Photographs and review by Indohyus, edited by Suspsy
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a review, but now that I have a brief break from things, I have time to write a new one. And I’ll start with 3D printing. I adore 3D printing; the idea that you can design nearly anything and create a physical model for it is astounding, and has great prospects for recreating prehistoric life. Indeed, Shapeways has several opportunities for people to purchase models printed by its members. In the case for this review, Prehistoric Creatures by Pablo Arce, and the (currently) only take on Sivatherium.
Sivatherium is an ancient giraffirid, once found across Africa and Asia. Given its size, it is believed to be the largest ruminant ever found, and is known to have existed up until at least 1 million years ago, although the species S. maurusium may have been around until 8,000 years ago based on rock paintings found in the Sahara and central west India.
At 2” high and 1.5” long, this is a fairly small figure, but that can be the way depending on the printer available to the maker. The pose is great with this one. It has the adult, likely a female, with its calf affectionately rubbing its side. Absolutely adorable, an excellent job.
Accuracy-wise, this is very promising, and does appear well researched. It avoids the ancient moose look (which still seems to appear in some pictures), having the long legs, sturdy-looking shoulders, and large antlers as suggested by the fossil evidence. It does come across like a stocky okapi, but that certainly works based on the fossils and the fact they are related. Well done, Pablo Arce.
Given this is a 3D model, it will come in whatever colour it was printed with. I recommend going for white, because that way you can apply your own colour pattern and put your own stamp on it. I went with an okapi style to match its modern relatives, and I felt it looked better than a giraffe pelt design. Okay, it probably looks like a 5 year old did it, but I am happy enough with it. Though I eagerly await a company like CollectA or Safari to recreate this giant girrafirid, I am very happy with this adorable rendition, and highly recommend it. It is available here. Hope you enjoy.
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Nice review,….fully grown antlers in a young one seem a bit off, but other than that they make a nice pair. 🙂
PS: Link for availability is missing
Not bad, but yes, I too would rather see CollectA or Safari take a stab at Sivatherium.