Loon's Collection: PNSO Suchomimus (Jan 16, 2023)

[Loon]

I'm glad you have Safari Carnegie's tanystropheus. For me it's also a unique figure, when I bought it back in the day it was and is one of my figures from the Triassic world.

Thank you, and I have to agree, unique is a great word for it.

This is a great figure, one of very few Triassic animals in the Carnegie line. I agree that the paint job manages to be lively without being outlandish. And Rogers's sculpts are wonderful, avoiding the deep-fried look of the post-Papo hobby.

@Halichoeres I fully agree on the definition of post-Papo era, sometimes I miss the smooth elegance of Battats and Carnegie.

Yeah, Rogers was never excessive with any aspect of her figures, paint, sculpt, etc. Figures like this, I feel, are just right.

It's a book series about prehistoric life. They are really good, and highly accurate.

Oh, yes, I saw you talking about it earlier. I guess I didn't assume the comment was still referring to them. Sorry about that.

[Loon]

I went to Wal-Mart to get some food the other day, and of course I had to snoop by the toy section and see if they had any new Transformers. Aside from the aforementioned robots, I came across more of these cool Adventure Force dinosaurs.

Firstly, the Tyrannosaurus is a pretty nice figure. It may be similar source material in the Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus, but I can't help but feel that this one has a remarkably similar pose to the old Schliech green Tyrannosaurus. I also love the colors; very rarely does anyone get the bull Tyrannosaurus' colors right, so I'm happy to see them so vividly here.


The Dilophosaurus is probably my least favorite of the 3 I own. I think between the paint and the gnarly head, it comes across as a "cheaper" figure more than the other two. Still, I can find some fun with it.


"I thought you were one of your big brothers. You're not so bad..."

Finally, and most surprisingly, PNSO's Machairoceratops arrived in the mail a few days ago, despite me not having ordered it. Turns out, my mom had bought it off my Amazon wishlist for Christmas and it only just got here. Happy to have this little guy again, especially since I didn't have to pay for it this time.

[Shonisaurus]

@Loon My congratulations, that machairoceratops is lucky that you have it in your collection thanks to your mother. I think that PNSO ceratopsid is one of the few existing figures of that species, and we must admit that it is very well modeled and painted by said mother! PNSO brand!

On the other hand, those Adventure Force dinosaurs are very well finished articulated dinosaurs, I would dare to say that they even surpass many JP/JW figures from Mattel in quality. I'm glad for you.

[Halichoeres]

Yeah, that Adventure Force figure owes a lot to the Schleich one. That and their Giganotosaurus seem to spawn a lot of knockoffs.

Nice of your mom to support your habit

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Interesting additions to your collection. The Machairoceratops is nice, though I wish it was smaller.
I guess you have quite a few JP Dilophosaurus?
The Namnu sick Triceratops looks to be quite a special piece for some people. Though I would say it more special if Universal got something out of it.

Out of curiosity, why the Schleich Postosuchus?

[Loon]

And now for something completely different...

Transformers Collaborative is a line that started back in early 2019, which takes characters, vehicles, etc. from iconic media franchises and turns them into transforming robots. The first few releases were easy passes for me, as they tied in with brands I had little to no interest in; however, when this Jurassic Park set was revealed my interest was piqued, though not entirely without hesitation. From the get-go, there were certain things that stuck out to me about its execution that I was not crazy about. From the high price to the final look of the two figures there seemed to be something a little less refined about this than previous releases.


Tyrannocon Rex
Unlike previous Collaborative releases, this is a two pack, containing the Autobot "JP93" (what?) and the Decepticon Tyrannocon Rex. We'll be looking at Tyrannocon Rex first, as she is the least exciting of the two figures conceptually, given her nature as a repaint with a new head of 2021's Kingdom Beast Megatron. Her robot mode is unfortunately a little bland, featuring primarily black and red paint apps on the mechanical surfaces which remind me of the iconic red and black JP logo. She's definitely a pretty articulated figure, but her backpack kibble (extraneous alternate mode pieces that hang off the body) makes some poses a bit of a challenge. Unfortunately, my copy's head is pretty loose when you try to make it look up on the ball jointed neck, and it also tends to spring back to this slightly off-center position if it's swiveled left or right.


