Review and photos by Takama, edited by Suspsy
If you’re a member of this community, then you know that dinosaurs are wonderful creatures that came in all shapes and sizes. However, the ones that get the most attention are usually those that are big, mean, or both big and mean. With this in mind, a lot of small species are often neglected for mass production, not in only toy lines, but resin kit lines as well. Fortunately, some artists are fully capable of sculpting at a tiny scale no matter how difficult it would be to get the right details to show.
When it comes to Leptoceratops, very few toys have been made. The only two that I know of are the Safari Ltd. version and the Definitely Dinosaurs version, which I had as a child. This new one by Kayaksaurus should not be considered a toy as it’s made out of resin and WILL break if subjected any childish abuse. That said, this model is very cheap for a resin figure and is sculpted in 1:40 scale to make it compatible with all our favourite toys, from the likes of Battat and the early Carnegie Collection figures.
When it comes to accuracy, all I can say is that artist Kayakasaurus did a fine job sculpting this little guy. Leptoceratops is known to be a facultative biped, meaning that it alternated between walking on two or all four legs. Kayaksaurus has sculpted his Leptoceratops in a tripod pose with its mouth open, and it can be placed on all four of its limbs to make it look like it’s browsing on some foliage. Anatomically, this little model is very decent. The skull is the right shape, although I think it could be a little bigger. The hands are not pronated, though due to its size, there are no claws sculpted on. The figure is mostly adorned with wrinkles, and some scales are present as well. One thing I must say is that this model is tiny, yet it still looks like a real creature. It amazes me at how small Kayaksaurus is willing to sculpt, and I hope we can see more similarly sized figures from him in the future. The colour scheme I had him use for this model is a modified version of a scheme he whipped up after the first casts were completed. He also sells a nest for this little guy which is sold separately, but I did not want to purchase one for review (sorry, folks).
Overall, I recommend this model to anyone who likes small species in 1:40 scale and who love primitive ceratopsians. The model is fairly cheap for a painted resin figure and Kayakasaurus is offering it unpainted for an even cheaper price. To purchase this model, please email him at [email protected] or send him a private message on the Dinosaur Toy Forum.
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It is neat, but I think small animals work best at larger scales. 1/40 is way too small in this case!
Nifty little figure.
There is another commercially available Leptoceratops, however. And like other mislabeled animals (e.g., Euoplocephalus called Ankylosaurus, or Giraffatitan called Brachiosaurus,) this baby is called Serendipaceratops. It is sold individually or as part of a collection of “Dinosaurs of Australia,” if you can find it.
http://www.everythingwildlife.com.au/shop/products/Serendipaceratops-Small-Replica.html
Cheers.