Interview by Scrat, edited and photos by Bokisaurus
Hiiiiieee blog readers, Scrat here! Yes, I’m filling in for Bokisaurus! He begged me claiming he is suffering from writers block and needed a break. Before he left, he went on and on and on about me having to be on brand blah blah blah until I finally hit him in the head with my acorn to shut him up!
Overall this appears to be a fine representation of Quetzalcoatlus in many details, but when it comes to some of this animal’s most integral and challenging features the figurine actually falls short.
Having grown up familiar with the titanic pterosaur being featured in books and television programs, it’s sometimes surprising for me to remember that Quetzalcoatlus is a relatively recent discovery in the history of paleontology.
Since getting into this hobby over a decade ago I’ve been patiently waiting for a model of one of my favorite ceratopsians, Centrosaurus. It has been a long wait, one that with every passing year has ended in disappointment. Look, I get it, Centrosaurus seems kind of boring compared to the likes of Styracosaurus, Triceratops, Kosmoceratops or the myriad other ceratopsians with their impressive headgear.
There are presently around 40 known genera of mosasaur, ranging from relatively small fry like Halisaurus and Kourisodon to frightening behemoths like Gnathomortis and Prognathodon. There were also some truly unique ones like Globidens, with its rounded teeth for pulverising ammonites, and Plotosaurus, the most advanced swimmer of them all.
Given how unstable our scientific understanding is regarding this giant theropod, perhaps it’s understandable Safari would want to offer another option to reflect the creature’s ever-changing image. How well, then, does this new model hold up as an up-to-date iteration?
2021 was an understandably odd year for many, following the tumultuous events of the year 2020, and merchandise companies were no exception.
When I first became aware of the company called RECUR I was not sure what to make of them in terms of their collectible value. Scrolling down their prehistoric model list, one can see that they are definitely geared towards a much much younger age group.The designs are a mix bag and consists of mostly dinosaurs with a few prehistoric mammals thrown in the mix.In time, I became more curious about what these models look like in person, so I decided to purchase a couple of figures to see for myself, after all, its only fair to judge them when you actually have seen them with your own eyes in your hands.
Madagascar has always been an island of oddities. From giant lemurs to horned crocodiles, there are a lot of interesting species to see. The Mesozoic likewise has some interesting animals, such as the late Cretaceous Madagascan monster Majungasaurus, an Abelisaurid known for being cannibalistic.
Sinclair’s Brontosaurus and its plastic compatriots are time capsules to a moment of zeitgeist in paleo pop-culture, and stand as charming testaments to the evolving nature of paleontology and memorabilia.
Brontosaurus is one of the quintessential icons of dinosaur pop-culture imagery. Described by the famous paleontologist Othniel Marsh, the “thunder lizard” became immortalized with the first skeletal mount at the American Museum of Natural history, and further entrenched by the likes of artists such as painter Charles R.
When it comes to large predatory theropods, it’s hard to figure out what exactly makes some genus/species popular while others not so. It’s not just the size or the active predatory lifestyle that propel certain species into stardom, in fact there are many equally large and fearsome theropods that despite seemingly having all the star quality, somehow languish in obscurity.Take the subject of our review today, Torvosaurus, a large apex theropod predator that despite having it all, even a catchy and easy to remember name, still ranks as one of those “obscure” names, failed to garner fame outside of the paleo world.
Sinclair’s unique figurine was probably one of the finest renditions of the tyrant lizard king a child could ever hope to own in 1964, and remains a delightful piece of vintage memorabilia to this day.
In 1933, in conjunction with the Chicago World’s Fair, Sinclair Oil company commissioned an exhibit of life-sized dinosaur models for display.
With an estimated length of 24.3’ (7.4 meters), shoulder height of 15.7’ (4.8 meters), and neck length of 6.6-8.2’ (2-2.5 meters), the Paraceratherium is believed to be the largest land mammal that has ever lived, or at the very least among the largest. Despite this astonishing fact, this gigantic hornless rhinoceros has been largely ignored in our hobby until recently.
