PNSO is a company that I never thought that I’d collect. When they first came onto the scene in 2016 I was not too interested in their selection of products, and before I finally decided to give them a shot, they went into some legal issues and the company remained dormant for a while. When I san that they were back I was happy to be able to give their products a try, but also because they had a larger selection of models to choose from. The subject of today’s review is one of their newer products, and a dinosaur genus I’ve been wanting some company to reproduce in PVC for quite some time. Qianzhousaurus is a tyrannosaur notable for its elongated snout, which led to it being nicknamed ‘Pinochio rex’. The species was found in China, and was closely related to Alioramus (which is another species in the PNSO line). When it comes to figures of Qianzhousaurus there is virtually nothing else in PVC that comes to mind.
The PNSO Qianzhousaurus is a part of their small model series, which includes a wide array of prehistoric creatures, many of which were never made into toys before. The neat thing about PNSO is that they like to give there animal models an informal name. For example, there 1:35 scale T. rex was named Wilson, their intermediate sized Ankylosaurus was named Sede, and their little Ouranosaurus was named Morris. This small replica of the so called ‘Pinochio rex’ is no exception to the rule, and PNSO have named it Trike. As a sculpture, Trike is a lovely little creature, and it is apparent that a lot of care went into the making of this little figure.
Let’s start off with the head. PNSO got the skull shape perfect and it matches the skull of this animal as we know it. Upon closer inspection we can see that this guy’s skull is shrink-wrapped, with the fenestra on the snout being visible. As for the rest of the body, the proportions and anatomy are good based on the known fossils of the animal. The arms have two fingers like those of Tyrannosaurus rex, and are also relatively short in comparison to the rest of the body. Unlike the bulkiness of PNSO’s 1:35 Tyrannosaurus figure, this model appears to be a lot more gracile. The legs are skinny with small feet attached to an interesting looking base (I will get back to it later), and the tail is thick at the base as well.
In terms of detail, PNSO did their best considering the size they sculpted this little guy at. One of the nice things I found with this model is the limited amount of feathereing that it was given. At a distance, it’s pretty hard to tell that any feathers are present. However, upon closer inspection, you can clearly see a small feather cape running from the top of the skull, to the halfway point up the back. Other details of the animal are not exactly fine, as the scaly parts are just smooth skin, with some wrinkles, yet they somehow manage to make it look nice and realistic.
Since this model has accurate proportions and posture, a base is required to keep it standing, but unlike those of other similar PNSO mini models, the Qianzhousaurus‘ base is thick and inclined. The base itself has an array of different details and I think it’s meant to represent a forest floor, with a fallen tree branch and a tree stump sculpted on it. However, the model is sculpted so the animal is going downhill, so maybe its walking down a mountain instead. Whatever the case, it breaks the norm for most plastic dinosaur bases, and it certainly keeps the animal standing secure.
One issue I have with this model is the color scheme, which is bland. The base color of the entire model is tan, and the only other colors present are a muddy brown for the base, and certain parts of the animals body. The body has a striped pattern painted on the torso and tail, and the feather cape is painted the same color as figures base. On the head, there is a blue streak painted on both sides but for the most part, the head is just the same brown color as the rest of the figure.
Overall, this is a respectable figure of an obscure species of dinosaur. For those concerned with such matters, the model is three inches long in a straight line from the nose to the tip of the tail, and the tail is raised two inches off the ground. Overall, I highly recommend this little guy. The model is currently available on Amazon, but it can also be bought at some other retailers such as Minizoo and Everything Dinosaur. At the time writing this is the only PVC model of Qianzhousaurus available for purchase, although there’s always a chance that might change…
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From that PNSO theropod miniature, what I value most is that it has a more than acceptable base that other toy dinosaur miniature brands do not have and that it is not economically expensive with the formidable bases that have provided the PNSO miniature theropods this year. It is something to keep in mind.
I like this review. In fact, I would like to see more dinosaurs that start with the letter “Q” to have a figure form. And Qianzhousaurus finally joins in thanks to PNSO.
Love this little guy. An impressive rendition of a very cool tyrannosaurid.
Nice little figure of an obscure dinosaur species. I find it quite odd that PNSO chose to name this figure ‘Trike’. Actually, when I read your review, I typed for ‘Qianzhousaurus’ on Google and found out that there is another Qianzhousaurus figure.
The figure that I found is not a figure but a bronze sculpture of a pair of Qianzhousaurus by an artist named Tison Zhang. You can search for it for more details. It is always nice to see obscure species of dinosaur figures being reviewed here on the blog.