For this post we’re going to look at another figure produced through Shapeways. This time it is a Kosmoceratops sculpted by noted artist David Krentz. I don’t know if he has added more, but for a while he was putting up small 1:72 dinosaur models, and since no one at the time was making one, I decided to add this species to the collection that way! I purchased mine in 2011 and it can still be purchased there (along with the rest of his models here).
This was one of the many 3D printed models I picked up over those years. It was a great way to get all sorts of animals that weren’t made otherwise. I primarily looked for unusual fish and tetrapods, but the more unusual dinosaurs were appealing too. I was also working more with dinosaurs, and a new ceratopsian like Kosmo would have piqued my interest. Now, it rests, unpainted, on a shelf full of 3D models.
One thing of note is that this figure is a lot smoother looking than, say, the Hyneria or Paddlefish that I discussed before. Part of this is probably the sculptor–David Krentz had already made several high-detail models using 3D technology before, Shapeways was just a new place to get them. But the material is also different, a plastic referred to as White Detail, which has a much higher resolution. It is worth it, really, since all of the little nuances really shine through (in hand at least…not sure about how they look in the photos).
What else to say? The figure has clearly been expertly modeled after the bizarre, skull. There may be other Kosomoceratops figures now, but the very spread out brown horns are somehow more prominent on this one. All of the little frill details are also there, on the side and top margin (although simplified a little, I think, at the top). The pose is a fun, active running pose–running to or away, don’t know. It is on three legs but balances nicely. There are no indications of quills/ornament along the tail that is sometimes hypothesized for ceratopsians, but between the limits of small printing and the uncertain nature of the physiology, I don’t think it hurts the figure.
The good news, of course, is that anyone can go to Shapeways and get this figure, so if it appeals to you, or the size is good for your collection, it would be a really good one. It is similar in size to a Kaiyodo figure (literally, they made a capsule Kosmoceratops figure as well) but it’s probably easier to get the Shapeways one, depending on where you . And if you are more confident in your painting skills (or know someone who is) you could even have it painted up to really make the figures pop! Just…these are not toys, those little bits will break. But it could be great in a diorama or even as a game piece (what game? Don’t know, someone should come up with one).
