Having gorged himself on flesh and liver of hadrosaur, the sovereign rises to his full height. He raises his fiery red crest, opens his blood-streaked jaws, and bellows a warning to the landscape. He then retreats to a shady grove a short distance away. As he settles down to rest, his dark eyes remain fixed on his half-eaten kill. Though it will be days before he is hungry again, the sovereign knows that the smell of fresh meat may bring an intruder into his territory.
And he will have none of that.
Tyrannosaurus rex, the iconic, undisputed king of the dinosaurs, is known from numerous specimens including young Jane, big-headed Stan, mighty Sue, and Canada’s own Scotty. It is also known that T. rex, like all coelurosaurs, was related to birds. And there is fossil proof that its tyrannosauroid relatives Dilong and Yutyrannus were feathered. Phylogenetic bracketing therefore suggests that there is a possibility that the tyrant king possessed feathers as well. But to what degree? And where? On the head? Along the spine? Dangling off the arms? At the end of the tail? We may never know. Despite that uncertainty, or perhaps because of it, CollectA has opted to go all out and create a T. rex adorned in feathery goodness.
This Deluxe model measures an imposing 31 cm long and stands 14 cm tall, making it the largest dinosaur in CollectA’s 2015 prehistoric line. Its head is light brown with black stripes and pine green patches on the tip of the snout and either side of the jaw. The eyes are black, the teeth are yellowish white, and the inside of the mouth is pink. The large crest on the head is fiery red and the region around the neck is pine green with a white stripe. The rest of the body is light brown with a yellowish white underbelly and black claws. It’s a striking and attractive colour scheme, one that is very similar to that of a rooster or a male pheasant. I’m therefore going to assume that this T. rex is meant to represent a mature male. I’ve also decided to name him Firestreak. He makes a perfect dad for last year’s Juvenile T. rex.
Aside from his feet, shins, underbelly, hands, and most of his head, Firestreak is entirely covered with plumage. Very impressive plumage at that. The sculptor has clearly taken great pains to sculpt each and every feather with precision and care. The ones making up his crest are fairly long while the ones on his body are smaller and finer. His non-feathered parts are covered in large, thick scales, especially his shins and feet. This, combined with all the plumage, makes him seem far more avian than reptilian.
Firestreak’s massive head has the proper shape for a T. rex. His teeth are large and reasonably sharp, his eyes are facing forward, and his nostril openings are located near the bottom of his snout. Studies have concluded that T. rex possessed vision superior to an eagle’s and a sense of smell comparable to a vulture’s. Invaluable weapons for an apex predator. Firestreak does have a bit of “shrink wrapping” going on, in that the antorbital fenastrae and orbits can be seen through the skin on his skull. Fortunately, they are not as noticeable as on other depictions.
Firestreak’s neck is extremely thick. His arms are appropriately puny and his hands correctly lack pronation. The white feathers on his arms may have come in handy in a mating display. His legs are big and robust and his feet are large, but not oversized. His long, powerful tail would have helped increase his speed. I’m also very happy to report that this model does not have the overly wide hips plaguing the Acrocanthosaurus and last year’s Carcharodontosaurus.
Firestreak is sculpted in a very active pose with his head turned sharply to the left, his legs in a walking stance, and his tail twitching. He could either be stalking an unwary Edmontosaurus, circling a defiant Triceratops, sizing up a rival male, or showing off to an interested female. Due to the extreme pose, CollectA has wisely chosen to mount their model on an earthen-shaped base. One need never worry about Firestreak taking a fall.
This is one of the first CollectA models to feature an articulated lower jaw. I’ve long been a fan of such a feature and it works well on Firestreak. However, the tissue on either side of his mouth have rounded edges for some strange reason. It doesn’t ruin the appearance for me, but it is unfortunate. As well, the hind claws and feet are slightly too long and the the seams where Firestreak’s bare shins meet his feathery thighs are rather noticeable. These are all minor flaws though.
The CollectA Feathered Tyrannosaurus rex is an awesome and exciting model. It’s big, it’s fun to display or play with, it’s beautifully painted and sculpted, it’s accurately proportioned, it’s stable, and it solidly refutes the silly notion that feathered dinosaurs don’t look intimidating. Again, we may never know for certain if T. rex had feathers, but for myself, I much prefer dinosaur depictions that take speculative chances as opposed to ones that remain conservative. This is now my favourite T. rex and the best prehistoric figure of 2015 as far as I’m concerned. It truly captures the essence of the tyrant lizard. Five out of five stars for King Firestreak!
A big thank you goes out to CollectA for generously providing me with this advance sample!
Disclaimer: links to Ebay and Amazon on the DinoToyBlog are affiliate links, so we make a small commission if you use them. Thanks for supporting us!
