Gecko08’s Updated Collection

I haven’t been paying attention to my collection or newly released figures for the past few months, but my interest has been sparked once again, causing my return to the forum. I changed computers, causing my original spreadsheet detailing my collection to be lost. I've decided to focus my efforts on documenting it all once again, mainly because it is more fun than digging up the original spreadsheet.

I’ve decided to move my collection to a new topic for the sake of neatness and also try to make a steady post each day.

This first post in my return is going to be focused on my pets. A pet store a few cities over is emptying out and moving closer to my house and everything in it is being offered 20-50 percent off. I used this opportunity to gather some more supplies for the pet room.

Algae wafers - My fish tank has had a dreaded hair algae problem for several months. I recently bought a Clown Pleco that hides away all day so I can't photograph. What I can however is the food I bought to supplement its diet.
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Fish food - I'm not running out of fish food, I just thought I'd buy some more for when I do run out.
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Water dish - I bought this for my Leopard Gecko Gizmo to replace the old blue dish in his tank.
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It's not big enough for him to get in, but he never bathes anyway. He just sticks to his habit of kicking dirt into his water while I'm sleeping.
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Aquarium heater - I bought a heater for my tank, and if you ask me that purchase was long overdue. My fish and plants can live without it, but they are that much better with it, so I chose to get one.
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And now for a run-down of my fish.

Beacon Tetras - also called the Head and Tail Light Tetra, but Beacon Tetra sounds better.
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Beacon Tetra's offspring are currently overrunning my tank. It's one thing when a fish survives or does well in a tank, but when they reproduce it's an entirely new level of thriving and I've counted at least 5.
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Neon Tetras
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Black Mollies - the reason I purchased these was to rid my tank of algae and since then they've done most of the work. I was at first concerned due to the white spots on them, but they act normal and none of the other fish have caught them so it's probably not a sickness.
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Cherry Barb - another fish I enlisted to clean the algae, truly an all-hands-on-deck job. I caught two of the barbs in possible courtship but I'm not sure.
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Black Nerite Snail - the snails mainly work on the glass, but they are still a welcome element of my tank.
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07.09.2023

The first batch I will be covering are likely the figures that started it all.

Triceratops (Schleich)
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Late Cretaceous North America
Length: 26 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2012

The main reason why I use scale models of humans when I photograph figures is to help show how big these creatures really were. We can read numbers and measurements all day but we can truly understand the size of some dinosaurs by seeing a human dwarfed by them.

Triceratops (Papo)
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Late Cretaceous North America
Length: 26 feet
Scale: 1:35
Release Date: 2005

I've had this figure and the Schleich one for longer than I can remember. I probably picked up the Schleich Triceratops at Walmart and the Papo Triceratops from the internet. Papo isn't known for accuracy when it comes to dinosaurs, but one thing I will commend them on is the intricate detail packed into the figure.

Tyrannosaurus (Papo)
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Late Cretaceous North America
Length: 40 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2012

I remember getting the Papo Rex from an airport gift shop. Once again, where Papo falls short in accuracy, they make up for in detail and sculpting. However, this figure seems to have trouble standing.

Giganotosaurus (Safari Ltd Carnegie Collection)
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Late Cretaceous South America
Length: 39 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2008

This is probably my favorite figure I'm covering with this batch. A few cities over from where I live (the same city that the pet store was selling out of) there is a Coliseum and every year there is a dinosaur-themed show with figures and animatronics. I used to love going to that show and it is where I bought the Carnegie Giga. The show later became more directed towards kids and they stopped selling name-brand figures and got rid of most of the animatronics, at least at the Coliseum near where I live. I kind of lost interest in going after that, I figured I could buy more and better figures online so that's what I moved to doing.

The figure is missing a few fingers on the right hand, proof of the years of playing it withstood.
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The Giga can be posed with its tail on the ground or with its tail off the ground.
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I've even come to love the figure's vibrant color scheme. Modern birds have bright colors that are used for display and to attract mates, and if dinosaurs had the same reasons for showing off, why wouldn't some species also possess bright colors?
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Juvenile T. rex (Safari Ltd Field Museum)
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Late Cretaceous North America
Release Date: 2005

In 2017 I took a brief trip to the Field Museum where I got this young rex and the Safari Amargasaurus.

I can piece together the life cycle of T. rex but with more accurate figures. This also fits the theory that Tyrannosaurs are born feathered and later lose it as they mature.
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Amargasaurus (Safari Ltd Carnegie Collection)
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Early Cretaceous South America
Length: 30 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2007

Another Carnegie model, this being the Safari Amargasaurus that I bought at the Field Museum. I opted out of purchasing the new one, as it was rather large and I already have an accurate Amargasaurus that's also reasonably scaled.

