266: Haolonggood (好龙谷) Daspletosaurus Review 

My thoughts exactly!

Thank you! This really is a good model, and if you have a reference for something that would make this the right size for you, go for it! 😁

I think you'll like it. They always look better in hand!

Wow thank you for your support! Glad you like my presentation content! Well, I have to say that nothing would make me happier than to have PNSO offer large sauropods again! Though really at this point, PNSO could offer _any_ dinosaur that isn't a carnosaur and I would be absolutely delighted! Paleokrhis is awesome! But I can't paint to save my life, so I can't do anything with them. Do you know if he sells finished models or just the white unpainted kits?

Maybe it's just such a soothing choice and blend of colours? It's certainly why I prefer it! Or maybe because simply it is _not brown_ !

If they improve as much as they have, they could! Right now, I believe they are already at the level PNSO was at a couple years ago, if not better. So if they continue on this trajectory, who knows how far they'll go! It's the scientific accuracy that seems elusive!

¡Sí, esas escalas parecen incorrectas de alguna manera! Siento que por muy bueno que sea HLG, todavía necesitan ser mucho más rigurosos con su investigación científica. Es lamentable que su habilidad para pintar y esculpir sea tan buena, y que la precisión aún sea un obstáculo.

Love hearing your insightful comments! Well, I think that HLG are fast catching up. For all the faults this one still has, compare it to their Allosaurus, or even worse, their T Rex last year! I think they are going to keep on coming and growing with leaps and bounds! 😊

Interesting! I wonder what aspect. I get an overall sense of this, but it's hard to pinpoint. Maybe it's the cartoony eyes lol!

HLG definitely has it when it comes to colour choices! 😁

Gracias! Estoy de acuerdo contigo en que HLG definitivamente ha superado el estándar de escultura anterior de PNSO. Si siguen mejorando, definitivamente se pondrán al día. Aunque las aplicaciones de pintura PNSO son realmente increíbles. Pero el problema es que la precisión científica aún no es tan buena como la del PNSO. 😌

Me too! Not to mention the proportions.

@@DinosDragons Personally, I like the PNSO's proportions more. But still, either one is good.

I'm still trying to find a good adult skeletal on Daspletosaurus, and very curious to see how PNSO arrived at its representation. The making of video from Zhao Chuang didn't help much. This one from HLG just feels more 'correct' somehow.

@@DinosDragons my best guess with pnso is that they probably used a less rigorous skeletal, or perhaps followed an older mount at a museum would be my guess. Either way the end result is that the haolongood is much better proportioned outside of the head, with the haolongood offering being much more up to date.

Thank you! HLG is worth taking a look at if you like Chinese companies. They are more affordable than PNSO and definitely Sensen or Musee!

Ah, I don't do comparisons based on brand, but based on clade or other phylogenetic relationship. If I don't show another model that's relevant, it's probably because I don't have that model.

i dont like the wrinkles and the scales in the face either, they give me the icks somehow

@theimmortaleye7511 Thank you! As to the labial scales, we do know of course that tyrannosaurids have them based on osteological correlates on the maxilla, but it's the way they were sculpted here.. perhaps that very rectangular, that just doesn't sit right with me. The eyes are a puzzle. I like they are making the effort, but just painting the whole thing black for example, would look better.

Wow you are really going to make HLG's books very, very happy indeed! 😁

Glad you like this one! For the price, it really is a good start! Better you start with this than the previously reviewed Allosaurus.

I wouldnt call them obsolete just for no lips , almost 90 percent of museums still use extremely outdated dinosaur art, depictions and facts due to low budgets often . Compared to that these figures still fair amazing since low shrinkwrapping, no full diaper syndrome etc.

@overcookedsoul6823 I think it's too early to ring the bell on lips, even though I personally started to incline that way a year or so ago. But as long as we don't find a mummy, there will always be people who don't believe in them. It really boils down to your personal preference. I like scientific accuracy, but I can also enjoy a model for the quality sculpting and paint applications as well. So I'm not selling Wilson yet! 🤣

Unfortunately I can't comment on this too intelligently as I have not seen enough skulls and in fact, even the actual bauplan of this animal is a mystery to me. When PNSO came out with their Daspletosaurus, I realized just how little I knew, and how hard the information I needed was to come by. That said, the lacrimal cornual process being reduced in _horneri_, and I find it hard to imagine a build up that would lead to a horn with its apex forming directly over the eye. The only way if the keratin over the postorbital somehow fused with that over the lacrimal to create this 'central' spike' in the HLG.

