Who makes it? Safari Ltd, as part of their Sue and Her Friends toob, item 681304.
When did it come out? The toob that contained this figure came out in 2012. However, the sculpt was first released in 2006 with a different toob, the Carnivorous Dinosaurs toob.
Still available? This toob is still available.
Where can it be found in my displays? I have a shelf filled with mainly Safari toob animals. So it is in there. Not the whole toob though.
How does it fit in the collection? Well, Baryonyx is one of my favorite dinosaurs. So of course I would get toobs that have one in there. And I have mentioned a fondness for the smaller figures, so that helps.
Any story behind it? Not in particular. I used to have them in the store, and there were a few other interesting figures–the toob was of course produced in conjunction with the Field Museum and there was a novel sculpt of a Tyrannosaurus to reflect their colour scheme of Sue (the green back/yellow belly look. Otherwise, the toob is a bunch of previously-released models that…make great toys.
Notable remarks about this figure (a review that isn’t really a review): I’m sure it’s been said before, but this little toob figure isn’t a great representation of Baryonyx. It is obviously inspired by the Carnegie line Baryonyx (also produced through Safari) but some changes were made that increases the awkwardness. That pose is especially frustrating–it doesn’t stand well in a two-point, three-point or four-point stance. It is also very skinny, like the Carnegie model. It needs more fish! At least it has the long legs and long snout (with small crest in front of the eyes) that would be expected for this dinosaur. It does, however, lack the noticeable huge claw that gives it its name; even at this size this should be recognizable.
Would I recommend it? I really want to. Really. I like Baryonyx the dinosaur, and spinosaurids overall are unique in their appearance and life history. But it’s just so awkward. For a collector of all things dinosaur, it would be good, and for small scenes and playing in sand boxes, it would be great. I can’t even necessarily say there are better small versions (larger figures, yes) because there aren’t many, and some are quite hard to find. So if you see it, maybe you’ll want it. But I think there are better ones, and that there should be better ones.