I’m definitely impressed. I was holding off on purchasing this T-Rex, especially after the introduction of Safari’s new fully feathered offering. I have to admit that I was put off by that convex piece of tissue at the back of either side of the mouth. However, the rumor (apparently false), two weeks ago that CollectA was discontinuing it in favor of the new Mohawk version ( which I’ll likely acquire later this year), spurred me to take the plunge and buy old Firestreak.
Surprise! CollectA has corrected the the problem with the tissue, which is no longer unnaturally convex. I’ve heard that they are responsive to customer feedback – but, wow, i wasn’t expecting this. Glad that I waited. Compare CollectA with, say, Battat, in the customer relations department – day and night respectively! I’m impressed.
Hey, that’s really cool about the corrected mouth tissue! Would you be able to provide an image?
Beautiful toy – and amazing review, Suspsy! I actually have the smaller “hunting” version of this at home!
If only they did some other feathered tyrannosaurs in this sort of pose (maybe Yutyrannus) – that is, if T. rex did have feathers .. :/
[…] previous Wild Safari T. rex! It is also noticeably heavier than either of the Papo T. rexes or the CollectA Deluxe Feathered T. rex. So why is this figure so massive? Well, the truth is that we’ve all been duped for a long […]
This one looks a bit skinnier than it should be. We all know T. rex as the barrel-chested, muscular top predator of Hell Creek and Lance. Luckily the new Safari Feathered Rex improves on this.
Also, the underside of its tail probably wasn’t feathered as it’s shown here.
This is a great review. The first part really gives you an idea of what dinosaurs were. The review itself was everything I needed. Can’t wait to get my copy.
Thanks! Glad you liked it. 🙂
No problem 🙂
I also love the name Firestreak. It fits him.
[…] UK. It is one of the earliest known tyrannosaurs, and while it was a far cry from the likes of Tyrannosaurus rex, Tarbosaurus, and Zhuchengtyrannus, it must have been a formidable predator in its own […]
[…] here. Moreover, this figure continues the VERY pleasing trend started by last year’s Feathered Tyrannosaurus rex: proper-sized […]
[…] on the heels of last year’s ‘Deluxe’ feathered Tyrannosaurus, Collecta have seen fit to update their smaller scale range with a similarly […]
[…] fearsome apex predator that measures cm long. The colour scheme is virtually identical to that of Firestreak’s: light brown and pine green plumage with an airbrushed white underbelly, red crest, black eyes, […]
[…] hips. It is my earnest hope that CollectA is moving past these shortcomings, as last year’s Feathered Tyrannosaurus rex and Spinosaurus toys boasted normal-sized hips. We’ll just have to see what this year’s […]
[…] The Juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex is yet another shining example of just how much CollectA has improved over the years. This is a fun little dinosaur for fans of all ages. And if you’re concerned about it being lonely on your shelf, go check out its Deluxe-sized daddy! […]
It is to tell you that although it is a fabulous figure I just received yesterday, we must be very careful with falls.
I dropped that figure to less than half a meter high on my console and can be split in two manufacturing defects’ve had to stick with very strong glue. Moreover dinosaur body consists of two parts: top plastic very solid and bottom legs connected with the body.
I mention this so that no one would pass me what this great figure.
I generally make a point of handling all of my dinosaur figures carefully, regardless of whether or not they feel fragile.
[…] brown at the tips of the fingers and toes, blue eyes, and a red mouth. Quite the contrast from the brighter and sharper colour schemes of CollectA’s more recent feathered […]
Do you know when and where this figure will be available?
I’m afraid I don’t know when it will be released. I imagine it should be soon though. And it should be available at any number of online stores. Check the Store link for a list.
Suspy, is the Rex moulded with the base or is it just glued to it?
It appears to be glued on. When the time comes, be sure to let me know the results of your endeavour.
I am so disappointed. This was my most anticipated figure of the year and IT’S ON A BASE!! 🙁 🙁 🙁 I know many loove bases, but to me, this is a toy- it’s plastic and made by a toy company- and bases totally take away from the imagination and versatility that a toy has. What a huge disappointment. They could have at least made it removable. I will not be buying this figure. Hopefully safari will make a feathered Rex in the near future, baseless.
I understand your disappointment, Kat, but as I’ve pointed out before, without the base, this toy would be just like the recently reissued Battat T. rex: totally unable to stand up on its own. That is often the unfortunate trade-off when putting a bipedal animal in an active pose. And there are plenty of toys out there with bases and it’s still possible to play with them. Me, I like to keep Firestreak on the couch next to me while watching TV. I can occasionally reach over and play with his jaws or caress his feathery back without worrying about him ever falling over. Also, you can easily repaint the base or even add some foliage from your local hobby store to make it look more exciting.