Tyrannosaurus rex mode is where she both really shines and falls the most for me. The Megatron figure this is based on was released in the first wave of the War for Cybertron: Kingdom line, which focused on updating characters from 1996's Beast Wars with modern, realistic animal modes. I can't say it's been entirely successful, as it has found it perfectly fine to repaint a cheetah as both a black panther and a snow leopard. The prehistoric members of the Beast Wars cast haven't faired much better, but luckily, unlike some of those, this Tyrannosaurus is nice to look at.


Thanks to some cleverly placed transformation joints and rubbery skin that's sure to make even old school Kenner fans happy, this mode is also pretty articulated. There's something ironic about the best articulated dinosaur figure I've messed being a Transformer.


Unfortunately, there is a real downside to this mode that I'm sure some of you may have noticed, the head. Simply put, it's not the Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus at all. It's not even the Beast Wars Megatron head, it seems most similar to the Walking with Dinosaurs Tyrannosaurus of all things. It's a shame, really, as changing that would have made this figure that much better. I'm sure some unofficial upgrade company has It in the plans somewhere, but I shouldn't have to resort to upgrading a figure that is already this expensive. Also, her pupils being so high up makes her look like she couldn't care less about what's happening.

Compared to Mattel's Jurassic World: Legacy Collection Tyrannosaurus.

Autobot JP93
Autobot JP93... What kind of name is that? I've heard talk of it being a reference to the pre-earth moniker of the titular character in Bumblebee, "B-127." Still, it seems lazy and poorly thought out, which, coincidentally, is apt for this figure. Ok, maybe that's a bit harsh, but this is honestly my least favorite part of the set. That's not to say it's bad, however. Somewhat uniquely, JP93 is a completely new design; most Collaborative figures before this borrowed a lot of engineering from previous figures, but not this guy. This makes him stick out a bit, as in some ways, he resembles a dollar store bootleg more than the average collector-oriented Transformers figure. From his loose, ball jointed arms to extremely hollow legs, he lacks a certain polish that a lot of other recent boa have had. Still, there are some fun little features, like his goofy hat and his weapon being like Robert Muldoon's "shoot her!!!" gun.


Transforming... I, uh,  I mean "converting" this figure is a bit odd. Loose joints and a reliance on hinged clear plastic pieces make the process a real chore for such a simple figure. Still, the end result is pretty nice (if you can get it to hold together). Look, it's a teeny-tiny little Ford Explorer! I think this is one of the real victories of the set, as while the Tyrannosaurus is cool, it doesn't completely match the movie, this does. You can even store his gun underneath, which is actually a rarity for modern Transformers, which seem to have forgotten the whole "in disguise" but of "robots in disguise" and think it's fine to just slap a machine gun on top of a Nissan.


I'm having a hard time figuring out what I think of these two. As a set, I like them; but, individually both have significant flaws. I think Tyrannocon Rex is overall the better toy, but not really as a Transformer of the JP Tyrannosaurus, just as a fun dinosaur. JP93 is better in terms of representing that franchise, but as a transforming robot, he falls a little flat. As a huge Jurassic Park fan and Transformers fan, though, I have to say that I do really like this set. Yes, that's a clearly biased statement, but, um...


Anyway, here's some fun shots of Tyrannocon Rex.



"Objects in the mirror are more than they appear."

[Loon]

Quetzalcoatlus northropi is a member of a select club of prehistoric animals that, despite being known only from fragmentary remains, are immensely popular because they were possibly quite huge. With a wingspan of over 30 feet, Quetzalcoatlus was potentially the largest living thing to ever fly. I got to see a pair of skeletons at the Houston Museum of Natural Science back when I visited in 2018, and while they are speculative, they certainly ignited my imagination.


