As announced last time, this year's summer features a surprisingly vibrant collection of dinosaur plastic models. This is a sequel, coming 13 and a half years after the final installment of the Old Dinosaur Treasure House, "Dinosaur Plastic Model History 10."

 

In fact, the only Japanese-made dinosaur plastic model released in the approximately quarter-century since Tamiya's "1/35 Dinosaur World Series" in 1993 was the related product for "Jurassic Park II" released by Hasegawa in 1997 (Treasure House vol.65).

The situation overseas was similar; during the Jurassic Park II era, veteran manufacturer Revell released Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor models, but after that, only three dinosaur plastic models full of the old Aurora style were released in 2000 by a manufacturer that revived the brand name of the classic plastic model maker "Aurora."

 

*The term "plastic model" here refers to injection kits where parts are connected to a runner, and does not include resin or soft vinyl kits. Incidentally, the "1/35 Dinosaur Skeleton Model Series" Tyrannosaurus (only this one was a supplement to a science magazine), Triceratops, and Diplodocus released by Gakken from 2005 to 2007 were excellent models based on Araki's prototypes, but since the material was polyethylene (plastic model paints cannot be used!), they were borderline to be called plastic models. Furthermore, they were sold in bookstores as books with ISBN codes.

 

Dinosaur plastic models reappeared on the Japanese plastic model scene in 2018. Fujimi Mokei's "Jiyu Kenkyu Series" (Free Research Series) added Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and Velociraptor to its lineup. With excellent skin molding, movable joints, and the ability to look convincing with molded colors and stickers even without painting, these were excellent products that pioneered the current Bandai Plannosaurus series. However, for me, they were unfortunately deformed dinosaurs. Then, in 2020, Bandai-made Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops skeleton plastic models were included as supplements in the October issues of Shogakukan's "Shogaku Hachinensei" and "Shogaku Ichinensei" (New Treasure House Vol.56), and from around this time, Bandai, known for its Gunpla (although its company name has quietly changed to Bandai Spirits, I will refer to it as Bandai here), began to focus on dinosaur plastic models.

 

Starting in 2021, they launched the full-fledged skeleton plastic model series, "Imaginary Skeleton." In January of this year, the affordable "Plannosaurus Series" began, allowing for easy assembly, playable articulated joints, and enjoyment of both the skeleton and living body. Both series are ongoing.

 

*Around last year, Bandai aired plastic model educational programs on TV. There's "Ryosan-gata Rico," a business-themed drama series where the protagonist, a girl who awakens to plastic models, builds one every week, and the truly delightful program "Puramo ni Mesarete," where idols visit local plastic model shops. (Sadly, such local model shops have become extinct in my hometown.)

Both screens subtly featured the Tyrannosaurus from the Imaginary Skeleton series.

 

Amidst all this, the dinosaur plastic model world was shaken this summer. Kaiyodo, which has released numerous dinosaur models. X-Plus, which sells high-grade finished products such as JP dinosaurs and the Allosaurus and Raquel Welch from "Dinosaur 1 Million Years Ago" introduced in this New Treasure House. And Wave, an essential model manufacturer in hobby shops, handling everything from sci-fi mecha to the battleship Mikasa and even model materials. These three companies entered the dinosaur plastic model scene.

 

To further fuel this sudden dinosaur plastic model boom, in July, the magazine "Hobby Japan Extra" published a special issue on dinosaur plastic models. Its content was exhaustive, including articles on creating dioramas using these dinosaur plastic models, kit introductions, museum reports from various regions, and even dinosaur movie introductions. However, I didn't get the deep information I was most hoping for (e.g., phantom dinosaur kits).

While all the dioramas were impressive, some pieces made me question them from a dinosaur perspective, such as Brachiosaurus and Velociraptor appearing together, or Futabasaurus standing upright with its upper body out of the water.

 

So, this time, following Bandai's Mosasaurus skeleton from last time, I'm going to build all the dinosaur plastic models released this summer. Before that, I must introduce Tamiya's "1/35 Dinosaur World Series," which I announced in the last installment of the Old Treasure House, "Dinosaur Plastic Model History 10," but was unable to cover.