It’s your call, of course, but if you were anticipating the toy that much, I really feel you should go ahead and get it. I suspect you’d enjoy it in spite of the base. It is hands down my favourite T. rex toy.
My disappointment has nothing to do with your wonderful review suspsy I just have an unusual hatred toward bases on toys. Put bases on decorational display sculptures/ models and I’m fine (I actually prefer). It just stems from being a kid and not being able to play as freely when your toy’s feet are permanently cemented to this “ground”. No galloping, jumping, standing on other defeated toys ect without the random lump of plastic earth always being there. I just wish collecta would make them removable and please everyone. Well.. MOST everyone
The feathers look great and believable! 🙂
Thank you for the compliments. 🙂 As I said, it’s entirely your call, but I still strongly recommend that you get this toy. The base appears to be simply glued on, so you’d probably be able to remove it with a little patience and a few crafting tools if you so desired.
Am I the only one who really dislikes this figure? The pose is better than last years Carcharodontosaurus and being bold is fine with new ideas. However I feel the paint scheme is awful and cartoonish, as a predator he’d stick out like a sore thumb, The base is bland. The scaly underbelly looks unnatural, the tail looks skinny and it has chicken legs. Feathers have never been found in any T Rex fossils. If other better models are going to be knocked for anatomical irregularities I am going to be just as hard about going over the top with feathers that may never have existed, just because a relative Yutyrannus has been found with them does not mean all theropods did. The head feathers look like something from Priscilla Queen Of The Desert.
I understand why people who are feather mad will like this but I like my dino’s to be limited to exactly what is currently known scientifically.
I can’t believe people would prefer this over Rebors. Apart from the angry eye orbits Jurassic Park style, its a far more impressive beast and deserves far more than the two and a half it received.
Personally, if I had been in charge of the colour scheme, I’d have probably gone with something a bit more subtle. Perhaps similar to the plumage of an eagle or a turkey, just like Julius Csotonyi’s most recent art. But part of the fun with dinosaur figures is that you can get away with bright colour schemes and there’s really nothing to prove you wrong. And I’ve seen plenty of scaly renditions of T. rex that are just as brightly coloured as ol’ Firestreak here.
A friend of mine pointed out on FB that we assume that large land predators can’t be brightly coloured because we’re accustomed to lions, hyenas, wolves, polar bears, etc. But dinosaurs may have lived by a completely different set of “rules.” And Firestreak’s red crest could easily be seen as breeding plumage that moults in and out.
Now as far as feathers on T. rex are concerned, I’ve heard a lot of paleontologists speak on the topic and quite a number of them are in favour of it. These would include Thomas Holtz, Steve Brusatte, and Mark Witton. Pointing out that we haven’t found any T. rex fossils with feather impressions is rather meaningless given that we also haven’t found any Argentavis or Kelenken or Gastornis fossils with feather impressions. For that matter, we haven’t found any Smilodon or Arctodus fossils with fur.
Oh, and I would surmise that another reason CollectA went with a bright colour scheme was to attract younger fans. Which is quite a good reason.
As far as the REBOR statue goes, I’m not a fan of it at all. To me, it’s a well-sculpted but dull, outdated, over-the-top representation of T. rex. I like my dinosaurs depicted as animals, not monsters. But if you like it, all the power to you, mate. Cheers.
One more thought:
While I am all for scientific accuracy, the notion that depictions of dinosaurs should strictly adhere to what is currently known has long struck me as a slippery slope. The majority of dinosaurs are only known from fragmentary remains, and we still know virtually nothing about what colour they were. Take speculation out of the equation, and dinosaurs are reduced to mere piles of fossil bones.
A few more of your points that I missed earlier:
The tail does look thin in some of the photos I took, but I assure you that it isn’t. It’s actually one of the more muscular tails I’ve seen on a T. rex toy.
The base is indeed plain, but it was a last minute addition to the toy. All of CollectA’s bases are pretty plain anyway.
The bare underside would have prevented a large feathered animal from overheating. Most artistic depictions of feathered tyrannosaurids and therizinosaurids have bare undersides. And bare legs absolutely make sense.
Check out the art. Coincidence?
http://m.phys.org/news/2015-07-unique-tooth-predatory-dinosaurs-efficiently.html
Fantastic review, I so can’t wait to get my copies….one is going to be repainted;) I too am a little disappointed the base is a permanent fixture though.
Thank you. I must say, I am flattered by all these compliments!
I asked CollectA about the base and they confirmed that it was added due to the toy’s lack of stability. The unavoidable fact of the matter is that you simply can’t have a large theropod figure in an active pose without either a base, a tripod stance, or oversized feet.
I’m very eager to see how people repaint this toy. If I possessed any painting skills, I’d try to base it on a harpy eagle.