I had been familiar with Quetzalcoatlus since it was a big favorite of online paleontology circles, but seeing these skeletons made me a fan. That, plus they play a prominent role in James Gurney's Dinotopia franchise. I never was the biggest fan of the toys the species has inspired, Papo's is cool (in a very Papo way), but inaccurate in a few too many ways; plus, that pose would just devour shelf space. Safari's will always hold a special place in my heart (more on that in a bit), but I wanted a quadrupedal version. So, enter GR Toys and Haolonggood with their new Quetzalcoatlus "1:35 scale" figure.





I am so happy to finally have a nice, big Quetzalcoatlus that is standing on all fours. I know that's a very particular set of criteria, but it's something I've wanted for a while. Yes, there are some issues: the jaw is incredibly lose, only holding on to a pose by shear luck; and the paint can be seen as a little simple here and there.

Despite the package's insistence on this figure being 1:35 scale, it's way too big for that. I hate measuring folding wings, but if my measurements were correct, this figure is roughly 1:26 scale, give or take. Here it is with fellow Late Cretaceous North America denizen, Pachycephalosaurus from PNSO, who is roughly about the same scale (1:23ish), as well as a similarly scaled Hailee Steinfeld. Especially when compared to a human, you get a real appreciation of how massive these pterosaurs may have been.


As part of an online contest, GR Toys has included a second, white copy of the figure for people to customize. It's neat to get this with the finished figure, since it shows a side of production we rarely get a look at. This model also comes unassembled, so you will have to glue the articulated jaw together. Still, including basically an entire extra figure for $35 usd total is pretty good value for money, moreso than some other companies in this bracket can provide at times.



The one glaring negative to whole experience of this figure is this card. The, admittedly poorly printed, art is stolen from David Peters. While Peters' opinions on biology are misguided and his art is bizarrely inaccurate, I truly dislike art theft. Even a credit would have made this better, but no. I have to imagine this packaging was not designed by the figure's designer, as this very off reconstruction contradicts the well proportioned model.


By now, you probably know I love to get a bunch of related figures together, but this Pterosaur group shot is a little saddening (I just wish there were more).


The Safari 2017 Quetzalcoatlus is still a beloved figure to me, and since I've started to not focus so much on replacing perfectly good figures when I find a "superior" one, it will coexist with the GR Toys figure and serve as the smaller, yet more understood Quetzalcoatlus lawsoni. It's not a perfect match, yet given how a lot about what we know about this genus as a whole is based on lawsoni, I think I can do enough mental gymnastics to get away with it.


I have to say, even with all that baggage, I am pretty impressed with this figure. I hadn't paid much mind to GR Toys or Haolonggood's work before; but after this figure, I am now more actively eyeing their stuff.

[suspsy]

I was initially excited for the BW Megatron toy, but I actually ended up returning it a few days after the purchase. Not only was the transformation frustrating, but I was genuinely afraid of breaking the toy each time. Those bloody hips. I'm hoping that the Dragon Megatron slated for release later this year will be better.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Using at the shoulder height measurement,  I scaled this pretty boy as 1:28 scale, but I'd say yours looks closer.
It's very nice, I too was wondering about the sheet of paper it came with. Would be good to wipe paint off on I think.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Ph I forgot to mention, it looks like you managed to close the jaw, I had to stick mine down with blu tack because it wouldn't stay shut

[Shonisaurus]

I congratulate you, it is a much more impressive and beautiful figure than what was listed, it is the best quetzalcoatlus made to date. Without a doubt, GR Toys is going to give room to talk. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

[Everything_Dinosaur]

Does the packaging for the Haolonggood Quetzalcoatlus have a CE mark on it.  Does the model have a CE mark on the belly?

