Friday, March 01, 2019

Battat dinosaurs















Here are some of my Battat dinosaurs. All are originals, obtained in the '90s. None are reissues.
 At left is Edmontonia, a formidable defender in life. Besides armor plates, the beast had lateral spikes. Above it is Tyrannosaurus with its gaping jaws and camouflage pattern. To the right of Edmontonia is the prickly Euoplocephaplus. Note the caudal spikes and tail club. Stegosaurus appears farthest right while the Diplodocus, "the finest dinosaur toy ever made," towers over the others.
Battat replicas were the first scientifically accurate (as far as current knowledge permits) dinosaur toys. Sculpted by the late Dan LaRusso, they far surpassed the dinosaurs put out by the British Museum of Natural History. I was always impressed by the Edmontonia, mimicking a well preserved specimen. Likewise, the Euoplocephalus remains, to this day, one of the most accurate ankylosaur figures. The Diplodocus is renowned for its excellent detail, notably folds of skin and a visible scapula. For many years it has been one of the most sought-after toys, sometimes fetching prices up to $500-600.
I ordered three each of the Edmontonia, Tyrannosaurus and Euoplocephalus. I didn't get the Triceratops, Ouranosaurus or Utahraptor. The collection includes only two Diplodocus--I regret not getting ten or twenty...Back in the mid '90s, a Diplodocus cost only about $20....
 I also have a pair of Battat Gallimimus, a pair of Pachycephalosaurus, an Amargasaurus, an Acrocanthosaurus and a Parasaurolophus.
Nowadays, even large collections often lack these excellent toys. I did, however, see one Asian man's Battat collection, which has many more dinosaurs than mine, including three Diplodocus.