My thanks goes to the good folks at Happy Hen Toys for providing a review sample for this review. Despite its history and the significance of its discovery, I never had much Baryonyx in my collection growing up. Although Baryonyx has had a presence in the toy market since the late 1980s, for a long time that presence seemed pretty sparse. It was only in the last decade or so when all of the major dino toy producers started taking a fresh stab at the heavy-clawed theropod. Collectors are now spoiled for choice in Baryonyx figurines (that’s even without mentioning the glut of Jurassic World tie-in merchandise featuring the dinosaur), and late into 2024 PNSO spoiled us further. Maxim, the 84th entry to PNSO’s Prehistoric Animal series, is the very newest Baryonyx replica released to the market; and when PNSO announces a new figure, the odds are usually in favor of it being very good.
Amazon ad:
PNSO released Maxim in the standard format for the Prehistoric Animal Models line, presented in a clean white box decorated with photo art of the figurine and all relevant product material. Inside the package, the figurine is housed in a plastic shell and accompanied by a booklet and foldout poster. The booklet features drawing lessons and a short story about the discovery of Baryonyx (told as if from Maxim’s perspective), plus information for adults/parents about PNSO’s educational mission. The poster features an illustration of Maxim in profile. A small plastic stand is also included, as is standard for PNSO theropods, in case Maxim has stability issues. So far my figure has stood on its own pretty well, but changes in humidity and temperature might have an impact on the plastic.
Maxim measures roughly 25cm (9.75 in) from nose to tail, fitting in the scale of 1:30 for a 7.5-meter (25-foot) individual or 1:40 for a bigger 10-meter (33-foot) beast (PNSO’s booklet states an estimated size up to 12 meters, but most sources I’ve seen cap at about 10). The figure lines up well with current understanding of the type specimen fossils, as well as relatives like Suchomimus. The snout is long and narrow, with a pronounced notch (subnarial gap) at the front and a shallow “cheek” region (jugal). There is a subtle upwards curvature to the shape of the nasal, plus a single small crest positioned directly in between and slightly in front of the eyes – all of which are distinctive features of spinosaurids, and of Baryonyx in particular.
The figure has an articulated jaw, which is standard for PNSO theropods, and it functions smoothly while disguising the seams and joints reasonably well; however mine doesn’t quite close snugly and can be a bit loose to the touch. This might not be indicative of a widespread issue, though. Regardless, opening the mouth allows one to admire the level of detail applied here also. The jaws even sport close to the exact number of teeth, a little under or over 20 on each side of the upper and lower jaws, respectively. If I were to nitpick, the back of the skull – specifically the postorbital fenestra and the quadratojugal bone – appear a bit too extended for most reconstructions. One really has to be looking for an error like this to notice it, though. One’s mileage may also vary on the choice to reconstruct Maxim as lipless; scientific evidence currently favors lipped theropods, but could spinosaurs have been an exception due to their lifestyles? The jury is still out on that one, so personally I don’t object to this case.
Maxim is a fairly robust-looking spinosaur, so the skeletal profile is sometimes obscured under the musculature; however the neck retains a sharp S-curve, and there is a slight elevation in the spine, possibly alluding to the large vertebral column indicated from fossils. We have next to nothing from Baryonyx’s tail, so Maxim is equipped with a fairly standard theropod tail, bulging with muscle at the base but tapering down more narrowly for the majority of its length. The skin is impeccably detailed with fine scales all across the figure, with subtle variations of size and arrangement on the belly, the underside of the tail, and the hands and feet. I think it’s safe to say PNSO is currently the champion of fine detailing among toy dinosaur brands.
Ironically, there is one point of detail that’s lacking on the figure, and that is in the hand claws. Maxim bears three fingers on each hand, each adorned with a large claw, the largest of which being the thumb. While the arrangement is overall correct, PNSO seems to have underplayed how wickedly large and hooked Baryonyx’s thumb claws are known to be. Maxim’s thumb is rather modest in curvature, and doesn’t appear to factor how much longer still the claw would be with a keratinous sheath. I think PNSO could have afforded to embellish Maxim’s armament a little more while remaining entirely plausible in presentation.
Another point of possible interest is in the hindquarters of the figure. We don’t have many bones of Baryonyx’s legs, so the figure follows a reasonably standard shape of other large tetanuran theropods. What’s more of curiosity is the feet, which look similarly standard for theropods. Now, there isn’t anything evidently wrong about these feet – at least not that we know right now – but it’s worth considering that the one pair of preserved spinosaur feet we have is a far cry from the average large theropod feet. It’s entirely possible Spinosaurus could be an outlier, of course; but when researching this review I also learned of a trackway first described in 1993 which might record some kind of web-footed theropod roaming a Cretaceous shoreline. Fragmentary spinosaurid fossils, possibly from Baryonyx itself, have been unearthed in a few places within the Iberian peninsula before; so who knows? There’s no hard evidence to guarantee it yet, but if I were a betting man I’d consider gambling on Maxim and fellow European spinosaurs needing a podiatric makeover in the future.
Color is another area we know nothing about for Baryonyx, so PNSO was free to do what they liked for Maxim’s coloration. Maxim is colored conservatively in shades of muted green, with swaths of orange along its flanks and rows of splotchy grey stripes running perpendicular down the back. I find the coloration reminiscent – ironically, perhaps – of certain freshwater fish species like perch (which is not the first or even second time I’ve felt that way about a spinosaur toy). It’s a modest, but functional, color scheme, and a departure from the patterns seen in the allosaurs and tyrannosaurs PNSO had released previously that year. Diversity is good! Even vivid and ornate color schemes can become redundant if one isn’t careful. Some of you fellow collectors might be glancing Haolonggood’s way with that comment…
There are a lot of good Baryonyx figures on the market right now, as there should be; I think it’s safe to say Maxim from PNSO is overall the best so far. There are a few minor areas to critique, but PNSO appears to have done their research and brought their A-game (or at least their B+ game) to the design table. While Maxim will cost you a bit more than its counterparts from Safari or Collecta, this Baryonyx nonetheless comes highly recommended.
My thanks goes out again to Happy Hen Toys for their generosity with this review sample; be sure to make them your first stop for picking up a Baryonyx of your own!
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