Thursday, December 24, 2015

REBOR TRICERATOPS HORRIDUS "The Fallen Queen" 1/35 scale display stand figure


Rebor's newest 1/35 scale dinosaur replica is a female triceratops, dubbed "The Fallen Queen". The underside of her base lists her as the second piece in a 3-piece diorama called, "T-Rex vs Triceratops". The first piece is the previously released King T-Rex ("Conquest"), with this Triceratops Horridus, "The Fallen Queen" acting as "Sorrow". The third, as yet unreleased, piece is labeled "King Trident", with the Act listed as "Revenge". I'm assuming that figure's base will combine with this one to complete the battle scene. It's all a wonderful idea, and a great way to build an interesting visual display as well as fostering some creative story-telling through the replica's!

The Fallen Queen measures 7 & 3/4 inches from snout tip to tail. She's made of polystone, rather than plastic and therefore carries some nice weight ( 1 lb. 3 oz., nearly as much as the 1 lb. 5 oz. King T-Rex), and is permanently attached to the base. The sculpt is good, but not quite as earth-shattering as the actual figures have been. The horns are quite smooth and not very "bony" to my eyes. The texturing on the frill is not quite as sharp and detailed, nor are the "fingers" on the front appendage. Don't get me wrong, it's still a very striking piece, and when combined with the Rex, serving as a stand, it's absolutely terrific. It's just not quite at the level we've seen with the regular releases.

Likewise, the paint is a mixed bag. The greens vary in shade (the sides of the face are much darker than the back and frill, and are even different from left side to right side. I love the faint striping across the tail, leading into the back, and the pooling blood around the wound area is effectively gruesome.

There's a gloss to the back and head in stark contrast to the matte of the King T-Rex.

The beauty of this piece is that it is intended to serve as a replacement base for the Rex's uplifted right foot. The original base that came with the Rex is terrible. It's great in theory, but doesn't manage to keep my Tyrannosaurs upright (I use the plural because I have 2 of them, and neither can stand with the original base). I'm happy to say that this one is better, but unfortunately still not perfect. The claws sit in a couple of indents on the Triceratop's back, with the hind leg resting along the curve of the tail. It's a good fit, but for one my Tyrannosaurs, it still doesn't prove steady: the King keeps toppling forward and off the Queen. I've had no such troubles with my other pair. I've tried moving the troublesome duo to another shelf, hoping that there's a little more of a back-slope to it, and things have been good so far.

"The Fallen Queen" Triceratops Horridus is a terrific addition to my Rebor shelf. It serves its purpose wonderfully: it's a beautiful replacement stand for the King T-Rex. At less than $30, my expectations for the level of detail in terms of sculpt and paint were a bit lower, and apparently justifiably so. Nevertheless, when paired with her Rex partner, she's brilliant. I can only imagine how good the finished diorama will be, although I do hope that "King Trident" has a bit higher level of detailing and a more precise paint application.



One last point to consider: the right horn of one Triceratops I got has a pretty nasty crack and separation in it. It didn't happen in-package, I'd guess, because there's absolutely no give to the stone. It seems more like a defect in the material as it was hardening. In any event, you may want to examine your own very carefully out of the box to make sure you don't have similar issues...


No comments:

Post a Comment