"Collectible" dinosaur figures made from soft material
This is a PVC figure of Ichthyosaurus, a fish-lizard that lived in the seas of the Early Jurassic period. Its streamlined, dolphin-like form, large caudal fin, and paddle-like limbs have all been reproduced. Its collectible size makes it enjoyable not only for play but also for display.
IchthyosaurusIchthyosaurus
Classification: Class Reptilia / Order Ichthyosauria / Family Ichthyosauridae
Size: 3 meters in length
Period of existence: Late Triassic to Early Jurassic
The Ichthyosaurus was a type of ichthyosaur that closely resembled modern dolphins. Its head seamlessly connected to its streamlined body, and it's believed to have been able to move rapidly through water using its paddle-like limbs and large, well-developed caudal fin. Its eyes were exceptionally large, suggesting it could spot large carnivorous marine reptiles, its predators, from a great distance. Fossilized droppings indicate that it preyed on fish and squids, among other marine creatures, using its long jaw lined with numerous sharp teeth.
Interview with Supervisor Kazunari Araki
- Ichthyosaurus, a well-known ichthyosaur, has joined the soft model lineup. What are your impressions of Ichthyosaurus?
- Ichthyosaurus, strictly speaking, isn't a dinosaur but an extinct reptile. However, like pterosaurs and mosasaurs (which are also not dinosaurs), I consider it a companion to the dinosaurs that reigned on Earth during the Mesozoic Era. So, while there haven't been any ichthyosaur models until now, I'm happy that it's joining the Favorite family.
- Hundreds of complete Ichthyosaurus skeletons have been discovered, making it one of the most extensively studied ichthyosaurs. Were any research findings reflected in the sculpt of the soft model?
- Miraculously, fossils were discovered that revealed the body shape (external form) of Ichthyosaurus, which showed that it had a fleshy dorsal fin and an upper part of the caudal fin even in areas where there were no bones.
If only bone fossils had remained, the restoration might have depicted a slender dorsal fin and tail.
Therefore, the crescent-shaped caudal fin actually has bones in its downward-hanging lower half, and the model is crafted to show that.
Also, since it's a reptile, its body surface might have had fine scales, or it might have been smoother, but there is no fossil evidence for this at present. So, we've added some wrinkles and details as a modeling expression. - What was the concept behind the posing and base of the sculpt?
- Ichthyosaurus had many small, sharp teeth in its mouth, so it was likely able to firmly bite and hold onto fish and slimy mollusks like squid and ammonites.
The orientation of the fixed base allows it to be displayed in poses such as diving underwater to attack prey or heading towards the surface of the sea. - What aspects did you focus on for the overall coloring of the Ichthyosaurus soft model?
- I depicted it with flowing blue lines to evoke the image of swimming rapidly in the ocean. Naturally, the back is darker and the underside is lighter to make it less visible to prey.
- Finally, please provide a comment on the Ichthyosaurus soft model.
- The actual ecology of Ichthyosaurus is unknown, but it may have lived in herds or families like modern dolphins. I would be delighted if you bought many, played with them as a family, or displayed them on a base.
Supervisor Profile
Kazunari Araki(Araki Kazunari)
Japan's leading dinosaur sculptor, who creates dinosaur restoration models for natural history museums and prototypes for dinosaur encyclopedias.