PNSO: New For 2021

[stargatedalek]

So the knuckle dragging is unfortunate in the artwork (top, and bottom possibly, along with that new? sculpt possibly). The recent paper (with regards to the recent tail finding) went into the biomechanics of its posture and debunked the knuckle walking posture the 2014 paper had started. It was able to be bipedal after all. It's just ignoring evidence and favoring a near decade old paleo-meme at this point. Granted the Spinosaurus released last year also suffered from this to a slight degree with the one hand (and honestly seeing how many later released with stands there is no excuse why it could not have been bipedal as well), but this is more egregious.

That paper still has its own host of glaring issues. The sail reconstruction is terrible and has no musculature on it at all*, just skin, which is going to throw off any balance calculations. Just because Spinosaurus, according to the lightest possible reconstruction, would have been capable of walking bipedally in terms of balance doesn't mean it did. Grebes and loons can walk bipedally, but they don't do this unless they really have to in order to cross rough terrain.

Knuckle walking is out, it was out long before the 2014 paper because we already had a finger and it shows no adaptations for supporting weight. Walking on the fingers would probably have caused Spinosaurus extreme discomfort if not be actively painful. But Spinosaurus still had tiny, tiny legs with relatively atrophied muscles, so walking like a traditional biped wouldn't have been comfortable either.

It certainly could have done either, if it really had to, IE; pushing off with the knuckles to move quickly if startled, or rising up on its hind legs to hold itself off the ground and waddle across a rocky area of shoreline. But resting on the belly or forearms (think of an army crawl) would be far more comfortable for slow normal movement, and nothing about the new paper challenges this idea for how Spinosaurus moved on land. If anything the stiffer paddle tail supports this idea, as using the tail as a prop while standing upright is basically out of the question now.

*The degree to which the back would have directly supported musculature can be argued, but from the shape of the columns they definitely evolved to support musculature originally. And it would have been necessary to use the tail in locomotion given how reduced in girth the tail itself is.

[Bread]

My hopes for a Mark Witton inspired Spinosaurus are shattered.

[Gwangi]

All this speculation about Spinosaurus posture makes me think a resting one would be the ideal Spinosaurus. I'm sure they were occasionally hauled out on the shore, seal or crocodile like, just laying there.

[suspsy]

A resting Spinosaurus would be awesome. It would circumvent the posture debate completely and ensure 100% stability. Only make sure the head is raised high enough so the toy can be displayed with its mouth open.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

I too would be interested in a resting Spinosaurus. It's the only way I would get one from them actually.

[Mattyonyx]

At least we can say our video about Andrea came before Andy's 

https://youtu.be/k_vY68c5FtY

I know it's in Italian, and something strange happened to the video conversion making it on 480pi, I'm translating this one and planning a special episode in HD like the one we made with Wilson.

That said, my first impressions are more positive than I thought: the stock image was exaggerated, and the model looks graceful yet massive at the same time, something appropriate for a mother T. rex. the only major downside is the articulation: you can't use it unless you put the model on an elevated surface.

The size of the scales is so satisfying, PNSO really cares about feedback.

Overall, between pose and sculpt, if the two T. rexes were available at the same time Andrea would have been my first (and maybe only) choice, although they do make a very nice couple.

[terrorchicken]

@terrorchicken To the best of my understanding (after researching many fragmentary genera, etc from a project I'm working on) they probably compare it with its relatives and see if it has any unique features on the bones, place and time aside. Assuming its accessible, checking out any published material on it would be the way to go.

In the case of Zuchengtyrannus, the scientists who described it justified making it a new genus and species because of a different arrangement in the ridges and openings around the jaw and tooth row. Nothing you'd be able to see with skin on, but apparently enough to tell that it's not Tarbosaurus or Tyrannosaurus.

ok thanks, its amazing how much info we can get from such fragmentary stuff like this...interesting how physical differences b/w species/genus of animals goes right down to the bones themselves.

as for spinosaurus, I think that for now there just is no 100 percent accurate figure out there in regards to its posture/walking stance so its for the individual buyer to decide what stance he prefers. 

[Gwangi]

@terrorchicken To the best of my understanding (after researching many fragmentary genera, etc from a project I'm working on) they probably compare it with its relatives and see if it has any unique features on the bones, place and time aside. Assuming its accessible, checking out any published material on it would be the way to go.

In the case of Zuchengtyrannus, the scientists who described it justified making it a new genus and species because of a different arrangement in the ridges and openings around the jaw and tooth row. Nothing you'd be able to see with skin on, but apparently enough to tell that it's not Tarbosaurus or Tyrannosaurus.

ok thanks, its amazing how much info we can get from such fragmentary stuff like this...interesting how physical differences b/w species/genus of animals goes right down to the bones themselves.

as for spinosaurus, I think that for now there just is no 100 percent accurate figure out there in regards to its posture/walking stance so its for the individual buyer to decide what stance he prefers.

The problem with that is a decent bipedal option, with an updated tail, doesn't really exist. There's the Safari one, but that's hardly adequate.

[Concavenator]

@Gwangi Are you aware of the Mesozoic Life version? That one might be released, and it seems to have everything you're looking for (bipedal pose with an updated tail).

