What's the right Dunkleosteus for you?

[Flaffy]

Since Haolonggood's branching into marine critters now, I wonder if there's any chance for us to get a new Dunkleosteus based on 2023 thinking? Would make for a very unique figure with the new stout proportions. V @vampiredesign

Other important things to note would be:
- Heterocercal tail
- Correct gill placement
- Presence of Mekel's cartilage
- Skin / Soft-tissue covering armour
- Smooth "fleshy" fins, with no visible rays

2023 Paper discussing new proportions: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/318 (plenty of helpful figures and diagrams)

Diagrams
Skeletal (adult specimen)


New (short) vs Old (long) proportions (adult specimen)


Paper life reconstruction (adult specimen)


My personal favourite reconstruction by @nao70shark1



JUVENILE proportions, may not represent what mature individuals looked like.

Spoiler

[close]

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I have the Safari and PNSO one. Thats probably good for me til some really nice bigger one is made

[Faelrin]

I'd like to see how they could handle a Dunkleosteus. We need more options with fluked tails.

As of now the only ones with fluked tails:

Spoiler

2021 PNSO Prehistoric Animal Models (body is too long though)



2021 Eikoh (skull not covered by skin):



CollectA 2018 (semi fluked tail, body too long):



Favorite Soft and Vinyl Models (skull not covered by skin):





Kaiyodo Dinotales (skull not covered by skin):

[close]

I think PNSO's, Eikoh's, and Favorite's are the only ones to also show that both the upper and lower jaws can open. I'd like to see Haolonggood pulled off what PNSO did I'd also be fine with the static open mouth approach.

I'd also really love something that's a mix of the JWE2's and Favorite Soft/Vinyl model designs, such as the skin covering the head, the fluked tail, and the shark like fins (but with the updated shorter body proportions):



Edit: Bonus adorable front view:

[suspsy]

I have a soft spot for the CollectA version in spite of its flaws. I have my Safari one to my older son for his birthday after he fell in love with it after seeing a basket full of them at the ROM gift shop when we visited Toronto.

A new toy based on the most recent restoration would certainly be cool.

[Flaffy]

@Faelrin I was surprised how good the JWE2 Dunkleosteus turned out. Was fully expecting a shoddy Schleich-like reconstruction based on how popular that one is (even made it on the press release of Ohio's state fossil). But evidently it does not have the 2023 proportions that I'd like to see on a new Dunkleosteus model.

@suspsy I used to have a soft spot for the CollectA one as well, but the more I look at the body the worse it gets. Inexcusable since the mini from the previous year was a far better reconstruction.

Image by @SBell

@Blade-of-the-Moon I really enjoy the jaw mechanism of the PNSO model. I'm hoping future models of Dunkleosteus can reference this innovative method of handling articulated jaws on fishes.

[suspsy]

@Flaffy, honestly doesn't matter to me, dude. The toy still has character and is fun to play with.

[BlueKrono]

@Flaffy I quite agree about the PNSO's innovative double hinge. One of the coolest things I've ever seen on any toy, and completely unexpected.

[postsaurischian]

Image by S @SidB

The image says © Sean Bell .

[Flaffy]

Image by S @SidB

The image says © Sean Bell .

Doh! Thanks for the correction, should be @SBell .

[SBell]

I think the reason the Schleich version is so ubiquitous is that it's so prevalent in Google search results.

You need a Dunk picture for something, you Google it, you get a bunch of pics of the Schleich figure, looking big and good and menacing.

Unfortunate as that may be.

Like the Papo rex, which is a ubiquitous meme at this point. To the detriment of all

[Shane]

I think the reason the Schleich version is so ubiquitous is that it's so prevalent in Google search results.

You need a Dunk picture for something, you Google it, you get a bunch of pics of the Schleich figure, looking big and good and menacing.

Unfortunate as that may be.

Like the Papo rex, which is a ubiquitous meme at this point. To the detriment of all

There's something poetic about a figure that itself exists as basically an unofficial Jurassic Park figure being endlessly used for books, articles, memes, etc. without attribution.

[Lynx]

I don't have much knowledge on the paper, but isn't it just a theory, not conclusive? Most existing figures should be fine because of that regardless of the 2023 paper.

[Flaffy]

I don't have much knowledge on the paper, but isn't it just a theory, not conclusive? Most existing figures should be fine because of that regardless of the 2023 paper.

No not conclusive at all of course. The day we find a complete preserved Dunkleosteus will be the day that this is settled.

That being said, that doesn't mean that all existing figures on the market are of the same level of plausibility or accuracy. @Halichoeres has already written extensively on the pros and cons of existing Dunkleosteus on the market. Many of which have inaccuracies are wholly unrelated to the body shape. Ecological inference of morphology and anatomy is an important aspect of paleoart that is often neglected as well; in Dunkleosteus's case, just because smaller placoderms have eel-like bodys & tails does not mean that a pelagic superpredator would have the same morphology.

[Lynx]

I don't have much knowledge on the paper, but isn't it just a theory, not conclusive? Most existing figures should be fine because of that regardless of the 2023 paper.

No not conclusive at all of course. The day we find a complete preserved Dunkleosteus will be the day that this is settled.

That being said, that doesn't mean that all existing figures on the market are of the same level of plausibility or accuracy. @Halichoeres has already written extensively on the pros and cons of existing Dunkleosteus on the market. Many of which have inaccuracies are wholly unrelated to the body shape. Ecological inference of morphology and anatomy is an important aspect of paleoart that is often neglected as well; in Dunkleosteus's case, just because smaller placoderms have eel-like bodys & tails does not mean that a pelagic superpredator would have the same morphology.

Ah alright, thank you!

[Halichoeres]

The hypothesized reconstruction with the very stout body is intriguing, and I wouldn't turn my nose up at a plastic representation of it. But I'd rather see an arthrodire whose outline we know pretty well, like Amazichthys or Africanaspis.

[Gwangi]

I still have only the Safari one. I was going to get the PNSO one but then that paper came out and now I'm less sure about it.  That one definitely doesn't have a short body. Not that I really care that much. It's a beautiful figure that I'll probably get anyway. Nothing else comes as close to looking like a real animal. I've always kinda liked the Mojo one too but I definitely don't need it.

I really want to see a Mattel Dunkleosteus. At the very least it will look cool and a jaw opening action feature would be fun.

[Faelrin]

@Halichoeres I've been wanting a figure of Amazichthys since it was described. I was not familiar with the latter though. Pretty interesting and would be nice to see one of that as well. Honestly any figures of arthrodires (Dunkleosteus aside) are few and far between and the more the better.

@Gwangi Honestly Mattel and Papo are like the only two "big" figure companies I can think of that have yet to do one. Well Haolonggood and Rebor as well, but the latter hasn't done any marine animals now that I can think of it. Though they did tease one ages ago, but it never released for one reason or another.

[Eatmycar]

Before the paper, PNSO's Dunk was easily my favorite design, period.

Now, I would love to see companies run wild with the design and go for some more outlandish takes. While it might not be realistic, a shrunk dunk painted like a Siamese fighting fish with dramatic fins would be a sight to see or even a few in koi and goldfish patterns.

[Eatmycar]

Sorry to double post, but, @Faelrin, it is such a headscratcher to me that Papo never did a dunk. That's something I'd love to see in the future now that you put the idea out there...

[Faelrin]

E @Eatmycar On a similar note, PNSO still does not have a Dimetrodon, the most famous Paleozoic animal (Dunkleosteus is probably next in line), where as Papo did.