Bandai - New for 2021

[Shonisaurus]

@Halichoeres Thanks for the reply. I already have another reference toy dinosaur company in which to invest my purchases one day.

[Halichoeres]

I just checked and HLJ still has last year's dinosaur set in stock (https://www.hlj.com/big-size-world-s-dinosaur-1box-8pcs-bann51609), so I expect they'll carry this set as well.

[CityRaptor]

Wow, these are even more outdated.

I figure the upcoming set was supposed to be a cash-in for Jurassic World Dominion, but with that movie being delayed, they decided to release it anyways.

[Halichoeres]

Yeah, that's probably right. I just wish they'd make something prehistoric as cool as their bugs are. Maybe some roll-up trilobites.

[Halichoeres]

Re-release of their old T. rex skeleton model, now in brown:

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Is it meant to be leaping or crouching?

[Halichoeres]

Is it meant to be leaping or crouching?

Leaping. I just chose one photo at random, but others make that clear--maybe I should have picked a different one!

[GojiraGuy1954]

Re-release of their old T. rex skeleton model, now in brown:

How expensive is it

[Halichoeres]

It's $45 on BBTS

[brettnj]

Hey.

The first (retro-y) set has started appearing for sale in Japan.

My main source is away through Sunday but I asked him for sales information and will update here when I have it so we understand starting prices and distribution.

Certainly anyone interested can message me here. Barring availability on a Japanese site, I can pretty much assure that we're the best option for these and anything else from Japan.

Our direct buyers, just an FYI, got the Qualia sets for 2600 yen (before shipping but almost all are combining with other orders anyway). The lowest eBay price with shipping (aside from my eBay price which is lower) is $47.49 marked down from its original $49.99.

Thanks.
Brett

[brettnj]

Information is trickling in re: the Bandai dinos.

They are only available in brick and mortar shops as per the manufacturer. This occurred with the Life With Insects figures last year I believe. Not sure why.

They release officially tomorrow.

There might be something to do with a lottery system and/or sequential release as my new figure source (who won't offer them because he does not own a brick and mortar) mentioned, and as was noted in one of the YAJ listings I translated.

I should have those answers very soon but my main source is travelling through Sunday night so his time to address research and e-mails is limited.

Here's the webpage...
https://bpnavi.jp/s/kuji/pc/medias/show_by_key/dinosour

I'm not getting these from YAJ or Mercari until I know more, as my source might well be able to walk into a shop and do better pricewise.

So again, if anyone is interested, please PM ASAP since we'll want to ask him to make as few (ideally, one) trips as possible if that's the case.

Thanks.
Brett

[brettnj]

So it's my understanding (And please, if anyone knows I've got it wrong, correct me.) that in order to obtain these, one has to buy a ticket (in a brick and mortar shop) and redeem it for an unknown figure. Very odd and very kinda obnoxious. Of course some are higher priced so I suppose there's some minor rationale to it.

Here's the page detailing all of this.
https://sn.bpnavi.jp/howto_kuji/index_en.html

Therefore, even though my source can go to shops for figures for us, it likely makes the most sense (and is likely the only option) to (have us) buy these from someone who's already compiled the set (or figures of interest) and is listing them on-line.

There are many at the moment. Who knows what prices will do once time passes.

Will update if I learn of anything significant.

Thanks.
Brett

[Halichoeres]

Bandai just can't stop making terrible prehistoric figures. Here's a new set of "fossil" figures, releasing in late July:




unspecified ammonite


unspecified trilobite B @bmathison1972 does this look like anything?


This Anomalocaris is particularly hilarious. Just take a live Anomalocaris, color it tan, and put some cracks on it, as though that's how they fossilize. One for the completists, right @BlueKrono?

[bmathison1972]

hey Tim, sorry the trilobite doesn't immediately grab me. But I'll do some digging. I might actually get it, if we can put a name on it.

[Halichoeres]

I'm thinking some kind of proetid.

[GojiraGuy1954]

Bandai just can't stop making terrible prehistoric figures. Here's a new set of "fossil" figures, releasing in late July:




unspecified ammonite


unspecified trilobite B @bmathison1972 does this look like anything?


