Pictures and review by apatosaurus3232, edited by Suspsy
Hello, everyone. This is my first review on the Dinosaur Toy Blog. Today I’ll be discussing something that has been quite the talk on the forum. The Vitae Giganotosaurus carolinii standard edition. Vitae is a new Chinese company with lots of models in the works. They already released resin models of Sinoceratops and Majungasaurus. They have said on their Facebook page that most future models will be made of PVC (which I prefer).
So, let’s begin the review. The Vitae Giganotosaurus is sculpted in 1/35 scale. It measures 16 inches long (40 cm) and 6 inches high (15 cm). This is a impressively large model that will definitely stand out. It’s molded in PVC that is rubbery to the touch. Similar in feel to the old Kenner JP line. The material is flexible, but still ridged. The paint scheme consists of shades of green with a cream base. Orange highlights the dorsal scales and head crests. There are lots of nice details including finely sculpted scales on the head and rows of scutes running from the neck to the tail. The eyes are a piercing red with black pupils, giving a terrifying apex predator look.
The lower jaw is articulated. I’ve heard a few complaints that on some models the jaw is loose and won’t stay closed, but mine has no such issue. The jaw stays tightly closed. Each tooth is individually sculpted and painted. The mouth and gums have a nice shiny coat to give them that wet look. The pose is neutral with the head looking to the left. It gives the impression that animal is walking around its territory looking for signs of prey.
The Giganotosaurus comes with a large resin display base. And, oh man, what a gorgeous base it is. It’s sculpted to look like the edge of a stream bed. There’s a fantastic water effect with fallen branches and foliage. It looks like the water is going to run off the sides of the base. There’s a dead tree that fits into its own peg in the water area. The tree isn’t too secure and will fall out of the base is tilted. There are two footprints with peg holes to mount the model by inserting two metal pegs into the base of the feet. The model then fits snugly into the base. The bottom of the base has a rubber pad with the company logo, silhouette of the model, and the name of the scientists that described it. This base is one of the best bases I’ve seen included with a model. It really needs to be seen in person to be fully appreciated.
So let’s talk accuracy. There’s no shrink wrapping except on the fenestrae on the head. It’s not terribly noticeable though, and the rest of the body is solid and muscular. The tail base is very thick, what with housing all those muscles to propel this mighty beast forward. One thing I will say about the tail is that it looks a little too long. But since the whole tail hasn’t been discovered, we’ll just chalk that up to artist creativity. The feet aren’t oversized since it doesn’t need stability due to the base. There appears to be a cloaca slit sculpted, but it’s not painted. All in all this is a fantastic representation of Giganotosaurus.
Since this is a review, it has to have some nitpicks. There’s only one I could find. The seam on the right arm has a noticeable gap. I’ve seen this pointed out on a few models. It feels like if a little bit of pressure is applied, the arm will pop off. Other than that, I see no other problems with it.
Vitae has produced a home run of a model. This is a new company that I will watch very closely. They have a lot of models in the works that I’m eagerly awaiting. They arrived at a great time to fill the void left by PNSO (still not holding my breath). I picked this model up for just under $100 on eBay. It was worth every penny!!
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Well … after my initial enthusiasm subsided (see my earlier post from 2018) I had to admit that this figure fell short. The head is terribly oversized, the pose a bit boring, the skin detail wholly lacking. The far superior GR & PNSO Carcharodontosaurus figures released a few years later (of a close relative of this theropod) really exposed the shortcomings of this Vitae figure. A flawed entry by a company that shone brightly for a short moment, and then disappeared into the aether while PNSO (a contemporaneous rival) expanded and improved on its initial offerings …
Has normal proportions, I think?
I agree with the 5-star rating wholeheartedly. This is a model that, along with PNSO’s TRex “Wilson”, stands as one of the one or two finest mass-produced theropod figures. The head – particularly the lower jaw – appears a bit too long to me (maybe its the seams necessary to make the lower jaw open that give it that effect), but this is a nitpick and nothing more. I will have to be MIGHTILY impressed before I purchase another Giganotosaurus in the near future … (Ex.: While the Eofauna Gig. is getting good press right now, it can’t hold a candle to this puppy …. and THAT is “saying a mouthful”, because the Eofauna Gig. is a very VERY fine figure…)
Thanks for the review, apatosaurus3232! Very informative and structured well, I’d love to see more work from you.
As for the Giga itself, easily the best of it’s kind out there. I love everything from the sculpt to the colours 🙂
Definitely the best Giganotosaurus figure to date, hands down.
The Giganotosaurus of Vitae is perhaps my favorite dinosaur closely followed closely by the Safari giganotosaurus. What I like most about this figure, as already pointed out, is its rubbery material that prevents breakage if it falls off a shelf, and apart from that remains perfectly standing.
For my part I bought the figure of giganotosaurus limited version with marks or wounds of a battle. It is perhaps the best theropod figure made by Vitae since its sinraptor is not as well finished as that figure. On the other hand it is good news that now Vitae makes most of the dinosaurs in PVC format, for me in my case it’s a great thing. For security reasons (I refer to the figure to avoid breakage in the fall).
As regards my giganotosaurus Vitae, it remains perfectly standing with or without plastic base that I keep from the seal and we are already in summer and the jaw in my case does not present problems either, although I would have preferred a non-articulated jaw.
For those who have saved money, I recommend that figure. Highly recommended.