Nanshiungosaurus (Battat)
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Late Cretaceous Asia
Length: 16 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2014

I picked this one up at Target, and I'm glad I did as I've heard it's become quite rare. Nanshiungosaurus is a therizinosaurid, equipped with characteristic long claws. As a therizinosaurid, I'd prefer it with feathers, however, this one will suffice.

Day 1's Batch
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These figures are almost all 1:40 or 1:35 (except for the young rex, which can be any scale you'd want it to be) which was not intentional by me, those are just common scales to make figures in. Also, the duller colored figures are on one side and the more vibrant figures on the other, yet another thing I just noticed about this shot.

07.10.2023

Very nice fish, gecko and dinosaurs, all seem to look very healthy! ^^

I've selected Day 2's batch the same way I did Day 1 - figures I've had for a great long time

Barapasaurus (Schleich)
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Early Jurassic India
Length: 45 feet
Scale: 1:35
Release Date: 2016

I remember picking this one up at ToysRUs before they closed. Schleich figures used to be popular in ToysRUs in the USA, but I'm not sure about anywhere else. Anyways, the figure is quite big just like the real animal. Barapasaurus is an obscure early sauropod, but it's one of the most well-known basal sauropods. It's a wonder this is the only Barapasaurus model around considering that an almost complete skeleton has been put together.

Dilophosaurus (Papo)
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Early Jurassic North America
Length: 23 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2014

There are a couple of issues I see such as the odd tail posture and the tripod stance, but aside from that it's a neat little figure with nice detail. Props to Papo for giving the theropod supinated wrists instead of pronated ones.

Cryolophosaurus (Battat)
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Early Jurassic Antarctica
Length: 20 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2014

A beautiful rendition of the famous Antarctic dinosaur. Despite living in Antarctica, Cryolophosaurus never encountered ice because there was no ice at the poles during the Jurassic. Instead, the Antarctic dinosaurs experienced a lush rainforest, something they were much better adapted to.

The only problem with this figure is that it depicts the crest as two crests instead of one like the new Safari Ltd version does.
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Gastornis (Safari Ltd)
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Early Paleogene North America and Eurasia
Height: 6 feet
Scale: 1:25
Release Date: 2013

Gastornis is often likened to the Terror Birds, however, it is much older and actually related to ducks. It was previously depicted as an apex predator, yet now its diet is believed to be entirely planted. Gastornis being a herbivore would make more sense considering it wasn't agile enough to catch the prey at the time and modern birds with strong beaks (such as parrots) use their beaks to crack open nuts and seeds.  

Scutosaurus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Permian Russia
Length: 9 feet
Scale: 1:30
Release Date: 2008

I remember getting this figure after I watched Primeval, one of my most nostalgic shows to watch from when I was younger. Scutosaurus was the second creature discovered by the characters, the first being a Gorgonopsid.

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Scutosaurus was also much bigger in the show (compare it to the other picture, based on Scutosaurus's actual size), towering over the humans.

Homalocephale (Unknown company)
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Late Cretaceous Asia
Length: 6 feet
Scale: 1:15 (Nick Cutter's just a pinch too big to be in scale)

This is one of the random dinosaur figures you'd often find in a pack in a store. It doesn't have a name or a company's name but the skull shape reveals that it's intended to be Homalocephale. While it is neat to have one on my shelf, I don't appreciate the slouched back or dragging tail. The hands are also pronated, a typical mistake made in the toy business.

Day 2's Batch looking nice - if anybody has suggestions for group shots feel free to ask, and I'll create them if I have the figures needed
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07.11.2023

Day 3 and going strong on daily posts

Carboniferous Arachnid (Character Options)
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Late Carboniferous
Length: 3 feet
Scale: 1:15
Release Date: 2007

Primeval's first season featured an episode based around Carboniferous creepy crawlies, with an Arthropleura and a giant spider. This spider was based on Megarachne, back when it was believed to be a giant spider, but it is now known to be a eurypterid. A few spider-like creatures are known from the Carboniferous however, the show's version is far bigger than any known from fossils. I am also desperate for Carboniferous figures (I believe I have about 10, but it's been a while since I truly analyzed my shelves). The figure was released in a Creature Incursion toy set along with several other creatures from the first season.