Did you mean the 1:45 Mamenchisaurus? I haven't heard of a 1:35 PNSO Mamenchisaurus.

​@@DinosDragonsversion 2019

Your right! It's not a 1/35 scale Mamenchasaur, but the 1/48 scale. And indeed, You did a review on it. I just watched it! I apologize. I'm new subscriber and have been going back on Your site and looking at some of Your older reviews. I must say, Your site is the most detailed I've seen. You do an excellent job discussing each figures positives and negatives. You seem to concentrate on the positives. I like that. I will be using Your site as the platform upon any future purchases I make on buying dinosaur models! Again, I really like Your method of describing each model.

Actually I would also say that PNSO paint apps are still superior... it's their colour palette that lets them down! 😪😪

It's really made weirder by the fact that for all the work they clearly put into their models, they get wrong something for which skeletals are easily available online.

@@DinosDragons true

I mean, for sure we know of the larger labial scales from osteological correlates, but just not in this rectangular form and also the way it was sculpted. Doesn't seem to correspond to the underlying bone.

Thank you for your comment! I made reference only with respect to HLG's claim as D. _torosus_ , so didn't speculate further on what other species it could be. The one behind the eyes is the cornual process of the postorbital. But the anterior (front) margin of its base clearly originates on that bone, while HLG's anterior base margin clearly starts before this, almost the centre of the orbit. I don't know that you meant, but there are no horns that originate on top of the eyes of _horneri_ either. D. _horneri's_ lacrimal cornual process is much reduced, and likely bore small keratinous horns only. Given their prominence on the model, I therefore assumed their placement didn't mean HLG was going for any particular species, but simply made an error in the positioning what it intended to be the lacrimal horns. Their size suggests to me HLG was indeed thinking of _torosus_ or at least _wilsoni_ .

@@DinosDragons thanks goes to you! :) Sorry, I should have explained myself better. I was trying to say that HLG’s take could be assigned to D. horneri because the lacrimals on HLG’s figure don’t seem to be very apparent, whereas the cornual process of the postorbital is fairly accentuated. On that sense, it probably matches D. horneri better than either of the 2 other species. Or at least that’s what I like to think, rather than thinking it’s an inaccuracy. 😅 That would be a shame (well, it already is because it doesn’t really match D. torosus’ skull), honestly. The ones that really are D. torosus are Safari’s and the BotM. On another hand, brilliant review as always! I’m very torn between this HLG and Safari’s. I like that Safari unambiguously represents D. torosus, as that’s my favorite Daspletosaurus species, but I think the skull ornamentation could clearly use more keratin. But I prefer the bulkiness of HLG’s and the colors. Tough choice…

No

True. Soon i will have mine modified with lips, as well as some minor paint changes and larger lacrimal horns. It will loom great

@burfdaeboiTF2 Which is a puzzle for me because you'd think that of the tripod I always talk about Sculpt + Paint Application + Scientific accuracy, the accuracy part would be low-hanging fruit, particularly of dinosaurs like Allosaurus where you can find plenty of ready references online. And HLG has added the bonus leg of PRICE to boot. So I hope they can catch up. PNSO just has a _je ne sais quoi_ that hasn't been matched yet. If only they got rid of that boring colour palette!

I’ll beat it out for you.

To be honest though, I really liked the Safari. But the prognathism and the large feet didn't sit right with me. I might still pick one up 2nd hand if I can find it!

Thank you for the support! Yes, you are referring to the Carr et al 2017 *A new tyrannosaur with evidence for anagenesis and crocodile-like facial sensory system* There have been quite a few refutations to this paper. Check out my review of the Rebor Kiss for references and a brief overview.

Thanks, I will check it @@DinosDragons

Yes I think PNSO has so many complexities and subtleties in their paint applications and their sculpt that videos sometimes don't fully capture what it is to have one, especially their latest models. But HLG is definitely fast catching up in terms of popularity!

My thoughts exactly! We know of the larger labial scales over the maxilla, but it just doesn't seem to correspond from what I visualize. PNSO looks better to me!

As I said before, the good thing about your strict collecting guidelines is that you save a lot of money! 🤣

Yes, HLG is really ramping it up!

I think it's going to be a while yet before they can surpass PNSO. I just wish they would be more rigorous in following scientific skeletals, but this is already far improved from their Allosaurus!

What do you mean? The Chinese produce almost all the mass produced dinosaur models we have out there. There are also many highly talented artists and independent workshops deep into the prehistoric model genre.