Loon's Collection: PNSO Suchomimus (Jan. 16)

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I had no idea that roadrunner was such a well-liked figure. I have to agree, it is really nice, just not as exciting as some of the other models that came that day, at least in my opinion.

Alright, I’ve been looking for an excuse to share my latest acquisition, the Yowie Spotted Hyena. However, I felt I wouldn’t have enough to saw to warrant giving it its own post. So, now that I’ve got something else, here we go.
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I would have said that I don’t actively collect Yowie figures, but then I realized I’ve probably bought over 30 of them. So, I guess I can say I don’t often include Yowie figures in my displays often. Still, I like to support that company, because I like what they do and I can give the figures to my niece since she is currently in her animal phase. However, every now and then, they’ll come out with something I just must have, in this case, the Spotted Hyena.
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I am so happy to finally have found one of these. While I’m sure I could have saved some money and just bought one off eBay for a little more, there is something to buying the eggs and seeing which you get. They’ll make a great addition to my bizarre Protoceratops/Hyena shelf.
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Candy toys don’t tend to have the best sculpting or paint, but I feel like this recent Yowie wave has been a real step up in both regards. Compared to something like the barely painted Sunda colugo, this figure has multiple colors and even shading in some areas. The spots are purple for some reason. I guess maybe this is trying to emulate how they may like in some lighting? Or there’s some strange production excuse for it. I don’t know, and it’s not that big of a deal. Still, I’m overall very happy with it. They’ll make a great new addition to my clan of small hyenas.
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Here’s a bit of a personal update, after working as a childcare substitute for my school district for over 2 years, I’ve finally become a contracted employee! Not only that, but starting this week, I will now be working there for 5.5 hours every day, which, after only spending an hour and a half there every day, is quite the step up. In addition to my previous childcare responsibilities, which mostly revolved around watching over multiple grade levels of kids, I will also be working with an “early bird” group of kindergarteners. As part of my new job is to plan lessons and activities for them, I’ve gone on a bit of a shopping spree this past weekend and bought up a bunch of games, toys, books for them. It’s a bit excessive, but I get that way. I think this overexcitement comes from how this feels like one step closer to becoming an actual teacher, and it’s quite a big step at that. Still, even though I was buying things for the kids, the toy collector in me couldn’t resist checking out what the different stores had. This whole story leads me to my local Target, which after cramming a bunch of books and fidget toys into my hands (because I never assume I might need a cart at one of these places), I finally decided to pull the trigger on a set I’d long been eyeballing. This is the Animal Planet “Helicopter Excursion” playset, and I gotta say, never has a purchase filled me with more disgust and confusion…
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I’ll be frank, I bought this set entirely for this goblin shark figure. There are so few readily available options at a decent size, so when I first saw that there was a nice big one at Target I was tempted. In hand, though, I must admit, I find it…wanting.
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In terms of accuracy, it’s just off enough to be irritating. I mean, given that this is basically a Chap Mei style set, shouldn’t be too surprised, but it’s so close to being decent. I think it’s mostly just the fins that bother me, as they’re a bit too soft-looking and eel-like, lacking the angles I associate with a shark fin.
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Aside from that, the overall quality of the toy is not very nice. It feels cheap; covered in nasty edges with exposed mold flash littering the seams. That and the finish makes it look like something that’s been hanging out in a daycare toy box for the past 15 years. None of this would hurt so much if I got this in a bin of cheap sea life for $5, but this set cost me nearly $20…
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The rest of the set definitely does not pick up the slack. Case in point, the basking shark is just an even worse-looking knockoff of the Safari figure. Now, I don’t dislike that Safari version as much as some, but this thing is very weak. I think the eyes really bring it down, as at least the Safari eyes looked nice, and these are just cartoonish. It’s also the victim of a finish that’s equally as poor as the goblin shark.
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This one is identified as a sevengill shark on the box, and wow, it’s not even close. While I appreciate the idea of including this species, since it is rarer to see in toy form (in fact, I don’t even know if another toy of it exists), this is so generic that I don’t even see why they bothered. I think you could have just labeled this “shark” and gotten away with it. Not only is the head completely wrong, almost resembling a bull shark, the dorsal fins (yes, the toy has 2 fins, not 1) are in the wrong spot. Maybe worst of all, it only has 5 gills, not the 7 the species is named after.
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I literally did not know there was even a sevengill shark in this set till I started writing this post and checked the back of the box. I just assumed maybe it was a bull shark or something. It’s a real shame, too, since that’s such an interesting species and I would have loved to add it to my collection; especially since it reminds me of the sevengill sharks in the Bay Area, and while anything that reminds me of the Bay Area is usually great, this is not one of those things.
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Luckily, the lined catshark (again, happy to see a rarer species) fairs quite a bit better in the accuracy department. I mean, it looks like the animal it’s trying to represent. Still, the paint and some sculpted details are a bit too simplified for my taste. I also wish the body was stretched out a bit, maybe with a bit of curve, as it does look a little generically sharky.
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As for the rest of the stuff in the box, well… Maybe I’m biased because I don’t really collect many non-transforming action figures, but the diver and his helicopter come off as an afterthought and unfortunately are probably why the set has such a high price tag.
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The diver is a cheap, sub-dollar store quality figure. His whole body and the accessories he comes with are made with this shiny, oily plastic that feels like it’ll seep through the pours in your skin and give you an infection if you hold it too long. Not to mention the fact that when I first opened the box, little Eraserhead’s knee was dissembled.
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The helicopter is also a bizarre thing. Firstly, I must admit, I don’t really know what divers do outside of, you know, dive, but I can’t imagine them using helicopters a lot. Especially when they would be the only one piloting them. The set is called “helicopter excursion,” so does that mean that these sharks are attacking the helicopter? Or that this brave diver has stumbled upon a battle between this diverse group of sharks and foolishly decided either he (in nothing but his diving gear) or his flying vehicle can somehow intervene???
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Ok, calm down, Michael… Really, this helicopter is just a few cheap pieces of plastic that would shatter upon impact with anything harder than a pillow. I should note that the diver actually cannot sit in the helicopter with any of his gear on, so I’m sure that’ll get lost as soon as any kid opens the box. Still…why a helicopter and not a boat?

