Safari Ltd Dinosaur 2021

[Doug Watson]

@Doug Watson , I think stargatedalek is referring to this paper (link below) on Anchiornis, although the authors point out that the binding of the digits may have been an adaptation for flight (I think that's unlikely, but that's neither here nor there). That's the best I could find after a brief google search, but there may be other sources I'm unaware of.

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14576

Not a problem at all! It's a very minor issue since if the wings are properly done, as yours are, the fingers are hidden from most angles, hence it doesn't get brought up often.

Basically, the two outer fingers should be fused together as one, almost like a fleshy mitten. It's been speculated since the 80s (by a younger David Peters, of all people!) but confirmed recent-ishly by UV scans of, I want to say Microraptor, but that could be wrong. And indeed it was.
The perfect way of illustrating this is actually with a featherless reconstruction. Specifically Deinonychus is the best example here.

Thank you for the link @EarthboundEiniosaurus and your response @stargatedalek, I was afraid I missed something in the osteology (whew!) The 80s really? somehow I missed it and I was there back then. I have seen G. Paul interpret the manus of Archeopteryx with the 2nd and 3rd digits enveloped in flesh up to just above the distal phalanges of the 3rd digit but he doesn't include it on the larger species that I have depicted like Deinonychus. I checked out the paper and the UV scans are mainly of Anchiornis (they do include a scan of Microraptor as well). The authors mention "The uncrossed and skin-bound second and third manual digits of Anchiornis (Fig. 1, Supplementary Fig. 5) formed a functionally didactyl hand, as in Enantiornithes11. The latter trait presumably helped to stiffen the postpatagium, but it is unclear whether it was present in other four-winged dinosaurs too (for example, Microraptor: Supplementary Fig. 4)." So if they are unwilling to state that another small insect eating gliding animal had the same trait it is plausible that much larger dinosaur eating flightless animals might lack the trait as well. It is interesting that Scott Hartman is one of the co-authors and in his representations of the large maniraptors he doesn't envelope the 2nd and 3rd digits at least not in the examples I have seen. So in my defence there is no direct fossil proof that the figures in question that I have done had this trait. Having a look at them my Deinonychus and Citipati could represent the trait (especially if you use Paul's idea of the freed distal phalanges) if you wish since the digits are obscured with feathers, the Velociraptor also could be interpreted that way since I have the digits tight against each other and who is to say there wouldn't be a vestigial crease in the skin between them. I didn't intend to have the digits enveloped in flesh but you could interpret them that way if you wish and if I do another one I'll hide them in feathers as well.

[Kaustav Bhattacharyya]

Mr. Watson I am one of the greatest fans of dinosaurs especially of tyrannosaurs till my childhood after getting an initial familiarity about them. Till date I am very much eager to see an almost perfect (though I know Perfect is a quite imperfect word for dinosaurs since we have no time machine) T.rex based on latest scientific research. I did not become a huge fan of that fantabulous creature after seeing the JP movie monster but very much after seeing the documentaries especially the Valley Of T.rex. I am an extremely huge fan of your feathered version of that creature in 2017. But latest findings are again changing the ideas about that beast and an ultimate (though I know this is also an imperfect term too, but still) depiction of saurian latest version has been evolved based on all the latest scientific findings. I am really begging of you another standing/ slightly walking revolutionary T.rex figure ( just like that of 2017) someday in future which will be based entirely on the saurian latest version having distinct naso-lachrymal, jugal osteoderms, finely scaled skin, accurate limb proportions, lips (a very contradictory term but still I want to go for it), little elephant hair like dorsal protofeathers if possible with probable coloration of the creature according to your knowledge and experience in artistry and science about these iconic creatures.

I am really a huge fan of your excellence in artistry about these creatures and I do believe that you will definitely please my unquenchable desire about this creature someday in future.

Non T.rex tyrannosaurs are also warmly welcome.

[Sim]

Thanks for your post, @Doug Watson, that's great!   A minor and friendly comment: As far as I'm aware Microraptor isn't known to eat insects (though it could have of course).  Microraptor's diet is actually relatively well understood, and it includes mammals, birds, fish and lizards.  It's summarised on the Microraptor Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microraptor#Feeding

I'd also like to thank you Doug for making such lovely figures in the Safari 2020 line-up.  I'm looking forward to getting the Deinonychus, Dilophosaurus and Qianzhousaurus!  And in a bit I'm going to open a box that came through the post which should contain the 2019 Safari Stegosaurus and Allosaurus.

