Concavenator’s Collection

[Concavenator]

Binomial name: Cryolophosaurus ellioti (Hammer & Hickerson, 1994)
Etymology: "[David] Elliot's frozen-crested lizard" (Greek)
Classified as: Dinosauria -> Theropoda -> Neotheropoda
Period: Early Jurassic (Pliensbachian)
Fossils found in: Hanson Formation, present-day Antarctica

Company: Safari Ltd.
Line: Wild Safari Prehistoric World
Sculptor: Doug Watson
Year of release: 2022

Review:

Spoiler

Cryolophosaurus is a theropod dinosaur most notable for its unique crest made up by dorsally expanded lacrimals (Yun, 2019). It remains the most complete dinosaur found in Antarctica yet (Crandall, 2012). It presents a mosaic of primitive and derived traits that make it challenging to accurately define its phylogenetic relationships, although it is currently believed it may be related to theropods like Dilophosaurus (Marsh & Rowe, 2020).

Replaces the Carnegie version, which I sold in 2022. That was around the time I started caring about fossil material completeness on extinct taxa, and so, started getting rid of figures of fragmentary taxa, Cryolophosaurus included. However, I later took attention to the fact that there are two types of fragmentary taxa: those who have an identity (e.g. Spinosaurus, Megaraptor, Jakapil, or Cryolophosaurus) and those who don't (Therizinosaurus, Siats, Nanuqsaurus or Tyrannotitan come to mind). Members of the former group may overall lack a well-known appearance, however, we have an approximate idea, and we also know they differ from other taxa. They are distinctive, meaning if one sees a depiction of either of them, the taxon in question can be identified. Members of this group, while not as good a subject for figures as extinct animals with "known" apperances (on the basis of the completeness of their material, which can lead to not as accurate depictions), are still worthy of getting made IMO (for example, Suchomimus is a better choice for a figure than Irritator, and Irritator is also a better choice than Vallibonavenatrix). By contrast, taxa that are fragmentary and aren't distinctive enough to have an identity are poor choices for a figure, and I think they should be avoided (or at least, I avoid them myself ).

As far as basal theropods are concerned, the one I always wanted was Dilophosaurus (and Herrerasaurus too, if you consider it to be a theropod). At some point I started thinking that Cryolophosaurus might be too poorly-known for me. But after further consideration, I came to the conclusion that, if I'm interested in getting a Dilophosaurus for my collection, with Dilophosaurus being an animal that has almost complete postcrania and reasonably well-preserved skull material but poorly-preserved crests (which don't allow us to exactly know the actual shape and size of the crests), I might as well get a Cryolophosaurus too, since it's in a comparable situation to Dilophosaurus. Unlike Dilophosaurus, we know what Cryolophosaurus' crest looked like (though it is also true that its postcrania isn't nearly as complete as Dilophosaurus', meaning there are significant doubts about its proportions). Still, it's a distinctive animal. And the fact that it was discovered in Antarctica makes it even more attractive.

When I sold Carnegie's, I originally had no intention to replace it, I was getting rid of the taxon. But now that I am interested in Cryolophosaurus again, I do prefer the newer Safari version over the older Carnegie one. Carnegie's would be too big for me now, and it also lacks lips. I like the color schemes of both, but Wild Safari's has some blue on it, so bonus points for that (in my head canon, Cryolophosaurus is somewhat blue, helped by the fact that it was discovered in Antarctica, and again, because of Dinosaur King's version ).

And IMO, this is the best Cryolophosaurus figure yet. When/If Recur's eventually gets released, it will be up there with Safari's as the best depictions of the species in figure form, and actually,  it will probably be the preferred option to some people, partly because of the fact that, unlike Safari's, Recur's depiction is feathered. However, I decided to go for Safari's because I get the feeling that Recur's will be too big for me. If it isn't, and it gets released, then I'll consider replacing Safari's with it. In the meantime, I'm very happy with Safari's.



Next to Wonder Artistic Models' 1:30 humanoid for scale reference.

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[Halichoeres]

This is the Cryo I've settled on too. I think the Battat one is pretty nice, did you ever consider it as a possibility before the Safari one was made?

[Sim]

The Wild Safari Cryolophosaurus has become one of my favourite figures after I obained mine.  It's just so good!

