Blog Post

If you’re a human being, you know that dinosaurs are awesome. You probably wanted to BE a dinosaur at one point, peacefully grazing the grasses near a dormant volcano, or running around with powerful legs (and woefully tiny arms) capturing smaller dinos in your massive, flesh-rending jaws. Alas, unless cloning is perfected, it’s unlikely that any of us will ever actually get to meet a dinosaur, but the fantasies that surround the science of dinos are powerful, so we take any connections to the prehistoric that we can get.

This is why it’s completely awesome that Safari Ltd. produces such an astounding and widely-collected line of dinosaur replicas. Sure, you have the traditional T-Rex (because what dinosaur collection would be complete with out a stunningly realistic terrible lizard?), but Safari Ltd.’s dedication to scientific accuracy means that they reach deep into pre-history to dig up ton of dinos that are generally omitted from what you might learn in grade school. For instance, behold the Dracorex.

The Dracorex from Safari Ltd.

The Dracorex is a perfect example of something which provides an amazing window into where science and history meet pop culture: the full name of the Dracorex is Dracorex hogwartsia. Literally, “the dragon king of Hogwarts,” and of course, Hogwarts is straight out of Harry Potter. It’s this synthesis of science and fantasy that gives birth to incredible science fiction and a ton of breathtaking narratives that encroach ever-so-slightly into our reality, and that’s exciting. This guy is right out of the Late Cretaceous period, and was originally found in South Dakota. And even better that that, he looks really cool. Cool enough to be a special effects-created dragon—at least to the kids who named him.

Also out of the Late Cretaceous is the Vagaceratops, which literally means “wandering, horned face.” So, I let him wander.

Vagaceratops by Safari Ltd.

The accuracy and incredibly fine details of Safari Ltd.’s models are always impressive. There’s really no better discussion of these than simply showing them off, so we took them out into the wide world (along with some life-sized lizards and mammals) to show them off. We’ve uploaded a great gallery to our Collections section of the site, so click on over and enjoy!

We have a ton of intensely passionate dinosaur (and other types of animal) collectors on Collectors Quest, so I’ll refrain from commenting further on dinosaurs. Many’s the time when I’ve accidentally assigned something to the Cambrian Era and had one of our loyal readers correct me back to the Devonian Era. Wait, those are ‘Periods’, not ‘Eras’! Don’t smack me, Dinocollector! We tread carefully when there are experts in the house. I’ll never forget the time I mixed up archaeology and paleontology. I still have the scars.

What I am an expert in, however, is toys—and this expertise actually goes beyond my 160+ Batman action figure collection. Safari Ltd. has some really exciting animals in here, whether they’re dinosaurs or chipmunks. Take a quick look and try to tell me that this little guy doesn’t look uncannily like the real thing.

Chipmunk by Safari Ltd.

While my attempts to leave this in the yard as a decoy for more chipmunks (or even one of the local hawks) were fruitless, I admit that I only tried for ten minutes. Future experiments in confusing the local fauna are forthcoming.

Bearded Lizard by Safari Ltd.

This guy has a face seems to be saying, “Well, I didn’t want to play ANYWAY. I’m going to go home and watch Battlestar Galactica on Netflix. Yes, the 1978 version.” We bet he’s a pretty okay dude. And finally, I think that the Internet would be mad if I didn’t include a dose of cute…

Eastern Cottontail Baby Rabbit by Safari Ltd.

I can’t take credit for these “in the wild” photos… and especially not one of a cute bunny noticing a berry in the yard. I’m not sure if I could possibly establish that level of cute without doing serious injury to my brain. The credit goes to my girlfriend, whose delight at receiving a box of animals courtesy of Safari Ltd. was pretty explosive.

Have a look at these amazing guys from multiple angles in this gallery… and then go out and start your own animal collection. Some people focus on local animals only, or all animals from a certain phylum, or genus, or species, while other collectors go… ahem… whole hog and collect every animal they can get their hands on. Can you imagine merging your excellent model railroad collection with your dinosaur collection? I think that the definition of “gnarly” would be a steampunk locomotive rattling through a corridor of wandering dinos and over a bridge that arcs above an LED-illuminated stream of lava… but I digress. These are all great unto themselves.

As if you need proof, T-REX. BOOM.

T-Rex by Safari Ltd.