Team members at Everything Dinosaur review the Rebor Saurophaganax maximus “Notorious Big” dinosaur model in the “volcanic cavern” colour scheme. In total, three colour variants of this Late Jurassic apex predator have been introduced by Rebor in 2022, “Badlands” was highlighted in an earlier (March 2022), blog post: Rebor Saurophaganax “Badlands” . This week, we posted up more pictures of the “jungle” colour variant: Rebor Saurophaganax “Jungle” and today, we conclude by focusing on the stunning, crimson “volcanic cavern” Saurophaganax dinosaur model.

Rebor Saurophaganax maximus in the “volcanic cavern” colour scheme shown in right lateral view. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Volcanic Ash and the Brushy Basin Member

The name of this brightly coloured, 1:35 scale dinosaur model has links with volcanism. Naming a Saurophaganax model “volcanic cavern” is highly appropriate and we congratulate Rebor for their choice of moniker. The holotype material collected by J. W. Stovall in 1931 and 1932 comes from a site in Cimarron County, Oklahoma (OMNH Quarry 1). The sediments represent the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation, one of the youngest geological units associated with the famous, highly fossiliferous Morrison Formation.

The upper portions of the Brushy Basin Member are dominated by layers of weathered volcanic ash. Altered volcanic ash is particularly abundant in the Brushy Basin Member of the upper part of the Morrison Formation. In one 110-metre-thick section in eastern Utah, 35 separate beds of volcanic ash were deposited over a period of 2.2 million years.

Rebor Saurophaganax in the “volcanic cavern” colour scheme shown in anterior view. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

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A “Popcorn” Texture

A characteristic of the Brushy Basin Member is the amount of bentonite present. This is a form of weathered ash that has become mixed with fine clay. It is extremely absorbent and tends to swell up as it absorbs moisture giving the ground a bubbly appearance resembling popcorn.

During the Late Jurassic, subduction of the North American tectonic plate led to the creation of a line of volcanoes along the western margins of North America. Periodically, these volcanoes would erupt and eject huge volumes of ash into the atmosphere. The ash clouds would drift eastwards and blanket the land further inland. Saurophaganax lived during this time of volcanic activity and these reptiles would have witnessed the volcanism and suffered the consequences as a result of the periodic eruptions that took place far to the west.

The impressive Rebor Saurophaganax maximus dinosaur model in the “volcanic cavern” colour scheme.

Dating the Strata from Zircons

These volcanic ash deposits yield, extremely resistant zircon crystals which can be used to precisely date the time of deposition by measuring the radiometric decay of isotopes within the igneous material (usually uranium to lead decay). Radiometric dating permits scientists to make an estimate of the age of the bedding planes and infer the age of the fossils that they contain. The presence of the weathered volcanic ash has assisted palaeontologists in working out the age of Brushy Basin component layers.

The crimson coloured Rebor Saurophaganax maximus “Notorious Big” in the “volcanic cavern” colour scheme. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To view the Rebor Saurophaganax maximus in the “volcanic cavern” colour scheme and the rest of the Rebor prehistoric animal figures: Rebor Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

Team members at Everything Dinosaur review the Rebor Saurophaganax maximus “Notorious Big” dinosaur model in the “jungle” colour scheme. Three colour variants of this Late Jurassic apex predator have been introduced. “Badlands” was highlighted in an earlier blog post: Rebor Saurophaganax “Badlands”, we intend to showcase the crimson-coloured “volcanic cavern” in the near future but today, we focus on the “jungle” colour variant.

The Rebor Saurophaganax maximus 1:35 scale dinosaur model in the “Notorious Big” series. This is the “jungle” colour variant. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

An Articulated Dinosaur Model

The Saurophaganax figure measures 41.5 cm long and it is articulated, with a flexible tail, moveable forelimbs and an articulated lower jaw so the model can be posed either mouth open or mouth closed. Of the three figures introduced, the “jungle” colouration is perhaps the most realistic colour scheme, after all, Saurophaganax fossils are associated with the famous Morrison Formation of the United States and these strata represent deposits laid down in a lush, verdant floodplain environment.