[DefinitelyNOTDilo]

Wonderful review as always! I almost got this one, but decided to wait and see if I like Recur's more!

[Concavenator]

Thank you folks for stopping by! 

This is the Cryo I've settled on too. I think the Battat one is pretty nice, did you ever consider it as a possibility before the Safari one was made?

Interesting question. Before Safari's, I had Carnegie's, and was pretty happy with it. I did indeed consider Battat's at some point, when I hadn't yet decided to collect just 1 figure per genus. But never pulled the trigger on it, mostly because I was focused on getting other figures. Then I started collecting just 1 figure per genus, and then didn't want to replace Carnegie's.
 
Speaking of Battat's, did you definitely replace Battat's with Safari's after all? I recall that when you got Safari's you said were unsure to keep Battat's after it.

@Sim It's a very elegant figure indeed!

@DefinitelyNOTDilo Thank you! And I was initially gonna wait to learn more about Recur's (and by that, I mean find out how large it is  ), but decided to get Safari's, as after seeing this pic:



Looks like the Cryo might be too big for 1:35 (or 1:30) scale (?). Wouldn't surprise me, because their upcoming Dilophosaurus also appears to be too big for either scale (even if, like this Cryo, it's also a great depiction of the animal).

And also because nowadays Safari figures remain in production for not too long.

If it turns out that Recur's works in the ~ 1:35 scale range, then that might replace Safari's in my case, as I prefer feathered Cryolophosaurus depictions. In any case, glad to have Safari's, it's great!

[Concavenator]

Binomial name: Megaraptor namunhuaiquii (Novas, 1998)
Etymology: "Large, lance-footed, thief" (Greek, Latin and Mapuche)
Classified as: Dinosauria -> Theropoda -> Neotheropoda -> Averostra -> Tetanurae -> Coelurosauria -> Tyrannoraptora -> Tyrannosauroidea -> Megaraptora -> Megaraptoridae -> Clade "A"
Period: Late Cretaceous (Turonian - Coniacian)
Fossils found in: Portezuelo Formation, present-day Argentina (South America)

Company: HAOLONGGOOD
Sculptor: @zeroes_zee (Instagram)?
Variant: Shi Qian
Year of release: 2023

Review:

Spoiler

Megaraptor is a large theropod initially mistaken for being a huge dromaeosaurid owing to a massive claw that was later discovered to belong to its manus (Porfiri et al., 2007). Owing to the scarcity of its fossil material (as well as its relatives'), its phylogenetic relationships remain unclear, although current phylogenies suggest it and other megaraptorans might be tyrannosauroids (Porfiri et al. 2014, Naish & Cau 2022).

Well, I only collect figures of animals known from good remains, so I think this warrants an explanation. First of all, this is a dream come true. I've been hoping for a Megaraptor figure to add to my collection since forever. At times, I almost gave up waiting, considering to resort to a figure of another member of its family as an alternative (and since I'm at it, I might as well mention that I'm surprised at the amount of attention this group has gotten from figure companies, considering that megaraptorans are quite poorly-known and are fairly obscure to the general public too). I also find it odd how few Megaraptor figures there are, as other, even more fragmentary relatives, like Australovenator, Maip and Fukuiraptor have gotten their fair share of attention from different companies, more than Megaraptor itself. Glad I held off for an actual Megaraptor (patience is a virtue, they say!).

In addition, despite Megaraptor having fairly poor remains (like all its other relatives), the fact that the snout of a juvenile specimen was well-preserved gives us "some" insight on how it may have looked like, at least as a juvenile. And that juvenile Megaraptor specimen is the main reason why megaraptorids are depicted with elongated snouts, thereby pretty much making all other megaraptorids (juvenile) Megaraptor clones. Further, Megaraptor has well-preserved forelimbs too, and then has a little bit of extra postcrania as well, so it is the megaraptorid with the best remains. Which doesn't say much, but at least it has an identity (unlike other megaraptorids).

The only nitpick I have with this model is that I wish it was feathered, at least partially (for example, like the BotM Dryptosaurus), since megaraptorans are currently believed to be tyrannosauroids (or at least, coelurosaurs). But the fact that it is depicted as scaly isn't an inaccuracy either (no direct evidence of feathers has ever been found on any megaraptoran), so perhaps rather than a nitpick I should say it's just a personal preference.

