Lambeosaurus (PNSO)

Within the last few years, the ornithopod group of dinosaurs has seen a renaissance after being neglected for a long time. It wasn’t always the case, in fact some of the first dinosaur toy figures were from this group. But despite having had early fame, the group would soon be relegated to the sideline as token prey species for the ever-popular throng of predatory theropods. Both the hadrosaur and iguanodontid groups have recently gained some much-needed attention from toy manufacturers recently.

Today, we will review one of the latest Lambeosaurus figure from PNSO. It was with great surprise and excitement when one day in late October, collectors were greeted by this brand-new release without much fanfare (typical of PNSO)! I supposed it’s the October surprise we all have been waiting for!

Lambeosaurus (meaning “Lambe’s lizard”) is a late Cretaceous hadrosaur that lived in what is now known as the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta, Canada. Since its discovery and naming back in 1902, proper identification and naming was complicated and problematic, with several sub-species and species being named. There were even bones from smaller animals that were thought to be from different species. Eventually, with further studies, these were identified as that of younger lambeosaurus. 

Today, there are two widely accepted species of Lambeosaurus;  L. lambei and L. magnicristatus. The former is the most common and well represented by several fossil while the second is more incomplete and represented by only two individuals with skulls.

The big difference between these two species of Lambeosaurus is their head crest as well as the ages of the layer where the fossils are found. The popular hatchet-shaped head crest species is L. lambie while the more domed-shaped crest is L. magnicristatus. there has been suggestion that the difference in head crest were due to the animals age of sexual dimorphisms with one being the male and the other female. This was quickly abandoned since the two species are from different ages/time and could not have coexisted at the same time. Almost all of the Lambeosaurus figures we see are based on L. lambie and this figure is the latest to hit the market.

It’s close relative the Corythosaurus is about the same size and shape as Lambeosaurus adding more confusion. Again, it is the head crest that distinguish these two. It just so happens that PNSO also released a much larger and exquisite figure of Corythosaurus right after this figure and they really make a stunning display.

Lambeosaurus, if I’m correct, was first introduced in toy form way back in 1977 by ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) set of prehistoric figures that represents dinosaurs found in Canada. It was a small gray figure that would be the sole representation for decades. Invicta would later add one in their famed BMNH line of prehistoric figures and would be one of the rarest, most sought after, and one of the last additions to their line.

Despite its unique and distinct appearance, lambeosaurus would be overshadowed by the more popular and outlandish Parasaurolophus and, with the exception of the two earlier figures, a good representation of the species in toy form would be hard to come by. It isn’t for lack of trying since there are a handful of Lambeosaurus figure released within the last decade, but most of them didn’t really capture the essence of the animal. The two most recent offerings from today’s major brands were from CollectA (still Procon then) and Bullyland. Yet there is something not satisfying with these two figures despite Bullyland coming close to being the best one up until now.

With this model, PNSO finally delivered the most beautiful and impressive lambeosaurus toy figure. The figure is number 32 in the series and is given the name Audrey. Like all PNSO models, it came in an elegant white box. It is a stunning model and really captures the elegance and grace of the animal. Size estimates for Lambeosaurus range from 40 to 30 feet (15 – 9 meters), but the consensus is now around 9 meters or 30 feet. Measuring 10″ long and 4.5″ tall, the figure could be considered to be around the 1:35-1:30 scale base on a 9-meter size estimate. There are several figures that are within that scale range that could display really well if you’re very particular to scale sizes.

The figure is posed calmly standing with its head slightly turned to one side as if surveying its surroundings or just smelling some potential meal. The head is beautifully sculpted and very well detailed. The crest is tall and have the distinctive hatchet shape, the pointed tip on the back of the crest is long and sweeps backwards.

The details on the crest are nice; there are lots of details in the form of uneven surface reminisces of the extant cassowary’s crest. There are large veins popping out of the narrow snout (kind of what you see in horses) and those famous “duckbills” flare out on the end. The nostrils are big and wide and nicely sculpted.

The body is robust with great musculature all around. There are rows of dorsal spines on the back that starts from the base of the neck and runs all the way down the tail. Like most hadrosaurs Lambeosaurus uses its back legs in a biped fashion to move at great speed, it also spend some time, mostly moving at a leisurely pace, in a quadruped manner. As expected, the front legs are smaller and less muscular that the hind ones.

The front legs are skinny! I always think that hadrosaurs are the supermodels of the dinosaur world, and this figure really exemplifies that for me. The skinny front legs terminate into an even narrower and pointed hoof-like digits. These follow the evidence that the front digit bunch up into a hoof-like fashion; this can be seen in the model. The back digit is so skinny and small that it looks as if the animal is wearing stilettos!

The back legs are the opposite, they are long and very muscular. The feet show the correct trio of weigh bearing toes. Like on the rest of the figure, details abound on the legs, some obvious while others are more subtle. The tail is long and muscular with just a slight hint of curvature. Hadrosaurs have stiff muscular tails reenforced by ossified tendons making them not as flexible when it comes to sideway movements, so it’s nice to see that reflected in the model. 

The overall body color I would say is blue-green with some lighter tan/yellow on the underside of the body. What is striking and unique about the design is that white lines crisscross the body in a reticulated fashion, very reminiscent of what we see in giraffe. These patterns are concentrated in the body and they vary in shape and size, some are squarer, while others more circular in shape. They change and becomes stripes as it reaches the legs; and the same thing is seen on the tail where the stripes form a widely spaced rings as it travels down the tail length.

The dorsal spines that run along the back is given an orange color that creates a nice contrast to the cooler blue-green. The crest is given a beautiful splash of yellows, red, and black combination (for some reason, almost all the Lambeosaurus figures are given a red color on their crest!) that really is striking, very well painted, and transition smoothly from one color to the next. The crest is also given a glossy paint that is very effective. The head colors are the same as the body, and we see the same white reticulated patterns. The snout and the beak are a shade darker.

Lambeosaurus was part of an impressive and diverse faunal community assemblage that includes some of the most iconic dinosaurs. This includes the ceratopsians Centrosaurus, Styracosaurus, and Chasmosaurus, fellow hadrosaurs Parasaurolophus, Prosaurolophus, and Gryposaurus, the armored titans Edmontonia and Euoplocephalus, and of course the apex predator the tyrannosaurid Gorgosaurus. Today, this place is known as the badlands of Alberta, Canada, one of the riches and famous fossil site in the world. 

In closing, this is the definitive Lambeosaurus version for me, the one I have been hoping for many years. It is truly a work of art that exudes grace, beauty, elegance that would be very hard to beat. As PNSO continue to increase the craftmanship of their medium-size range of figures, I find myself excitedly waiting to see what others they have planned for future releases. The price point is on the mark for such quality and very much within the price range of other top brands.

If you’re a fan of hadrosaurs, this and the newly released Corythosaurus are definitely a couple of gems worth adding to your collection. As individual, these figures are stunning, but seen all together in a shelf is awe-inspiring!

We have come to the end of our review; I hope that you enjoyed reading it. Until we meet again on the next one, stay safe and healthy. Cheers!

Holiday Note: I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you readers a warm and happy holiday season. Despite this year 2020 being full of challenges: The global pandemic that swept across the world and affected each and every one of us is hard to fathom. The many losses some of us had to cruely endure due to lockdowns and safety, we take comfort in our shared interest and passion: prehistoric toy figures. This shared passion and the community we are all part of helps make these challenges a little more bearable. So, despite all of these, I hope that each and every one of you could celebrate safely the spirit of this holiday season. Wishing you all a safe and happy holidays, Cheers!