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If he's warning me about this set, I should have listened.

Anyway, that’s a lot of words to say that these are just some nasty cheap toys that cost me too much money and that I don’t like very much. Who knows, maybe one day one of them will make something of themselves?

Congrats on becoming a contracted employee! Your job sounds very exciting! I agree that the yowie hyena is very nice, just too small for me to add to my collection Shame about the shark set, I’ve always wanted Safari to make a goblin shark, they’re so goofy looking and I love sharks

Nice additions again

I want also to congratulate you for this new step in your life. Becoming a contracted employee is really important.
About your new models, especially those hsarks, what happens is that sometimes a brand has a plan and choose some species for a set, then they contact the manufacturer and if there are already some existing designs that they can use, it will result much cheaper than asking for completely new sculpts. Thus, they often use what they think will look closer. I am not sure it was what happened here. Contrarily to you, I enjoy the idea of a helicopter instead of a boat, it gives more spectacularity to the set and those are made to be attractive for kids.

Excellent new models! I quite like my purple spotted hyena too. The set is interesting as its a copy of the Discovery Shark Week set figures which some are copies of the Safari models you mention... curious. But my goblin shark isnt much better though I think the seams were less noticeable... anyhow, congrats on all and the job news! That is very exciting for you.

I'm so glad to hear such good news for you and wonderful models to go with it! I love the hyena!

There is a way to get the goblin shark, catshark, and several other unusual species without the helicopter, diver, etc. You could’ve instead gotten the Shark Week box set.

Loon wrote:

Hi all,

Somewhat less excitingly, this Safari Greater Roadrunner, which was not part of the box from Teardrop, arrived on the same day. I don't know how rare this figure is, but it was not one I knew existed before I saw the auction for it. Luckily, I didn't pay too much either way. Still, this is a really nice figure, which, isn't too shocking, considering how nice Safari's birds tend to be. I'm also happy to own another native child of the golden state; the species is even called Geococcyx californianus, so that's really cool.  
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I would like one of these Safari roadrunners. Unfortunately, it’s discontinued and will probably become like the opossum soon. Does anyone around have extras to trade with me?

Beautiful pack of spotted hyenas and interesting sharks set!

Thank you all for the comments, especially those about my new hours; it always means so much. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], I can definitely see that being the case about the shark set. Honestly, I came off a bit harsh in that appraisal; a bit too much like my old forum user self for my tastes.