[Lanthanotus]

Does the packaging for the Haolonggood Quetzalcoatlus have a CE mark on it.  Does the model have a CE mark on the belly?

Yes to both

[Loon]

Ph I forgot to mention, it looks like you managed to close the jaw, I had to stick mine down with blu tack because it wouldn't stay shut

Well, it was only just. I think it's one of those friction/vacuum things I can only barely understand because at any other point it flaps back down.

I congratulate you, it is a much more impressive and beautiful figure than what was listed, it is the best quetzalcoatlus made to date. Without a doubt, GR Toys is going to give room to talk. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Thanks, Shonisaurus. Yeah, I gotta say, I'm definitely looking forward to their future stuff.


If you've ever looked for figures on AliExpress, I'm sure you've seen a shocking number of bootlegs for sale. For the most part, these are straight ripoffs of the big brands, made from much cheaper materials. Occasionally, there will be an oddity, such as a figure given a different figure's paint scheme, or oversized toys, but for the most part, there's rarely anything that thrilling. Of course, every once and a while something pops up that doesn't quite fit the mold, but struggles to be viewed as anything official. While these figures are not knock-offs and seemingly original molds, their origins are just as unknown. This Giganotosaurus is one such figure. After having seen it for some time, I finally saw one for a relatively cheap price and decided to check it out.   



I really like this figure's style, honestly. I think it sort of reminds me of Mark Hallet's work, what with all the spikes and such. Plus that intensely shrink-wrapped head is so 90s. It has a charm. Oh, and those colors are gorgeous. I get similar vibes from this and the original Papo Acrocanthosaurus. Maybe it was inspired by the W-Dragon Giganotosaurus?

The knee-jerk reaction would be to say that this is just a bootleg of the PNSO Giganotosaurus, but I don't think that's correct. Looking at the website of the manufacturer, Zhongjieming Toys, it appears that almost all of their figures are bootlegs, so, I can see where that idea comes from. Also, yes, both figures have a somewhat similar silhouette, but the smaller details don't match. The spines and scutes along the back also bring that PNSO figure to mind, but they're markedly different in a way that doesn't just feel like the result of poor molding. Frankly, I feel this figure was more inspired than directly ripped off of the PNSO figure. The most telling things to me are the positions of the limbs, which are not even that close, and if they were, they are still mirrored from the PNSO figure. 

Update: Since posting this, I have been informed that this is actually a ripoff of Dino-Soar Studio's Yangchuanosaurus resin model. So, there's that.

Overall, if you're just looking for a big, fun dinosaur figure, you can't really go wrong with this. I mean, you see how big this thing is, right? Keep in mind, this only cost me about $27 USD, which is shocking. I'm happy to have had it for a bit, but I won't be keeping it. Obviously, I don't think it's bad. I just wanted a big, dumb toy to mess with for a bit, and that's exactly what I got, and now, I'm perfectly happy to pass it on to someone else who will enjoy it.

[RobinGoodfellow]

..it's a bootleg from Dino Soar Studio ( Cheung Chung Tat ) and it's not a Giganotosaurus but a Yangchuanosaurus..

http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=3228.msg276242#msg276242

http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=3228.msg276166#msg276166

Regards

[Shonisaurus]

This dinosaur from an almost unknown company is extremely beautiful and very large! I guess the price is very affordable. This pirate figure is extremely attractive and has nothing to envy to the best toy dinosaur factories in the world. My congratulations. You have a highly interesting theropod figure.

[Loon]

..it's a bootleg from Dino Soar Studio ( Cheung Chung Tat ) and it's not a Giganotosaurus but a Yangchuanosaurus..

Regards

Oh, interesting. I can definitely see this figure as a Yangchuanosaurus, especially with that head, but I'm sure the manufacturer figured Giganotosaurus would sell more units. I don't really pay attention to resins, so no wonder I missed that.

[JimoAi]

My gr toys quetzal has 2 missing fingers on the hands for the painted one...

