Safari 2020

SidB · March 23, 2020, 01:47:57 PM

I just picked up Safari's Qianzhousaurus at the Toy and Hobby Central store in Mississauga, outside of Toronto. The coronavirus scare hasn't yet compelled them to close their doors. Only a couple of people were in the store, other than the two staff. I must say that the figure, in hand, is really neat. It's a tyrannosaurid with a difference, for sure. The teeth on mine were way better painted than I had expected, quite a precise job, really.

In the late evening hours, the colors of the paint application seemed to take on an almost luminescent air in the half light, quite different than in the full light of day. I like this! The animal is lithe, yet muscular and gives the sense of a very quick-moving and active predator, capable of both ambush and some pursuit. I wonder if such a predator could only arise in the absence of the juveniles and sub-adults of the typical, standard tyrannosaurs whose offspring occupied this niche until they became too slow and heavy to catch the smaller prey that Qianzhousaurus must have specialized in.

The feature that most caught my attention was the massively wide tail base, consequent upon the enormous caudofemoral muscle that Watson has incorporated into his sculpt. The tail is no skinny whip stuck onto the posterior, but is impressively substantial, the housing for the motor that must have enabled the beast to be an absolute terror to its victims. Doug Watson's figure is both gracile, without being shrink-wrapped, and powerful. Well done!

Sim · March 23, 2020, 03:18:32 PM

Nice assessment S @SidB. I can't check my Safari Qianzhousaurus right now, but from what I remember its teeth are painted well too.

Shonisaurus · March 23, 2020, 05:28:44 PM

The 2020 Safari Qianzhousaurus is one of the best tyrannosaurs made apart from the iconic tyrannosaurus rex. The qianzhousaurus is the most scientific tyrannosauroid that I have seen if we except the king of dinosaurs already mentioned.

S @SidB I'm glad you were able to get that cool carnivorous theropod. My congratulations.

suspsy · March 23, 2020, 05:56:53 PM

Quote from: SidB on March 23, 2020, 01:47:57 PM
I just picked up Safari's Qianzhousaurus at the Toy and Hobby Central store in Mississauga, outside of Toronto. The coronavirus scare hasn't yet compelled them to close their doors. Only a couple of people were in the store, other than the two staff.

Well, Ontario just ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down, so they won't be open tomorrow. Certainly for the best.

SidB · March 23, 2020, 06:10:13 PM

Quote from: suspsy on March 23, 2020, 05:56:53 PM
Quote from: SidB on March 23, 2020, 01:47:57 PM
I just picked up Safari's Qianzhousaurus at the Toy and Hobby Central store in Mississauga, outside of Toronto. The coronavirus scare hasn't yet compelled them to close their doors. Only a couple of people were in the store, other than the two staff.

Well, Ontario just ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down, so they won't be open tomorrow. Certainly for the best.

Yes, just noted this too. I barely got in under the wire, so to speak.

SidB · March 23, 2020, 06:18:18 PM

Quote from: Sim on March 23, 2020, 03:18:32 PM
Nice assessment S @SidB. I can't check my Safari Qianzhousaurus right now, but from what I remember its teeth are painted well too.

Glad that yours was up to standard. If more unconventional tyrannosaurids were to hit the market with the level of accuracy that Watson's exhibit, it would help alleviate the boredom and sense of satiation that many feel when they see another T-rex. As for me, well, I'm a tyranno-maniac, apparently - always ready for another spin on the genus. However, I too yearn, paradoxically, for something closer to the "ideal", however subjective that turn out to be in light of the latest discovery.

suspsy · March 23, 2020, 07:20:03 PM

Quote from: SidB on March 23, 2020, 06:10:13 PM
Quote from: suspsy on March 23, 2020, 05:56:53 PM
Quote from: SidB on March 23, 2020, 01:47:57 PM
I just picked up Safari's Qianzhousaurus at the Toy and Hobby Central store in Mississauga, outside of Toronto. The coronavirus scare hasn't yet compelled them to close their doors. Only a couple of people were in the store, other than the two staff.

Well, Ontario just ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down, so they won't be open tomorrow. Certainly for the best.
Yes, just noted this too. I barely got in under the wire, so to speak.

I put in a delivery order with them this morning. I'm presuming they'll continue their online store.

SidB · March 23, 2020, 09:56:38 PM

@suspsy, that seems to be a reasonable assumption - will help with the cash flow at a time when the brick and mortar is necessarily shuttered, but the rent is still due.

