Stegosaurus (Wild Safari original version by Safari Ltd)

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Review and Photos by Rugops, edited by Plesiosauria.

Stegosaurus is one of the most classic and recognizable of all the dinosaurs, and as such it has been replicated countless times by different companies and in a variety of postures. Here we’ll be looking at the original Wild Safari figure from 1996. It is a fairly modern looking design and is a considerable step forward from the Carnegie Collection version.

The model is, for the most part, nicely detailed with plenty of wrinkles and quite a few osteoderms on the skin. The body is compressed from side to side and the top of the body forms an even narrower hump, with several nice rows of large osteoderms running along the length. These continue down the long tail, which exceeds the length of the body. The tail spikes are rather thick and do not end in much of a point. A soft plastic was used to make part of the tail and it can be slightly bent.

The pillar-like legs are not as detailed as the rest of the body, although thay possess some musculature and wrinkles. The feet are large and flat bottomed with small bumps for the toes and dark grey dots for the claws. The neck and head are also constructed from a softer plastic that can just barely be bent, and are not very detailed. The head has its mouth open and there is a small tongue inside. There are several small bumps where the throat armor would be.

The plates along the spine are pliable and start at the back of the head and end at the tail spikes. The larger plates are triangle shaped and the smaller plates are oblong, and a few of the plates have excess plastic on them from the mold. As for the paint job it is not too bland: the primary color is a dark yellow, and a brown red is used for the top half of the model. The plates are mostly red with a yellow spot. The inside of the mouth is painted dark pink and the eyes are tiny dabs of black and white.

On my model the left eye is not as well done as the right eye, but this is probaly individual variation. The Stegosaurus is posed in a walking stance and appears to be alert, with its tail and head turning to the right as if encountering a predator. The figure can be rocked back on its tail to adopt a tripod pose.

Although it compares quite closely in pose and color with the 2007 Wild Safari Stegosaurus which replaced it, the original WS Stegosaurus as still a nice figure and worth collecting.

Sometimes available on eBay here.