Hesperornis (Character Options)
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Late Cretaceous USA
Length: 6 feet
Scale: 1:18
Release Date: 2007

Hesperornis was another figure from the Creature Incursion Primeval set. My goal for today's entry is to document all the figures from that set, which follows in with my main premise of figures I've had for a long time. Hesperornis was an aquatic bird but sadly the figure is featherless.

Anurognathus (Character Options)
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Late Jurassic Europe
Wingspan: 14 inches
Scale: 1:6
Release Date: 2007

Anurognathus is the first pterosaur to be showcased in this new topic. The way they were shown in Primeval is quite interesting. They were shown almost like airborne piranhas, a swarm of them surrounding and attacking a person all at once. They were defeated when they were lured inside a building and a gas explosion was created on purpose, destroying the building along with the swarm. While this would certainly add suspense to a story, Anurognathus was a strict insectivore in real life.

Dodo (Character Options)
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Holocene Mauritius
Height: 3 feet
Scale: 1:18
Release Date: 2007

Parasite (Character Options)
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Unknown
Length: 40 cm
Scale: 1:20
Release Date: 2007

The parasite is a fictional creature in Primeval that was identified as a Cestoid (tapeworm) but nothing further. It infected a dodo and later a person in the fourth episode. It was the smallest figure in the Creature Incursion set and I lost it a while back. A big thank you to forum member [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for sending me his parasite figure. It was the first figure I had gotten over the forum. I was a new member and it showed me how generous this forum truly is.

Spinosaurus and Velociraptor (Hasbro Battle Pack)
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Release Date: 2009

I remember getting these as my first Jurassic Park toys, way before I collected figures based on accuracy. Hasbro released a 2009 line of JP figures that were discontinued in 2012 and they were all repainted versions of earlier Jurassic Park 3 figures.

Young T. rex (Kenner)
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Release Date: 1993

For me, there is a way larger charm with this figure than with the Hasbro toys shown earlier. This was the first time I had ever gotten my hands on a 1993 Jurassic Park figure. It's not a full-size rex (as seen by the size comparison next to Robert Muldoon) I have memories of everything about it, from the rubber skin to the gaping injury on the side. I remember finding it in a shoe box under the Christmas tree.

I never had the accessory that was meant to cover the dino damage, so my young rex always had this open wound.
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Day 3's Batch - Primeval and Jurassic Park, the two things that probably got me into dinosaurs
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07.12.2023

Good to see you back again. I enjoy your size comparisons with humans, it is much easier to learn about the size of prehistoric animals this way than with just numbers. Who ate the chunk out of the T Rex? I thought the Rex was an untouchable king.

rogerpgvg wrote:

Who ate the chunk out of the T Rex? I thought the Rex was an untouchable king.

Nobody knows what else could be running loose in Jurassic Park…

Day 4’s Batch is fully centered around Jurassic Park. Kenner put thought into each of these figures and designed fun action features for each toy.

Dimetrodon (Kenner)
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Release Date: 1993

Action Feature: Push one of the hind legs back and the jaws will open wide

Dilophosaurus (Kenner)
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Release Date: 1993

Action Feature: Spitting water after you press on the belly

I have two of these figures, I bought the first on eBay and the second at a flea market for a much lower price. This purchase along with finding a few other rarities inspired me to start looking in flea markets until the one I went to started charging entry fees.
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You can tell the two apart by the holes in their feet. I bought the one with no holes at the flea market and the flea market Dilo spits water better. However, the eBay Dilo has a more realistic paint application in some areas like the eyes.
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Velociraptor (Kenner)
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Release Date: 1993

Action Feature: Press two of the legs together and the mouth will open and snap forward

Pteranodon (Kenner)
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Release Date: 1993

Action Feature: Press a button on its back and the wings will flap

There are a few mini dinosaurs that were released alongside the human action figures.
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I often position the baby T. rex with my much larger and not as ugly Young Rex.
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Triceratops (Kenner)
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Release Date: 1993

Action Feature: Press both sides of its body and the head will jab forward - a lethal strike in the wrong place using those horns

Stegosaurus (Kenner)
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Release Date: 1993

Action Feature: None, however, this is the only dino-damage figure I have that isn't permanently injured.

