Who makes it? Safari Ltd, as part of their WS Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life series…which has recently been renamed Wild Safari Prehistoric World. But when this one came out it was WSD&PL, item number 284529
When did it come out? I want to say 2010…but it was apparently 2008
Still available? Maybe…I can find out I guess. But they recently (2018) brought out a new and improved and bigger and slightly more expensive one, so I’m guessing it’s not long for the shelves either way. There are still some in the store though!
Where can it be found in my displays? In the grand shelf of Herbivorous dinosaurs…Hemnes2Bβ
How does it fit in the collection? I have a lot of dinosaur models of course, and a dinosaur collection isn’t complete without at least one Triceratops. And I have a lot of Safari models, so it makes sense.
Any story behind it? Kind of. This was a model that was first brought in when I started managing a dinosaur museum called the Eastend T.rex Discovery Centre. You may have heard of it, or at least it’s star attraction (now) Scotty the Tyrannosaurus rex, biggest of them all (by some measures). Well, back then there was no mounted skeleton, but we did have a Triceratops skull (there are actually lots of late Cretaceous fossils from the area…as well as loads of Cenozoic age fossils and Cretaceous marine fossils…but I’m on a tangent now, and it could go forever if you’re not careful).
Anyway, when I started I was responsible for many things, including the gift shop…and one of the first things I needed to do was make it a better gift shop. So we started bringing in Safari dinosaurs, because they had such a great range. I also brought in CollectA dinos! Back in the days when there were actual Canadian distributors. As for the Triceratops, well, they came in of course (it’s one of the big 10 dinos after all) and how could I not add this one to the collection?
Notable remarks about this figure (a review that isn’t really a review): This figure was part of a major shift in style of Safari Ltd dinosaurs, and it holds up really well with more recent interpretations. The physical details capture the bulk of this dinosaur, and even found a more unique pose than we’d normally see (especially at the time). The swing in the head makes it seem more like an animal going about its day instead of just standing stock straight or prepping to fight T.rex. I’m not super familiar with the detailed anatomic studies but apparently the front feet aren’t quite right, and should be turned in towards each other, but it isn’t enough to bother me. This is a really well-done representation of one of the most popular dinosaurs!
Would I recommend it? Yes I would. I am not as picky when it comes to absolute accuracy about things like foot placement and colour, and I like how it looks. And the size is good too; it’s easier to scale with other dinos, as it is roughly 1:30 or so. Plus, as a toy this Triceratops is of course less expensive, but still an excellent model.