So, on a far more positive note, a small embarrassment of figures has found its way into my home recently, through several sources. Still, I want to cover them all, so I’ve ordered them from least to most favorite.
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Lego Nedry for size comparison purposes only.

Papo African Penguin (2016)
While this is my least favorite new figure, I cannot say it’s bad, by any stretch. It’s just not a terribly exciting addition, as, in some ways, it’s a little too plain. I think the paint is good, but the sculpt is far too simplified and smooth, even for something this size. The only other penguin in my collection, Papo’s Emperor, had a similar issue; but frankly, I just don’t see as many quality options for standard sizes versions of these animals. I’d love some suggestions though.
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CollectA Mute Swan (2008)
For an earlier CollectA figure, I have to admit, this one’s pretty nice. The feathering might not be the most intricate or anything, but it does the job.
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I rarely name figures, but this one will henceforth be called “Cyril” after the notorious Swansea football mascot, Cyril the Swan.
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Seen here during his battle with Zampa the Lion. (Photo from: The Guardian)


Mojö Fun Skunk (2011)
Another solid figure. I don’t own Safari’s striped skunk yet, but I do like this one’s slightly more dynamic pose. All in all, a great and essential little addition to my North American wildlife collection.
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CollectA Elasmosaurus (2021)
I was a little wary of this model for sometime. The stock photos really did it no favors; I think the paint was a little too saturated and the angle was just odd, giving it that humped look. In hand, I’m happy to report that it is far nicer. The colors are a bit duller, which I like. Sure, that CollectA “warpaint” is still on the head, and that never looks that good. I also think the back posture is far more realistic, coming off more as a natural arch to the spine than a big inaccurate hunch.
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Compared to the CollectA Thalassomedon, which this figure will be replacing on my shelves.
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Papo Tiger (2005)
Several people here have recommended shopgoodwill to look for rarer figures, and I actually found a decent lot on there recently. While the Safari Malayan Tapir I wanted from it was too beat up for me, I did find some interesting little gems in it. One of which was this Papo tiger. What a beauty, I must admit. I think Papo’s big cats have a lot of hype surrounding them, and they rarely live up to that for me. Admittedly, the newer releases I buy have significantly worse paint, though; but still, those exaggerated poses can be a bit off putting for me. Luckily, this figure escapes those trappings and is just a really well-done Bengal tiger. I think it’s an older release, since the paint is so nice.
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With the very good Mojö tiger it’ll be replacing. I liked that figure, I just found the pose a bit stiff and the legs a little to thin and long.
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CollectA Xiphactinus (2021)
Another new CollectA figure, this Xiohactinus came off a bit odd when it was first revealed. I think the photos made it look very bland, which was a shame, since the sculpt is gorgeous. Thankfully, the finished product is far more detailed in hand. There’s definitely a lot of silver, but there are some other colors mixed in to keep a sense of realism, and I’m happy with that. I’m also super excited to add this icon to my western interior seaway display.
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CollectA Doedicurus (2021)
I’m a really sucker for nice big figures and prehistoric mammals, so of course this one’s a hit. I much prefer it to Safari’s, which I always felt was bit too cutesy for my liking. The details, especially on the bands, are so crisp here, and the colors are actually far less monotone than I expected. Overall, a classic Cenozoic species that I’m happy to have represented by such a great toy.
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Lovely figures! I really like that mojo skunk.

I personally love all the African penguins that are made by the major brands and my new favorite one is the Colorata one I was able to purchase from you.

I really like Schleich's African penguin although not as realistic as others. Safari's probably looks the best in my opinion its just a bit larger than the others. CollectA's has the best paint job I think but it looks kind of odd when looking at it from the front... If you are looking for a more "textured" mold I'd definitely go with CollectA or Safari, they aren't smooth like Papo or Colorata.

Here are some images of them together for scale if it helps you  
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The Safari African penguin on its stomach is really nice too, my poor guy was a childhood favorite so he's a bit beat up
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[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Thank you! How could I forget about your lovely photos? They were the whole reason I wanted to buy an African Penguin in the first place! 

I appreciate all the info, I'll definitely be looking at the CollectA and Safari ones more closely. Though, I have to agree that CollectA's looks off from some angles.

