened pennys under the feet of my more wobbly figures. It's a satisfyingly innocuous way to keep them surprisingly stable!

[jc_4130]

..There are a plenty exceptions of very good figures that DO stand on their own, without clown feet, tripods and over-the-top poses. For example, the Eofauna giganotosaurus and the GR Toys Carcharodontosaurus.

Didn't someone suggest that the Giganotosaurus stance was unrealistically wide? I forget where.  Standing issues can be annoying but I prefer an unstable model to an inaccurate one.

I feel like I'm in the minority, but I would be perfectly happy fixing a figure to a small, unobtrusive base that makes no pretenses about simulating real terrain.

[ceratopsian]

J @jc_4130 - I have no objection to bases at all. But experience tells me that if the plastic of the legs is not firm enough (whether because the legs are too thin to support the weight over time, or it's prone to deforming in heat etc), then a base won't be sufficient to keep the model upright over time. What happens is that the legs simply fold and the animal can still face-plant.

[jc_4130]

J @jc_4130 - I have no objection to bases at all. But experience tells me that if the plastic of the legs is not firm enough (whether because the legs are too thin to support the weight over time, or it's prone to deforming in heat etc), then a base won't be sufficient to keep the model upright over time. What happens is that the legs simply fold and the animal can still face-plant.

Not sure that I follow here?  If it was glued to the base it would limit the ability for the legs to 'creep'.  And have significantly more area that the feet.  Also I don't have much experience with this sort of plastic but does it really deform that much over long term?  Due to the weight of the figure?  I guess I will see, I have the PNSO Yutyrannis and Safari feathered T rex which seem like the highest risk...

[ceratopsian]

J @jc_4130.  The feet can be attached permanently to the base - but that doesn't necessarily stop the plastic of the legs warping above the base.  So the legs can still fold despite the base, especially if the ankles deform, and then your theropod will no longer be standing tall as it did. It might lean over dramatically to the side, or collapse forwards. It isn't just the size and placement of the two feet that cause instability.  Another issue is the actual physical properties of the plastic used for the legs.  I don't expect this to happen so easily with the PNSO medium-sized models, but it has certainly happened with some of their minis which have a fixed base, e.g. the Allosaurus and the Proceratosaurus.  (The plastic on these minis feels quite soft.)  It's also happened over time to some of my CollectA models that have a fixed base (not bases that depend on you pegging the dinosaur into a slot).  Hence experience leads me to be cautious with any theropods (not just PNSO) and take whatever help offered - e.g. PNSO's plastic rods are in position to support my theropods.

[Halichoeres]

Yep, I've had the same experience. My PNSO Proceratosaurus lists to the left, and my CollectA Ichthyovenator sags forward. I like bases fine when they do their job, but when they don't they feel a bit pointless. Pliable plastic is probably better for play, but worse for display. A harder plastic won't sag as much, but is likely to be more brittle. Lots of trade-offs in biped design, which is probably why so many bird toys are sold mounted on branches and the like.

[Mattyonyx]

My CollectA Lythronax has the same issue: after a couple of months, it started leaning over to the right side. Luckily, I kept the original plastic tray, so I put it back under the figure. It's not my favorite solution, but it's the best I could do.

[Lynx]

Plastic rods, overall, are the best solution and don't really see a reason to pass a figure up for having one, especially when it'll likely be more stable than say, something with the feet stuck to a base or an awkward tripod pose.

I have heard of some figures having a plastic rod forced to the body of the figure, but this is the exception, not the usual.

I wish companies like CollectA would start adopting this solution instead of their current way: ..tail and head lifting up towards the air, making a bit of an uncomfortable posture to look at  .

[Lynx]

I'm a sucker for theropods (though Asian ankylosaurs make up the majority of my top ten), but I find many other fans of the group seem more interested in 'who would win' than actually discussing exciting things about them.

It's always the 'Allosaurus vs Ceratosaurus vs Tarbosaurus," "Rex vs Spino/Giga/Carcar," and sometimes the exceptional "Sucho vs Sarco"

On other forum-like pages, such as Dinopedia, scroll for less than a minute and 4 large theropod fights are thrown at you.

I beg for someone to make a more intriguing topic than 'who wins' and 'if they would fight'. Animals don't spend all their time fighting in stupid scenarios, so why not bring up something more unique that's worth talking about, then a fight scene repeated hundreds of times?

[Halichoeres]

The ultimate crossover: who would win in a fight between the Hulk and Giganotosaurus?

Kidding aside, it does seem to be the sort of entry-level question that adolescent fans are interested in. I always hope they'll grow out of it.

[Stegotyranno420]

I am not a fan of PNSOs Therizinosaurus. the proportions just look off to me.
Further more, I prefer Papo's.

[Leyster]

Well, Therizinosaurus is not exactly a dinosaur whose proportions are well known, considering we lack almost the whole axial skeleton.