The Rebor Saurophaganax maximus

The Rebor Saurophaganax maximus dinosaur model has a declared scale of 1:35.

Conifers dominated the riparian* environment along with cycads, horsetails, tree ferns and ginkgo trees. As these tend to be predominately shades of green, a green coloured theropod would have been well camouflaged amongst the vegetation.

The colouration of the Rebor Saurophaganax model is predominately green with yellow countershading. Prominent stripes can be seen on the broad, deep tail. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A riparian* environment is a terrestrial zone that lies between the land and a river or stream. It describes the ecosystem (plant habitats and animal communities) that inhabit river margins and the banks of streams. The Morrison Formation deposits were laid down in floodplains and riparian zones. Several theropod dinosaurs have been described from fossils found in these strata, Saurophaganax (S. maximus) is one of the largest described to date.

A view of the Rebor Saurophaganax maximus “jungle” colour variant (lateral view). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Rebor Saurophaganax maximus Museum Class replica in the jungle colour scheme. All three colour variants will be available from Everything Dinosaur.

To view the Rebor Saurophaganax dinosaur models in stock at Everything Dinosaur including the “jungle” colour variant: Rebor Models and Figures.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys and Models.

Recently, Rebor introduced three Saurophaganax scale models under the moniker “Notorious Big”. Today, we at Everything Dinosaur take a look at one of the three colour variants – the Rebor Saurophaganax maximus in the “Badlands” colour scheme.

Rebor 1:35 Saurophaganax maximus Museum Class Replica “Notorious Big” in the “Badlands” colour scheme.

The “Badlands” Variant

Saurophaganax is the official state fossil of Oklahoma, where the first fossils that were ascribed to this genus were found (although originally named Saurophagus maximus, until it was discovered the genus name was preoccupied). The validity of the genus remains controversial. Fossils assigned to S. maximus, could represent exceptionally large examples of Allosaurus.

The “Badlands” colour variant with its purple hues and glossy appearance is a bit of a misnomer, no fossils ascribed to Saurophaganax have been found in areas referred to as “Badlands”, its fossils, as far as we at Everything Dinosaur are aware, are confined to sedimentary deposits associated with the vast Morrison Formation.

The Rebor Saurophaganax maximus “Notorious Big” in the “Badlands” colour scheme. One of a trio of Saurophagnax scale models introduced in the early spring of 2022. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The figure has articulated arms, a flexible tail and an articulated lower jaw. It has a declared scale of 1:35 the model measures around 41.5 cm long and has a head height of approximately 13 cm.

Saurophaganax was one of the largest, terrestrial predators of the Late Jurassic. Fossils are associated with Upper Kimmeridgian to Lower Tithonian aged deposits (155.7 to 145 million years ago). Several major dinosaur-fossil bearing geological formations have revealed that there were many contemporaneous large carnivorous theropods present in the ancient ecosystem. For example, Morrison Formation fossil material indicates the presence of Torvosaurus, Allosaurus, Saurophaganax, Ceratosaurus and Marshosaurus. The roughly contemporaneous Lourinhã Formation (Portugal) indicates a similar theropod biota – Lourinhanosaurus, Torvosaurus, Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, plus possible megalosauroids and abelisaurids, although no material ascribed to the Saurophaganax genus has been found to date in Portugal.

The Rebor Saurophaganax maximus “Notorious Big” 1:35 scale dinosaur model shown in right lateral view. The model is in the “Badlands” colour scheme. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Prehistoric Animal Models and Figures.

The Rebor Saurophaganax maximus has a flexible tail, movable arms and an articulated lower jaw. IThe “Badlands” colour variant is seen here in lateral view. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A Beautifully Detailed Dinosaur Model

Described by collectors as a beautifully detailed dinosaur model, the Rebor Saurophaganax maximus in the “Badlands” colour scheme is already proving to be a popular addition to the Rebor range of dinosaur models.

To view the range of Rebor prehistoric animal models and figures available from Everything Dinosaur: Rebor Models and Figures.