Also, I did not know of that older Safari figures existence. I do like the pose quite a bit and I think it holds up next to the newer ones. I'll definitely be on the look out for that one

Loon wrote:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Thank you! How could I forget about your lovely photos? They were the whole reason I wanted to buy an African Penguin in the first place! 

I appreciate all the info, I'll definitely be looking at the CollectA and Safari ones more closely. Though, I have to agree that CollectA's looks off from some angles.

Also, I did not know of that older Safari figures existence. I do like the pose quite a bit and I think it holds up next to the newer ones. I'll definitely be on the look out for that one

No problem I'm glad I could help! The older Safari one (the one on the stomach I assume you mean) is still in production. Although I would suggest trying to find an older painted version as in recent years the paint has changed (as with a lot of their figures) and the older one looks more realistic and textured I think.

Excellent additions! Congrats! I really need these prehistorics... they are lovely. The elasmosaurus is painted vaguely like a pike/muskellunge... not great work but I like the idea!

Joliezac wrote:

No problem I'm glad I could help! The older Safari one (the one on the stomach I assume you mean) is still in production. Although I would suggest trying to find an older painted version as in recent years the paint has changed (as with a lot of their figures) and the older one looks more realistic and textured I think.

Yeah, I agree. I did find a slightly scuffed up older variant on eBay it is far and away superior to the rerelease, even with the wear.

Nice additions again

So many beautiful new models, the Papo tiger is stunning, so detailed and powerful and realistic! The 2021 CollectA models look really well made too!

Congratulations for all your new additions! For example, Papo tiger is something really spectacular and that never aged.
I don't know if Christophe is opening a topic about penguins, if he is not, I will probably do it myself and show the options to build a standard sized collection of penguins with Colorata, without it and mixing them all.
To be fair, I think the Papo African penguin is the least interesting of the standard sized ones, however, it is my personal opinion and I don't want to make you feel bad for acquiring it. I will probably get one someday too. Though, it is surprising that you got ride of your Colorata to acquire the Papo. I find the Colorata very faithful to the species but obviously you have your reasons to take that decision. CollectA model looks weird because it has a strange pose and it is very leggy. I have the Schleich African penguin, I find it a good model, probably the best Schleich penguin together with the king penguin that was available for just one year. It has a painting with softer transitions when compared with Colorata, it doesn't mean it is more correct, just another style. It is richly textured while the Colorata is smooth, Though, the body is basically a egg sitting on its paws while the Colorata has a defined chest, belly and legs. Also, the bill shape of the Colorata is correct while the Schleich fails in this regard.
About the Safari gliding it is almost as large as the Schleich king penguinbut it is a correct model. My sample is a 2010 production batch model.

Theses CollectA doedicurus and smilodon are great but I like the elasmoaure and the fish too! :)

Thanks [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] If that thread ever gets created, I'll definitely be checking it out, since I would like to add some more penguins to my collection. Speaking of the Colorata set. I do slightly regret selling it in hindsight; as you said, there are some nice figures in it. Still, at the time, I don't think I was actually considering an African penguin that much. Also, I take no offense at any complaints about the Papo one. It is certainly my least favorite of these, and already has a replacement on the way in the form of the sliding Safari figure.

Thanks [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]! Actually, that Smilodon is from Mojö, and it's fantastic.

Some lovely additions!!

Loon wrote:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] If that thread ever gets created, I'll definitely be checking it out, since I would like to add some more penguins to my collection. Speaking of the Colorata set. I do slightly regret selling it in hindsight; as you said, there are some nice figures in it. Still, at the time, I don't think I was actually considering an African penguin that much. Also, I take no offense at any complaints about the Papo one. It is certainly my least favorite of these, and already has a replacement on the way in the form of the sliding Safari figure.

I decided to start the topic, you can see it [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] In a few days I will talk about the banded penguins and I have the Colorata, Schleich and Safari South African penguins, so you can check it better before taking a decision.

Woah, so much new stuff, shows how long I've been offline but I have now switched schools at last and am ready to catch up.
The sea otters are very cute, don't remember if I saw them when you first showed me that small mammal lot, the paint detail is gorgeous.
The Yowies hyena is so chunky, love its shape and it fits nicely with your other small spotted hyenas.
The sharks are quite something, I may switch to a Josh Brolin imitation to say "a small price to pay", but worth the goblin shark.
The human feels like an imperfect clone of Luis from Schleich Team Dino.
The following lot is simply awesome, the Xiphactinus looks so much better than I expected in terms of paint work, I am also surprised to see that the fine hairs of the Doedicurus are sculpt detail and not just painted on.