The Young Rex never fails to start trouble among the herbivores. Perhaps shelving them together wasn't such a good idea after all.
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Day 4's batch is all Jurassic Park
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07.13.2023

Before we get started with today's batch of critters let’s talk about shelf space. For a while, I had a lot of books I didn’t need so last night I went through them and picked only a select few to remain. Once I had finished I had two mostly intact shelves for more creatures. The top shelf has some miniature and some Paleozoic animals and the second shelf has some miniatures and WWD figures. As of right now, my goal is to show all the figures I got before I joined the forum by showing a selected batch each day.
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Afrovenator (Collecta)
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Middle Jurassic Africa
Length: 25 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2010

This figure suffers from pronated hands, as do most older figures. Aside from that, it's a decent figure that I've had for a very long time.

Hatzegopteryx (Collecta)
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Late Cretaceous Europe
Height: 18 feet
Scale: 1:30
Release Date: 2011

Unlike the Afrovenator, this one has stood the test of time. Protofeathers can even be seen on the body, something I appreciate very much. Everything about Hatzegopteryx is weird, from the skull as big as a human is tall to the 33-foot wingspan. Its environment would be the icing on the cake. It lived among miniature island dinosaurs, such as a 20-foot sauropod called Magyarosaurus and an 8-foot iguanodontid called Zalmoxes. It probably feasted on the young of those pocket dinosaurs.

Cambrian Toob (Safari Ltd)
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The Cambrian Toob is one of my favorite releases from Safari of all time. It was a perfect way for young me to access bizarre Paleozoic creatures on my shelves before I knew how to scour the internet (mostly eBay) looking for models. What a shame this set was discontinued, as Safari did have a lot of potential to make obscure species.

Charniodiscus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Ediacaran England
Length: 20 inches
Scale: 1:10
Release Date: 2013

The first figure I'll be showcasing from the Cambrian toob is from the Ediacaran instead of the Cambrian. Some creatures resemble Charniodiscus that lived during the Cambrian but this is specifically labeled Charniodiscus so that wouldn't work. This also means that this was the oldest species in my collection since the Ediacaran is before the Cambrian. It is accompanied by my Life Game Miniatures now so it's not alone anymore.

Anomalocaris (Safari Ltd)
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Middle Cambrian North America, China, and Australia
Length: 1.8 feet
Scale: 1:5
Release Date: 2013

Anomalocaris was previously estimated to be 3 feet long, but a recent study downsized it to about half that length. Despite this, it is still one of the largest animals of the Cambrian since life barely exceeded a few inches at the time. This means it was still an apex predator, just slightly smaller than previously thought.

Sanctacaris (Safari Ltd)
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Middle Cambrian Canada
Length: 3.5 inches
Scale: 1:2
Release Date: 2013

Sanctacaris was a chelicerate, meaning it's related to horseshoe crabs, spiders, and scorpions. Despite the fact that it's discontinued, I'm still thankful for the Cambrian toob and the fact that I was able to get one, seeing as this is the only figure of Sanctacaris and a few other odd species in existence.

Sidneyia (Safari Ltd)
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Middle Cambrian North America and China
Length: 5 inches
Scale: 1:2
Release Date: 2013

Ottoia (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cambrian North America and China
Length: 3 inches
Scale: 1:1
Release Date: 2013

Tricrepicephalus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cambrian North and South America
Length: 1.6 inches
Scale: 2x Life Size
Release Date: 2013

This was the first trilobite I've had in my collection and one of the rare cases where a figure is bigger than the real animal.

Naraoia (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cambrian-Late Silurian North America and Asia
Length: 2 inches
Scale: 2x Life Size
Release Date: 2013

These are some real troopers - they survived through 3 different eras. Naraoia is believed to be trilobites with a softer shell, dissection of a few specimens revealed them to have similar gills and legs.

Vauxia (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cambrian-Late Silurian North America
Length: 3 inches
Scale: 1:2
Release Date: 2013

Day 5's Batch - a couple of Collectasaurs and a discontinued Safari toob
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And before we conclude this program I have to speak on my new dinosaur spreadsheet.

They are organized by era and then alphabetically. The most accurate figure of a species has a star by its name.
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The downside of this feature is that the slouched hunchback Homalocephale has a star by its name since nobody else made one, yet the beautiful Carnegie Giganotosaurus doesn’t have a star since Eofauna made a slightly more accurate one. It almost feels as if I’m being cheated.
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07.14.2023

The first creatures to be shown on Day 6's batch are the Safari Crocodilians Toob. Most of these aren't true crocodilians but a good few are exclusive to the set so it's good that it was made.

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The only ones that aren't starred are the Sarcosuchus (made bigger and better by Safari later) and Dakosaurus (made bigger and better by PNSO)
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"I'm you but better" (Don't worry PNSO Dakosaurus, we'll get to you later)
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Desmatosuchus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Triassic Texas
Length: 15 feet
Scale: 1:50
Release Date: 2010

This isn't the best Desmatosuchus but beggars can't be choosers.

