New CollectA Models 2019 (Part 3)

Today, we post up the third part of our series of articles showcasing the new for 2019 prehistoric animal models from CollectA and part three introduces a pair of theropod dinosaurs from very different parts of the world.

The two new dinosaur figures are:

• A CollectA Deluxe 1:40 scale Baryonyx (available mid 2019).
• A CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular range Fukuiraptor (available mid 2019).

The New for 2019 CollectA Deluxe 1:40 Scale Baryonyx Model

Picture credit: CollectA

CollectA Deluxe Baryonyx with an Articulated Jaw

The CollectA Deluxe 1/40th scale Baryonyx has an articulated jaw and model collectors will note that the back has a considerable “humped” appearance.  This is because this model has been created with a view to supporting the idea that this dinosaur had elongated neural spines on its dorsal vertebrae.

The holotype Baryonyx walkeri fossil material collected from a clay pit in Surrey, represents one of the most complete theropod dinosaur skeletons ever found in Europe, even so, many of the back bones were incomplete and broken.  On a visit to the Isle of Wight, model designer Anthony Beeson had a conversation about Baryonyx with Steve Hutt, formerly with the Isle of Wight County Museums Service and a leading advocate for the establishment of a palaeontology museum on the Isle of Wight.

Steve was working on some recently discovered large theropod vertebra that had been assigned to the Baryonchidae family.  So, as a result, this figure and the other Baryonyx figures including the 1:40 scale model introduced in 2009, have a distinctive hump.

A Close-up View of the Skull and Jaws of the CollectA Deluxe Baryonyx

Picture credit: CollectA

That articulated jaw has been designed to reflect the distinctive jaw-line and dentition associated with this large predator from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe.  As a dinosaur associated with aquatic environments, Anthony in collaboration with his colleague Matthias has given the Baryonyx model webbing between the toes, as befits a semi-aquatic animal.

Commenting on the hump-backed Baryonyx reconstruction, model designer Anthony Beeson explained:

“Because this new idea [elongated neural spines] did not appear in general reconstructions of Baryonyx, in 2006 I commissioned John Sibbick, who then lived nearby in Bath and was a friend of one of my close friends, to paint me a reconstruction of everyday life on the Isle of Wight in the Lower Cretaceous.  I wanted him to show a Baryonyx attending to a dead Iguanodon whilst about to be menaced by the recently discovered Neovenator, while other known Isle of Wight species went about their business in the background.”

The Artwork Commissioned Depicting the Isle of Wight in the Lower Cretaceous

Picture credit: John Sibbick with permission from Anthony Beeson

CollectA Fukuiraptor – The “Thief of Fukui”

The second carnivorous dinosaur to be announced this week comes from a very different part of the world, the fossils of Fukuiraptor (pronounced Foo-kwee-rap-tor), come from Honshu Island, the largest island in Japan.  Ironically, although Baryonyx and Fukuiraptor lived thousands of miles apart, they lived at roughly the same time during the Early Cretaceous.  The CollectA Fukuiraptor will be a new addition to the “Dinosaurs Popular” range.

New for 2019 the CollectA Fukuiraptor Dinosaur Model

Picture credit: CollectA

Mistaken for a Dromaeosaur

When first discovered the heavy hand claws were thought to have come from the foot and, as the genus name indicates, it was considered to be a dromaeosaurid.  However, although its exact taxonomic affinity is debated, most palaeontologists consider this theropod to be a member of the Megaraptora clade.  The design team at CollectA have based their replica on the holotype material and the restored skeleton on display at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum (Japan).  This dinosaur was named and described 2000 AD, its binomial name reflects the location of the fossil site and the geological formation where the fossils were found – Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis (from Fukui Prefecture and the Kitadani Formation).

Commenting on the model, Anthony Beeson stated:

“In our reconstruction I have followed the idea that megoraptorans are allosauroids.  I wanted to convey that it is a lively and lightly built carnivore.  The holotype is of an immature example and so I have scaled it up to presumed adult size.”

Is the CollectA Fukuiraptor a Scale Model?

In some of the documentation and technical files we have received from CollectA, the Age of Dinosaurs Fukuiraptor is described as being a 1:40 scale replica.  The adult size of Fukuiraptor is not known, but it is estimated that adults could have reached lengths of around five to six metres, so at a fraction under fifteen centimetres long, it could be argued that the CollectA Fukuiraptor is a 1/40th scale model.

Model Measurements

• CollectA Deluxe 1:40 scale Baryonyx length = 26 cm, height = 8.2 cm.
• CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Fukuiraptor length = 14.7 cm and height 6.8 cm.

To view the range of CollectA Deluxe models: CollectA Deluxe Models.

To view the range of CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular: CollectA Prehistoric Life.

For part 1 of our new for 2019 CollectA series: CollectA New Models for 2019 – Part 1.

For part 2 of our new for 2019 CollectA series: CollectA New Models for 2019 – Part 2.