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

[Pliosaurking]

That is one impressive collection
Everything is so neatly arranged and you have so much variety in your collection
Well done

[Loon]

Thanks everyone for your comments! I'm always happy to see people's reactions to this, mostly because I'm a massive egomaniac.

@Libraraptor Thnaks. That's the Pakicetus by Jesus Toledo, from his Paleo-Creatures line. I've reviewed it for the blog (a few years ago now, I think). It's a shame they're so hard to find now, because he was so good at incorporating lesser known species. As for the protochirotherium, I did one it for a time, but it really didn't do much for me, honestly. I'm already wary of figures with big bases, and I already had some rauisuchid-like figures in my display, so I figured someone would want it more than me.

@Blackdanter thank you!

@TooOldForDinosaurs thank you, those custom repaints aside from the horrid plateosaurus are all the work of the very talented @paintingdinos.

@ceratopsian Happy you enjoyed it. I definitely know that feeling. Especially as new things come in and you need to put them somewhere.

@JimoAi thanks! I'll be completely honest, I have a very hard time getting into fish aside from sharks and select deep sea species. There's also the problem of scale. While I'm not really bound by that, I do like to have a very "soft scale." I probably just need to do a bit more research and watch more documentaries (which are basically toy commercials for me) to get my interest up. I have owned that CollectA Mosasaurus at some point, but, as I said, I'm not big into "hard scale," and the PNSO tylosaurus just hit me a certain way, despite its faults.

@Gwangi thank you. That Flatwoods is from the U.M.A. soft vinyl line by TakaraTomy. Of all the figures in that line, I think it pulls off the stylized look the best.

@Pliosaurking Thank you, I try to have a variety of species. Of course, staying within my interests.

[Loon]

Alright, the second batch (I think?) of new Safari Ltd. figures released and of course I jumped on that, so, here they all are.


Unfortunately, and this really stinks, they came in maybe the most cramped package I've ever got. I've had issues with Safari's shipping before, but this was something else. The box was only bigger than the largest figures by millimeters (slight exaggeration there). The only protection the figures had was their baggies and that wasn't enough to prevent a few nasty scrapes.


Nanotyrannus
Have you ever bought a figure that is exactly what you expected? Yeah, that's this Nanotyrannus, or as autocorrect edits it, "nano tyrannosaurus." Very helpful. Anyway, I wasn't planning on buying this model, but I had basically gotten all the other new dinosaurs, so I figured I'd give it a shot.


I don't want to be too harsh, but I would probably say this Safari's worst prehistoric model in some time. Those colors and the very toyetic stripes don't do this figure any favors. It doesn't help that the sculpt has this out-of-focus look. Maybe "worst" is too much, but it just doesn't impress.


There are good things, like the head. It has a nice shape, very evocative of the the beautiful long snout of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus (don't @ me). The body proportions are also top notch. It has a girth like the larger Tyrannosaurus, but still retains the visibly longer limbs.



Zuul
Zuul was definitely the figure I wanted most from this recent wave. The beautiful blue and green color scheme was just... chef's kiss. But, in hand, it's just a bit bland. The blue is either incredibly subtle or absent all together (I must be colorblind, because I really can't tell). It reminds me a lot of a late 2000s Safari figure, like the Kentrosaurus.




Paint aside, the sculpt is amazing. I always love an ankylosaur that looks like it's struggling to keep its body above the ground. Maybe I'm crazy, but when I look back at the old Safari Sauropelta (one of my all time favorites BTW), I really see how much Doug Watson has advanced in his style.




Albertosaurus
I realized that I have a bad habit of owning a figure and then selling it, only to come to the conclusion that it's utterly fantastic and I need it back in my life. It's rare for me to consider a toy an "all timer" right when I get it. But...hooo boy....this figure...




I'm a sucker for a crazy color scheme, and was content to accept that over the top colors rarely belong to what people would consider "good figures." Well, well, well. No longer! Those mint greens and yellow brown just work. It's a goofy look (maybe), but doesn't scream toy like the Nanotyrannus. I'm also drawn to the darker head, which seems like the inverse of how these more vibrant color schemes usually work.



This is a nice big figure, and that has definitely let Watson shine. The scales and clear and anatomy is picked out pretty well. You get that Gorgosaurus-esque skull, but it's not as tapered and the long legs look very athletic. It says something when a 4 inch tall toy can intimidate you. Doug Watson is operating at full power here and I love it.