Euparkeria (Safari Ltd)
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Early Triassic South Africa
Length: 2 feet
Scale: 1:6
Release Date: 2010

I remember hearing in an older documentary that Euparkeria was a basal ancestor of dinosaurs. It was actually an archosauriform (Archosaurs contain dinosaurs, birds, pterosaurs, and crocodilians) which means that Euparkeria and dinosaurs share an ancestor but Euparkeria did not evolve into them.

Proterosuchus "Chasmatosaurus" (Safari Ltd)
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Early Triassic South Africa
Length: 11 feet
Scale: 1:35
Release Date: 2010

Machaeroprosopus "Rutiodon validus" (Safari Ltd)
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Late Triassic USA
Length: 10 feet
Scale: 1:35
Release Date: 2010

This figure would serve as a perfectly fine Rutiodon however, Safari included the species name (R. validus) and R. validus was reassigned to Machaeroprosopus.

Postosuchus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Triassic North America
Length: 16 feet
Scale: 1:50
Release Date: 2010

Postosuchus was recently found to be bipedal as its front legs weren't long enough to carry its weight the whole time. An analysis of the hind feet reveals structures similar to theropod dinosaurs that were strict bipeds. So Postosuchus essentially walked like a typical theropod. The full-size Postosuchus by Safari is a great figure but I would rather wait for an updated Postosuchus to come out and save my money for that.

Montealtosuchus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cretaceous South America
Length: 6 feet
Scale: 1:18
Release Date: 2010

Champsosaurus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cretaceous-Early Paleogene North America and Europe
Length: 5 feet
Scale: 1:18
Release Date: 2010

Pristichampsus (Safari Ltd)
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Middle Paleogene Eurasia
Length: 10 feet
Scale: 1:30
Release Date: 2010

Gigantoraptor (Collecta)
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Late Cretaceous Asia
Length: 26 feet
Scale: 1:60
Release Date: 2009

I've read reviews of the Gigantoraptor and it's been described as a plucked-chicken figure. It's feathered, but the tan coloration makes it hard to notice in some lighting. At worst, it's smaller than I'd like for a medium-sized dinosaur.

Therizinosaurus (Collecta)
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Late Cretaceous Asia
Length: 30 feet
Scale: 1:50
Release Date: 2012

It suffers from the same problem as the Gigantoraptor - it's a large dinosaur with a smaller than 1:40 figure but at least it saves shelf space. It's at the same scale as Safari's Deinocheirus and Favorite's 2020 Tarbosaurus (that I have packed away) and they're all from the same formation. Therizinosaurus itself could represent a balance between being fearsome and exotic. It has meter-long claws and could definitely hold its own in a fight - yet it's a peaceful herbivore.

Thankfully, Collecta comes through on accuracy by giving the beast feathers and correctly supinated hands. I'm not sure what the other hand's position is called yet.
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Tyrannosaurus (Battat)
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Late Cretaceous North America
Length: 40 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2015

Quite possibly the only star-worthy T. rex in my collection. The model is a repaint of a 20-year-old sculpt, yet it's not outdated. From the bony bosses on its head to the typical tyrannosaur beefiness, this is one of the most accurate tyrannosaurs available. I've gone back and forth over whether or not to purchase one of PNSO's many T. rexes, and I've always landed on sticking to this one instead.

Day 6's Batch
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07.15.2023

As I'm writing this it's a few hours before I go on a nature walk near me. I go on a lot of nature walks since I've had nothing to do. I've been debating when I want to include the modern animals I've had for a while so I decided to put a few in today's batch.

Great White Shark (Safari Ltd)
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Late Neogene-Quaternary Tropical Water
Length: 19 feet
Scale: 1:35
Release Date: 2016

Tiger Shark (Safari Ltd)
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Late Neogene-Quaternary Tropical Water
Length: 16 feet
Scale: 1:25
Release Date: 1993

Scalloped Hammerhead (Papo)
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Quaternary Coastal Water
Length: 6 feet
Scale: 1:10
Release Date: 2011

Frilled Shark (Safari Ltd)
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Quaternary Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Length: 6 feet
Scale: 1:20
Release Date: 2009

This Frilled Shark was included in Safari's Prehistoric Marine Life toob. I chose not to showcase the rest of this toob and save it for another day since I'm showcasing Safari's Prehistoric Sharks Toob instead.

