Duna's collection (Ikea cabinet and more) "updated feb"

[Duna]

Very nice, kinda surreal to see all those classic Starlux figures and a new PNSO right in the middle of them.
Is that a cave bear too?

Do you mean the Starlux bear figure? Yes, it is. It was called "Ours des cavernes". It's a small but a very good figure, one of the best. According to my "research" it was inspired in one of Zdenek Burian's cave bears (and he draw all of them beautifully). I like that figure and so Burian's mammals so much.

[Duna]

Here more Starlux for my collection ...

A quite large Starlux advertising poster. I once read who its author was but now I can't remember.




It will join my other DIN-A4 sized original catalogues, printed on both sides. They are in very good condition, as good as new.

This one is from 1974-1977:


This from 1983:


And the last one, that included all the 100 figures, from 1984:



Two more Starlux variants (I do collect too) I didn't have of Scolosaurus and Plesiosaurus. Not easy to find.


The greyish blue with grey figure is probably from the first version, later ones were light green with dark grey and they are quite common.


The first version of scolosaurus, the green one, was the one I previously had.  The later one was bicolor: brown with brownish orange on top.



Another Starlux related item is this 1992 Panini Dinosaurs complete album. It's in Spanish language and in perfect condition, it even has the inside leaflets to order more stickers or other albums from that time. The owner was so careful that the stickers are placed so perfectly that are almost invisible in the large poster drawing in the middle of the book. I would have preferred the 1974 version because more vintage is better for me, but the prices are exorbitant. So I'm very happy with this later version that has most of the same stickers (and information) that the previous version had. Why I wanted this album? Because I'm a great fan of paleoartist Zdenek Burian and in this album, though not drew by him, the illustrator copied most of Burian's drawings, using a very similar style. The album is very colourful and has a lot of species.

[Duna]

And now, some more for my Invicta collection:

A 1992 Ravensburger puzzle with the famous Ian Coleman poster he did for the Invicta prehistoric collection (British Museum of Natural History). There are other older editions. I just can't wait to do it! The box is in perfect condition.



The 1985 copyright for Invicta.



I got another Invicta painted brachiosaurus (the best looking of the painted sauropods) because ... yes. They are massive, heavy, and display perfectly everywhere. I will eventually sell some, because of space, but I'll enjoy by now the gorgeous looking herd:





And now, time for accurate figures. Yes, collecting accurate doesn't imply you can't love vintage. What's more, having both makes you better value what we have today. I have a collection with only the most accurate version (that I like) of some species (with priority to the ones I've known since my childhood), so Iguanodon is a must.
I have the 2018 Collecta which I like, it's large, it's quite accurate but the least I like about it is the neck, the long claws and those blotches of dark paint. PNSO cames always to the rescue, meaning that most of my old figures (not too old) are slowly being replaced by some PNSO. I quite liked the PNSO iguanodon (it would look less toyish in my cabinet) but being in the Museum Line meant it was too expensive for my taste. So I waited for a sale and bought it with a 14€ discount.
My opinion is that it's a very good figure, but at that price ... I feel I can also share a few critics. First, it's very dark. It can be a good thing (not too striking on the shelf) but I think it has being a missed oportunity to make it more visually atractive. The other only thing I disliked before buying it was the head and the "sad" expresion it seemed to had in the promo pictures. But having in hand, I'm very pleased that it's unperceptible! The head looks much better than I thought because the mouth line is almost invisible at a half a meter distance so that line doesn't bother me more.

About the stuff that comes with the figure ... I must say I don't have a need for it, so I can't say if the price is justified. The posters are made of high quality paper and the box weighs A LOT. You need to have a large emptly living room to display all the posters in the suggested way (to make it look like a museum exhibit) so it's no use for me. But I appreciate the quality of the drawings and my children also liked them, but I'll have to keep them folded. The display stand (the lower part of the box) doesn't add more to the figure in my case. I just took a picture on it and it went to my cabinet with the others.

[Libraraptor]

Interesting stuff, as always!
Those painted Invictas make me faint

[RobinGoodfellow]

If you're interested in original Panini' stickers, I uploaded all of them in high resolution on Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/130140542@N03/albums/72157651984553802

Regards

[Duna]

If you're interested in original Panini' stickers, I uploaded all of them in high resolution on Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/130140542@N03/albums/72157651984553802

Regards

Oh, thank you!! That's very cool. I knew most of the album but not all pages, so now I can have a better idea of the differences. Do you know how many stickers it included? At first eye, it seems the new version cut them off about 40%. So all 1992 stickers appear in the 1975 version but not the other way round. There are some more interesting differences, in the older version the background is white whereas in the newer one has bright colours and some drawings (to use less stickers). Two of the 4 full two-page beautiful posters are not included (the first life and the aquatic life), but the other two yes (dinosaurs and mammals), and they are almost exact but wider at the sides, showing more of the background. Several of the 4-sticker compositions are reduced to two, so less stickers are being used. They also omitted several of the last pages about mythology (I love that), living fossils, extinct and reintroduced. Pity.
But thank you for you pictures.

[BlueKrono]

If you're interested in original Panini' stickers, I uploaded all of them in high resolution on Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/130140542@N03/albums/72157651984553802

Regards

That swimming Dimetrodon is wild! Almost looks like a precursor to some modern-day Spinosaurus scenes.

[Shonisaurus]

Thank you for sharing the photographs of your collection of figures and articles related to the prehistoric world. I am impressed by the variety of prehistoric mammals that the vintage company Starlux made in its day and in a massive way.

On the other hand, that Invicta brachiosaurus must have cost you your money not so much because of its rarity but because of its sheer size. As always you have very rare figures in your collection. My congratulations.