I have 2 on preorder, but I’d really like a third. 2 for repaints, I have 2 ideas 🙂 and the third to keep as is. Should have used my screen name the first time…oooops 😀
Nice. If CollectA were to re-release this toy in 2016 with a different colour scheme, I would probably snap it up. A black and white colour scheme might be nifty.
Funny you would say that….a crow-like color scheme was what I was thinking of for one of them….and/or a bearded Vulture. 😉
Great review and a stunning model, one of CollectA’s best and FINALLY a T. rex model that does the animal justice! A must have for me for sure. I can’t wait to get my hands on one.
Thanks! It really is my favourite T. rex now. You’ll love it!
Great review Suspy and and absolutely stunning T.rex! Will be getting this one for sure!
Thanks, Dinomike!
Oh, cool! I didn’t even realize until you posted the “family dinner” pic at the bottom that the juvenile rex matches the adult in plumage coloration! You should’ve made a bigger deal about that in your post!
Good idea. I’ve added a mention.
Thanks for the review, Suspsy. Although like some other people I’m quite disappointed about the base, especially since the figure was originally advertised without it, the detail described here is making me consider buying it anyway.
Do it!
As an OCD person, the molding lines do bug me a bit, and the face does appear a bit shrink-wrapped (that is, the fenestrae are very visible). But all in all, this figure is most defenently the best Tyrannosaurus i have ever seen. The detailing is great, the paintjob is superb, and best of all, it is really nicely feathered. This gets five stars from me, easy.
Word.
Excellent review! I’m glad to see they’ve given it a base, and avoided the overly-broad hips of their other theropods. Also, thanks for showing it from the front, it looks like they’ve done a great job with the skull and the position of the eyes.
I’m glad to have pre-ordered this model, because any company that makes a big, feathery Tyrannosaurus ought to get my money, but it’s definitely got a few issues. Why the featherless, scale-encrusted face? Why the super-long toe claws? Why no lips? Still, I’m looking forward to adding this one to my shelf. Way to go, CollectA 😀
Thanks, Patryx!
A scaly face would be much better and safer for sticking into bloody carcasses than one with feathers. That’s why vultures have bare heads. As for lips, that would have been neat, but that reconstruction doesn’t seem to have really caught on just yet.
If you recall, Minizoo posted a video ad awhile back in which the T. rex was shown without a base. The narrator made a point of mentioning that the model was prone to falling over. I suspect that the overly long hind claws were done in order to try and keep the model standing, but then it was decided that a base would be even better.
Interesting point, though according to Ward et. al (2008), the “bald” heads of vultures and kin are a thermoregulatory adaptation; not to do with feeding on carcasses. I don’t have access to the paper, but you can read more about it here: http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/09/24/condors-and-vultures
Ah, I thought I remembered seeing a version without a base in a video somewhere. I understand Misheru’s point, though I’m inclined to agree with you on the matter myself.
Interesting. Although I’m sure the bare heads are still helpful for staying clean anyway. A T. rex with a feathered muzzle would probably find it tiresome to to clean out blood and bits of flesh.
It looks really nice, but the presence of a base is very off putting for me, and in fact slightly enraging given that the prototype photos never had one. CollectA could take a bit of advice from Favorite Kinto with the removable bases, but as is I have to say I’m very disappointed. Figures with bases simply “aren’t toys” to me, you can’t really do much with them without heavy customization or actually burying the base in substrate. I’m sure it looks lovely on a shelf, but its a huge disappointment for me since I was hoping to finally get a T. rex ‘toy’ that had a good coat of feathers.
The Papo T. rex in that size comparison photo has fallen over more times than I can count, in spite of having oversized feet. I have to display him at an angle with his tail touching the wall in order to keep him standing up. I’m fine with a base if it means I never have to worry about Firestreak losing his balance. And if it means his hips are of normal proportion.
I would appreciate the base for stability if the dinosaur was removable, but I feel when a base is permanently fused to a figure that it makes it a diorama and not a toy anymore. I probably wouldn’t have been so put-off if CollectA had shown it on a base from the start, but after the pre-production photos showed it without one I feel almost deceived. The feet look as if they are another mold than the base however, like they are glued on? If that’s the case than some simple customization could be possible (perhaps some screws in its feet to help it balance).
I do understand where you’re coming from. Again, I’m perfectly fine with the base myself, but it would be nice if there was some way to put theropod toys in dramatic poses without having to use either bases, tripod stances, or oversized feet. I seriously doubt it’s possible.
It does appear that the base is simply glued on. I’m way too cautious to risk anything, but I’d be interested to hear about anyone else’s attempt once the model becomes widely available in stores.
Congratulations to suspsy for the comment and publication. I am glad that this figure is supported on a carrier. I think with such an excellent publication, says it all. It’s a gorgeous figure.He not expected to be so great.
With a little luck in a few weeks it will be available in most stores especially online.
Thanks, Manuel!