As usual, it’s been a bit since I’ve last updated this thread. In that time, I’ve received a decent amount of figures and I’d like to share some highlights.

After perusing the dolphin offerings of the major brands, I finally have settled on this bottlenose dolphin from CollectA. I’m surprised I like this one so much. Usually I see early CollectA figures as pretty weak, but this one does a pretty good job capturing the anatomy.
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While definitely a little big for the (now renamed) Cetacean Parade, it fits in well enough. Unlike the Kaiyodo Polyresin bottlenose dolphin I had up there for a bit, I won’t suffer any tragedies if this one slips from its string.
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AliExpress’ 11.11 sale ensured that a few Chinese brands would make their way onto my shelves, PNSO being the most prolific. Their Helicoprion, despite having some problems in the facial region is overall a very nice figure. I’m always happy to add a new member to the Paleozoic shelf, too.
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Leaving the seas, we encounter two massive allosauroids, PNSO’s Carcharodontosaurus and Vitae’s Giganotosaurus. I’ve never been one to obsess over giant theropods like these, but I have to admit, these two are so well done, plus they were on sale.

The Carcharodontosaurus is without a doubt the best theropod PNSO’s come out with. It’s sleek, yet very beefy. The colors are also a step above their usual fair, not being super bright, but still having some variety.
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Vitae’s Giganotosaurus is honestly one of the best dinosaur figures I own. For the price, it should be, of course. Even though it’s a PVC figure, it just feels premium. The green really works too, as I feel it avoids looking boring, like so many green dinosaurs tend to. Mine has a very loose jaw, and I am worried about it bending over, but I can’t get I’ve show nice it looks.
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For my birthday, my brother and I visited my favorite local toy store that’s 30 minutes away, The Dinosaur Farm. I decided to gift myself this Papo Ceratosaurus. Seeing this one again, I was just so impressed with the sculpt and paintwork, which makes sense, given how expensive these figures get. I’m happy to finally have a Ceratosaurus that looks good in my Morrison Formation display.
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Another PNSO figure (I’ve been really into dinosaurs this past while, can you tell?) it’s the Pachycephalosaurus. Again, it’s just really nice. I don’t love the reliance on stands, but I can see the reason for it. I like this one’s because, while not exact, the colors are reminiscent of the design in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. That, and the head is spot on.
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PNSO's Tylosaurus showed up yesterday, and I have gone through quite a journey with it. At first, I didn't care for it. I thought it was not worth the $40 I paid for it. It's hollow and the paint isn't that amazing. I also didn't care for the texture stamped scales that cover the body. Compared to the other figures around this price from PNSO, I couldn't see where the money went. I technically only paid $18ish for it, as a $25 Amazon gift card I got from my aunt covered the rest. However, after further thought, I've had a bit of a turn around on it. I really enjoy the head sculpt, which just screams Tylosaurus to me. The blue is actually really nice, and reminds me of the mosasaurus from Jurassic World, specifically the ride (which I have a whole lot more time for than the movies).
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Here it is along with the updated prehistoric marine shelf, which I think has come along nicely.
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Finally, after all the overly expensive dinosaurs, I present one of my proudest recent achievements (toy wise). I got Safari’s Great Horned Owl in a massive lot recently. If you bought anything from my sale, there’s a good chance you got something from that lot.
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Anyway, my sister flew in from Texas to celebrate her wedding shower during the last week of November, and since it was at out house, I finally got to share my display with people who aren’t my immediate family or avid collectors. It was nerve racking, I had to dust and sweep and all that before that Friday came. I had just barely finished hanging up this owl and the Helicoprion before people arrived. Boy, was I happy I did. Everyone was so impressed and I got so many compliments. It felt very validating, because, I worried it might come off as too much (which it is). But, luckily, that wasn’t the case, and everyone really enjoyed it.

Well, that’s all for now. I don’t know if I’ll update this thread before the end of the year, so I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday, if you celebrate anything, and if you don’t, have a great month anyway.
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