Lambeosaurus (Invicta)

Well known Lambeosaurus from North America belongs to the classic set of cretaceous dinosaurs being reconstructed as figures.
The 1993 Invicta release is probably the best one currently available. It is the last and probably the best ambassador of the highly esteemed Invicta line. It is 19, 5 cm long and 7, 5 cm tall. This means it is a little smaller in scale than most other Invictas. Looking at the Lambeosaurus, one can hardly believe the original animal was 15 metres long. This figure rather resembles a browsing deer in its overall appearance. It is slender, delicate and of high detail. The chary brown colour accompanies with these details very well, every skin fold becomes well visible, and every muscle is at the right place.

At the head you see the crest and snout worked out caringly. Nostrils, ears and eyelids deserve a second look, too.
The Lambeosaurus is peacefully browsing, slowly walking forward. While other companies still produced bipedal, tail – dragging hadrosaurs, Invicta took the modern choice: Quadrupedal, with a bended spine and an erect tail. Unusual for a hadrosaur figure are the forelimbs:

They look like hooves or paws, representing latest research results.
This gem should get a place of honour in every serious collection. It shows up on ebay now and then.

Muttaburrasaurus (Collecta)

Muttaburrasaurus was an iguanodontid Ornithopod from the lower cretaceous of Australia. It was 7 metres long and its hallmark was a domed snout. Scientists suggest that Muttaburrasaurus had enlarged nasal caves, some even think that it had inflatable sacs for courtship.

There are not many Muttaburrasaurus figures out there. To be honest, I only know of two: The great Invicta one and this one from Collecta. Both are neat little figures, similar in size, scale and posture.
While the Invicta Muttaburrasaurus looks puggy, the Collecta version is a little smaller and looks hungry. It has been captured in a dynamic pose, like pausing from quick pace, looking to the left. Its colouring is zebra – like with brown and tan stripes, which I think was a traceable choice. The skin pattern is very bubbly, with many skin folds.
As far as Collecta´s look is concerned, there is no in-between. Either their figures are absolutely cool or absolutely ridiculous. This makes Collecta interesting and exciting for the collector.
Muttaburrasaurus is one of their better figures, available at a reasonable price everywhere in the internet.

Feathered Dinos Tube (Safari Ltd)

Safari Ltd have produced several tubes (‘Toobs’) which contain a diverse selection of mini-dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. These tubes are a great choice for the indecisive amongst us – why pick one single large dinosaur when you can get an entire tube of small dinos for the same price!? The American Museum of Natural History feathered dinos tube contains an array of twelve dinosaurs, half of which are feathered and including some recent discoveries. A tube dedicated to feathered dinosaurs is a reflection of recent discoveries that continue to provide evidence for a close relationship between dinosaurs and birds.

All of the feathered dinosaurs are theropods and are depicted with plumage to some degree. A four-winged Microraptor a posed mid-flight with its feathered arms, legs and tail outstretched. It is worth noting that these figures are also available individually in the form of keyrings – I should know as a small Microraptor has been following my around as a fashionable backpack accessory for some time! The cumbersome animal Beipiaosaurus is portrayed posed on two legs, supported by one hand, it has yellow and grey plumage. The Dilong has black plumage and is posed on two legs, its tail is expanded into a slight tail fan and also acts as a support. A ‘winged’ Velociraptor with a long raised tail looks posed for attack with its sickle-shaped claws clearly visible. It also has a plume of feathers on the back of the head and brown stripes on the arm feathers. A brown and white Sinornithosaurus is quite similar to the Velociraptor in overall pose. The final feathered critter of the bunch is Caudipteryx which is positioned raised up on two legs, showing of his red breast and stubby wings. The tip of the tail has a distincive fan of feathers.

Pictured: The full set of twelve dinosaurs from the Feathered Dinos Tube by Safari Ltd. Back row, left to right: Caudipteryx, Psittacosaurus, Velociraptor; next row, left to tight: Apatosaurus, Dilong, Pachycephalosaurus; next row, left to right: Beipiaosaurus, Chasmosaurus, Microraptor; front row, left to right: Tyrannosaurus, Protoceratops, Sinornithosaurus.

Six non-feathered species have been snuck in amongst the dinobirds. I can’t determine any rational for the choice of species, other than the fact that some are contemporaries of one of the feathered dinosaurs. They include some popular names such as T.rex and Apatosaurus, but also some more obscure beasties. There is a Psittacosaurus in an almost quadropedal pose and with yellow/green skin. The distinctive parrot-like beak from which it’s name is derived is very clear. There are two frilled ceratopians; a Prococeratops with a stiking blue frill and a deep tail and a deep blue-skinned Chasmosaurus. Finally there is a Pachycephalosaurus posed on two legs and supported by its tail. The bony head is covered in bumps and highlighted in blue.

