Who makes it? Takara TOMY as part of a line of Dino Expo 2012 DINO KINGDOM series of figures. In Japan of course.
When did it come out? …2012
Still available? No. As with any of these expo or special edition figures, they were only available for the duration of the event.
Where can it be found in my displays? In a display of…kind of a jumble. A lot of non-Kaiyodo expor figures, some other Japanese models, and the 4D puzzles. Some shelves are less themed than others.
How does it fit in the collection? It’s a Japanese small figure of a dinosaur that was’t made in any other form–so of course I had to find a way to get it!
Any story behind it? It comes from a time when I was getting a lot of figures. I’m pretty sure I traded with or bought it from a fellow collector on one of the forum sites.
Notable remarks about this figure (a review that isn’t really a review): First off, it looks like a tyrannosaurid, so they got that. They didn’t pronate the hands, so good for that as well!. It’s a unique figure, not up there with a Kaiyodo quality model but decent–the seams are a little more visible where the tail attaches, but otherwise not bad. Other than the detachable base, that is the only piece to put together (these would have been capsule figures, so they needed to fit the plastic ball!). A lot of effort went into detailing the face and teeth, and some attempt has been made to add texture to the skin and joint areas. Plus, as a way to accommodate uncertainty about feathers on tyrannosaurs there is a crest of matted feathers running down the body from the back of the head to the tip of the feathery tail. Here’s where the figure kind of misses–the feathers on the tail piece are essentially unpainted, with just a wash of the cream colour that is seen along the back. As well, the figure has light grey stripes over the back but…they painted this over the feathers, even though I think it’s supposed to be a body colour (based on the unpainted tail feathers). Weird choice.
It’s a small figure, about 11cm long. Estimates for Zhunchengtyrannus range from 10 metres to 12 metres. So for scales, it ranges from 1:90 to 1:110. We can probably say 1:100 overall.
Would I recommend it? If you are extremely particular about your figures’ details, maybe not. But it’s an interesting model nonetheless. There aren’t many options of this species (Favorite made one but I think it’s also limited–it’s definitely bigger!). These are of course not meant as toys–the bases are required to keep it standing, and that tail does not stay in very well. But for a dedicated dinosaur/prehistoric animal collector, it would be a great addition.