Image 1

*Please excuse the poor image quality, as the photos were taken at the time.

 

This series includes seven types: "Chasmosaurus Diorama Set," "Tyrannosaurus Diorama Set," "Parasaurolophus Diorama Set," "Triceratops Diorama Set," "Velociraptor 6-Figure Set," "Brachiosaurus Diorama Set," and "Small Dinosaur Set." In this photo, these dinosaurs are arranged randomly. The central photo shows the bases, excluding the Brachiosaurus, connected in the Aurora style. Looking at them this way, they are quite substantial. All except the Brachiosaurus are Cretaceous dinosaurs. If only they would restart the Jurassic dinosaur diorama series that can be connected to the Brachiosaurus's base... I fantasize about another manufacturer taking over if Tamiya can't.

 

Let me also introduce images of subsequent dinosaur plastic models.

 

Image 2

Image 2 shows the revived Aurora's T-Rex, Pterano, and Triceratops. These have already been introduced in Treasure House Vol.57, New Treasure House Vol.57, and New Treasure House Vol.59 respectively. While the Aurora image is exaggerated to the extreme, the actual Aurora Prehistoric Scenes series features rather realistic sculpts. (Treasure House Vol.57) Although Gakken's "1/35 Dinosaur Skeleton Series" may not strictly be called plastic models as mentioned earlier, I would like to include them in this history of plastic models. This is because these kits are successors to the 70s dinosaur skeleton model series introduced as masterpieces in Treasure House Vol.60. The Tyrannosaurus was a supplement to "Kagaku no Tamago No. 8" magazine published in 2006. The Triceratops and Diplodocus were released in 2006 and 2007 as Gakken Mook "Dinosaur Skeleton Model Series." The Diplodocus, for example, is 90cm long. All prototypes were created by Kazunari Araki.

*The Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops were re-released in 2021 as "Kagaku to Gakushu PRESENTS."

 

 Image 3

The deformed dinosaurs from Fujimi Mokei's "Jiyu Kenkyu Series" in 2018. The Tyrannosaurus on the left is one I assembled, unpainted as I couldn't bring myself to paint it. The JP-colored Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor next to it were found and purchased on Yahoo Auctions. It was good to have properly finished works to introduce here. After all, plastic models truly shine when painted. This series also includes a Triceratops, which remains untouched in its box.

 

Image 4

The supplements to Shogakukan's magazines "Shogaku Hachinensei" and "Shogaku Ichinensei" from 2020, which appeared in New Treasure House Vol.56. They were later commercialized by Bandai. At Dinosaur-kun's "Dinosaur Science Expo" in 2021, a "limited edition version" was sold, and I remember struggling with whether to buy it, being weak to limited items, but barely managed to hold back.

 

Image 5

(Bandai, Imaginary Skeleton Series: Tyrannosaurus (2021) VS Triceratops (2022). Actually, I had resisted building the Tyrannosaurus due to its "rabbit hop" pose (it's unrealistic for an adult T-Rex weighing 8 tons to jump, and it just doesn't look cool!), but then I found an amazing modified version on Yahoo Auctions with embedded joints for articulation. I bought it for about 10,000 yen (which is a bargain considering the time and effort involved!). I wanted to color it more like a fossil, but I was afraid of damaging the joints, so I stopped. The Triceratops is one I made this time, and I tried to match its color to the Tyrannosaurus, but in the photo, it looks slightly off.

 

Now, for this year's new faces. Coincidentally, they are all 1/35 scale.

 

Image 6

First, Wave's 1/35 "Futabasaurus" released in early spring. It's a surprisingly simple model with few parts and a good fit, making it easy to assemble. The pose is also straightforward, exactly like the exhibit at the National Museum of Nature and Science. (Although it comes with an optional alternative neck part.) It's truly a 1/35 scale model of the Futabasaurus as seen in the Japan Gallery of the National Museum of Nature and Science.

*Incidentally, the Futabasaurus at the local "Iwaki Coal and Fossil Museum Horuru" (whose name has changed without me noticing) has its neck extended straight.