[RobinGoodfellow]

If you're interested in original Panini' stickers, I uploaded all of them in high resolution on Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/130140542@N03/albums/72157651984553802

Regards

(..) Do you know how many stickers it included? (...)

360

[Duna]

360

I wasn't too far, the 1992 album only includes 178 stickers, so 49% less

[Crackington]

Thanks @Duna  and @RobinGoodfellow for showing the Panini sticker album. I remember having this, I think around 1978, but giving up on getting the stickers as there were so many to collect and they weren't that cheap*.

I thought that the artwork was immense though and wonder what happened to the album as they can go for a bit now (must have been thrown out  ).

@BlueKrono - I loved that sailing Dimetrodon picture too. I think to this was as an old theory/speculation and might explain the old Aurora model's webbed feet!

*Compared to, for instance, the PG Tips tea cards which were "free" from my parents and my aunties! 

[BrontoScorpio]

...  A quite large Starlux advertising poster. I once read who its author was but now I can't remember.

I am constantly on the lookout for that poster - But I always get too late and find a 'sold' item.
Maybe I'll just print your picture ... 

The first version of scolosaurus, the green one, was the one I previously had.  The later one was bicolor: brown with brownish orange on top.

I didn't know there was a brown version.
It is beautiful.

Another Starlux related item is this 1992 Panini Dinosaurs complete album..... Why I wanted this album? Because I'm a great fan of paleoartist Zdenek Burian ...

I too  like Burian so much.
just recently I got his 'Life Before Man' book with 162 illustrations.
I think - if you like something - it's always best to first go to the source ... 

[Duna]

I too  like Burian so much.
just recently I got his 'Life Before Man' book with 162 illustrations.
I think - if you like something - it's always best to first go to the source ... 

Oh, that's a nice purchase! I have downloaded as many drawings as I found, but a book is always a book!

[Duna]

And now the two resin figures I bought from an Italian artist:

A Mastodonsaurus (he had four different paint versions -all of them amazing-). I chose the greenish one. The others were yellow and black and black-grey. Each figure is unique as all of them are hand painted.








He told me he could sculpt any figure, so I asked him if he could do an Ambulocetus, and he agreed and started on the work. Here are some pictures of the making off he sent me. It was a pleasure seeing the figure being sculpted:





The fur is finely sculpted and the eye, nose and mouth are glossier:







With Collecta Borealopelta which has a similar size (a bit larger) and colours:




As he has the molds of both figures, he can now do more as requested. He has just sold another Ambulocetus he did along with mine for 15€.

[Dusty Wren]

Oh, man, I love that Ambulocetus! The sculptor did a great job with the details. Did you get to pick out the color scheme, too?

[Duna]

Oh, man, I love that Ambulocetus! The sculptor did a great job with the details. Did you get to pick out the color scheme, too?

No, I didn't choose the colour, I just gave him liberty for every aspect (pose, colour ...) because I liked so much the Mastodonsaurus paint scheme, that I thought he could do a nice job with the Ambulocetus. He painted the other Ambulocetus very similar to mine, but with darker (almost black) and more separated stripes and a more yellowish belly. I like it very much, too. Here it is the other one (I think it sold in less than 2 minutes).

[Shonisaurus]

It is very beautiful and very creative, it moves away in its sculpture, physiognomy and painting from that of Walking with beast, this one looks much more ferocious. It has been fabulous. Thank you for sharing the photos and my congratulations, you have very good taste when it comes to buying figures.

You have a spell when it comes to getting figures of all kinds in online purchases.

[Flaffy]

Lovely Ambulocetus! I'm still surprised to see the complete lack of basal cetaceans in the hobby outside of customs and resin casts. A fantastic piece of prehistory to add to any collection.

Does he work by taking commissions? Or does he just make models by request (and proceed to sell said models on his ebay to make money)?
The style of these models reminds me of Jetoar's Paleo-Creatures line. And speaking of, does anyone know if the line is still active?

[ceratopsian]

@Flaffy - I've heard nothing from Jetoar in a very long time and presume that he has moved onto other things.  I last enquired about a Repenomamus and was told it was currently unavailable and that he was very busy.

@Duna - the Ambulocetas is splendid.  It was a real quality of life and breath.  Very natural looking, and I love the palette.  Interesting to see his "in progress" photos too.  And the Mastodonsaurus was a superb choice!  He's an excellent artist.

Lovely Ambulocetus! I'm still surprised to see the complete lack of basal cetaceans in the hobby outside of customs and resin casts. A fantastic piece of prehistory to add to any collection.

Does he work by taking commissions? Or does he just make models by request (and proceed to sell said models on his ebay to make money)?
The style of these models reminds me of Jetoar's Paleo-Creatures line. And speaking of, does anyone know if the line is still active?

[Duna]

Lovely Ambulocetus! I'm still surprised to see the complete lack of basal cetaceans in the hobby outside of customs and resin casts. A fantastic piece of prehistory to add to any collection.

Does he work by taking commissions? Or does he just make models by request (and proceed to sell said models on his ebay to make money)?
The style of these models reminds me of Jetoar's Paleo-Creatures line. And speaking of, does anyone know if the line is still active?

I'm glad you like it! He doesn't sell on eBay or at least from what I know, I just found his models in a second hand web and I just asked him using the chat. I don't even know his email, but I can ask him if you are interested. He has at least 3 models (a beautiful carnotaurus, too, with a base) and casts the figures and when he sells one, he does and paints other. He doesn't seem to have a stock.
If you want a new figure, he takes commissions, you agree about the price and he makes the figure and then he casts it. Probably about 15€ more in that case depending on the work.
And yes, his work reminds me a lot about Jetoar (I haven't heard from him or his line for some time so probably not working on that now).