Out of all these Helicoprion, Edestus, Sarcoprion, Stethacanthus, and Cladoselache are stem-ratfish instead of true sharks. I'm skipping Helicoprion and Cretoxyrhina since their star entries are coming later.
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Scapanorhynchus (Safari Ltd)
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Early Cretaceous-Early Neogene Worldwide
Length: 11 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2010

Hybodus (Safari Ltd)
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Early Jurassic Europe
Length: 6 feet
Scale: 1:18
Release Date: 2010

I've read a lot of conflicting information on Hybodus. Some websites say it lived from the Permian or Devonian to the Cretaceous but some say it lived only in the Jurassic. I usually go with Wikipedia for size and era information as it's the most updated and Wikipedia also says that Hybodus used to be a wastebasket taxon. Being a wastebasket taxon means a lot of fossils are labeled as Hybodus when they don't fit anywhere else, leading to an overestimated range of eras it lived in.

Sarcoprion (Safari Ltd)
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Late Permian Greenland
Length: 20 feet
Scale: 1:60
Release Date: 2010

Edestus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Carboniferous of Europe and USA
Length: 23 feet
Scale: 1:60
Release Date: 2010

I've read that Edestus was slightly larger than Sarcoprion but all we have from either are teeth and jawbones so I'm not sure how reliable those estimates are.
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Orthacanthus
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Late Carboniferous-Early Permian UK and US
Length: 10 feet
Scale: 1:35
Release Date: 2010

Xenacanthus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Devonian-Late Permian Worldwide
Length: 4 feet
Scale: 1:9
Release Date: 2010

Stethacanthus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Devonian-Late Carboniferous North America, Eurasia, and Australia
Length: 5 feet
Scale: 1:18
Release Date: 2010

A few of these sharks are strung out over multiple eras (most often Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian). I've relisted those sharks with each era they go in on my spreadsheet so the Carboniferous isn't looking so dry now.

Cladoselache (Safari Ltd)
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Late Devonian North America
Length: 6 feet
Scale: 1:20
Release Date: 2010

Day 7’s Batch - Cartilaginous Fish from everywhere and no time in particular
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07.16.2023

Impressive extinct sharks collection!

A new batch with a slightly more even balance of living and extinct.

Gharial (Papo)
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Quaternary Asia
Length: 14 feet
Scale: 1:20
Release Date: 2013

A figure that's become increasingly rare in recent times. I'm very glad I picked it up when I did.

Megamouth Shark (Safari Ltd)
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Quaternary Tropical Deep Water
Length: 18 feet
Scale: 1:30
Release Date: 2016

Bull Shark (Safari Ltd)
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Late Neogene-Quaternary Worldwide
Length: 8 feet
Scale: 1:18
Release Date: 2010

Nurse Shark (Safari Ltd)
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Early Cretaceous-Quaternary Atlantic Ocean
Length: 10 feet
Scale: 1:20
Release Date: 2015


Liopleurodon (Safari Ltd)
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Middle-Late Jurassic Europe
Length: 22 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2010

The shift from modern sea life only slightly larger than a human to the gargantuan Liopleurodon was shocking. Scary to think we used to believe Liopleurodon was even bigger...

A more updated figure would see the addition of a tail fluke like the Collecta Elasmosaurus. It's one of the latest discoveries about plesiosaurs in the past few years. I see okay figures like Safari's Kronosaurus and Collecta's Pliosaurus but they don't have tail flukes, and I have to draw the line somewhere.
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Anhanguera (Schleich)
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Early-Late Cretaceous Brazil
Wingspan: 15 feet
Scale: 1:25
Release Date: 2014

Schleich chose to curve the wings instead of going all into a flying pose or all into a walking pose. Honestly, the pose looks better when you're looking up at it but it just looks awkward from some angles.
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Inostrancevia (Safari Ltd)
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Late Permian Russia and South Africa
Length: 11 feet
Scale: 1:25
Release Date: 2010

Another rarity I'm glad I picked up sooner rather than later, I've seen it on eBay for over a hundred dollars!

Day 8's Batch
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07.17.2023

Visiting your collection is always a pleasure because you always give the species and brands names!

Ok, I keep forgetting to comment in your new collection topic... Here I go.

Those JP toys kick me right back to childhood! My older brother had them and we played for hours with them. Gosh, so many memories... especially that juvenile TRex. I love your little homocephale; too bad its a Chinasaur, I would like to find one sometime. That Anurognathus is wonderful too.

Superb collection, wonderfully curated displays! I cannot wait to see more.

