Our thanks to William who sent into Everything Dinosaur his comprehensive review of the Beasts of the Mesozoic Yutyrannus huali model.

William explained that he had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Beasts of the Mesozoic tyrannosaur figures. He was particularly excited about the Y. huali model. In his review, he states that the nostrils are very well sculpted with nice texture. The eyes are vivid with accurate postorbital crests and the nasal crest’s midline sweeps upwards towards the postorbital crests. The jaw is praised for its accuracy.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Commenting on the Model

The Yutyrannus was an early prototype for the large-bodied tyrannosaurs that were to evolve later. The body sculpt is carefully thought out and the model has a robust body. The articulation of the figure, the model has twenty-two points of articulation, is highlighted and praised.

William comments:

“Pose as you wish without fear of a toppling figure. You have a stable figure like the real Yutyrannus was in life.”

The reviewer explained that the fully articulated, jointed tail is easy to add to the figure. He found the fully articulated jaw complete with the tongue a delight, and stated that swapping over the feet was easy, but recommended care when making model adjustments.

Attaching the figure to the stand peg is easy.

The Feather Sculpt

The details on the model, particularly the feathers are described as “truly awe inspiring”. The reviewer exclaims that from “start to finish”, this is one of the best feathered dinosaur figures currently on the market.

William explains that as Yutyrannus was an early member of Tyrannosauroidea, the arms are powerful and equipped with strong hands and three fingers. He points out that the arms should be held downwards with palms facing inwards. William comments on the powerful legs with the toe claws blunted through wear.

The colour scheme chosen for the figure is based on Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus). The reviewer describes the model and comments that stability is 100% with either sets of lower limbs fitted.

Scale: 1/18th
Length: 16 inches
Height: 6.5 inches
Points of articulation: twenty-two

Packaging and Accessories

The model is supplied in a window box with packaging art and the data card illustration created by Shannon Beaumont. The articulated model is supplied with two sets of interchangeable feet with closed and open toe versions. There is a rock and snow display base, with a peg to secure the figure.

As with William’s other model reviews he provides some information about the dinosaur.

Time Period: Early Cretaceous (125 million years ago) from the Yixian Formation.

Location: Liaoning Province, China.

Yutyrannus huali Model (Dinosaur Details)

Three fossil specimens are representing three individual animals of different sizes. The fossil material was originally recovered from a fossil dealer. This dinosaur was formally described in 2012.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s blog post about the fossil discovery: One Tonne Basal Tyrannosauroid.

Classification

Clade: Theropoda
Superfamily: Tyrannosauroidea
Family: Proceratosauridae
Type species: Yutyrannus
Species: Y. huali

Weight: 1.2 tons
Length: 29.5 feet
Height: 9 feet

William explained that during the Early Cretaceous northern China had a climate similar to British Columbia, with coastal forests dominated by conifers. He also highlighted some of the coeval dinosaurs that shared this cold, harsh habitat. The discovery of three individual animals of different sizes found together supports the theory that these dinosaurs were social, pack animals.

In concluding his review, William exclaimed:

“For my first Beasts of the Mesozoic figure I decided upon their 1/18th Yutyrannus huali. It has great articulation, and you are purchasing the Rolls Royce of dinosaur figures.”

Our thanks to William for sending Everything Dinosaur his comprehensive review.

To view the Beasts of the Mesozoic model range: Beasts of the Mesozoic Models and Figures.