Favorite Co - New for 2021

[Halichoeres]

An exhibition on Laramidian dinosaurs in Yokohama is going to have two "exclusive" figures, which are just gray repaints of their existing squishy vinyl toys:



Remember 2016? That was a good year for Favorite Co.

[Fembrogon]

Woopeeeee. Those are pretty unremarkable for "Exclusives".

[Faelrin]

The year the Cambrian set released? I remember. So glad I have those now too. Many years of patience paid off.

[stargatedalek]

Personally I'm happy to see exclusives like that. Unique sculpts being exclusives is something of a pain, paint variants that I can skip? Yes please!

[ITdactyl]

'Wonder what happened to the mystery theropod.

We got teasers for last year's batch of figures around February, with the prototypes being revealed weekly throughout March-April and finally hitting the market by May.

The big mystery theropod was teased first week of May this year... and still no news.

[Halichoeres]

The year the Cambrian set released? I remember. So glad I have those now too. Many years of patience paid off.

Yep, those and five pairs of Fukui museum exclusives: Yinlong+Dilong, Sinoceratops+Zhuchengtyrannus, Bistahieversor+Pentaceratops, Coelophysis+Redondosaurus, and dueling Yutyrannus. For my money, it was their best overall year ever.

Personally I'm happy to see exclusives like that. Unique sculpts being exclusives is something of a pain, paint variants that I can skip? Yes please!

The thing is, with the Prehistoric Life line apparently on hiatus, their interesting sculpts are almost always exclusives, so without them, Favorite rarely makes anything interesting at all! I'd rather they make something interesting, even if it's hard to get, than just not make anything interesting.

[Sim]

It's a bit disappointing that Favorite is making what is almost certainly Giganotosaurus and apparently nothing else.  It'll be smaller than 1:40 and I'm not very happy having figures that small.  I was hoping Favorite would make Dilophosaurus, Ceratosaurus and Amargasaurus.  Those would probably be 1:40 or a bit bigger given the size Favorite figures tend to be.

[Halichoeres]

This photo from their Twitter feed might be Giggles's color schemes:

[SidB]

It's a bit disappointing that Favorite is making what is almost certainly Giganotosaurus and apparently nothing else.  It'll be smaller than 1:40 and I'm not very happy having figures that small.  I was hoping Favorite would make Dilophosaurus, Ceratosaurus and Amargasaurus.  Those would probably be 1:40 or a bit bigger given the size Favorite figures tend to be.

Though there are exceptions, their big theropods tend to be around 1/50, and many of their standard ornithischians 1/40, so using them together in diorama settings is difficult. Although I like their sculpts for their unique styling, they can be challenging to use in my preferred display method.

[ITdactyl]

Ah. I should've known it was a "paint by numbers" color scheme. They just need to put a different color paint for all the skull openings.

[ITdactyl]

To experts on carcharodontosaurid skulls - is it possible that the new figure is NOT a Giganotosaurus?

Anyway, a new blog entry from Favorite Co.

[Mini Dinosaur Encyclopedia for kids: Quetzalcoatlus] ⁠
It was one of the largest pterosaurs in history, inhabiting the Late Cretaceous. The inside of the bone is hollow to reduce weight, and it is estimated that it was the same size as a modern giraffe but weighed considerably lighter. From the fossil footprints, it is believed that he walked on four legs on the ground, and from the state of standing on four legs, he launched like a pole vault with his long forefoot as the axis.

I've started to prefer chunkier restorations of azhdarchids so I skipped this model. It feels stuck in 2012. I still have some apprehensions though - what if the skinny restorations are actually correct per that A.Larramendi paper on specific gravities of organisms? 

Ah well, I'm probably over thinking this. It's not a limited edition model anyway. I'll probably get one next year. ⁠

[Fembrogon]

I reviewed that Quetz not very long ago. It's an alright figure, but there are definitely better azhdarchids on the market.
It would have been interesting to see Hirokazu Tokugawa's take on the animal, rather than Kazunari Araki's.

[ITdactyl]

Yeah @Fembrogon , 'read that review when it got posted. Didn't react because I agree with everything said.  I also agree that Tokugawa-san's style makes the animals look chunkier - the style that I prefer.  He hasn't sculpted a new pterosaur though - the last he posted was the 2015 Rhamphorhynchus. As for a wishlist, I'd rather Favorite prioritize his 2015 Miragaia over a pterosaur though.

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Some new blog posts from Favorite Co.

[Mini Dinosaur Encyclopedia for kids: Styracosaurus] ⁠
⁠ A type of ceratopsian that lived in the late Cretaceous. The frill on the back of the head has six large spikes, with small protrusions underneath. There was also a huge horn on the tip of the nose. Because the frill has two large openings to reduce weight, the spikes seem more of a deterrent for other males than a weapon to protect themselves from predator attacks. Was its role to intimidate, appeal to the opposite sex, or identify friends?
The teeth have a structure similar to that of a cutting machine, and it seems that they are used to eating very fibrous and hard food, but the details are unknown.

[Mini Dinosaur Encyclopedia for kids: Tarbosaurus] ⁠
⁠One of the largest dinosaurs in the Tyrannosaurid family that lived in Late Cretaceous Asia. The skull is lighter than Tyrannosaurus. In addition, because of the narrow width of the skull, it is considered that the eyes did not face forward and stereoscopic vision was not possible. The theory that it belongs to the same genus as Tyrannosaurus is deep-rooted because it is similar in size and shape, but many scholars have denied this because it has a slightly smaller body than Tyrannosaurus, a skull width that is only about two-thirds, and shorter forelimbs.

[SidB]

Looks likes the picket fence is upside-down.

[CityRaptor]

Probably the pointy part is meant to be slammed into the ground to anchor the fence...which of course does not work on a table. However it ultimately does not matter since none of these animals will be hindered by those fences.

They spared no expense...expect for fences.

[SidB]

Probably the pointy part is meant to be slammed into the ground to anchor the fence...which of course does not work on a table. However it ultimately does not matter since none of these animals will be hindered by those fences.

They spared no expense...expect for fences.

I get your "point"!

[ITdactyl]

Giganotosaurus confirmed.

Favorite Co. is leaning on this dinosaur's appearance in Jurassic World: Dominion for marketing. Red color scheme was chosen to evoke power.




Set to be released by the end of the year.
more pictures:
https://f-favorite.net/blogs/journal/products_info_dev_item_post_00014

[Shonisaurus]

That giganotosaurus is spectacular, the sculpture and painting details are very good. Favorite was one of the few brands that had yet to make that iconic South American dinosaur.

[Flaffy]

I wonder how well this figure stacks up to all the other Giganotosaurus models on the market, particularly the skull / mandible shape.

[Halichoeres]

@ITdactyl may I use your photos for the first post?