Amazing new additions! Love the Safari sharks!

Thank you all for the kind words, I enjoy posting these things.

Today I got out my Ball Python Lucy and helped her with her stuck shed.
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I got all the leftover shed off and her new skin was almost iridescent in my room's lighting. I was also binging Prehistoric Planet on AppleTV+ before I watched all the new episodes and it reminded me what a phenomenal documentary series it truly was.
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Girrafatitan "Brachiosaurus" (Safari Ltd)
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Late Jurassic Africa
Length: 75 feet
Scale: 1:70
Release Date: 2013

Most media depictions of Brachiosaurus (and by extension figures) are based on a mostly complete skeleton found in Tanzania. However, all the specimens from Africa were reassigned to the genus Girrafatitan, meaning that most depictions of Brachiosaurus are actually of Giraffatitan.

I'm adding some future rules to my collection, for example, a figure must be accurate and up to date. As well as I don't buy fragmentary species such as Collecta's Ceratosuchops. The species itself is known from a few vertebrae and other scraps so how could I judge how accurate it is? By some of those rules, a few of my current figures wouldn't make it in but I'm still holding onto them and only applying for future purchases.

Rhamphorhynchus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Jurassic Europe and Africa
Wingspan: 5 feet
Scale: 1:7
Release Date: 2010

The head of the figure is positioned below the mid-section so I had trouble placing it on my clear stands so I had to get more creative. "A Time Traveler's Guide to Catching a Rhamphorhynchus"

All jokes aside, the Safari Rhamphorhynchus is a perfectly fine figure.
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Probably one of the most interesting things I've read about Rhamphorhynchus is that a fossil of one was found caught in the jaws of a gar-like fish with a long bill called Aspidorhynchus. If that wasn't interesting enough, a smaller fish called Leptolepides was found in the gullet of the Rhamphorynchus.

"You fool! Now we're both dead!"
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Tupandactylus "Tapejara" (Safari Ltd)
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Early Cretaceous Brazil
Wingspan: 13 feet
Scale: 1:12
Release Date: 2008

Another case of fossils being reassigned after the figure was produced. Either way, this one serves as a good Tupandactylus, even if it operates under an outdated name.

Hydrotherosaurus (Collecta)
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Late Cretaceous California
Length: 26 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2007

Sadly lacking a tail fluke but it was not known at the time. Hydrotherosaurus wasn't the biggest Elasmosaurid however it did have one of the longest necks compared to body length, with 60 neck vertebrae in total.

Bistahieversor (Collecta)
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Late Cretaceous New Mexico
Length: 26 feet
Scale: 1:50
Release Date: 2014

Bistahieversor is known from a skull, some vertebrae, and an almost complete juvenile specimen.

Parasaurolophus (Battat)
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Late Cretaceous North America
Length: 33 feet
Scale: 1:50
Release Date: 2015

I was quite shocked as I was taking the picture, Parasaurolophus is a lot larger than I had given it credit for. It's often portrayed as the defenseless herbivore with no kind of weaponry, but it could easily trample a smaller dinosaur.

Regaliceratops (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cretaceous North America
Length: 16 feet
Scale: 1:30
Release Date: 2018

Kaprosuchus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cretaceous Africa
Length: 20 feet
Scale: 1:25
Release Date: 2010

I have a few figures packed up right now, but when my parents start a yard sale this fall I'll be able to retrieve a few I want to keep and sell the rest. I mainly want my Favorite Co Geosternbergia and Tarbo back but I'm sure I'll find a few more to keep.

Day 9's solid batch, one more day, and we'll be into the double digits. On another note, I'm likely starting a YouTube channel to document my nature walks and everything that results from them. Doing this first is helping me become more consistent and more selective of how I spend my computer time.
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07.18.2023

First off we have some big Jurassic Park/World Dinosaurs that I photographed on top of my shelf. I'm pretty much burnt out on collecting JP figures and I already have most of the better-quality originals.

Hasbro Indominus Rex
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Buck and Doe T rexes (from The Lost World Kenner line)
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Mattel Bite and Fight rex, Mattel Spino, Mattel Indominus Rex
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Mattel Rex and Mosasaurus, knockoff Papo Spino
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Hasbro Rex, Mattel Thrash and Throw Rex, Mattel Basic Dino Line
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Kenner Red Rex
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Dimetrodon (Safari Ltd)
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Early Permian North America and Europe
Length: 15 feet
Scale: 1:25
Release Date: 2018

Coelophysis (Safari Ltd)
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Late Triassic USA
Length: 9 feet
Scale: 1:12
Release Date: 2017

Herrerasaurus (Collecta)
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Late Triassic South America
Length: 15 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2010

Apatosaurus (Papo)
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Late Jurassic North America
Length: 69 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2015

This is a pretty good figure from Papo, though it would be pretty difficult to screw up an Apatosaurus.