 

Surprisingly, this model of Futabasaurus in the National Museum pose is the first of its kind to be released in Japan. Even the two types of gachapon "Capsule Museum" by Kaiyodo sold at the museum (skeleton and living body) incorporate the sculptor's interpretation in the neck bend and fin direction. The prototype for this Wave kit was created by Hirokazu Tokugawa. It's likely that the manufacturer also had intentions. He has wonderfully fleshed out the National Museum's skeleton. It truly feels like a professional's work.

However, Tokugawa also expressed his own interpretation in the resin kit of Futabasaurus released by "Endorphin" about 30 years ago (photo left).

 

Image 7

X-Plus's T-Rex. This reproduces a famous scene from Jurassic Park. This dinosaur plastic model has an unusually large number of parts, but assembly is relatively easy. However, questions remain about the model-making significance of this part division. The production article in the aforementioned "Hobby Japan Extra" also did not address this.

 

The scene in the movie takes place at night in the rain, so I tried to convey that feeling by coloring it darker, wetting the dinosaur's skin, and attempting to depict raindrops hitting the road, but it didn't turn out as I had hoped. Nevertheless, it was a rather enjoyable process.

 

One question I have is about the distinct Tyrannosaurus footprints embedded in the road. Shouldn't it be paved?

 

*X-Plus is also reportedly releasing a JPⅢ Spinosaurus plastic model in December.

 

Image 8

Kaiyodo's Tyrannosaurus and the Tree of Life.

The Tyrannosaurus kit originally depicts a "Dino-san" world view with researchers and zookeepers, but I couldn't bring myself to paint the humans, so I made a diorama with just the parent and child Tyrannosaurus. The base is "Battle of Texas" from the Gundam diorama model series, which had been sleeping in a corner of my room. I bought it at the time of its release, intending to use it as a diorama base. I also remember building Mobile Suits properly. Nostalgic... The plants are also stock from when I was making dinosaur dioramas (Treasure House Vol.15).

 

Now, for the problematic Tree of Life from the Tower of the Sun. This was quite a challenge. It required intricate painting, even Hazuki Loupe couldn't keep up, and I couldn't quite figure out the colors either. The design drawing (which seems to be a dead word now) specified precise color mixing, but I couldn't buy so much paint, and the color drawing was a bit difficult to understand, so I referred to photos of the exhibited organisms in the "Tower of the Sun Guide" book (Shogakukan 1018). However, the photos of the Tree of Life inside the tower had overly dramatic lighting, so I could only guess the actual colors. I somehow managed to finish it, but I was exhausted. I wonder when I'll be able to tackle the Tower of the Sun itself...

 

Finally, an introduction to Bandai's latest Plannosaurus series release, the Ankylosaurus, which just came out in late October.

Image 9

The living body model turned out pretty well, so I added some color. Although, it was mostly just dry brushing and panel lining.

Lined up in the same pose is the latest PNSO finished product, Zuul. Of course, the Plannosaurus is the one posing.

 

Regarding ankylosaur models, I'm curious about ASA-san's evaluation, which I asked for in Vol.72 Armored Dinosaur Feature.

 

He praised Zuul, saying there was nothing to criticize.

As for the Ankylosaurus, I had some concerns about things like the width of its body and the number of armored bands, but

When posing and playing with it, the gaps in the joints aren't noticeable thanks to the armor, so it's a lot of fun. ASA-san also appreciated that aspect, saying it's definitely worth buying, and that he had already bought three on the first day, and was in the process of modifying one of them with clay to his satisfaction. That's typical of ASA-san.

 

Well, this is the last installment for this year.

Thank you for your readership this year.

We look forward to next year.

 

This year's Christmas card features a Japanese painting of Nanuqsaurus, a tyrannosaurid dinosaur that, like Santa Claus, lives in the Arctic Circle. It's a work by Shigeo Yokohashi, purchased at the 5th "Japanese Painting and Dinosaurs" exhibition held in Ikebukuro in mid-November. Don't you think it's perfect for Christmas? Although it's not visible in the photo, the actual artwork sparkles, making it even more Merry Christmas!

 

Happy New Year to you all….