Vol.82 The Great Trias
This powerful title was featured on the cover of the dōjinshi "PANGEA," published in August 1999. The authors were members of the Triassic Supremacy Society, who called themselves "Group Sanjo-ichima." They were the late Ryuichi Kaneko (New Hihokan Vol.14), a science writer who dedicated himself to enlightening the public about the dinosaur renaissance and continually provided the latest information to information-hungry enthusiasts, and the three eminent dinosaur creators of the time, Seiji Yamamoto, Ataru Sugaya, and Yuichi Kitamura, who are still active as illustrators, modelers, and commentators. With such an intense lineup of members, more than half of the 60-page publication was devoted to a detailed explanation of Placodonts (New Hihokan Vol.63), and the rest was a rule-breaking composition of Yamamoto's Ghost Ranch exploration diary. At the beginning of the article, Yamamoto confessed, "I proclaim myself the world's only Coelophysis painter, and I am a devotee (or fanatic) of the Coelophysis cult, boasting that I will dedicate my life to Coelophysis."
Recently, I met a new Coelophysis devotee. His name is Takumi Sato, a doctor of medicine specializing in neuroscience and anti-aging science, and a professor at the Department of Applied Biology, Tokyo University of Technology. I thought he was someone I'd never have anything to do with, but to my surprise, he was a fellow "enthusiast" who experienced the dinosaur renaissance in real time with "The Great Age of Dinosaurs" (New Hihokan Vol.11), published in 1976, and became hooked on dinosaurs. It's funny that his shocking experience led him to become a life science researcher on one hand and a dinosaur goods collector on the other.
This January, Sato published a book from Kobunsha Shinsho titled "Dinosaurs are amazing, and birds are even more amazing!" From his specialized field, he discusses how theropods developed in the Triassic period, a low-oxygen environment after the Permian extinction, became the rulers of the Mesozoic era, and evolved into birds, which have the greatest athletic ability today. He suggests that insulin (which I only know as a diabetes treatment), super mitochondria (first time hearing about this), and genomic size reduction are important factors. It's difficult to understand, but it's explained simply for amateur dinosaur fans, so I managed to follow along. There are also essay-like passages here and there written by a dinosaur fan, providing a break from the scientific explanations. The ending is a bittersweet (?) memory of picking up "The Great Age of Dinosaurs" in junior high school. Senior dinosaur fans who shared the same experience can't help but shed a tear.
Incidentally, the cover of this book features a Coelophysis.
(Book images will be shown all together at the end)
As a big Coelophysis fan, to the point where even the curtains in my bedroom are Coelophysis (see New Hihokan Vol.22), I couldn't stay silent!
So, this time, it's a special feature on Coelophysis and Triassic dinosaurs.
First, I tried to research the rise and evolution of Triassic dinosaurs online, but I couldn't understand it at all... I got lost in the darkness of the Triassic period.
Currently, the oldest possible dinosaur is Nyasasaurus from Tanzania, dating back 243 million years. Around 230 million years ago, sauropodomorphs like Mbiresaurus (Zimbabwe), Eoraptor (Argentina), and theropods like Eodromaeus (Argentina) appeared.
Herrerasaurus, the most famous carnivorous dinosaur from the same period (even appearing as a figure in the JP series), has a somewhat ambiguous classification. Recently, the prevailing theory is that it is not included in theropods. According to the new classification hypothesis, Ornithoscelida, it forms the Saurischia with sauropodomorphs (while theropods and ornithischians form the Ornithoscelida). Moreover, there are several theories that Herrerasaurus is not even a dinosaur.
Furthermore, Ornithischia is a mystery. Since ornithischians do not seem to have an air sac system, if they branched off from theropods, would it mean they secondarily lost their air sac system, or that there was a group within theropods that originally did not have an air sac system, and ornithischians evolved from there?
On the other hand, there seems to be a theory that ornithischians evolved from silesaurids, which existed around the same time as the first dinosaurs. Silesaurids closely resemble dinosaurs, but they are classified as dinosauromorphs because their acetabulum is not open. Isn't this a problem? In that case, the possibilities are:
1: Include silesaurids in dinosaurs -> The definition of a dinosaur as having an open acetabulum changes.