[Halichoeres]

My gr toys quetzal has 2 missing fingers on the hands for the painted one...

Mine also arrived with a broken finger (not missing, but broken off), and another finger had lost just the tiniest tip of the claw.

[Loon]

Well, I recently sold quite a few Transformers and went on a bit of a spree regarding my main collecting passion. Now, I present the fruits of said spree.


PNSO Centrosaurus
I really don't know what to think of this one. It's alright, but I don't feel like this figure gives me anything that a model a third of the price doesn't. Not much more to say other than I think I'm going to lay off PNSO for the foreseeable future.


Creative Beast Studio Mononykus
Alvarezsaurs are one of my new favorite dinosaur groups. They're just way too interesting; yet, there aren't many figures of them. Aside from this, I think Mattel is only other company to have tried one, also being Mononykus. Still, I'm just happy to have a representation of these animals, and one done so nicely.


Papo Kaprosuchus
This one was sort of an unexpected surprise. In terms of accuracy, like all Papo, it could use some work, but wow, this one is just a little bit stunning. I would have preferred the boxier head of Safari's, but there is just an undeniable charm to this one that I adore.




CollectA Xenoceratops
Certain future developments have gotten me excited about CollectA's ceratopsians again. While I mostly prefer Safari's ceratopsians to literally all other companies (*cough*PNSO*cough), the unique species CollectA has made are still worth checking out. I've always been impressed with this one, since black and white are unusual for dinosaur models and this scheme is so striking.


Safari Ltd. Shunosaurus
This figure's face has always been a bit of a turn off for me; those teeth always look a little to cartoony for me. I've come around to it recently, since Sauropod head sculpts are troublesome on a good day. Once I got past that, I could see that this is a really lovely little model. The colors too are just so appealing; nothing flashy, but unique.


With the contemporary Mamenchisaurus.

Safari Ltd. Nigersaurus
This one of those "on again, off again" figures. By that, I mean I've gone through owning it and selling it a few times. These days, I'm just happy to have it again. Again, not the most up-to-date, but still worthwhile as a nice sculpt that mostly gets it.


Showdown at the Elrhaz Formation.

CollectA Therizinosaurus
This figure looked weird to me, but then I remembered Therizinosaurus is just weird and got over it. The colors are a bit blunt and those hips are massive, but I can't say those ruin the figure. While a figure like Papo's is more striking in terms of detail, I find this one to just work nicer as a scientific representation and am happy to have one finally.


Fellow Nemegt Formation species, Mononykus looks up in terror.

Nanmu Apatosaurus
Ok, ok, this one's very exciting in many aspects. For the most part, it's a decently accurate Apatosaurus, being inspired by Sideshow Collectibles' gorgeous statue. I also love the brown colors; nothing gets me quite like a banded tail.

One thing that surprised me, but shouldn't have, was the size. I foolishly forgot that Nanmu, like many companies, doesn't know exactly what 1:35 scale means, since this thing is absolutely huge. It's closer to 1:25 scale than anything, which unfortunately prevents it from joining my Morrison Formation shelf, since it physically does not fit. Still, I was able to take this picture, which I call "Diplodocids of Decreasing Size."

Nanmu figures, being mostly based on the Jurassic Park/World franchise, come with this "to scale" figurines of humans from the films. The Apatosaurus is supposed to come with Dr. Wu, but, inexplicably I got Dennis Nedry, who comes with the Sinoceratops. It even came with the replacement ball joint for the Sinoceratops' neck. Hey, I'm not complaining; anyone who knows me knows I love and try to emulate Nedry, so I'm happy I didn't have to buy that other figure just to get him.

100/10

Little Critterz Augustynolophus
Finally, and most excitingly, my beloved state dinosaur, the Augustynolophus has joined the collection! Thanks to Capitol Books and Little Critterz, makers of many a porcelain figurine, I now own a small version of this species (plus a cool sticker and keychain).