Rebor 2024 "Low Roar" Dire Wolf Model- Analysis

Hello my friends!

I debated even getting this model as I have strong feelings about this species and consequently this model. But after long deliberation and internal debate... I decided it wouldn't hurt. I am not able to review it for the Animal Toy Blog as it was previously reserved for review, but I still wish to explain some of my internal conflict while presenting this model to the community. Prepare for quite a few photos!

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First off, there are two elements to tackle when considering this species and those would be the real living animal as it was during its time on Earth, as well as the modern pop culture renditions of it in the face of humanity and its imagination. First, I will address the former.

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This species has undergone quite a lot of re-evaluations as of the last few years and it has shaken up nearly everything we know about this animal. When it was once thought to be an American species only (largely North American, with some dispersal to South America), a recent discovery has landed this animal in China also. This discovery led to some confusion about this animal's distribution as it generally is not found above the 42 degrees N. latitude; previously thought to be due to ice sheets and glaciers. The discovery in 2020 of fossils in northeast China indicate that these guys made tracks across Beringia when it was present. Otherwise, these animals inhabited nearly every type of environment present in the Americas at the time; desert, plains, forests, swamps, you name it! Given their heavily dense fossil record, it is also believed that these animals were social and lived in family groups as most modern canines do today. In additions to this common canid trait, the animal itself has long been believed to be an ancestor or close cousin of modern gray wolves. The physical attributes of their skeleton are nearly identical to modern North American gray wolf varieties with the only significant divergence being that they are built very robust; easily rivaling the largest of modern gray wolves in size such as the Yukon or Mackenzie River wolves in Canada. But again, with recent DNA analysis and studies this has been revised. While these animals share nearly identical traits to wolves, the samples taken from their ear bones of the best-preserved specimens indicate that these animals diverged from the canine lineage somewhere around 5.7 mya. Their closest living relatives have been indicated to be jackals, not wolves. This provides the understanding that while they are incredibly similar, some have argued nearly identical in morphology with wolves, this is an excellent case of convergent evolution. This study also removed the dire wolf and both its species (dirus dirus and dirus guildayi) into its own genus: Aenocyon.

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These animals are perhaps best well known from the impressive collection at La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles California. More than 4,000 specimens have been excavated there! They have been found alongside their now distant cousins of Pleistocene age modern gray wolves. This deposit of animals has been one of the largest studied populations of fossil mammals due to its incredible preservation and density of individuals. Again, these animals were thought to be social and live in family groups as nearly all canids do today. There are very few pups found in the tar pits, leading experts to believe that these young animals would be kept away from excursions with the adults until they reached an appropriate age (likely they would be left with a babysitter wolf as modern wolves do also). These specimens show incredible pathologies that can give us small glimpses into their social lives; broken and healed long bones indicate kicks from prey items (ice age horses, camels, bison, etc.) which would imply that these animals' social nature would provide care giving to pack mates. Broken baculums would indicate possible sexual competition between adult animals. Broken teeth points towards the value of breaking into bones of prey animals to access highly nutritional bone marrow. There are even indications of various disease that may or may not have helped lead them to extinction; such as osteochondrosis dessicans, a joint disease where the joints become sensitive and easily traumatized after repeated stress. No one can say that these "wolves" did not live a full life.

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Now we can get to the actual model. Due to the fact that soft tissue rarely survives in the fossil record, there is a lot of artistic liberty to be had in replications of such animals. For me, this animal went a little too heavy on the modern wolf interpretation for my taste, but I also understand that this particular sculpt was long in production and perhaps had been decided on previous to the above studies coming out. Having it in hand I think it is a high-quality model and well done, the detractions of it for me are purely due to personal taste, I am sure. So please... take my upcoming commentary with a hefty dose of salt.

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First and foremost, I feel that the proportions of the shoulder girdle and chest are a bit exaggerated in comparison to its pelvic girdle. The animal has an almost "bodybuilder" type physique due to this. The depth of the chest could have been lessened and the width of the actual humerus and muscle attachments less exaggerated to give the sculpt a more balanced feel. As it is, it almost has more cat like proportions in this regard; cats can actually use their front limbs for gripping which in turn makes this proportional difference something that makes sense, while canines can use their front limbs, they do not have the same dexterity and effectiveness as a feline does. Having the model in hand I feel like there is a lateral or dorsal compression. What I mean by this is that the animal more oval shaped rather than rounded in its features if you were to bisect it down the median plane. This could be intentional, it could be a product of the manufacturing process (we know that depending on the mould reproduction process some dimensional loss can be normal with production); but for me it strikes me as a sort of odd feature, making it more greyhound like in appearance (especially when combined with the deep chest as noted above). These animals surely could reach impressive speeds, but they are not built in a way to indicate as much. Further, at least for me, this is most noticeable in the neutral pose head, making it my least favorite of the 3. Lastly, my only other complaint would be in the feet. This one is difficult to explain, but overall, the position of the metacarpals and metatarsals is rather steep in its setting, making the posture look uncomfortable as if the feet are in a permanent contracture. The actual foot pads are perhaps the only feature of this I have found to be truly disappointing though, they are too rounded and generic in form. Luckily this isn't something that is a display issue, so it is easily dismissed. The inside of the mouth in comparison, is well sculpted and looks quite realistic overall. The eyes on my specific model all seem to be well painted on each swappable head piece. My full on open mouth head does not seem to fit as well as the other two, and the seam is most noticeable on that one. So for me, the snarling face (not a full open mouth) is my preferred head piece. My last commentary on the model itself would be the paint work... it is "ok", a representative of the brand on DTF claims that they sacrificed superior paintwork to make the model more affordable, hence why it doesn't match promo images. I would rather have paid a little more for a better painted product, but at this point there isn't anything that can be done for it. They have some vague pattern present with the highlights and dark points, I just don't think it really adds anything for the figure given the overall end presentation.

