New Schleich Giganotosaurus (orange) Reviewed
A Review of the Schleich Giganotosaurus (orange)
Carefully crafted with robust, creative play in mind, Schleich have produced another very attractive dinosaur model. The figure in question is the recently introduced Schleich Giganotosaurus (orange) dinosaur model, one of two new models added to the company’s “World of History” model range this summer. For prehistoric animal figure collectors it might be a case of “déjà vu” as this is the third Giganotosaurus model introduced by the German company in the last five years. Of the three, it is certainly the most colourful.
Schleich Giganotosaurus
The Schleich Giganotosaurus (orange) Dinosaur Model
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Giganotosaurus has grown in popularity since its formal naming and description by Argentinean palaeontologist Rodolfo Coria back in 1995. Each year, Everything Dinosaur produces a list of the most popular prehistoric animals and in 2014’s survey “Giant Southern Lizard” remained at number eight for the second year running.
To view the Everything Dinosaur 2014 survey: Everything Dinosaur’s Top Ten Prehistoric Animals 2014.
A Popular Cretaceous Meat-eating Dinosaur
This model will do a lot to retain the popularity of this Cretaceous meat-eating dinosaur. It is very sturdy, the model weighs close to half a kilogramme and it is very well sculpted. The weight of the replica gives it a real feel of quality. The feeling of quality is enhanced when the fine details of the skin texture including traces of skin folds are considered. Unlike many inferior replicas, the detailing is continued on the underside of the model.
The Underside of the Schleich Giganotosaurus Dinosaur Model (Giganotosaurus orange)
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Beautifully Painted Schleich Giganotosaurus
The model is beautifully painted with a striking bright orange down the flanks (it is this colour that gives this dinosaur model its name and helps it to distinguish it from the other two, earlier Schleich Giganotosaurus replicas). The orange colouration is off-set by a light green band that runs down the body and a stripe of cobalt blue that starts as a small line on the tip of nose and runs down the top of the skull, down the back to the tip of the tail where it broadens out to give this model a dark tail colour.
When inspecting the underside of this model, it is sensible to check the CE mark and manufacturer authentication which can be found on the belly. We expect there will be a lot “Chinasaur” replicas being made so we advise collectors to purchase from an authorised Schleich distributor such as Everything Dinosaur.
Authentic Models Should Have the Manufacturer Details on the Underside
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Oversized Feet
The feet are a little oversized but these help with the bipedal stance of this replica and like all the other large Theropod dinosaur models currently made by Schleich, this replica features an articulated jaw. The excellent paint work continues inside the mouth, even the palate area, the roof of the mouth, has been sculpted and painted with care. No soft tissue preservation from the skull area is known for Giganotosaurus (G. carolinii), but we appreciate the work of the design team at Schleich to include these details on their dinosaur model.
To view the range of large prehistoric animal models available (World of History): Schleich World of History Dinosaur Models.
The Schleich Giganotosaurus Model (orange) Even Shows Details of the Roof of the Mouth
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Everything Dinosaur
On the Everything Dinosaur website, we give this model’s length as approximately twenty-four centimetres, but as the tail curls round on itself and the neck is slightly bent to the right, it is difficult to provide an extremely accurate measurement of this replica’s size. When measured with one of Everything Dinosaur’s field tape measures, the model comes out at around thirty-three centimetres in length, but in our video review of this dinosaur model, to be published shortly, we retain the more conservative measurement and calculate a 1:58 scale size for this Giganotosaurus.
A Close up of the Head of the Schleich Giganotosaurus (orange)
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The row of horns running along the length of the body and along the top of the snout may not exactly match the known fossil record, and the fenestrae in the skull are a slightly unusual shape (but at least the sculptors have indicated the skull of this dinosaur had large holes behind and in front of the eye socket). All in all, this is an excellent model, one that we recommend for young dinosaur fans and collectors alike.