![]() Perhaps it gives some indication of the high respect paid to master-craftsmanship in Japanese culture that the names of the artists who sculpted both of these figures are known. I have found suggestions on the internet that the reason why these models are so scarce on e-bay is that the only time they come up for sale is when someone in Japan successfully wins one from the claw-machine and decides to sell it! It’s unclear to me if these models are also offered for sale by more conventional means. The former name seems to be a reference to a dinosaur-themed trading card game marketed by Sega, while the latter name alludes to the rather remarkable fact that these beautiful models are offered as prizes in a Japanese grabber-claw arcade game called “UFO Catcher”, again manufactured by Sega. ![]() Most of the information I present here comes from an excellent blog post by fellow dinosaur collector Black Danter. These models are generally known to collectors as the “Sega dinosaur king” models or “Sega prize figures”. These extraordinary models are manufactured by the Sega company of Japan, (mainly known for their computer games such as “Sonic the Hedgehog”), and both the models themselves, and clear information about them, can be very hard to come by outside of Japan. What can I say ladies and gentlemen? The wow starts now!!! But just when I had decided there was no need for me to ever buy another plastic triceratops again, the Japanese company Sega decided to reissue the two models pictured below. So whenever I come across a new figure of these two, I must admit that I tend to sigh inwardly and see it as a lost opportunity, wishing that the manufacturer had instead invested in a quality model of some inexplicably long-overlooked dinosaur, like Centrosaurus or Ouranosaurus or any hadrosaur that isn’t Parasaurolophus. But with so many models of these two on the market, you can’t help but wonder how any new depiction of these particular beasts could possibly bring anything new and exciting to the dinosaur collecting hobby (what’s that you say? Some of these products are actually intended as children’s playthings? Surely not!). I mean, don’t get me wrong – our old friends Trixie and Rex surely deserve their place of honour as the world’s favourite dinosaurs. I sometimes wonder if there should be an international ban on the production of new models of Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops (sure, an international ban on cutting down rainforests would be more constructive and more noble, but here I’m trying to use a ridiculous opening sentence to engage the reader’s interest.
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