Review and photos by Tyrantqueen.
For my first Dinosaur Toy Blog review I am going to look at the 1850s-style Iguanodon in the Oldies desktop model series by Kinto/Favorite co. The Oldies series of replicas is intended to be a nostalgic take on outdated interpretations of dinosaurs from yesteryear. Each replica comes with a wooden plinth, which I have removed for the purpose of this review. This particular replica was sculpted by Japanese paleo-artist Kazunari Araki, and is obviously based upon the artwork and sculpture of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who designed the Crystal Palace dinosaurs that can still be seen today, and which provide an interesting (and somewhat amusing) insight into the scientific thinking of the time.
Iguanodon was an herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur that lived around the early Cretaceous era. It was one of the first dinosaurs to be discovered and named, along with Megalosaurus. Iguanodon’s most notable feature is its thumb spike, which, when originally discovered in 1825, was thought to be a horn. Early reconstructions portray the dinosaur as a stumpy legged quadruped, as we see here.
Firstly, I must state that I do not intend to focus the anatomical accuracy of this replica – I’d be here all day – and the statue was depicted this way intentionally.
This model is fairly large, around 33cm from tail to nose. Just like the original Crystal Palace model, this statue is depicted with overlapping, large, snake-like scales. The mouth is open and the teeth (which were thought to resemble an Iguana, hence the animal’s name) are visible. The tongue and inside of the mouth are lavender coloured. The painting on the teeth is a little messy but is only really noticeable if you look very closely. The model has a wattle/dewlap, a very common trend in old paleo-art. It even has the same expression on its face as the Crystal Palace depiction, with mouth slightly agape, and an orange eye with a small black pupil.
The model is a vivid, emerald green, unlike the original statues, which are pale green, most likely due to fading and deterioration over time. The yellow colouration of the dorsal ridge, wattle and lips are a nice touch, and highlight aspects of the model well. They add a little more interest than just a pure green paint job. The model is thick set and flat footed. There are hints of the underlying musculature here and there, for example, on the legs. The flat, lizard like feet are well detailed, and the claws are sculpted well enough, although the paintwork on the claws is a little sloppy in places. There is wrinkling around both the eyes and wattle.
I consider this to be a near perfect replica of the Crystal Palace Iguanodon and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the history of palaeo-art, palaeontology, or retro depictions of dinosaurs in general. This model is unique in that no company (at least to my knowledge) has ever done anything like it. I endeavour to review the whole Oldies series line, so look out for new reviews on The Dinosaur Toy Blog in the future.
The only fault I found with this statue is its lack availability! It can currently be found here: http://www.bhigr.com/store/product.php?productid=333&cat=70&page=1
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I once googled Iguanodon Figures and This one popped up with the title Papo Iguanodon and I believed it!
[…] With the new Carnegie Collection Brachiosaurus being released shortly, I was prompted to purchase the Oldies model as a reminder of how far palaeontology has travelled. It is a large sculpture, slightly larger in scale than the upcoming Safari Ltd toy. I believe the scale of the Oldies Brachiosaurus is 1:50. Surprisingly, the model is actually lighter in weight than the Oldies Iguanodon. […]
YES! I always wished somebody would make replicas of the classic Crystal Park dinosaurs. But, BOO to the lack of availability and the hefty price tag. Excellent review though; I now know to keep an eye out for this guy. I look forward to more of your reviews!
Very well done review T-Queen, I didn’t know of this series untill now. I like this Iguanodon a lot and your opinion and photos on the model made me want it! Looking forward to more reviews from you.
Great first review, hope to see more from you in the future. Love the figure too.
Nice Job on your first review T-Queen.
The original statues have actually been extensively restored – the paint on them now isn’t the original (although the colours are probably approximations). Interesting to note, Mantell was already beginning to suspect that Iguanodon was a less stocky animal than this even at the time the Crystal Palace statues were made, but Owen thought otherwise and, due to his standing in society (and ruthlessness), his views dominated.
Good review by the way! I wouldn’t mind one of these, and the ‘1950s Iguanodon’ too.
Lovely review, Tyrantqueen! These are beautifully sculpted, and knowing that they were by Kazunari Araki comes as no surprise. 🙂 I’d love to own this one too.
I look forward to more reviews of the series!
This is a wonderful review Tyrantqueen! \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/
Many thanks for discribing it in such perfect details, this review is unique 8)