A Customised CollectA Edaphosaurus

More pictures have been sent into Everything Dinosaur showing how a prehistoric animal model can be made into a truly unique piece.  Our thanks once again to model and figure collector Elizabeth who gave us access to some photographs of her recently customised CollectA Edaphosaurus model.  Having purchased the figure from Everything Dinosaur, the model was dispatched to professional model maker Martin Garratt for a custom makeover.  We think the results are awesome!

The Customised CollectA Edaphosaurus Model

Picture credit: Elizabeth

Edaphosaurus Model Presented on a Base

As well as carrying out a spectacular paintjob on the figure, Martin has constructed a base complete with representatives of Permian vegetation to help make this herbivorous synapsid feel at home.

Fine Details on the Custom-made Base (CollectA Edaphosaurus)

Picture credit: Elizabeth

Presenting a prehistoric animal figure on a base allows the model maker to add an extra dimension to the project and provides fine details and finishing touches.

A View of the Skilfully Painted Tail of the Edaphosaurus Model

Picture credit: Elizabeth

Commenting on her figure, collector Elizabeth stated:

“I love the way Martin [Martin Garratt] graded the colour on the tail.”

Painting the Throat of a Pelycosaur

CollectA have stated that they intend to introduce more models of animals that lived during the Palaeozoic into their figure range.  The Edaphosaurus follows on from a beautifully crafted Dimetrodon figure that came out last year.  Thanks to Elizabeth’s photographs we can all appreciate the work that has gone into creating this stunning Edaphosaurus.

A View of the Carefully Painted Throat of the CollectA Edaphosaurus Model

Picture credit: Elizabeth

Model collector Elizabeth added:

“I tried to get underneath him to show the lovely work on his throat and the spots on his cheek”.

Your efforts are greatly appreciated, these close-up views highlight the excellent brush work as well as showcasing the wonderful scale texture that CollectA have incorporated into their model.

The CollectA Model Viewed from the Side

Picture credit: Elizabeth

The Off-the-Shelf CollectA Edaphosaurus Model

Our thanks once again to Elizabeth for sharing her pictures of the customised Edaphosaurus with us.  To view the CollectA Edaphosaurus and other prehistoric animal figure models in this series: CollectA Prehistoric Life Figures and Replicas.

CollectA Caiuajara Pterosaur Model Gets Customised

Our thanks to dinosaur and prehistoric animal model collector Elizabeth who sent into Everything Dinosaur some photographs of her recent CollectA pterosaur purchase that she has had customised by a professional model maker and artist.  The pterosaur figure is the recently introduced (spring 2019), CollectA Supreme Deluxe Caiuajara model.  This figure has been highly praised by collectors and fans of prehistoric animals, but when placed in the hands of a professional model maker this figure can be customised and elevated to a higher level.

The CollectA Deluxe Caiuajara Pterosaur Model After the Makeover

Picture credit: Elizabeth

Caiuajara Model Custom Painted

At Everything Dinosaur, we tend to get a lot of pictures of models that have been custom painted or altered by their owners in some way.  We marvel at how clever and creative these people are.    The CollectA Deluxe Caiuajara figure is very impressive, but the professional model maker (Martin Garratt),  has created a truly unique piece, one that would not be out of place in a museum collection.  Our congratulations to Martin for his excellent work and our thanks to Elizabeth for sharing images of the commission.

The Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

The CollectA Deluxe Caiuajara (Out of the Box)

Colour Vision and Feathers

Recent research has suggested that members of the Pterosauria may have been feathered in a similar way as dinosaurs.  There is growing evidence to indicate that the common ancestor of the dinosaurs and pterosaurs may have evolved a coat of simple feathers to help this active animal keep warm.

To read an article outlining the latest evidence that supports the idea that feathers first evolved in the Early Triassic: Feathers Came First Then Birds Evolved.

A Closer View of that Beautifully Detailed Head Crest

Picture credit: Elizabeth

A Pterosaur Starting Point

When it comes to customising a figure or model, it is very important to work with a highly accurate and well-made model in the first place.  If the figure has approximately the right proportions and has an intriguing pose that is anatomically accurate, then this permits the model maker the opportunity to really enhance the figure to create something truly unique.

Standing around twenty-four centimetres high, the CollectA Deluxe Caiuajara is quite sizeable and it has provided the model maker with lots of scope to really bring out the model’s features.  Martin’s choice of colour scheme is very effective and the use of starkly contrasting colours highlights that colour was most important to these flying reptiles and supports the idea that these active animals had colour vision.

The Model Maker has chosen a Vivid Colour Palette and Used a High Gloss Wash to Bring out Details

Picture credit: Elizabeth

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“Our thanks to Elizabeth for sharing these photographs with us, this figure will make a marvellous addition to her model collection.”

To view the CollectA Caiuajara figure and the rest of the models in the CollectA Deluxe range: CollectA Deluxe Prehistoric Life.

Mojo Fun Prehistoric Mammals

The excellent “Prehistoric & Extinct” model range (Mojo Fun), contains a lot of dinosaur figures but today, we focus on a couple of prehistoric mammal models.  We have praised this model range before, congratulating the company for producing figures of recently extinct creatures such as the Quagga of southern Africa and the Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacine).  The range includes a number of other prehistoric mammals, replicas of some creatures that became extinct millions of years ago and not just within the last 150 years or so as in the case of the Thylacine and the Quagga.

A Scene Featuring Mojo Fun Prehistoric Mammals

Picture credit: Mojo Fun

Hyaenodon gigas and Deinotherium

The picture (above), depicts the fearsome Hyaenodon gigas one of the largest members of the Hyaenodontidae family (foreground).  Some fossil specimens indicate that this cursorial mammal could have weighed as much as 500 kilograms.   The large, elephant-like animal in the background is a Deinotherium, a very popular Mojo Fun prehistoric animal figure amongst collectors, after all, not that many replicas of “gigantic, terrible beast” have been produced.

The Mojo Fun Deinotherium Model

Wide Temporal and Geographical Ranges

Mojo Fun have taken great care in the creation of their promotional image.  A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“It is always a pleasure to post up images depicting prehistoric animal models from the various ranges that we support.   We have some more images kindly supplied by Mojo Fun of some of their new for 2019 prehistoric animals, we are looking forward to posting up these images to, when the figures come into stock.”

A Hyaenodon gigas Scale Drawing Based on the Mojo Fun Hyaenodon Figure

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Fossils of both Hyaenodon and Deinotherium genera have a wide geographical and temporal distribution.  H. gigas is known from the Lower Oligocene of south-eastern Mongolia, so it lived long before the first members of the Deinotheriidae evolved and certainly before the first members of this elephant family left Africa and became more widespread.  However, as the Deinotherium genus is believed to have existed from the Miocene to the Pliocene Epoch and as some hyaenodonts persisted until the Late Miocene, it is possible that species of Deinotherium would have been contemporaneous with some of the last members of the Hyaenodontidae.

An interaction between a member of the Deinotheriidae and a carnivorous hyaenodont could have taken place.

To view the range of Mojo Fun models stocked by Everything Dinosaur: Mojo Prehistoric and Extinct Animal Models.