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Lastly, I would like to briefly address the pop culture aspect of this species. While it has become incredibly popular in modern media, sadly it is often misrepresented and turned into a gray wolf on steroids. While these animals were large, robust, and wolf like in appearance, they were so much more than just the "monster" interpretation that they are so often given. This is likely partly the reason why this figure itself is quite wolf like as it adds to its possible sale value and would broaden its customer appeal. Canines have been omnipresent in the human psyche nearly since time began and that hasn't changed whatsoever. This species however is nearly absent from the toy collecting world, with only very few other figures made of it and they in turn also being very wolf like (dare I say, interchangeable). I do hope for more acknowledgement for these animals in the future from companies, but more than likely their own interpretation will suffer from the "wolf but bigger" ideal. Hopefully, there may be renditions someday that will draw more on its unique features rather than its similarities to other canids, such as Mauricio Anton's work did for it. But I suppose, only time will tell...

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Mauricio Anton's paleoart

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I hope you enjoyed seeing this model "out in the wild" and what information I could relay on this iconic and still very little understood animal. I hope to see it embraced and maybe break the ice for future interpretations of it in the toy world!

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Thank you so much Paige for all these wonderful photos and explanations. It's this kind of topic that I prefer, you learn so much from it. I like the mix of respect for the work done and seriousness in the criticism.
I'm not a wolf or canine specialist like you, and I don't have many models of these species because most of them don't convince me.
I'd say that you are to wolves what I am to Indian Rhinoceroses: you love them enough to collect even the less-than-realistic models.
When you only have room for a few models it's more complicated to choose, at least I think so.
I've been waiting a long time for a serious Canis dirus and I didn't like the first images of the Rebor, too bodybuilt as you say and too sensational. I have the same feeling about their smilodon.
Then I saw a review and a few photos of Hornbill James Goes and I thought "after all, why not?
I think I was secretly waiting for your topic and your point of view before making up my mind.
I think I'll wait for the next one or invest in a 3D model that suits me better. I want a Mauricio Anton one
I hope you'll write more excellent reviews like this one.

That's a superb review, Paige!
This is a figure that is not even in my most optimistic cogitations but I really enjoy reading about these dissertations about certain animals and figures. I'm glad you offered such a competent topic to our forum.
Is this figure trying to get some "Game of Thrones" market target? "Some franchises are so influential that even unconsciously they end up shaping our ideas."So, no chances to rename it a dire jackal.

Thank you Kiki and Roger.

@Kiki, I didn't want to tear this model apart as it is a good attempt for this species, but I did want to explain a bit more why it isn't my ideal of what it should be. I would have loved to get this figure in the more wolf-like colors of the other version, the side burns on that one (intended to replicate the World of Warcraft version of this animal) put me off. If the model wasn't so pricey to begin with (VERY affordable for the style of the figure it is, just more than what I would ordinarily pay for a model for my collection) I would buy a few more to repaint and play around with. And yes, I collect nearly any wolf model even if it is not so great. I would LOVE one modeled more after Mauricio Anton's work! He did a great job of engineering his art so that they look wolf like in build, but also nod to their jackal ancestry in their pelage and face to ear proportions.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], I do think this release is trying to appeal to both audiences; their regular scientifically accurate collecting community as well as the wider pop culture consumers (as stated above with the version of this model that is clearly imitating the WoW character).

Don't worry, I don't feel like I've witnessed a demolition. On the contrary, your topic is very instructive, full of respect for the model and a very well-constructed critique: everything I love, plus some very good photos.
For me Rebor is a bit like Papo, great work but a very fantastic and theatrical style that doesn't quite suit my tastes.
I need to believe in extinct animal toys, they need to look like animals and not fantasy creatures. Your review put into words what I was sensing, this model just isn't for me.
For half the price, I'm going to buy a model from Dinosauria creatures that I'll just have to paint, maybe in May if Anna offers us a third edition of STS Model Painting Month.
I intend to present a comparison topic between two Therizinosaurus to illustrate my point of view.

Thanks for the walk around and indepth information on the dire wolf's history Paige! That was a lot of work and effort you put into this thread.

I learnt a few new things from this, and didn't realise that black backed jackals are 3.7my old. I watch them interact every day. With themselves and with other animals around them.
And I didn't realise that wolves are on the end of the evolutionary chain, being the youngest of them all.

I like how this model has a very good moveable jaw, and when either open or shut it looks good.
I agree about the heavy chest on it, but like you said hopefully the future models will be more realistic and less fantasy like.
Great photos of it in the wilds:)