[Bread]

@Gwangi Are you aware of the Mesozoic Life version? That one might be released, and it seems to have everything you're looking for (bipedal pose with an updated tail).

This. Unless PNSO's is truly a knuckle walker as we still don't know if this is a confirmed figure to be released, plus we have not seen anything of the figure, then the Mesozoic life is an ideal version of a bipedal+updated tail.

I hope if this is truly a figure made that PNSO release a video explaining the decisions of the figure if it is indeed based on "outdated" ideas (similar to Wilson's video).

[Faras]

Hmm saw screenies of Zhao Chuang explaining Andrea's leg folding in a private convo, link to the post: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/7479298760

No full convo and most are speech-to-text, so somewhat confusing:

"That T. rex leg in lying pose I made is skin (? think he meant it's a "wrap skin on bones" reconstruction), once muscles and soft tissues are added it becomes less obvious. T. rex ankle bones have wide range of motion, range of motion would be wider when the animal is alive as there's cartilage, so sitting pose should be fine. Thighs of theropods, including T. rex can't move upward too much, lots of squat poses have been made but in fact many experts think legs going upward... (text end here as 60s speech limit was reached)"

"This dino was made quite some time ago, they made it while working for T. rex: The Ultimate Predator exhibition for American Natural History Museum. They (guess he meant experts from museum) made the convenient suggestion that T. rex stands up like ostrich. They proposed forelimbs muscles barely help, so standing up directly with hindlimbs like ostrich."

"Yes, back then those T. rex experts thought T. rex would sit like ostrich."

"Different people have different views on this pose. Feels like (the sculptors) wanted to present heft of the animal, when he lies down the legs curl up, emphasizing on a sense of weight."

Screenies with some interesting pics:

[SRF]

@Faras interesting to read that Andrea was already designed during the T. Rex exhibition at AMNH. It was said that Wilson was also made during that time. Meaning that PNSO probably has an archive of models to release, but they applied the improved skin textures later on. That could still mean that Wilson will get a re-release some time in the future with the improved skin detail, if PNSO wants to at least.

DinosDragons review of Andrea is up on Youtube, with some interesting thoughts on the leg pose and sexual dimorphism as well:

https://youtu.be/7YrOcxg2Ppg

[Psittacoraptor]

And more Spino teasers:





Too much smoke for there not to be fire at this point.

@Faras Thank you again for your translations and information. Interesting that the pose was suggested by people from the AMNH, that's what science should be, international cooperation and exchange of ideas.

I do like Andrea very much but after seeing her next to Wilson, the difference in scalation is too drastic for my taste. I might pass on her after all for that reason.

[Abobo]

[SidB]

@Faras interesting to read that Andrea was already designed during the T. Rex exhibition at AMNH. It was said that Wilson was also made during that time. Meaning that PNSO probably has an archive of models to release, but they applied the improved skin textures later on. That could still mean that Wilson will get a re-release some time with the improved skin detail somewhere in the future, if PNSO wants to at least.

DinosDragons review of Andrea is up on Youtube, with some interesting thoughts on the leg pose and sexual dimorphism as well:

https://youtu.be/7YrOcxg2Ppg

Thhanks, @SRF , for posting this review from what is turning out to be my favorite reviewer. I appreciate and admire his balanced and thoughtful work and his eirenic spirit.

[Bread]

@Faras thank you, I always appreciate the information you give us, very helpful and settles discussions or ideas quite well.

Yeah, at this point I just want to see the Spinosaurus figure. Plus there is too much teaser artwork for there not to be a figure.

[Gwangi]

@Gwangi Are you aware of the Mesozoic Life version? That one might be released, and it seems to have everything you're looking for (bipedal pose with an updated tail).

Yes @Concavenator, I'm aware of the Mesozoic Life Spinosaurus and it is definitely the most appealing Spinosaurus for me. But with the pre-orders canceled I'm not really considering it a viable option for the time being.

[Faelrin]

If I had to guess based on the tags used for these posts on their official instagram account, then perhaps there is a new book on its way, in regards to all these Spinosaurus images. May or may not be a new figure as well. Just have to wait and see what turns up.

[Faras]

My pleasure *bows*

Judging from Zhao's tone, seems he made skinny reconstruction (mainly the legs) then the team added details and bulks. Maybe it would look more natural if he did the bulk.

More pics of spino from Weibo:






They've posted too many pics with different poses and age groups... guess we'd better not to expect anything specific atm 

[Abobo]

on Paleofiguras Facebook, they wrote this august 2 :

(Translated from Spanish)

"As we understood there are four important releases for this line. Two of them have already come out, consisting of Tyrannosaurus rex "Wilson" (AMNH 5027) and Stegosaurus "Biber" (USNM 4934). The two that remain are the Triceratops "Doyle" (AMNH 5116) and a 1:35 scale adult Spinosaurus based on the most recent discoveries."

My opinion is :

Their first Spinosaurus in the museum line is now obsolete (looks like more of a medieval dragon than an prehistoric animal) and their second one was too small, I'm pretty sure PNSO want to correct that by releasing a new adult specimen in the museum line (just my 2 cents)