This Anomalocaris is particularly hilarious. Just take a live Anomalocaris, color it tan, and put some cracks on it, as though that's how they fossilize. One for the completists, right @BlueKrono?

Oh my god how the hell do people still think Quad spino is a thing. It's been seven YEARS.

[stargatedalek]

Oh my god how the hell do people still think Quad spino is a thing. It's been seven YEARS.

You say that as if there was definitive evidence of it being a traditional biped. Walking on the hands like that is flat out wrong, always was, but that means it was only "not a quadruped" in technicality. It may have walked on all four limbs by placing weight on the forearms, or slid its body along the ground, how Spinosaurus moved on land is still very very far from a done deal.

Frankly that's far from the worst part of this thing. The wrists are pronated, the neural spines the wrong shape, the neck is to short, the limbs are to long despite being a quadruped...

[ITdactyl]

quad spino, scaly hand raptors, bunny hand theropods, soft sauropods that are easily dispatched by a bite to the neck, pterosaurs with eagle-like grasping talons etc. are tropes that pervade pop culture depictions of dinosaurs in Japan. Even their latest NHK documentary still contain these tropes (remember that scene of the quadrupedal spino being preyed upon by a mosasaur?).

- Change will be a bit slow because culturally, for amateur enthusiasts to tell the experts (their "seniors") to change something is generally frowned upon. Different country, different culture and values.
- Bandai (and other Japanese brands) manufactures for the Japanese consumer. The mentality is more like: If the foreigner likes our product, good. We'll sell to them. But they only follow what their own consumers demand. And right now, quad spino is still quite popular.
- Let's not compare them to, say, the Chinese manufacturers. PNSO et al are going for accuracy in detail because they want to compete with other producers of prehistoric figures. Japanese companies have no intention of competing globally (I speak from experience).

These are blatant generalizations of course (with no intent to offend). There are exceptions - companies like Kaiyodo do want their prehistoric figures to depict the latest findings (although their latest Spinosaurus is still punting quadrupedally underwater, despite the updated tail).

[GojiraGuy1954]

Oh my god how the hell do people still think Quad spino is a thing. It's been seven YEARS.

You say that as if there was definitive evidence of it being a traditional biped. Walking on the hands like that is flat out wrong, always was, but that means it was only "not a quadruped" in technicality. It may have walked on all four limbs by placing weight on the forearms, or slid its body along the ground, how Spinosaurus moved on land is still very very far from a done deal.

Frankly that's far from the worst part of this thing. The wrists are pronated, the neural spines the wrong shape, the neck is to short, the limbs are to long despite being a quadruped...

Ibrahim doesnt even believe in quad spino anymore
(That's the guy who made the original theory by the way)

[stargatedalek]

Oh my god how the hell do people still think Quad spino is a thing. It's been seven YEARS.

You say that as if there was definitive evidence of it being a traditional biped. Walking on the hands like that is flat out wrong, always was, but that means it was only "not a quadruped" in technicality. It may have walked on all four limbs by placing weight on the forearms, or slid its body along the ground, how Spinosaurus moved on land is still very very far from a done deal.

Frankly that's far from the worst part of this thing. The wrists are pronated, the neural spines the wrong shape, the neck is to short, the limbs are to long despite being a quadruped...

Ibrahim doesnt even believe in quad spino anymore
(That's the guy who made the original theory by the way)

And? I take a number of issues with both of the reconstructions that came with each version of that paper. His knuckle walking idea was clearly always wrong from the get-go, as the fingers are known material and aren't built for supporting weight. Doesn't mean Spinosaurus walked on its hind legs like a traditional biped.

People myself included have been suggesting variations of crawling movements since the original Nat Geo leak of the Skeleton before the first paper released, and frankly nothing has come along yet that seems any better. An animal is going to move in the most comfortable way whenever it can, placing weight on fingers not built for weight would be painful, balancing on tiny legs with atrophied muscles would be difficult if not also painful, leaning on the forearms is easy.