Parasaurolophus is a well known lambeosaurine dinosaur from Late Cretaceous North America, where it lived near the Western Interior Seaway. It sported a large crest on its skull which may have been used for making vocalizations and has caused this genus to be easily recognizable to the public. The name means “near-crested reptile”. Parasaurolophus was a large animal at over 30 feet in length, but was herbivorous. The first fossil remains were discovered in 1920 in Alberta, Canada by an expedition from the University of Toronto. The area is now known as the Dinosaur Park Formation.
Parasaurolophus is one of the most ubiquitous dinosaur figures out there because it seems to be as much of a requirement for a toy line as T.rex or Triceratops. However, very few sculpts do justice to the animal. This figure, which was released in 2007, does. Schleich previously released a green Parasaurolophus in a tripod pose for this line, which is a good figure, but this one’s better. Schleich’s 2007 Para is 9 inches long (1/40 scale) and hefty! You’ll notice it’s very solidly built when handled. The figure is incredibly detailed and covered in realistic scales, giving it a rough texture. The colors are very earthy, if a bit drab, but that’s Schleich. The predominant color is a caramel brown, with darker brown spots that almost give it a cow-like pattern. There is a row of these markings along the spine. The figure’s underside is gray and the crest is an interesting lime green, which contrasts with the brown. Its hooves are painted dark brown and its eyes are yellow with black pupils. The animal is in a quadrupedal striding pose.
This Parasaurolophus is awesome. It is quite possibly the best figure Schleich has released to date. This one shows that the people at Schleich did a little research. The sculpt is very well proportioned and does not have the “awkward” vibe of a lot of other Schleich sculpts (cough*Ceratosaurus*cough). The scalation all over the body and the wrinkles on its tail make this figure very realistic. There are even very small scales on its head. The limbs show some muscle definition, the 1st and 5th digits of the forelimbs are reduced, and the animal is also posed on all fours, which is an idea widely viewed by paleontologists to be its usual posture, although Parasaurolophus could run on two legs. The neck also curves up in a nice S-shape, and there is no purely speculative fleshy sail connecting the crest to the neck. Lastly, there is a notch in the figure’s spine above the shoulders. This was recently thought to perhaps accommodate the animal’s large crest, but it has since been determined that the fossil specimen the anomaly was found in was broken. Still, I like its inclusion because it shows that Schleich was at least paying attention to research, which is something I’m not so sure they always do…
Parasaurolophus is my favorite dinosaur, and this figure is one of my favorite ever renditions of it. Pictures make it look good, but it’s a figure you really have to see for yourself. I don’t foresee this guy being retired anytime soon and it is widely available. This figure gets top marks from me.
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Man schleich had something going from 2007 to 2009. This and the steg from the same year are gorgeous.
[…] and it is an precise copy, albeit a repaint. Since this is a copy of Schleich’s second Replica Parasaurolophus, there is not much to say about this model’s accuracies or issues as most are noted within […]
[…] has the neural spine ‘notch’ present on the Parasaurolophus walkeri type specimen, similar to Schleich’s effort. Although this was probably just damage unique to that individual, it shows that Papo were looking […]
[…] duck-like bill and robust neck, and the back has an indention in the neural spines, much like the 2007 Schleich Parasaurolophus, as present on a specific Parasaurolophus fossil specimen. Also, a close look at the skin of the […]
I bought this figure recently, and it’s just so beautiful I’m almost speechless when I see it. I feel so proud to own one, and I feel it was well worth the money for any serious collector. It’s just so tactile and I adore the anatomical correctness and posture of this. It’s the only Parasaurolophus I have so far that is quadrepedal, and therefore holds a very special place in my collection. And the paintwork (especially around the face) is exquisite!
This one and my Papo Parasaurolophus figure are my absolute two favourite objects in the world right now.
I have this Parasaurolophus, just bought it yesterday and totally in love with it!! I`ve been collecting carnegie dinos for long time before.
MIta
One of the few Schleich dinos that I like, with their usual fare being not much better than those procons everyone’s always ripping on. Great figure! Thanks for the review!
[…] has the neural spine ‘notch’ present on the Parasaurolophus walkeri type specimen, similar to Schleich’s effort. Although this was probably just damage unique to that individual, it shows that Papo were looking […]
I wanted to like this figure, but I can’t get over the inaccurate hands.
They really don’t detract from it too much, in my opinion. Could be a lot worse.