In the last特集 (special feature) on Titanosaurus, I regret that I skipped introducing Brachiosaurus figures, which could be called the ancestor of the Titan family that led to the super-giant dinosaurs of South America at the end of the Cretaceous period, due to the sheer number of them. I can't let the year end with this regret. So this time, it's a Brachiosaurus special feature. However, it's impossible to find and show all the Brachiosaurus in my house, so I've carefully selected what seems important or rare among those that caught my eye.
 
Although Brachiosaurus figures are numerous, they are nowhere near as many as Brontosaurus (Apatosaurus), and their history is surprisingly short. The oldest confirmed Brachiosaurus figure is, surprisingly, made in Japan. It was a skeletal kit that came as an appendix to the 1977 magazine "6-nen no Kagaku" (Gakken).
 
In the dinosaur series from American manufacturers like Marx, MPC, Miller, Alva, SRG, and Pyro in the 50s and 60s, there was no sign of Brachiosaurus. The niche for sauropod figures at that time was monopolized by Brontosaurus. Even Diplodocus, which is equally ancient, had a rather obscure presence.
 
Even in the 70s Starlux series from France, which featured over 100 ancient creatures, Brontosaurus, Diplodocus, and even Dicraeosaurus were in the lineup, but for some reason, Brachiosaurus was missing. At that time, Brachiosaurus was already widely known worldwide thanks to Burian's famous paintings (and their imitations), so what on earth happened?
 
It wasn't until the 80s that Brachiosaurus finally made a full-fledged entry into the world of dinosaur figures.
 
*The Brachiosaurus models introduced here are believed to be models of Brancai (none of them specify the species name) based on their release period, and are now Giraffatitan, but let's not quibble over that.
Recently, a figure (ecology and skeleton) named Giraffatitan has been released by a Chinese manufacturer. It's too expensive for me to buy...
 
The 1977 skeleton will be introduced later along with other skeletal models, but first, let's look at the Brachiosaurus from the 80s.

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The two items on the top left are domestic soft vinyl models. One is from Clover's 1/50 Dinosaur Series ( Treasure House Vol.38), believed to be released in the early 80s, and the other is from JAPAN GREAT CO.LTD, also introduced in Vol.38. Prior to these manufacturers, Marushin released the soft vinyl "Giant Dinosaur" series in the late 70s, but Brachiosaurus was only announced and never actually released.
Next to it is a metal Brachiosaurus, likely purchased at the "World's Largest Dinosaur Exhibition" ( New Treasure House Vol.34 / Vol.36) held in Shinjuku in 1984.
At that time, Japan didn't have permanent exhibits of giant sauropods, and it was only the second time a specimen had come to Japan since Mamenchisaurus in 1981. With a real Brachiosaurus (accompanied by the Archaeopteryx Berlin specimen), dinosaur enthusiasts were naturally excited. In the same year, Kaiyodo released two resin kits by Kazunari Araki. The smaller one was part of the collection series, and the larger one was from the 1/35 series, a substantial work weighing over 50 cm.
And for some reason, the British Natural History Museum also released a Brachiosaurus figure in 1984. ( Treasure House Vol.41)
The two figures next to it were sold at the Kleinwelka Dinosaur Park near Dresden, Germany, in the 80s, and seem to be extremely rare. The larger one is very similar to the British Natural History Museum's, both in size and facial features.
And the bottom right is made by Safari in 1988.
 

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1990s

 
Lined up in the center from left:
Bullyland (1990)
U.K.R.D (Chinese manufacturer, 1991)
Schleich (1993)
Safari (1996)
 
On both ends are Kaiyodo Shinobu Matsumura's massive 1/20 soft vinyl kit (1990, Treasure House Vol.63) and Tamiya's plastic model, the 1/35 Brachiosaurus diorama set (1994, New Treasure House Vol.75).
 
And in 1993, Brachiosaurus made its shocking big-screen debut in Jurassic Park.

 
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JP Series Brachiosaurus

*Please also see New Treasure House Vol.24 / Vol.26.
 
Surprisingly, in JP1, despite its impactful debut scene and major role like sneezing on a child in a tree, the only Brachiosaurus figure from Kenner, who handled action figures at the time, was a juvenile included as a bonus with character dolls. It was treated as inferior to the Triceratops, which only lay sick. On the other hand, Japan's Tsukuda Hobby did a great job.
The photo on the left shows Tsukuda's soft vinyl figure, a splendid creation based on the movie prop, standing about 75 cm tall.
Next to it is a similarly sized action figure released by Mattel just before JW3 (New Treasure House Vol.66). The recently re-released Hammond Collection version has more points of articulation and can be posed standing, but I'm refraining from buying it as I simply don't have space for it.
 
The upper right features three Tsukuda figures and a Dakin plush toy. Also, a Kaiyodo confectionery toy that came as a bonus with Coca-Cola at Lawson during JP3. Standing figures are few and far between.
The bottom row includes American-made Coca-Cola related items from JP1, Dakin's small figures, and the aforementioned Kenner captive juvenile.
The far right is a Hasbro action figure from JP3. It's less than 30 cm tall, and its sculpting lacks the grandeur characteristic of Brachiosaurus. Since Brachiosaurus only stood by the river in JP3, this treatment is perhaps unavoidable.
 
In the JP series, Brachiosaurus becomes extinct due to a volcanic eruption in the first half of "JW2: Fallen Kingdom." Then, in "JW3: Dominion," the even larger titanosaur Dreadnoughtus appears. It's almost as if it's tracing the history of titanosauriformes in the Cretaceous period.