Gothmog the Baryonyx · April 09, 2020, 04:51:35 PM

I have finally opened my Deinonychus, Quanzhousaurus, Pachycephalosaurus and Shringasaurus and have to say they all look stunning. Looking forward to opening the 1:35 scale ones soon

Faelrin · April 20, 2020, 11:18:10 PM

Did anyone else get an email from Safari Ltd asking for business? It's quite worrisome (as in if they don't get enough they'll go under).

Edit: Here's what the email said for those curious:

Quote
We Hope You and Your Families Are Safe and Sound

If Safari Ltd has been a support to you and your family over the past 30 years, we humbly ask you to consider supporting us now.

These are hard times for us all, and trust us, it feels a bit awkward to ask you to shop right now. However, we want to be *transparent* with you, our community, who we love serving every day. We are a family-owned small business, and for us (like all small businesses), our survival depends on shopping. We are doing our absolute best to provide discounts, lower our free shipping costs and provide FREE daily educational resources for you. We're also doing the best we can to continue to pay our amazing employees.

Real talk: The only way this is possible is if you support our online store. If there's anything that you need to entertain your kids at home and to keep them learning, please let us know.

When you order from our website, your order will be packed by Safari Ltd employees in our warehouse located in Miami, Florida. Our company is made up of people who care about our mission: teaching children about our world through the joy of play. They are parents, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters.

Please stay healthy and safe and keep shopping to support all your favorite small businesses!

Love,

The Safari Ltd Team

Loon · April 20, 2020, 11:27:07 PM

Quote from: Faelrin on April 20, 2020, 11:18:10 PM
Did anyone else get an email from Safari Ltd asking for business? It's quite worrisome (as in if they don't get enough they'll go under).

Yeah, I threw in an order because of it. It is indeed pretty worrying.

Takama · April 20, 2020, 11:40:16 PM

I dont get Emails from Safari

But that is kind of Worrisome.

@Doug Watson Do you know, Or Are you even allowed to say to us if theres anything to worry about?

Blade-of-the-Moon · April 21, 2020, 01:58:58 AM

they had a bunch of the lizard replicas and crabs on sale I ordered.

Flaffy · April 21, 2020, 03:52:34 AM

I'd love to support them directly, however they only ship within the US.

Doug Watson · April 21, 2020, 06:13:23 AM

Quote from: Takama on April 20, 2020, 11:40:16 PM
I dont get Emails from Safari

But that is kind of Worrisome.

@Doug Watson Do you know, Or Are you even allowed to say to us if theres anything to worry about?

As far as what I can say I don't know anything more than what you can read in that e-mail.

suspsy · April 21, 2020, 02:58:52 PM

This may come off as a bit harsh, but I feel I already did my part to support both Safari and independent toy stores when I ordered a bunch of their products for myself and my son earlier this month. Some are from Minizoo in Australia, others are from Hobby and Toy Central, which is based out of Toronto. Someone at HTC even wrote a little note on the receipt saying "Thank you for supporting a local business!"

I do hope Safari pulls through. Would be truly awful if they went under.

Faelrin · April 21, 2020, 03:16:00 PM

I hope they can pull through too. Not the least because I love their figures, but I'd also be genuinely worried for all their employees (and their families) livelihoods too during all of this.

Doug Watson · April 21, 2020, 04:14:56 PM

Quote from: Faelrin on April 21, 2020, 03:16:00 PM
I hope they can pull through too. Not the least because I love their figures, but I'd also be genuinely worried for all their employees (and their families) livelihoods too during all of this.

Thank you

Martwad · April 21, 2020, 04:27:12 PM

I wonder if it's not a blanket mass email. I never received one, but I have placed 2 orders in the past month.

Bokisaurus · April 21, 2020, 05:03:28 PM

Quote from: suspsy on April 21, 2020, 02:58:52 PM
This may come off as a bit harsh, but I feel I already did my part to support both Safari and independent toy stores when I ordered a bunch of their products for myself and my son earlier this month. Some are from Minizoo in Australia, others are from Hobby and Toy Central, which is based out of Toronto. Someone at HTC even wrote a little note on the receipt saying "Thank you for supporting a local business!"

I do hope Safari pulls through. Would be truly awful if they went under.

No, not harsh at all and I feel the same way.
I put on orders for both Safari and CollectA to support.

Every single company right now, just like many business, are suffering and feeling the brunt of the whole pandemic.
Safari is lucky enough to have been able to release all of their new figures for this year, so there is something new to buy from them.

Imagine other toy brands like CollectA who managed to squeeze the first half and still not sure when the others will hit.

The big difference I see here is that unlike the other brands, Safari also sells directly to the public by running a web store where you can order directly from them.
So they send this type of email to their current customers, I get a lot of similar emails from websites store I have shopped before.

Hopefully, all our favorite brands will survive this, and I think they will.

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Safari 2020