[Doug Watson]

Thanks for your post, @Doug Watson, that's great!   A minor and friendly comment: As far as I'm aware Microraptor isn't known to eat insects (though it could have of course).  Microraptor's diet is actually relatively well understood, and it includes mammals, birds, fish and lizards.  It's summarised on the Microraptor Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microraptor#Feeding

I'd also like to thank you Doug for making such lovely figures in the Safari 2020 line-up.  I'm looking forward to getting the Deinonychus, Dilophosaurus and Qianzhousaurus!  And in a bit I'm going to open a box that came through the post which should contain the 2019 Safari Stegosaurus and Allosaurus.

Yes I just put insects instead of listing all the small fauna it probably ate just to make the point this was a small dinosaur and quite different from the pieces I had done that were in question.
You are welcome.

[Doug Watson]

Mr. Watson I am one of the greatest fans of dinosaurs especially of tyrannosaurs till my childhood after getting an initial familiarity about them. Till date I am very much eager to see an almost perfect (though I know Perfect is a quite imperfect word for dinosaurs since we have no time machine) T.rex based on latest scientific research. I did not become a huge fan of that fantabulous creature after seeing the JP movie monster but very much after seeing the documentaries especially the Valley Of T.rex. I am an extremely huge fan of your feathered version of that creature in 2017. But latest findings are again changing the ideas about that beast and an ultimate (though I know this is also an imperfect term too, but still) depiction of saurian latest version has been evolved based on all the latest scientific findings. I am really begging of you another standing/ slightly walking revolutionary T.rex figure ( just like that of 2017) someday in future which will be based entirely on the saurian latest version having distinct naso-lachrymal, jugal osteoderms, finely scaled skin, accurate limb proportions, lips (a very contradictory term but still I want to go for it), little elephant hair like dorsal protofeathers if possible with probable coloration of the creature according to your knowledge and experience in artistry and science about these iconic creatures.

I am really a huge fan of your excellence in artistry about these creatures and I do believe that you will definitely please my unquenchable desire about this creature someday in future.

Non T.rex tyrannosaurs are also warmly welcome.

I can't say whether or not I will ever do another T rex but I can say that unless I am directed to do otherwise when I do an animal where fossil integument is known I always follow the fossil record and when it comes to most of the Tyrannosaurs in particular those in North America that means scales.

[Shonisaurus]

@Doug Watson Will the Safari brand ever give you permission to make the paraceratherium? Or maybe it is not an interesting prehistoric animal in the toy market and would be a risky cost for the Safari company?

[Doug Watson]

@Doug Watson Will the Safari brand ever give you permission to make the paraceratherium? Or maybe it is not an interesting prehistoric animal in the toy market and would be a risky cost for the Safari company?

Unfortunately I can't divulge what Safari Ltd has plans to make but it is an animal I would love to do myself. It may depend on the sales of the other prehistoric mammals that we have done recently and the number of requests they get.

[Shonisaurus]

@Doug Watson Will the Safari brand ever give you permission to make the paraceratherium? Or maybe it is not an interesting prehistoric animal in the toy market and would be a risky cost for the Safari company?

Unfortunately I can't divulge what Safari Ltd has plans to make but it is an animal I would love to do myself. It may depend on the sales of the other prehistoric mammals that we have done recently and the number of requests they get.

Thanks anyway for information Doug, sincerely you must depend as you say of the requests that there is of that strange mammal of the oligocene.

[Duna]

I would like to complete my collection with some classic dinos which are quite forgotten and have very few or obsolete versions as gallimimus, torosaurus, kentrosaurus, ouranosaurus, corythosarus, muttaburrasaurus, tenontosaurus, heterodontosaurus and hypsilophodon. How many heterodontosaurus and hypsilophodon have been done? 
By the way thank you Doug for the figures of this year, I'll be getting 6 of them (some have been the figure I was waiting for, specially the itchyosaurus, the edmontosaurus and the pachy.

[Kaustav Bhattacharyya]

Respected Mr. Watson,
I shall be utmost happy to see an keenly accurate utahraptor, carcharodontosaurus, daspletosaurus, tarbosaurus sculpted by you. Any one of them will make the figure revolutionary. Though I have special affection for the last two ones.