Shantungosaurus giganteus, as its title suggests, was a monster of a hadrosaurid from the Late Cretaceous of China. It’s recognized from a handful of incomplete skeletons. Shantungosaurus will be the sister genus to the American Edmontosaurus. Two different genera, Zhuchengosaurus and Huaxiasaurus, seem to signify ontogenetic and polymorphic variation of S. giganteus. The animal’s habitat was heat, moist, and plush, consisting of subtropical forests and adjoining riparian areas and floodplains. Due to its giant measurement, it most likely had few predators, with seemingly candidates being Tarbosaurus and Zhuchengtyrannus. In 2025, Haolonggood added Shantungosaurus to its quickly rising resume. Not being a specialist on dinosaur figures, and having solely critically beginning accumulating them in 2019, I used to be unfamiliar with this genus. I used to be stunned to find it had been made a handful of instances, together with a now classic determine by Starlux and a miniature in Kaiyodo’s Dinotales line. Customary-sized figures within the fashionable period consists of examples by Sega and, most lately, PNSO in 2016. Meng, a comparatively new firm within the area, produced a 1:72 determine final yr.
The primary a part of my opinions sometimes consists of the scale and scale, and all I can say is that is one hefty dinosaur toy. It’s seemingly the heaviest dinosaur determine in my assortment and in size is just shorter than a few of my largest sauropods. As a result of it’s sculpted in a close to straight line, it has a physique size of roughly 39 cm for a scale of 1:38.5-1:43.6 utilizing an estimated physique size of the particular animal of 15-17 meters. I by no means preferred utilizing physique size to calculate dinosaur scales, particularly within the absence of full skeletons. Additionally, there appears to be plenty of discordant data when measuring the physique size of dinosaurs (i.e., pure posture vs. a straight like down a stretched-out backbone). The cranium of this determine is about 5.5 cm for a scale of 1:29.6 primarily based on the cranium of the sort specimen. The composite skeleton primarily based on the sort specimen is 14.7 meters, which might make this determine 1:37.6 utilizing uncooked physique size. I’m going to make use of cranium metrics for this determine and assume it scales at roughly 1:30.
The animal is sculpted in a reasonably impartial pose, as if strolling via the subtropical wetlands it referred to as dwelling. With its open mouth and nasal flaring, this Shantungosaurus could also be signaling to a possible mate, sizing up a rival, or defining its territory. The sculpt is of the standard we’ve got come to count on from Haolonggood. Another notable options of curiosity embrace a fleshed out tongue and tiny sculpted tooth in its open mouth, small dorsal scutes working down the again, random bigger osteoderms on the higher aspect of the physique, an outlined cloaca, and fantastic wrinkles and pores and skin folds the place acceptable.
Like most Haolonggood fashions, this Shantungosaurus is available in two colours, ‘Cheng Yaojin’ (purple) and ‘Tu Jun Da’ (inexperienced); mine is the latter. The colour is kind of conservative by Haolonggood’s requirements, which means there may be not plenty of bizarre squiggles in white or different colours, which actually I a lot choose! I truly choose impartial and subdued colours in my dinosaur figures. I do know that might contribute to monotony over time, however on the similar time it appears extra pure, no less than to me. One spotlight close to the paint is the purple across the flaring nasal space, suggesting the animal used sound and show for intraspecific communication.
Total that is a powerful mannequin and I’m very pleased with it. I’m not sufficient of an knowledgeable to say which Shantungosaurus is ‘extra correct’, this one or PNSO (be aware I put that in quotes, as a result of, in all seriousness, how can we consider what’s most correct in an animal that none of us have ever seen, or will ever see, in life). The PNSO mannequin is in a extra dynamic pose; nonetheless, in line with Fembrogon’s review of the PNSO figure on the Blog, it’s liable to toppling over! Additionally, Haolonggood’s mannequin appears extra refined and extra detailed.
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