Yutyrannus
This one is a bit of a tangent, but it also came in that package, so it's relevant. I've had the PNSO Yutyrannus for a bit and, I don't know, it's never say completely right with me. Maybe it's the head or the extreme pose making one of those annoying stands a necessity, but it's not my favorite. I think I got caught up in that "new toy smell" and my horrible habit of one figure per species, so I sold the Safari figure. I'm happy to have it back, it's a bit of an icon to me. Luckily for the PNSO, I love Yutyrannus, so there may just be enough room for it as well.

[TooOldForDinosaurs]

I can never get over just how beautiful @paintingdinos repaint of your Edmontosaurus is. Same with the PNSO Shantungosaurus one you posted a while back. Those two are the stars of your shelfes for me personally. Very envious (I admit again and again)

Great batch of figures of course (including the non-dinosaurs)! Very unfortunate about the packaging... At least the spikes on your Zuul don't seem quite as wobbly or bendy as on some other figures. 

[postsaurischian]

I can never get over just how beautiful @paintingdinos repaint of your Edmontosaurus is. .......

    True! I must have missed that. I'm not a fan of the figure but now ... it's oh so beautiful! Wonderful piece. Colours can be powerful.

[ceratopsian]

It caught my eye too instantly. So beautiful!

I can never get over just how beautiful @paintingdinos repaint of your Edmontosaurus is. .......

    True! I must have missed that. I'm not a fan of the figure but now ... it's oh so beautiful! Wonderful piece. Colours can be powerful.

[Loon]

@TooOldForDinosaurs @postsaurischian @ceratopsian thank you guys. Paintingdinos' customs are some of my favorite pieces in my collection. It's rare for me to own anything that's one of a kind, so they have a special place for that reason alone. That, and they're just fantastic to look at, especially those flamboyant hadrosaurs.

TooOldForDinosaurs, unfortunately, the Zuul did come a bit warped. The way it looks now is the result of some time spent with a blow dryer.

[TooOldForDinosaurs]

@Loon Ah I see! Well, you did a good job then straightening things out hehe

[Faelrin]

Sorry for being so behind on checking things out here, but I am absolutely stunned at some of these recent hauls, beautiful repainted figures, and just your entire collection room. In a way I am envious (perhaps more so now that my shelves, and most of my collection are in storage indefinitely, or at least until I can be relocated to a proper new address).

Interesting to know that Dinotopia series is where you first got into it. It was actually the first time I heard of the series, and it really did wonders for my imagination after I caught it when it aired live on TV. I feel very fortunate I had that opportunity, despite the less then fortunate fact I had watched it while living in a homeless shelter at the time. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to getting the books. Wanted to growing up, after watching that series, but never got the chance.

[Shonisaurus]

What cool figures, where did you buy them? They are not yet sold in online stores in the EU. Thanks for sharing, the albertosaurus, zuul and nanotyrannus are amazingly well sculpted and very finished.

[Pliosaurking]

Nice haul @Loon
I'm definitely have to get an order from safari in the near future!

[Loon]

@Faelrin I imagine a lot of us came to the series that way. Sorry to hear you did at such a rough time. The books are next-level imagination fuel, honestly. Though, like a casual, I have yet to check out First Flight or the chapter books. I need to check the forum more often, because I'd love to see how your shelves come along. Especially with all that Mattel Jurassic stuff. I haven't seen so much of it for so long, it'd be neat to see it all together.

@Shonisaurus I ordered them through Safari's website, which I believe only ships to the US, unfortunately. I'm sure they'll pop up on the European sites by the end of the year, though.

Thanks, @Pliosaurking I'd definitely wait a bit, since I think they'll be having those crazy sales soon. The labor day one just finished, but I'm sure we'll see a nice one soon.

[Shonisaurus]

It is good to know, I have ordered them from a store in Cádiz, I will wait as long as it takes. Thanks for the info. The new Safari figures are great.

[Faelrin]

@Loon Unfortunately nearly all my stuff is in storage now from needing to move (albeit the move out date being pushed back several times). Only things I have with me atm are like a few Jurassic World figures (including all my SDCC exclusives), my Rebor stuff, the Favorite and Safari Ltd Cambrian figures, and my two WWD ones. Oh and my Neca American Werewolf figure.

[Halichoeres]

Very impressive setup! I don't think I knew you collected Transformers. Quite a few fans around these parts.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

I meant to common last time I signed in, but anyway, as always I still love your collection, nice to see updates. Looking forward to seeing a Zuul in the flesh in the distant future.

[Loon]

CollectA Paraceratherium
I have long been an advocate for Paraceratherium, basically pining for any company to make one for the last few years. I-Toy was the first to satisfy my needs with a truly massive figure. That thing blew me away, so when I saw the promo pics for CollectA's version, I had a hard time believing it could be top it, especially at a smaller size. I really need to stop thinking about figures that way, because now that I have both in hand I see that they both have their appeal.