2: Remove ornithischians from dinosaurs and classify them as silesaurids, which are dinosauromorphs. Dinosaurs would then only consist of saurischians.
3: Ornithischians are dinosaurs but evolved separately from saurischians, from dinosauromorphs that are not dinosaurs -> This would break the monophyly of dinosaurs?
Either way, it's a big problem. Well, such fantasies are fun, but they don't get me anywhere. Could some kind researcher please teach me?
Now, let's come back to reality and talk about "specialized" goods.
In the Showa era boys' dinosaur encyclopedias, it was spelled "Cælophysis." It seems it was read in English, just like Coelacanth. Before the raptors gained popularity during the Renaissance, small carnivorous dinosaurs were not popular in the world of large, strong carnivores. The common entries in encyclopedias were Cælophysis, the first fully bipedal dinosaur, Ornitholestes, which was always chasing Archaeopteryx, and Compsognathus, the smallest dinosaur. Incidentally, Saltopus and Euparkeria, as ancestors of Triassic dinosaurs, were running around on two legs in the pages, and the term "thecodont" (socket-toothed), which is rarely heard now, was common.
Let's start with this.
Image 1
It's a replication of a fossil in situ, which is common in museums and even on Wikipedia, but I'm quite proud to own one personally. I bought it on eBay over 20 years ago. When it arrived from America in a huge wooden crate, I was at a loss as to how to open it. It was very affordable, about 100,000 yen including shipping.
Image 2
Image 3
Top: Coelophysis vertebra and an unidentifiable bone. Real Coelophysis fossils are surprisingly affordable.
Middle: A pin I found in America and an inexpensive skull replica I bought at a mineral show. I think it was around 3000 yen. Despite the price, it's well-made and even has a backside.
Bottom: A fossil-like relief from a manufacturer called Horizon that used to be available. It's about 40cm long. Nowadays, you could easily scale it down from 3D data, but back then, a craftsman probably painstakingly created the original from a photograph. That makes it all the more valuable.
Image 4
Despite its fame, there are surprisingly few figures, and all of them are small. The upper left is from Starlux of France (Treasure House Vol.6/New Treasure House Vol.8), which has appeared many times in the Treasure House (1970s). This style really captures the essence of Coelophysis.
To its right is a two-piece set released independently of the film during the first Jurassic Park movie.
And Kaiyodo C.C. Saurius (2004).
The second row features a modern feathered Safari (2017). In the center is the Burger King version of "Walking with Dinosaurs" (1999), which appeared in New Treasure House Vol.8.
The one on the right is from a Costco dinosaur set.
The third row features a papercraft made from the book "Create and Learn: Realistic Dinosaurs" (Mates Publishing 2021). The smaller one is an Eoraptor, which I couldn't find anywhere else. It's famous, but there are no figures!
*According to the new Ornithoscelida hypothesis, Eoraptor (which, as its name suggests, was initially a theropod but was re-evaluated and is now considered a sauropodomorph) has reportedly reverted to being a theropod.
And the official figure from the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum's 2016 special exhibition "The Great Migration of Dinosaurs," sold as a set with the Redondasaurus, which will be introduced later. The prototype was created by Kazunari Araki, and it was produced by Favorite.
The fourth row features models of closely related species, not Coelophysis. On the left is Safari's Tawa. It's from Ghost Ranch, just like Coelophysis, but there was also a theory that it was closely related to Herrerasaurus.
The two on the right are Liliensternus from Bullyland and CollectA (2017). They are closely related species to Coelophysis, discovered in Germany.
As a side note, in the late 90s, Gojirasaurus was described as a new species of Coelophysidae.
However, it seems to have unfortunately become an invalid name.
Image 5
This digital print was purchased at the "Japanese Painting and Dinosaurs" exhibition two years ago, and its title is precisely "Ghost Ranch." The artist is Natalia Jagielska, a young woman from the University of Edinburgh, whom I met at the venue. I had thought she was just a dinosaur-loving artist with a handmade pterosaur plushie on her shoulder (which was splendidly made), but I was surprised to learn from Dinosaur Club information that she was the lead author of a recently published paper on pterosaurs. I had no idea she was a researcher!