Actually, I can also see why they preferred to depict it as scaly, considering the uncertainties concerning megaraptorans' phylogenetic relationships (their placement in Tyrannosauroidea or even Coelurosauria is tentative).

After waiting all of these years for a Megaraptor figure, seeing HLG's being announced felt surreal. Needless to say I'm smitten to finally have a Megaraptor in my collection, and one that's this good at that. One of my most satisfying acquisitions ever.



Next to Wonder Artistic Models' 1:35 humanoid for scale reference.

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[SidB]

You're certainly not alone, @Concavenator . This is in my top five of favorite sculpts in my collection.

[Halichoeres]

Speaking of Battat's, did you definitely replace Battat's with Safari's after all? I recall that when you got Safari's you said were unsure to keep Battat's after it.

I did, yeah. The Battat was quite good, but I do prefer Safari's in the end.

This Megaraptor is one of my favorite HLG theropods!

[Concavenator]

S @SidB Top 5 from the entire HLG lineup or Top 5 out of your entire collection? Either way, that's high praise. Not that I'm surprised, it's a great model of a rather peculiar theropod.

@Halichoeres The crest on Battat's Cryolophosaurus is inaccurate as it's depicted as split in two when we know it was a solid structure:





Pic by PaleoGuy (DeviantArt).

Crest aside, and barring liplessness (which is very common for theropod figures released around that time), it's a neat Cryolophosaurus. Safari's corrects those two issues, so as far as accuracy goes, it certainly is the better choice of the two.

[Concavenator]

Binomial name: Edmontosaurus annectens (Marsh, 1892)
Etymology: "Connected lizard from Edmonton" (English, Greek and Latin)
Classified as: Dinosauria -> Ornithischia -> Genasauria -> Neornithischia -> Cerapoda -> Ornithopoda -> Iguanodontia -> Dryomorpha -> Ankylopollexia -> Styracosterna -> Hadrosauroidea -> Hadrosauridae -> Saurolophinae -> Edmontosaurini
Period: Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
Fossils found in: Hell Creek Formation, Lance Formation, Frenchman Formation, present-day USA and Canada (North America)

Company: PNSO
Line: Prehistoric Animal Models
Sculptor: somebody from Zhao Chuang's atelier
Based on: BHI 126416
Year of release: 2024

Review:

Spoiler

Edmontosaurus annectens is one of the latest and largest hadrosaurids (Horner et al. 2011). Multiple well-preserved specimens are known, making it one of the most well-understood hadrosaurids (Prieto-Márquez, 2014). Edmontosaurus annectens were the largest animals known from the Hell Creek Formation (as well as one of the most abundant) and they are known to have been gregarious animals (Horner et al. 2011, Parker 2021).

I started being interested in Edmontosaurus in 2013, by the time it was featured in the Walking with Dinosaurs 3D movie, and when the news about that one Edmontosaurus regalis specimen (UALVP 53722) preserving a fleshy crest atop of its skull dropped. Perhaps some overlooked this finding, but I consider it to be one of the most significant paleontological discoveries in recent times. No one would've guessed that structure being present hadn't it been preserved and found, and that finding goes to show that:

- A depiction of a prehistoric animal can lack known inaccuracies, but it will still have unknown inaccuracies.

- There is no such thing as a definitive depiction of a prehistoric animal.

- All of our paleoart might be too conservative.

Add to this the wealthy amount of material we have for both Edmontosaurus species (several mummies, skin impressions, etc), and that it's one of those dinosaurs whose depictions significantly changed over time (like Iguanodon, Spinosaurus, etc), and it is quite the remarkable taxon.

So ever since the news about that crested E. regalis specimen dropped, I was waiting for such a figure. Safari revealed theirs for their 2020 lineup, back in October 2019, and basically became outdated the same month, owing to the news of Edmontosaurus annectens "Dakota" specimen (NDGS 2000) preserving a hoof-like structure in a manus. So again, I started waiting for another Edmontosaurus figure, this time a crested and hoofed one. And then CollectA's came along. I was planning to get it, but held off on it in hopes Eofauna, PNSO or Haolonggood would release their version. And last year, both PNSO and HLG did. Choosing between PNSO's and HLG's was tough, but ultimately went for PNSO's, mostly because it scales better with most of my collection. It's pricy indeed (still, as always, waited for a sale, namely, AliExpress' big anniversary sale this time), but it's also one heck of a gorgeous figure.



