Tyrannosaurus and Diplodocus (H.S. Brumm)

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This may be the first review of peweter figures on this blog and if those peculiar kind of figures are really toys may be a point to discuss – not least because of their lead content – but they are indeed models and so here we are.

I recently acquired these very retro looking pewter dinosaur figures. Some research convinced me, they are genuine rather than reissues or just vintage style modern stuff as you can find it in thrift shops or hardware stores. There`s still a vital market for pewter figures, at least in Europe. Pewter flat figures always come with that anachronistic look, even when they are comparably accurate as models of recent fauna. However, dinosaur models of recent production still show a very outdated look as seen in reconstructions from the end of the 19th century up to around 1950.

My two models are made by “H.S. Brumm”, and I could not find out much about them. But the “punch” is in fact no punch but a raised lettering, and the font chosen and the fashion of execution indicates a production somewhen in the 1950`s or 60`s. The Tyrannosaurus is named “Tyranno rex” and has the number 017, the Diplodocus has the number 019. I am unaware if there are/were indeed 19 or more dinosaur models, or if that may just be a number amongst a variety of models. There`s at least one other dinosaur model, an Anatosaurus.

The Tyrannosaurus measures 18 cm in horizontal length, the Diplodocus 27. As usual in pewter flat figures, dimensionality is realized by fine sculpting, enhanced by intricate paint jobs. Muscles, veins, folds and other details are visible and emphasized by comparabaly nice paint jobs, that mostly come in effect in the Tyrannosaurus. The paint work however is probably not factory side, but rather made privately, so both models could have been painted by differnt people. For some weird reason, the painter deceided the Tyranno feeds on greens. I personally deceided the fern to its front could also be some carcass with partly exposed bones and so the prey in its mouth should be red (work in progress). The Diplodocus is much plainer painted, but lighting on the bodystill works fine and natural, the base however is very poorly painted.

So, there`s not much more to say, what you see is what you get, no hidden features here or such. If you like genuine, retro looking models and have a love for the flat dimensionality of those pewter figures, seek them out, though that could be a long and expensive run. Good luck.