Safari Rhamphorhynchus walkaround

Thought I'd do a walkaround for the pterosaur that is my namesake.

Rhamphorhynchus (name meaning beak snout) was a small pterosaur that lived in the Jurassic in what is now Europe.  It had a 3-4 foot wingspan is known to have eaten fish, due to fish bones being preserved in the throats and abdomens of some specimens.  It is one of the most well-known pterosaurs and many fossils of it have been found in the Solnohofen limestone deposit in Germany.  From this site, beautifully preserved Rhamphorhynchus fossils have been found in which soft tissue has been preserved, such as the wing membranes and tail vanes.  This has allowed us to learn more about the anatomy of pterosaur wings.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]DSC_8272 by E H, on Flickr
The figure's diamond-shaped tail vane means that this represents an adult Rhamphorhynchus. Rhamphorhunchus specimens have been found with oval, diamond, and triangle shaped tail vanes and it is thought that these indicated the age of the animal. Younger ones had the oval, adults had the diamond, and the biggest (and probably oldest) adults had the triangle.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]DSC_8274 by E H, on Flickr
Closer view of the head.  The large forward-facing teeth would have been good for grabbing slippery fish.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]DSC_8286 by E H, on Flickr
Another view of the head.  There should be a small pointed toothless beak at the end of the jaws.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]DSC_8277 by E H, on Flickr
Other side
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]DSC_8279 by E H, on Flickr
The trailing edges of the wings are a more amber color than what is shown here.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]DSC_8283 by E H, on Flickr
This figure should have pycnofibers instead of bare skin.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]DSC_8281 by E H, on Flickr
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]DSC_8285 by E H, on Flickr
The legs.  The wing membrane should attach to the legs instead of the body like how this model depicts.  Also, there should be another membrane between the legs.  Weither this attaches to the tail or not is unknown.  In addition, the 5th toe should be greatly elongated to serve as an attachment point for the wing membranes.  The elongated toe is a feature only found in the basal long-tailed pterosaurs. Also, the legs should be straight, not tucked in like birds.

In conclusion, this is a really nice figure. Despite the inaccuracies that I pointed out, this is a very well done representation of Rhamphorhynchus. The detail is really good and I like the color scheme. Even though Rhamphorhynchus is one of the most well-known pterosaurs, there are surprisingly few figures of it. This is only 1 of 2 that I have, the other being an older monocolor figure that I don't know what company made.

Overall, 8 out of 10

I never thought about the legs but you are right. When you like very much a model like this one it is sometimes hard to see the flaws. I'm less picky than I thought

Would you agree to made a Dimorphodon walkaround too?

Kikimalou wrote:

I never thought about the legs but you are right. When you like very much a model like this one it is sometimes hard to see the flaws. I'm less picky than I thought

Would you agree to made a Dimorphodon walkaround too?

I really like this model too but I spend a lot of time reading about pterosaurs so it didn't take me long to notice that.

Yeah, I can do a Dimorphodon walkaround next.

Great, thank you!

Interesting model :)

This particular one looks very plausible to me. Maybe a less impressive species although it has a very nice smile. I am really enjoying these walk arounds and learning more about these creatures. Maybe they won't look the same to me anymore. Loved the detail of the tail and also to know about the legs.

widukind wrote:

Interesting model :)

It is :)

Roger wrote:

This particular one looks very plausible to me. Maybe a less impressive species although it has a very nice smile. I am really enjoying these walk arounds and learning more about these creatures. Maybe they won't look the same to me anymore. Loved the detail of the tail and also to know about the legs.

Thanks. I love pterosaurs.

Wow

Great walk around!

I don't normally collect anything prehistoric, but this figure might just have to come live with my dragons and birds

GoldEagle wrote:

Great walk around!

I don't normally collect anything prehistoric, but this figure might just have to come live with my dragons and birds

Thanks.

You should get this one. It's one of my favorites.