Concavenator is a genus of carcharodontosaurian that hails from Spain and was described in 2010, the identical yr I began gathering dinosaurs! Though solely recognized from a single specimen it’s an almost full and articulated one. Concavenator is straight away recognizable thanks to 2 tall vertebrae in entrance of the hips which might be thought to have supported a hump. Moreover, the specimen preserved bumps on the ulna just like the quill knobs that anchor feathers on birds. The paper’s authors took this as proof of feathers or quills on a non-coelurosaur dinosaur, however others are skeptical about their identification as quill knobs. Others identified that the knobs are on the fallacious facet of the ulna and have been probably intermuscular strains the place tendons would connect. Controversy ensued and lengthy story quick, we nonetheless don’t know what the bumps have been. Concavenator has been depicted each with and with out feathers or quills in paleoart and media. Concavenator lived in what’s now the La Huérguina Formation throughout the early Cretaceous. Different dinosaurs recognized from the formation embrace Pelecanimimus and Mantellisaurus.
Concavenator was sufficient of a media sensation that toys rapidly adopted its description. CollectA was, usurpingly, the primary to make one however Carnegie, GeoWorld, Favourite, Safari Ltd., Papo, and Mattel all have a Concavenator of their toy ranges. I’ve the CollectA one however have been itching for a greater consultant in my cupboard. Though I hoped PNSO would ship one Haolonggood ended up beating them to the punch. That is my first Haolonggood theropod!
Concavenator is estimated to have measured 16-20’ (5-6 meters) whereas the Haolonggood determine measures 7.1” (18 cm) and stands 3” (7.62 cm) tall to the highest of the top. Scaled down from a size of 20’ we get a scale of 1/33, a bit off from the marketed scale of 1/35. The determine is introduced in mid-stride and veering leftward with the tail drooping down and rightward. The mouth is open and never articulated. Since Haolonggood has had a tough go along with articulated jaws and the determine is so small I’m alright with out the articulation. Certainly, I believe it makes the determine look higher than previous Haolonggood theropods.
I can’t discover any obtrusive inaccuracies with this determine. The determine carefully adheres to what’s seen within the holotype specimen. The hump dips down barely over the hips after which raises up once more on the tail base. Interpretations of the hump range, with some presenting a sail or hump that carefully follows the holotype’s anatomy whereas others fill within the hole between the spines in entrance of the hips and people behind it, making it look extra triangular. I’ve no choice.
Quills are included on the arms. I’ve all the time been a bit skeptical of the quill knob speculation. Or fairly, interpretations that embrace quills on the arms however feathers nowhere else. It appears unlikely that this animal would have them on the arms solely, except possibly it was a show characteristic or served one other function. On this determine they’re small with out something to attract consideration to them. You might simply look over them, which to me means they’re purposeless and their presence can be unlikely. I notice this can be a widespread strategy to Concavenator reconstructions however not all of them have the quills, each of Safari’s and Mattel’s lack them, for instance.
We’ve got pores and skin impressions for Concavenator that present it had broad, rectangular scales on the underside of the tail, and bird-like scutes on the ft. The scutes are included however these on the tail usually are not. The remainder of the physique is roofed in small pebbly scales with a cluster of characteristic scales over the shoulders, between the neck and hump. Scutes additionally run down the again of the arms and fingers and regardless of their small dimension the feathers are effectively sculpted in two overlapping layers. The claws on the hand are small, curved, and sharp.
The small print contained in the mouth are astonishing given the dimensions of the determine. The enamel are small, sharp, and tightly packed. The tongue has a groove working down the center and nasal openings could be seen on the roof of the mouth. With the mouth open it’s exhausting to say if the determine has uncovered enamel or not, which to my thoughts means it doesn’t matter. Sagging pores and skin folds and wrinkles are primarily sculpted on the nape and underside of the neck, across the limb joints, rolling over the knees and toes, and alongside the tail base. The determine has a lean and muscular construct general. The ft are fairly petite, however the determine is decently steady, I wouldn’t show it on the sting of a shelf although. It looks like inevitable warping will diminish its stability over time. All bodily orifices are current.
As normal, the determine is out there in two totally different paintjobs. Li Yun is grey/blue with an orange hump whereas the one I’ve, Li Li, is yellow with a pink hump. Patterning on each is identical, solely the colours differ. With Li Li we get yellow coloration throughout the physique with hints of orange alongside the throat, decrease torso and legs, prime of the top, tip of the snout, nape, and again, and a tail tipped in vibrant orange.
Though we get squiggles and stripes once more it’s effectively executed right here, showing with function and fewer random than on some Haolonggood figures. Brown stripes run over the face, neck, and again, and transition to bands alongside the tail tip. Stripes over the eyes run down the neck, the place they’re greeted by horizontal squiggles alongside the arms, torso, and down the legs. A darkish wash over the face, arms, and legs actually make the dimensions element on these locations pop. The new pink hump additionally helps intensify the dimensions element there. And naturally, the mixing of all these colours collectively is first price.
The enamel are white, and the within of the mouth is pink with a darker pink wash over it. All of the claws are painted black. Each variants of this determine are pretty, and selecting between them was so tough that it virtually ended up being random. I really feel just like the yellow coloration, damaged by the contrasting darkish bands and squiggles, would serve this animal effectively in nature. You don’t see a number of scorching pink on dinosaurs, and it actually helps emphasize the probably show operate of the hump. I’d have appreciated it if the quills have been tipped in vibrant colours too, maybe pink just like the hump.
Though Haolonggood nailed its herbivores popping out the gate they’ve had rising pains with their theropods, largely of their try to articulate the jaw. For that cause, I’ve largely ignored their theropods however this determine and their Majungasaurus raised the bar. Nixing the articulation positively helped. The one points I’ve with this determine are some seen seam strains and potential stability points. The Haolonggood Concavenator is definitely the most effective mannequin of the genus, and positively the most effective mannequin of it that’s presently accessible. Until PNSO releases one it’s prone to keep that approach. The Haolonggood Concavenator is extensively accessible on-line for about $20.
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