By now most of us who concern ourselves with such matters are aware that the Battat Company has launched a new line of dinosaur figures and naturally we’re all very excited about it. Forum member Takama has already reviewed their stellar take on the Pachyrhinosaurus but there are still three other new models that require our scrutiny. Here I’ll be tackling a dinosaur that up until the release of this model, I had never even heard of or rather, never took notice of if I had.
Nanshiungosaurus is a genus of late Cretaceous therizinosaur from China. Not much can be said about it as it is only known from much of the vertebrae and the pelvis. Suffice it to say it is fairly standard looking for a therizinosaur. Looking at the model you would be forgiven for thinking it was a proper Therizinosaurus. The nice thing about Battat is they make sure to assign the species name to their models. Two species of Nanshiungosaurus have been described, N. brevispinus and N. bohlini. This particular model represents the former and first described species, N. brevispinus. Described in 1979 by Dong Zhiming it was classified as a sauropod for many years.
Nanshiungosaurus is estimated to have measured about 17’ in length placing this model in the 1:40 scale range like all of the Battat dinosaurs as well as the fledgling Terra series. The model itself measures about 5” in length and was sculpted by Battat veteran Dan LoRusso. Like the Battat models of old, this is an expertly crafted piece. You’ll be hard pressed to find inaccuracies here but many will no doubt notice the lack of feathering on this creature. It is well known that members of the therizinosaur group were covered in a coat of feathers. While feathers have not been found in association with Nanshiungosaurus it can be inferred that it had them as well. The box the model comes packed in explains this, stating that since this was a larger animal it may have lost its feathers. I suppose we can let it slide given how great the model is otherwise but feathers would have been preferable here. After all, Yutyrannus was a tyrannosauroid that measured 30’ in length and yet has preserved a feathery coat of its own. But feathers don’t make or break a model in this case. CollectA has fully feathered their new Therizinosaurus and it doesn’t hold up to the quality presented here.
The paint job itself has a very familiar feel to it and if one were to compare it to others in the Battat Collection, they would find it has much in common with their Gallimimus. More or less the same colors are reproduced here. Most of the body is a sandy brown color with a darker brown running along the back, wrapping around the neck and trailing down the sides along the legs. The darker brown can also be seen on the feet and hands of the model. A red mask adorns the face and runs down the neck. The beak, claws and toe nails are black. A creamy white covers the underside and the legs from the knees down. Overall, it is a nicely painted figure; a little toy-like but hey, it’s a toy. The model balances with the aid of its claws but that is often necessary for therizinosaur models. The model it dynamically posed, striding forwards and towards the left.
The Battat Nanshiungosaurus really is a must have model. It is among the best therizinosaur models ever produced, for the price I dare say it is the best. Detail, accuracy, affordability…it’s all here. If only it had feathers! Right now the Terra series is exclusive to Target stores at $7.99 each. This should make them easy to find for our American readers but not all stores have received them as of yet. I’m sure in time you’ll find this line in the majority of Target stores. If not, or if you live outside the United States, you’ll have to look online. Some eBay sellers have them up for sale including our very own Dan of “Dan’s Dinosaurs,” if you’re hard pressed to find these new Battat models than I suggest dropping him a line.
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Shouldn’t the feet probably have all four toes on the ground, based on other derived therizinosaurids?
Love the new Battats and the old series (Boston Museum) as well. I’ve recently acquired the T Rex (pretty pricey on Ebay) and wished I bought it years ago. When I first saw it I didn’t like the paint job but now do. Probably my favourite Trex along with Papo’s. Nice to see some unusual species in the new line.
Thank goodness, finally a therizinosaur that doesn’t look like poultry. I’m breaking my “no more dino toys” resolution just for this model. Thanks, Mr LoRusso!
To feather or not to feather? After consulting some paleontologist friends the consensus was: no solid evidence on any other therizinosaur other than Beipiaosaurus having feathers. The time difference between Beipiaosaurus and Nanshiugosaurus is around 50 million years ( Beipiaosaurus being the earlier ) and Nanshiungosaurus is roughly 3 times the length and 5 times the weight of it’s predecessor. So, like it or not, in my opinion as well as my councils, no feathers. As far as the color schemes, guess what? They are TOYS made for children 3 and up and they’re only $8 bucks! If adults want to collect them and repaint them, that’s awesome! Hell, I’m going to have a set of mine repainted. I just want to give the best sculpted piece I can at this point in time. If you want me to sculpt a custom piece to your thoughts on what a dinosaur should look like, I’ll fit you into my schedule. I can tell you up front it will be a bit more than $8.00! Don’t read any anger in this post, please. I am simply stating facts. I do my homework, but I do have guidelines I have to follow as well as a time frame. Work for hire can be a double edged sword at best. I hope you appreciate the rest of the series as they are issued. If anyone has any tips or comments that could prove helpful for my next builds, you can contact me here or via The Dinosaur Studio web page or Facebook page.
Hi Dan, I’ve noticed the Battat Pachyrhinosaurus doesn’t have any detail on the parts of its feet that are in contact with the ground. I’d like to see detail even on areas of an animal that touch the ground, if it’s possible. I’ve always wanted that in a figure, even when I was a kid!
Now that I have the 4 Battat Terra dinosaurs, I can see the Nanshiungosaurus definitely has detail on the underside of its feet, so I’m glad that detail there isn’t being ignored!
Personally I would have gone for feathers; you don’t leave fur off big mammals just because it didn’t fossilize! That said, I’m still very pleased with this toy – you managed to make the lack of feathers look believable – and will be getting one asap.