Next to Wonder Artistic Models' 1:35 humanoid for scale reference.



Alongside a smaller neighbour, Anzu (by Safari).

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[SidB]

Yes, @Concavenator , top five for and of the total collection. I'm quite taken by the figure.

[Elengassen]

This is probably the best Edmontosaurus figure out there, although HLG's is great as well. I have both and use them to represent the two different species. Between the two of them, I think Edmontosaurus is one of those dinosaurs that doesn't really need any more figures (unless its known appearance changes yet again).

[Halichoeres]

PNSO has come a long way on their hadrosaurs. This is a magnificent figure.

[Concavenator]

@Elengassen I would agree with Edmontosaurus not needing any more figures at this point, but it's so popular that more figures of it will probably be released. I strongly suspect Eofauna will be making Edmontosaurus annectens.

@Halichoeres They sure have mastered them. Personally, I'm not a big fan of their earlier ornithopods, but their Edmontosaurus is a stunner. Would be great to see more ornithopods by them of this quality.

[Concavenator]

Binomial name: Atopodentatus unicus (Cheng et al., 2014)
Etymology: "Unique, strangely-toothed" (Latin)
Classified as: Sauropterygia
Period: Middle Triassic (Anisian)
Fossils found in: Guanling Formation, present-day China (Asia)

Company: Yowie
Line: Ultimate Dinosaurs
Sculptor: ?
Year of release: 2024

Review:

Spoiler

Atopodentatus is thought to have been the earliest herbivorous marine reptile. It is remarkable for possessing a relatively small, hammerhead-shaped skull (Chun et al., 2016).

Ever since it was described (2014) and revised (2016), I've found Atopodentatus to be a pretty interesting creature. One of my favorite marine reptiles ever since. Not the archetypal pliosaur, mosasaur, plesiosaur, etc, and I still find it more interesting than most of those.

Initially, I was glad about PNSO's 2020 version being a thing, because I didn't like their mini version (which on top of that had significant proportion issues). I certainly like their larger version better, but it was too big for me, so I also skipped that one.

And when I say I skipped the larger PNSO, I almost assumed I'd never have an Atopodentatus in my collection, as I wasn't expecting additional figures of the animal being released. So Yowie's was an unexpected-but-appreciated surprise. Yowie's size is pretty convenient, and after reading @Gwangi 's review and learning it is in 1:32 scale, I just knew I had to have it! As a fairly accurate Atopodentatus in ~ 1:35 scale is probably something that will never happen again. And if I'm interested in having this species represented in my collection (which I am), then this figure was a must-have for me.

To be fair, I'm not in love with the color scheme, I much prefer this artwork's:

Spoiler

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But I can live with it. IMO, it looks better in person than in online pics.

I recently started limiting myself to figures in the ~ 1:35 range. Such a scale restriction has several advantages that make me prefer it, but one of its disadvantages is that some animals are inevitably either too small or too big to be made (especially the former).

Small figures like this Atopodentatus may not be the flashiest nor the most detailed (at these sizes, they simply can't be), but they are the most important pieces in my collection. IMO, in the context of a ~ 1:35 figure collection, the smaller a figure is, the more important said piece is, because there are considerably less options for such animals (in case there are, to begin with).

For larger animals (save for, perhaps, extremely big ones), there will generally be more options, which means that, even if more impressive figures can be created, each individual figure will be more dispensable, as there will be a greater number of figures to choose from.



Next to Kaiyodo's 1:35 diver for scale reference.

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[Stegotyranno420]

I love the size comparison pic. It reminds me of the BBC sea monsters scene with the tanystropheus(?) I know they are different, but still close enough.
Also shows how even though it's a "small figure" how large the animal would have been in life.

[Primeval12]

I love this figure! I have 4 of them!

[Sim]

I'm surprised you want to limit yourself to one scale and consequently not have figures of smaller animals.  Does the Kaiyodo diver mean you've acquired something new from Kaiyodo too?

[Pliosaurking]

I definitely got to get one of these!

[Trenchcoated Rebbachisaur]

Definitely hoping to acquire one of these eventually. They're not sold in europe, though