Compared to Coelophysis, Plateosaurus has a much more subdued appearance, but in terms of models, it has a long history, with figures already being produced in America and England in the 50s.
The prosauropods that Plateosaurus belongs to.
Where have the small Triassic sauropodomorphs like Anchisaurus and Thecodontosaurus, which were familiar from Showa-era dinosaur encyclopedias for boys, gone? Their names haven't been heard much lately.
Image 6
Plateosaurus Figure
First, the 1/20 scale garage kit from Alucard (Treasure House Vol.64 / New Treasure House Vol.54). As always, the craftsmanship is exquisite.
Below that are the rougher Bullyland, and Kaiyodo C.C. Saurius (2004). These are from the same series as the Coelophysis mentioned earlier.
And Safari (1995), CollectA (2011), and an unknown Chinese manufacturer (1991). *For this type of product, it's well made.
The smaller ones are MARX (1950s Treasure House Vol.5), MPC? (1960s), SHREDDIES (1950s New Treasure House Vol.8), and Clover 1/50 Dinosaur Series (Treasure House Vol.38).
That's all for Plateosaurus.
The bottom right is Costco's Riojasaurus, a Triassic prosauropod from Argentina.
Regardless of the quality (the face is somewhat prosauropod-like), it's amazing that Costco chose such a minor dinosaur!
The skull is a Massospondylus replica. It's a prosauropod from the early Jurassic, not the Triassic, but since it's an uncommon item, I decided to include it.
Regardless of whether it's a theropod, it's far more impressive than Coelophysis and can be considered a representative carnivorous dinosaur of the Triassic period.
Image 7
Herrerasaurus figure
First, a relatively common life-sized skull model. The huge teeth are striking.
Then there's the Mattel action figure from the Jurassic World series. This is from the Battle Damage series, but there are several other series with different colors and gimmicks. To its right is a figure that came with a Schleich cave playset, and its paint job is different from those sold individually. Unfortunately, this playset contains Cretaceous dinosaurs other than the Herrerasaurus. Even for a toy, I wish they'd pay more attention to such details.
The green one is Collecta (2016). Looking at them this way, it's the only proper Herrerasaurus figure.
The bottom row features official merchandise from the "World's Oldest Dinosaurs Exhibition" held in a skyscraper in Roppongi in 2010—a Frenguellisaurus skeleton and life figure. The skeleton is made by Favorite. Frenguellisaurus is now considered a synonym of Herrerasaurus.
The skull models of the 3Triassic dinosaurs above are all from the In Hand Museum series (1999) by ANTS, a now-defunct American manufacturer, as introduced in New Treasure House Vol.17.
Image 8
Herrerasaurus and Plateosaurus are 1/3scale. Coelophysis is 1/2scale. Excellent craftsmanship.
Now, from here are figures of ancient creatures other than Triassic dinosaurs.
The rulers of the Triassic period were not dinosaurs, but crurotarsans, which went extinct except for crocodiles. Crurotarsans (formerly called "pseudosuchians") form the Archosauria group, along with Avemetatarsalia, which includes dinosaurs and pterosaurs. In the Showa-era boy's encyclopedia, some of them were called Thecodonts (socket-toothed reptiles) and were considered direct ancestors of dinosaurs.
I've covered them in New Treasure House Vol.54/55, but here I've arranged some items that were missed there or that I've newly acquired.
Image 9
Four phytosaurs.
The top one is a Redondasaurus. It's the partner to Araki-san's Coelophysis from [Image 4]. The two below it are Rutiodons. The left one is a Kaiyodo ChocolaZaurus, and the right one is from Safari's Prehistoric Crocodiles tube.
*Rutiodon appears in the aforementioned book "Dinosaurs are amazing, birds are even more amazing!" as a representative of Crurotarsans (listed as Archosaurs) for comparison with theropods.
The crocodile tube is a treasure trove of Triassic crurotarsans, featuring Euparkeria, Postosuchus, Desmatosuchus, and Chasmatosuchus (from left on the bottom row).