The paintjob reminds me of butterscotch, vanilla, and chocolate ice cream with a touch of strawberry sauce….yummy.
I like that the Battat dinosaurs are identified by their species name, and that they’re all at the same scale. These things and their high accuracy makes it easier to see them as animals that once lived on the same planet as us!
I hope the Battat dinosaurs will become available in London, UK again. Until then I can only imagine how it feels to walk into a shop and find these new Battats…
Thanks for the review gwangi!
When it comes to dinosaur models, ok toys, either I like how the model looks or I do not. On this one, I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. One of the things that drew me to this model was the head. I just loved the splash of red, it really makes the head and eyes stand out. Then I realized that if you look at he model straight on the eyes don’t match up, one is higher than the other. I am also not a fan on how the digits are painted.
The eyes appear even on my particular model. Something to watch for though.
I noticed the eyes when I was at Target. When I noticed it, I checked the two that were behind it, their eyes didn’t match up either. So maybe it just a bad batch? It looks fine from every other angle.
You had me checking out the 4 sets I have! If you take a straight edge and line up the eyes with the head facing you they do line up. The right brow appears to be a bit shallower than the left brow making it look like the eyes are askew. Well at least on mine.
I feel like I am crazy, but I just tried it again, and took a picture. I took a straight edge, and if you are looking at with the head facing you, on mine, the bottom of the right eye lines up with the top of the left eye. The right brow is higher than on the left as well. I guess the good news its seems to be only mine that has this slight issue.
I’m pretty sure it Dong Zhiming, not Doug. That will be weird.
Thank you for the correction. I knew that, just didn’t properly transfer the thought to my hands while typing.
I’ve got it, more or less love the sculpt save for the questionable choice of skin texture and that gawd awful paint job–the curse of many of the Battat line. Looks like it was done by a color blind grade-schooler with half a paint box for a science project.
And no, it doesn’t remotely surpass the new CollectA fully feathered Therizinosaurus (except in price.) Were you having a wee nip when you wrote that, or did you just misplace your spectacles?
Cheers.
Nope, that is my honest opinion. I don’t like the CollectA Deluxe Therizinosaurus.
Hey Paul, I read these comments. Do you think you could be a bit more tactful next time?
Fair enough. My humor vacillates between the subtle and the caustic, so let me dispense with it altogether and critique your work more sympathetically.
Let me start by saying that the prize of my collection of over 200 figures (not counting tube dinos) is your Battat Edmontonia Rugosidens. Your absolutely masterful modeling is complimented by a marvelously subtle and simple finish.
In my opinion, your modeling is second to none. But some of your pieces suffer from the finish painting, which infuriates me in that it inevitably diminishes the modeling.
Case in point: when I look at your fabulous new Pachyrhinosaurus, my initial automatic reaction to the paint scheme is “I suppose the beast could have looked like that.” When I see the Patrick Bates—no (known) relation—repaint posted on your Facebook page I don’t have that reaction. In fact I don’t even think about the finish as distinct from the sculpt. I simply accept his color scheme as plausible as it draws attention to your superb modeling as opposed to detracting from it.
At the opposite extreme, the paint on the Nanshiungosaurus looks like paint to me—not the possible colors of the beast. Perhaps it is the consistently hard edges, perhaps it is the largely tertiary palette, or perhaps it is the placement of those brown highlights on the back, thighs, hands and feet. Whatever it is, I am unable to suspend disbelief looking at the figure.
Clearly Gwangi disagrees with my assessment, as will others. But my honest opinion, for whatever it might be worth, is as stated.
Cheers.
I tend to agree, I find the CollectA Therizinosaurus superior also (no disrespect to Mr. LoRusso, just personal preference.) But the CollectA deluxe Theri has a less-than- fantastic paintjob also…
For a while I didn’t like the paint job of some of the pre-Terra Battat dinos, but now I appreciate them as they’re original and not bad! I’m looking forward to the more natural paint jobs on the reissues (and retooled sculpts hopefully)!
The paint job on this Nanshiungosaurus looks realistic – it looks natural, and interesting at the same time, without going over the top. I don’t like the ‘ring’ around the neck, although that’s just personal preference.
I prefer this Nanshiungosaurus to both CollectA Therizinosaurus. On the CollectAs, the feathers that stick out on their arms and back don’t look like a natural part of the animals. I don’t like the head crest and paint job on the deluxe either.
Those are basically my problems with the CollectA models as well. I do prefer the older model to the Deluxe though. The feathers on the arms are in a very strange arrangement and I’m not a fan of the mo-hawk or “cow licks” along the back. Add that to the outstretched arms (is it trying to hug me or feeling around in the dark?) and the goofy look on it’s face and I just don’t see what all the fuss is about. Not a big fan of the color choices either. All that said, I have not seen it in person so I’m probably being a little hard on it.
Yeah, I don’t get this at all. The new CollectA deluxe Therizinosaurus just looks ridiculous to me. I’d prefer my Therizinosaurs with feathers, but not silly tacked-on feathers. I think that Nanshiungosaurus is very impressive and while I understand that some others’ taste may differ, the Nanshiungosaurus also strikes me as obviously preferable to either CollectA Therizinosaurus (I have the older one); especially in person. The new Battat/Terra dinosaurs all look even better in person.
I gave it 4 stars but only because of that plucked chicken look, which doesn’t float my boat. Otherwise it would easily have been a 5.