The detailing is nice and although not on a par with similar-sized offerings from Kaiyodo, for example, they are well worth the price tag – presently just $10 on Amazon.com (here). These tubes also offer a great opportunity for play and would make a great gift. I like the diversity in plumage colour on the feathered dinosaurs, similar to modern birds, and the intriguing set of species is a bonus for collectors. Also, the tube itself contains a small rotatable globe set into the lid.

All of the figures are about 7cm long and not to scale – after all, only the most active imagination could perceive a swooping Microraptor snatching up an adult Apatosaurus and whisking it up to its nest for dinner.

Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Brachiosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

The Brachiosaurus is one of the few original Carnegie Collection sculpts, as far as I can tell, that has remained unchanged (with the exception of a new paint job) since it was released in 1987.  As explained by Randy Knol on the Dinosaur Collector Site,  the majority of figures from the original line have been tweaked or retired. The figure I’m reviewing is stamped 1988 so it’s important to bear this in mind when assessing the figure for scientific accuracy. The ‘Brachio’ part of the name on my figure is intriguingly raised relative to the rest of the text on the stamp, seemingly indicating that the figure was previously stamped as something-else-osaurus. Maybe one of our Safari Ltd collecting readers could check an original figure to clarify if this is the case?

This is one gargantuan figure and quite a significant hulk of plastic, ‘hulk’ being the operative word given the incredible green hue to the skin. The head towers above the rest of the figures in the Carnegie Collection – this Brachiosaurus stands 35cm tall. It is a heavy beast too, I don’t have any scales on me but I’d estimate it at a little less than a kilogram, worth keeping in mind for effects on shipping costs.

The anatomical proportions are good although the animal is a little overweight perhaps, and the posture of the legs is a little uncomfortable looking. The tail is raised (although the very tip touches the floor), the neck is almost vertical and the back slopes towards the hips. A ridge runs along the neck indicating the underlying muscle mass.

The skin is covered with large scales and is wrinkled, especially on the flanks between the ‘arms’ and legs, and at the base of the neck. The ‘hands’ possess five claws including an enlarged thumb claw. Brachiosaurus is now known to have only the large thumb claw so the figure is outdated in this regard. The cheery-looking small head has the distinctive macronarian ‘crest’. The jaws are open revealing a rather gummy looking mouth. The peg-like teeth are quite poorly defined, the sculpt is a bit poorly defined in several places but I think this is probably a result or the old age of the moulds?

The current colour scheme for this figure is green, with slightly darker green on the top and a grey wash, which highlights the surface details. The claws are black, the teeth are white, the mouth is pink and the eyes are yellow with neat black pupils.

Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Muttaburrasaurus (Invicta)

Review and photos by Marc Vincent aka Horridus

One of the more recent of Invicta’s dinosaurs, this Muttaburrasaurus dates from 1989. This model is often overlooked when compared with others in the range, especially the younger Lambeosaurus, but it demonstrates perfectly how far Invicta’s dinosaur designs had progressed, making their untimely demise all the more unfortunate.

This Muttaburrasaurus is worlds apart from Invicta’s earlier rendition of its more famous relative Iguanodon. Whereas Iguanodon was shown in the long-outdated ‘kangaroo’ posture popularised by Louis Dollo (complete with a dragged tail that would had to have been broken in the real animal), Muttaburrasaurus is portrayed as a quadruped with an extremely straight tail, bending only very slightly and subtly to the right towards the tip.

The creature is posed with its left forelimb raised, perhaps to indicate how it could have transferred to a bipedal, but still horizontal, posture. It is also looking to the left and slightly upwards, as if startled by a predator or a rival. The head appears to feature the speculative ‘resonating chamber’, a popular feature on restorations of this animal as its skull appears to support it (the Walking With Dinosaurs version also had it).

Unlike many of the other animals in the series, including Lambeosaurus, Muttaburrasaurus sports non-overlapping scales all over its body. Although skin impressions for this dinosaur have not been found, this certainly makes good sense, as impressions from other large ornithopods show such scales. As is typical of Invictas, especially later ones, detail in terms of muscle definition etc. is superb, while maintaining a bulky herbivorous look.

There are of course a few aspects that could do with a tweak (as there always are on models this old) such as the ‘fingers’, and it could probably do with a more obvious beak. However, this figure is great overall and well ahead of its time. This plain-coloured model might not immediately command your attention but it definitely rewards a closer look.

Occasionally available from eBay UK and eBay US at perfectly decent prices.