Let’s look at another great figure from a great set that was tragically cut short. I am speaking of a figure from the rebirth and re-release of the Battat Dinosaurs for their Terra series. Four new figures were created by the great sculptor Dan LoRusso, and several of the figures from the original Battat Boston Museum of Science series were brought back in revised paint schemes. This figure is one of the novel models–a Cryolophosaurus.
This figure was one of the first figures that came out as part of the re-release in 2014, an excellent figure that really captured the spirit and style of Dan’s original models from the 90s. There are some of the little things about it that kind of point to the era–like the tendency to shrink wrap the reconstructions of at least the theropods is still there. But there is a lot of great but subtle detail and small features. Tiny little denticles, little creases and folds, and a great active pose. These models are highly sought after by collectors, and for many collectors these new releases were finally an opportunity to get hold of some at reasonable prices!
There are some other things about the figure that harken a little to the Battat history–the figure is posed as a tripod with the tail tip, but that’s a trick that’s been used with lots of theropod figures–posing bipedal figures is hard! Even then, I sometimes find it doesn’t stand all that well. There’s also some more noticeable things like the kind of clunky feet that don’t quite rest at on the ground properly. And some people might not like the protruding upper teeth (I personally don’t worry much about it). But the figure is still a really nice one, and I am really a fan of the paint scheme; the inspiration on the tail with the banded pattern and the two-toned green is a really nice design. Battat was truly willing to put all they could into this line’s rebirth.
The figures were originally released with the store chain Target (at least in North America); as a company, they didn’t last very long in Canada, but did last long enough that I was able to actually get them in stores. I know that other retailers in other countries were able to eventually get them in, and even in Canada other places eventually got them (as well as the actual repainted re-releases of the originals). When this Cryolophosaurus (and the other three novel figures) were first releases, there was so much excitement around them, as well as the other teased and previewed new models; it paled compared to the anticipation for the re-release of the entire original line from the 90s though! Sadly, Don passed away in 2015, and with him, the momentum for the line from Battat, and all future models were cancelled. The good news is that I think this and the other models that were actually released are still in production, but there won’t be any further additions. They may not perfectly represent current interpretations, but for collectors these are definite must haves, as much for their quality as their historical significance.