The old-fashioned crocodile toy above them is indeed a crocodile toy, but to my embarrassment, it's something I created very early in my dinosaur career by modifying a Hong Kong-made rubber gharial, cutting off the nostrils at the end of its snout and attaching them in front of its eyes, claiming it was a phytosaur. This is my first public showing of a piece I've never shown to anyone (or rather, completely forgot about).
Next to it is a cave part from the Herrerasaurus cave set mentioned earlier, and it perfectly evokes the atmosphere of a crocodilian fossil. I practically bought the cave set for this, so I can't identify the species, and it's probably not a Triassic item, but I still wanted to show it.
Therapsids and amphibians
Therapsids declined during the Permian extinction and only a few survived into the Triassic, but thanks to them, we exist.
Image 10
Top left: Placerias
Collecta (2023), Dino-Riders (1989), Butanohana (New Treasure House Vol.38)
*Placerias appears in the book "Dinosaurs are amazing, birds are even more amazing!" as a representative of Therapsids for comparison with theropods.
Top right: Lystrosaurus
Appearing prominently in "Jurassic World: Dominion"! It even fights an Oviraptor. The photo is a JW mini-figure, but standard-sized action figures are also available.
Next to it is a skull replica that has been in our house for a long time.
For other Triassic therapsids, see
Stahleckeria (garage kit) / Lystrosaurus (ChocolaZaurus version) / The therapsids from the oldest dinosaur exhibition, Exaeretodon and Ischigualastia, are featured in New Treasure House Vol.27.
Bottom row: Metoposaurus
A life-size model from De Agostini's Sea Dinosaurs and Co., and a 1/2-scale reduced replica based on 3D data purchased at last year's mineral show.
Other Triassic amphibians include
Mastodonsaurus: New Treasure House Vol.54/55
Triadobatrachus: New Treasure House Vol.54
Watzonixus: See Shin HihokanVol.66
.
Image 11
This is a niche Triassic creature artwork by sansho88, who frequently appears in the Hihokan and sells handmade prehistoric creatures on Yahoo Auctions.
Scaphonyx, a fellow rhynchosaur, is in Shin HihokanVol.12.
I think this is extremely rare.
Recently, I haven't seen any of sansho88's works on Yahoo Auctions. Please resume your work and delight us prehistoric figure enthusiasts.
For other Triassic ichthyosaurs, see Shin HihokanVol.61 for Thalattosaurus, Shin HihokanVol.22 for Keichousaurus, Shin HihokanVol.63 for Odontochelys/Atopodentatus, and Shin HihokanVol.12 for Tanystropheus.
Finally, please enjoy the book cover images of Triassic specialty books (?).
Image 12
●"Triassic" Iwanami Lectures, Iwanami Shoten(1933)
*Contains skeletal diagrams of Plateosaurus and Anchisaurus.
●"Dinosaur Age Picture Book ① Triassic" Angrila, Rironsha(1992) *Very unique illustrations
●"Pangaea" Group Sanjo Ikken, Doujinshi(1999) *Cover features the Ghost Ranch rock formation
●"Plateosaurus and Triassic Prehistoric Creatures"
Marco Signore, Kodansha(2008)
*Full-color educational dinosaur comic by an Italian author
●"Catalogue of the Oldest Dinosaurs on Earth Exhibition"
*Official catalog for "Dinosaur Museum in the Sky" which gathered prehistoric creatures from Ischigualasto, Argentina, held in Roppongi.2010
●"Triassic Creatures" Ken Tsuchiya, Gijutsu-Hyohron Sha(2015)
*Creature MysteryPRO Series
●"The Age of Mass Extinction and the Supercontinent Pangea" Paul B. Wignall, Hara Shobo(2016)
*Explores the relationship between the Permian-Triassic mass extinction and the Pangea supercontinent.
●"Dinosaur Kingdom (4)" Kadokawa Manga Science Series(2018)
●"Dinosaurs are Amazing, Birds are Even More Amazing!"
Takumi Sato, Kobunsha Shinsho(2025)
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