I actually really like that CollectA went with such a different design for their figure. The long legs are another notable feature and I think they're quite a bit more convincing than the stumpy legs on the I-TOY. The fur is interesting, for sure, but I can't say I love the final look. I think there's just a bit too much and random placement combined with the red paint looks a bit odd. I think they could have gotten away with making this thing basically hairless. But those are all nitpicks, really. I'm just happy CollectA has given us another prehistoric mammal.


HAMMOND COLLECTION UPDATE!

But first, some overpriced boxes...

Chest Goldblum
I'll start out with the least interesting one first. Like, I get it, it's the meme, but that's it. It's a scene from Jurassic Park, sure, but I've never cared for scene specific variants. Call me a weirdo, but having two of the same exact character on one shelf just feels wrong to me. Like, this is some abhorrent doppelganger. So, long story short, I might keep it. I don't know.


Between the pose and his blank stare, it looks like

When you gotta go...
The real conflict comes when we talk about the Outhouse Chaos set, which is just gorgeous.

I remember coming up with a similar idea for a San Diego Comic Con set years ago during some downtime at my pool store job. Of course, that was when the Trash N' Throw Tyrannosaurus was the new hotness, but hey.

Oh, but in hand this thing is so pretty. I'm not an in box collector, because I do like to fiddle (collector's euphemism for "play") with my toys, but the whole display of this set is too nice. If I did take it out, I would find something to do with the cardboard, because the printing on it is truly stunning. Still, I'd feel ashamed taking I out of the box.

I don't really have space to display it like this and I already have a Hammond Rex on my shelf, so... I don't know... Mattel will probably just release Gennaro on his own in a few months anyway. I'll update you all if anything comes of this. Also, I love the lights and sounds.


Dr. Ellie Sattler
Ellie is pretty alright. Comparing her to the older Legacy version, you can see how much more refined the detail looks, but she's still just a bit odd. I think her shirt being a separate piece bulks up the torso a bit too much; it basically obscures her neck. Also, I find that the new head sculpt doesn't have as good a Dernian likeness as the Legacy figure. But, aside from that, I think she is still worthwhile.

The veriforman leaf is a nice inclusion, though it makes me wish she got a head with sunglasses to complete the look.

Still, all these things pale in comparison to...the poop arms. I mean...seriously. I love these so much, even if the paint goes a long way to trigger my OCD.

I feel like Malcolm, "you will remember to wash your hands?"

Dilophosaurus
Mattel has always struggled with Dilophosaurus for one reason or another. I still maintain their best attempt was the Amber Collection figure, which this new release borrows a lot from. The Hammond Collection figure breaks the long trend of 3.75" Dilophosaurus having those horrible, figure-cracking hinged frills.


It's also got the colors pretty spot on, though I would have liked to see more of that white outline around the dark green. The biggest problem is the size. It's just too big, which sort of undercuts the whole idea of a small but deadly predator. I think Mattel should have copied the Amber Collection even more so and make the figure smaller, but include a few more accessories. I would have been fine losing some articulation if it meant not having a spitter that's as large as her big brothers.

That's not that big of a deal. I can get over that. Unfortunately, I can't change the extremely loose swivel on the right elbow. On all 4 copies I have, this peg is super loose. Some even pop out with the slightest touch. I've had issues with Mattel QC in the past, but this has to be one of, if not, the worst I've encountered yet. Luckily, I have one that is tight enough to stay in the socket.

A now for something completely stupid...

[Halichoeres]

The poop hands are the best. But(t) I have always been a fan of scatological humor.

And yes, the comic is stupid, but in a really enjoyable way.

[Gwangi]

Happy to read your take on the HC Dilophosaurus, I'm looking forward to getting that one. Looks as if the AC Nedry might pair better with the HC Dilophosaurus.

I'm gonna be skipping on that Sattler, the Legacy figure is fine for me. Really wish they would have made her shirt removable and given her a set of bare arms so she could sport just the tank top. Or included a raincoat. All well, we got poop hands instead.

Your comic is brilliant! Do you have the AC Nedry? He would make a good papa for the others.

[Faelrin]

Wonderful additions you got there. I certainly agree the AC Dilophosaurus did it better, even if it is like twice the price of the HC one. One of the things that bugs me on the HC release is they got the eyes wrong, which they didn't do with the AC version. A minor thing, but still worth pointing out. I missed that SDCC set, but it really does look spectacular in the box. If I had it, I would be keeping it in box like I did with the Lockwood Manor set.

I also enjoyed that little comic you did. Pretty creative use of the figures as well.