Separating the Favorite Allosaurus from the Collecta Baby Apatosaurus
"Don't talk to me or my kids ever again!"
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Camarasaurus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Jurassic USA
Length: 49 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2019

Girrafatitan "Brachiosaurus" (Papo)
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Late Jurassic Africa
Length: 75 feet
Scale: 1:45
Release Date: 2012

What's amazing about this here is that we have a huge figure but the animal itself is so huge it barely qualifies as 1:40.

Monolophosaurus (Safari Ltd)
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Middle Jurassic China
Length: 16 feet
Scale: 1:25
Release Date: 2014

Quetzalcoatlus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cretaceous North America
Wingspan: 33 feet
Scale: 1:50
Release Date: 2017

I've had the rest of these for a while but this one just arrived in the mail today. It's about time I had a good Quetzalcoatlus. Safari is my favorite toy company (next to Collecta) and this is one of the reasons why.

Fossil diagrams of Quetzalcoatlus will show a bony spur on each wing (or more accurately the arm bone since it appears before the hand).
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When you check the figure the spur is still there on each side, whereas in Schleich or Mattel's Quetzalcoatlus figures it's absent. I first looked it up once I noticed the spur on my figure and it proves that Safari's sculptors studied fossils to design their figures and tried to make them as much like the real animal as possible with information open to everyone.
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This and the Collecta Hatzegopteryz make up the Azhdarchid duo in my collection.
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Day 10's Batch - The long neck of the Girrafatitan makes it hard to photograph them together
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07.19.2023

Today's post is being made a little later than usual since today was my first day back at school.

Shonisaurus (Schleich)
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Late Triassic North America
Length: 44 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2004

I got the Shonisaurus for my 12th birthday which feels like so long ago but I posted it on the forum.

A more updated Shonisaurus would look more like PNSO's Himalayasaurus.
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Einiosaurus (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cretaceous Montana
Length: 15 feet
Scale: 1:30
Release Date: 2017

Daspletosaurus (Collecta)
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Late Cretaceous North America
Length: 28 feet
Scale: 1:50
Release Date: 2013

This figure is different in that it presents a theropod in a relaxed seated position.

Hoplites "Ammonite" (Safari Ltd)
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Early Cretaceous North America and Europe
Length: 5 inches
Scale: 1:1
Release Date: 2014

I remember the figure being identified as resembling Hoplites detatus on the DTF but Safari has claimed it to be Pleuroceras.

It certainly does resemble Hoplites fossils so that's what it is listed as in my collection.
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Triceratops (Safari Ltd)
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Late Cretaceous North America
Length: 30 feet
Scale: 1:40
Release Date: 2018

This is the most updated Triceratops model I've come across yet, based on the skin impressions found.
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Bowhead Whale (Safari Ltd)
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Quaternary Arctic Water
Length: 69 feet
Scale: 1:70
Release Date: 2014

Cryolophosaurus (Safari Ltd)
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Early Jurassic Antarctica
Length: 20 feet
Scale: 1:30
Release Date: 2022

The Safari one takes a slight edge over Battat's because the crest is depicted more accurately.
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Day 11's Batch of critters
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07.20.2023

I couldn't post for the last two days since I was busy with school and then I stayed the night and most of yesterday at a friend's house. Today and tomorrow's batches have been picked out and I'm covering the last bit of Jurassic Park in them.

Scorpius Rex (Mattel)
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Length: 25 feet
Scale: 1:20
Release Date: 2021

Scorpius Rex was the dangerous hybrid dinosaur from Season 3 of Netflix's camp cretaceous.

Stegoceratops and Carnoraptor (Hasbro)
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Release Date: 2015

Allosaurus (Mattel)
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Release Date: 2019

Ankylosaurus (Hasbro 2015) and Triceratops (Kenner 1997)
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Jurassic Park 3 Toys (Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor, and Brachiosaurus)
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Release Date: 2001

I always thought the Jurassic Park 3 raptors were interesting since they possessed neck and head quills and it was the first time a JP dinosaur wasn't completely scaly.

Day 12’s Jurassic Park Batch - shorter post since I can't really comment on the accuracy of Jurassic Park figures
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07.23.2023

Congrats