Review and photos by predasaurskillekor, edited by Suspsy
When Sideshow Collectibles revealed their Brachiosaurus hatchling in 2009, it might have inspired REBOR to create their own take on a hatching dinosaur. The REBOR Club Selection line features only limited edition models numbering about 1000 worldwide. After their first two non-limited edition models (Yutyrannus huali and the T. rex), they released their first hatchling, Jolly. In mid-2015, they released the Velociraptor triplets (which I will review soon), and around Christmas, they released their third hatching: a (male) T. rex! It was during that same Christmas that I first learned about REBOR when I received this model, the triplets, and the Utahraptor “Wind Hunter” (which unfortunately is broken, so I can’t review it) as gifts.
Let’s talk about the model. It measures 10.5 cm long and 15 cm tall (21.5 cm with the base), and is made entirely of polystone. The details are spectacular enough to make this T. rex seem real! When I look at him, I imagine that he has just finished hatching! But it is also very fragile: for example: one of my two Rudys has a broken finger and the other has the same broken finger, plus the arm.
This model is clearly of the Jurassic Park style: it is coloured brown with black and beige accents, black eyes, a rose mouth, and white teeth. The little male doesn’t have feathers, but it’s not yet proven that the hatchlings had feathers (the babies, yes). The egg is extremely detailed with a beautiful pebbly texture, large cracks, and egg fragments.
The base for the egg is absolutely fantastic, with a rough, sandy texture that seems real. On the bottom of the base is the name of the model and the limited edition number. Sadly, Rudy’s box does not have the fantastic illustrations of the standard REBOR line. Instead, the club selection and the scout series packaging have only the model’s photo, so I didn’t save it. These two series don’t have the information cards either!
To me, this is the best hatchling dinosaur model in the world, I really recommend it.
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There’s no hatchling Tyrannosaurus in the JP franchise, so we can’t directly compare the Rebor model with a JP counterpart like with the King T-Rex or the Velociraptor Winston released more recently. However the disign of Rudy is coherent with that of both adult and juvenile T-Rex we see in the movies. Again, is not a particularly good looking model, but search every nitpick detail to say something against Rebor sounds like a waste of time to me. And since two years passed from the “Rebor vs DTF incident” I think is reasonable to turn the page and move on.
Well, the baby seen in TLW is pretty much a hatchling. And looks closer to the real deal than Rudy. ( The ones in the novel are even closer, having feathers )
And again, the blog is also about scientific accuracy, so it is not just because REBOR acted like that on the forum.
Rudy is not even a JP Replica ( Indeed the baby seen in the second movie is actually more accurate than Rudy ). Rudy looks more like a less cartoony version of the babies from Ice Age 3.
I should add that I don’t own this model, and I don’t plan to get it since I don’t like it, aesthetically speaking, and I don’t like statues in general. That’s just for clearify that I’m not defending Rebor or this particular model in any way.
I think it is a bit boring that people is still contesting Rebor for their scientific inaccuracy. We all well know by now that they have a particular fondness for a certain movie franchise, and whatever they claim about their models being “museum class replicas” it’s pretty clear that many of them are based on that movie franchise. Particularly this hatchling T-Rex, which pairs with the King T-Rex as a blatant Jurassic Park replica. So, after two years are we still picking up every anatomical detail being unfaithful to science?
It’s not like that. Scientific accuracy is generally a thing checked on the blog. And Rudy is not even a JP Replica ( Indeed ther baby seen in the second movie is actually more accurate than Rudy ). Rudy looks more like a less cartoony version of the babies from Ice Age 3.
A less cartoony version of the babies os Ice Age 3?! What you are saying? About accuracy, i don’t know, but of detail??? How i said in my rewiew, that T-Rex seems REAL!!! Not a “cartoony version of the babies of Ice Age 3”. Do you want only to compare them?
Predasaurskillekor
I dont care if they arent 100% realistic, u can see on the first look that this is a T-Rex Baby and it kind of has a Jurassic Park vibe. Really like mine.
It looks awesome, shame they made only a skeletoon as their new dino egg.
Honestly i see these Club Selection models as Cartoon chrectors instead of real animals. I think Rebor said they were not striving for accuracy with these particular models.
A certain overly Narcissistic paleontologist who has fashioned his later career of controversy flogged the notion that in many if not all species of dinosaur the young appear very different from their parents. And while the notion of a Torosaurus being a “mature” Triceratops is dubious at best, the overall idea has enough merit for someone else to have produced a TV special in which very “leggy” sub-adult T-rex drove their large prey into the maws of waiting adults (presumably too bulky to actually chase prey themselves but far more suited for the kill.)
Which begs the question, have any infant T-rex fossils been found & described; and if so, do they in any way resemble Rudy? If not, is it not possible the arms of a newborn are more developed and the teeth fewer at the time of birth?
And then again, there is the ever present question of (missing) feathers–also open to interpretation.
Well, it’s not a hatchling, but 2 years old, but here you go:
http://www.nhm.org/site/explore-exhibits/permanent-exhibits/dinosaur-hall
Yep. definately not Rudy.
http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/the-skull-of-a-baby-tyrannosaurus-rex-is-part-of-an-exhibit-featuring-picture-id108762732
So much for the “boxy” head, the dirth of dentures, and the relatively gangly arms.
Well, there is something to be said for an editorial voice.
Inaccuracies galore on this one. The boxy, oversized head, the inadequate number of teeth, and the pronated hands on oversized arms. REBOR artists may know how to sculpt, but I’ve yet to see any evidence that they’re capable of proper research.
And that is why we should be more careful with guest reviewers.
What means? That guest rewiewers have not to exist? Can only exist a certain Number of guest rewiewers? Can exist only the guest rewiewers that Is nice to all the users and if the guest rewiewer Is not nice to an user anyone can’t publish One of his rewiewers?
Thanks.
Predasaurskillekor
Now that’s not a fair statement. I certainly don’t agree with the reviewer’s final assessment of this product, but I’m not fond of REBOR in general. More importantly, I absolutely respect his right to his personal opinion. A number of my own reviews have been contested, particularly the Hero Mashers. The DTB needs a wide variety of opinions. That’s what makes it great.
Thanks Suspy for the clear statement.
While I certainly do not agree on the verdict of Predasaurskillekor (I know from personal experience how birds and reptiles hatch and therefor recognize this rendition being far from realistic in so many ways that it’s hard to express), I respect reviews – no matter if by guests or “settled” authors – as expressions of a personal opinion. I enjoy efforts towards an objective and scientific review, but at the end of the day we talk about toys and models here that (most times) do not claim to be scientifically accurate…