"Collectible" Dinosaur Figure Made of Soft Material
This is a PVC figure of the Deinocheirus, which lived in southern Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period.
Only its giant forelimbs were initially discovered, and its full appearance was only recently revealed. It is a collectible size that can be enjoyed not only for play but also for display.
DeinocheirusDeinocheirus
Classification: Saurischia/Theropoda/Deinocheiridae
Size: 11 meters in length
Period: Late Cretaceous
A large dinosaur that lived in southern Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period. In 1965, gigantic forelimbs, measuring 2.4m long, were discovered in the Gobi Desert. For nearly half a century, its appearance remained a mystery, with only fragmentary remains of bones other than the forelimbs. Recently, a nearly complete skeletal fossil was discovered, revealing its true form. Its 1m long head had a keratinous beak, and a large amount of gastroliths, fish vertebrae, and scales were found near its abdomen, suggesting it was an omnivore. Its pelvis was wide, and its hind legs were thick and short. This structure prioritized stability over speed, suggesting it was suited for walking in wetlands. It had large sail-like protrusions on its back, but their purpose is still unknown.
Interview with Supervisor Kazunari Araki
- Deinocheirus, a dinosaur known only by its gigantic arms until its full appearance was recently revealed, has joined the soft model lineup. What is your impression of Deinocheirus, Mr. Araki?
- Like Therizinosaurus, Deinocheirus was one of the mysterious dinosaurs when I was serializing dinosaurs in a model magazine.
At that time, only the arm (forelimb) fossils had been found, so I remember making and displaying only two arms for the examples.
Its appearance has recently been restored and became famous through NHK programs, but it looks like a large bird, different from the dinosaurs I know, truly a new kind of dinosaur. - From its habitat, period of existence, and the discovery of its gigantic arms, Deinocheirus is often compared to Therizinosaurus in encyclopedias, and its silhouette is also similar. Were there any difficulties in sculpting Deinocheirus?
- As I mentioned in the previous answer, Deinocheirus, after being classified as an ornithomimosaur, was an unknown dinosaur to me, so I referred to various restoration drawings and models.
In fact, I myself was confused for a time, wondering if it was the same species as Therizinosaurus.
In restoration drawings, its entire body is covered in fur, but it might have been hairless, or had long hair like a cassowary or emu.
This time, I covered its entire body with an image of shorter hair than an ostrich, but there's not much basis for it (laughs).
I added decorative feathers to the top of its head as an accent. - What was the concept behind the posing and base?
- Although it was a dinosaur over 10m long, its head was small and it had no teeth in its mouth, so it doesn't seem to have the fierce image of smaller ornithomimosaurs or large carnivorous dinosaurs. Therefore, I gave it a gentle pose, walking slowly with a forward lean, imagining it consuming plants, fruits, and fish, rather than being very active.
The base is an image of a barren land, as it was discovered in Mongolia. - What aspects did you focus on for the overall coloring of the Deinocheirus soft model?
- I always keep this in mind: when collecting and displaying soft models, I try to use different colors and patterns as much as possible.
This time, it's gray with stripes, and I think it's the perfect coloring for the image of Deinocheirus. - Finally, please comment on the Deinocheirus soft model.
- As I wrote in my previous answer, the revealed Deinocheirus was a completely new dinosaur to me, being older, but for young dinosaur fans, it might already be a familiar dinosaur in dinosaur encyclopedias, just like Tyrannosaurus or Triceratops. It has finally joined the Favorite collection.
Please continue to request more dinosaurs that haven't yet joined the collection!
Supervisor Profile
Kazunari Araki(Araki Kazunari)
Japan's leading dinosaur sculptor, he creates dinosaur restoration models for natural history museums and prototypes for dinosaur encyclopedias.