 
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Since 2000

 
From top left: Favorite's desktop model (early 2000s), Safari (2009), PAPO (2012)
Although only three types are shown here, it doesn't mean they've become an endangered species in this century. On the contrary, the internet is flooded with images of Brachiosaurus figures.
For example, you can see four types of Brachiosaurus models currently on sale in the " Creature Encyclopedia " on this Favorite website. There are also mini models (unfortunately, the desktop model is discontinued).
Schleich's current model has a cuter design compared to its predecessor.
CollectA offers three types: large, small, and a juvenile.
It's impossible to keep track of other items such as those from China, small items like Ania, gashapon, and confectionery toys.
The Dinosaur Toy Museum, which I frequent, displays 50 Brachiosaurus toys. Please take a look.

https://www.dinotoymuseum.com/name/name078.html
 
The bottom row features items from Bandai's Plannosaurus series, just released this November. These are the latest Brachiosaurus models. I tried painting them simply. However, the skeleton parts fit together so tightly that I gave up on painting, fearing it might peel off. While they are snap-together kits, they fit together smoothly with no gaps other than the articulated parts, which made me realize the evolution of plastic models.
 
Lining them up chronologically, the appearance of Brachiosaurus hasn't changed much from Burian's era, through the Renaissance, and up to today, except for its upright neck becoming slanted and its tail no longer dragging. Aside from the forced rear-leg standing pose, no other original poses are found, so please forgive the array of similar designs this time.
 

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Skeletal Models

As mentioned earlier, the skeletal model from the 1977 "6-nen no Kagaku" magazine appendix, which first appeared in 1977. It has been included as an appendix many times since. The photo shows an item from the late 80s, which includes a mini ecological model in addition to figures of the same scale. Please also see Treasure House Vol.60. Next to it is a model from Andrew McMeel Publishing from 1997 (New Treasure House Vol.55 features a Stegosaurus from the same series). It has good proportions, but unfortunately, the cervical ribs are simplified and connected in a single row.
To its right is a proud possession of my home, a handmade Brachiosaurus wall hanging by Ryoichi Furuya (New Treasure House Vol.21).
The bottom row features a 3D puzzle from FAME MASTER and Chocola Zaurus. And a giant skeletal kit that measures 1 meter. There is no manufacturer information other than the COG logo. It has been in my house for some time, and I opened the box for the first time this time, only to be surprised! It was crudely sculpted with no eye sockets, just needlessly large. From a distance, it looks quite good, though... It's very sturdy and seems sufficient for children to play with. There's no data on its release period, but it comes with a CD-ROM whose compatible OS is up to Windows XP, so it must be from the early 2000s.
The two full skeletons next to it are from the Pose Skeleton series released by Re-Ment in 2015. They have many joints and a high degree of freedom, allowing for a lot of play. They're excellent items that can easily strike nostalgic poses.
 
The larger skull is Favorite's Skull & Jaws model, which is unfortunately now out of print. Instead, mini models are currently on sale. Favorite once had a wonderful full skeleton model. You can glimpse it in the Brachiosaurus section of the Creature Encyclopedia. Why didn't I get it... it's a regrettable item.
The small skull on the right is a finished resin product released by Kaiyodo in 1996, sculpted by Shigeru Yamazaki, who has worked on many skeletal kits for Kaiyodo.
 

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Various Others

Most of their origins are unknown, so let's introduce them briefly.

• A fairly large wall hanging. It's heavy, so it's placed on the floor.
• Showa-era Brachiosaurus dolls gathering dust on the shelf. The one on the far right is a simple wooden kit. 
• It's clearly labeled as Brontosaurus, but it obviously has a Brachiosaurus head. It seems to be an item that sinks into an aquarium and blows bubbles when connected to an air pump. Burian's world might be recreated. 
• This one is historically significant. "Latest Dinosaur Studies," a realistic confectionery toy released by Bandai in 1993. It still looks amazing today. The perfectly discolored ramune candy is horrifying, though... 
• The one in the center is an unidentified cloth plush toy. Its face is scary. 
• To its left is another unidentified toy that likely roared at one time. 
• A wooden Brachiosaurus-shaped Nessie (Kussie) I found about 40 years ago at Lake Kussharo. It's unknown if the Ainu artist advocated the Kussie-Brachiosaurus theory. The day I frantically searched for wooden Kussies on the autumn-colored shores of Lake Kussharo is simply nostalgic... 
• This is also wood carving, but probably found in an Asian雑貨 (miscellaneous goods) store in town. It's not even certain if it's a Brachiosaurus, but its front legs are too long for a Corythosaurus... 
• I think I bought this at Tokyu Hands during the first dinosaur boom around 1990. It's about 40 cm long, made of hardened paper, and only half a body. It hung on the wall for 34 years. 
• Finally, an umbrella stand I received as a gift 4 or 5 years ago. If it were a bit bigger, I could have placed it at the entrance and used it...

 
Finally, here's an update on the "Bird Exhibition" I visited recently at the National Museum of Nature and Science.
While there were fewer fossil birds than I expected, an astonishing number of taxidermied specimens were on display, and the explanations of classification were so interesting that closing time approached quickly as I intently observed everything. I plan to go again as it runs until February 24th.
The featured reconstructed model of Pelagornis sandersi was surprisingly cool. However, it was a shame that the only souvenir was a plush toy. Even for a plush toy, it had properly depicted "teeth" and a reasonably fierce expression.
 
I actually have a fossil of a bird with tooth-like structures on its beak, belonging to the group called pseudotooth birds, to which Pelagornis belongs. It was a gift, and it's a shame I have no data on it, but since it's a timely topic, let me boast a little.
 

Image ⑦

Pelagornis plush toy and fossil of a pseudotooth bird.

 
I wish you all a Happy New Year.