Gastornis (Diatryma) (Dinotales Series 1 by Kaiyodo)

Gastornis is a genus of large, flightless bird that lived during the mid-Paleocene to the mid-Eocene in what is now Europe, Asia, and North America. The genus Diatryma is now considered a synonym of Gastornis, although there are still some that think it’s distinct enough to remain separate. Gastornis (and Diatryma) have long been associated with the terror birds (Phorusrhacids) but are not closely related to them and recent phylogenetic analyses places them within Galliformes (landfowl).

Gastornis was once among the more popular prehistoric animals and there are many vintage toys to its name by the likes of Starlux, MPC, Bullyland, Schleich, and others but since the 2010’s only Safari Ltd. and Colorata have made them, and Safari’s was retired in 2018 after a five year production run. Why any once popular prehistoric animal eventually falls out of favor is an interesting thing to ponder and I wonder if the assumed carnivorous diet of Gastornis changing to an herbivorous one had something to do with it.

As recently as the 2001 Walking With Beasts documentary Gastornis was depicted as an apex predator hunting small, Eocene mammals. Today, the idea that Gastornis was a predator is all but dead. It’s thick legs and blunt claws would have been useless for chasing and subduing prey, and it lacked a hooked beak for tearing flesh. The lack of predatory features, as well as studies of calcium isotopes drawn from Gastornis bones, all point to an herbivorous diet.

Today we’re looking at the Kaiyodo Gastornis, marketed as a Diatryma and released in 2001 as part of the first Dinotales series. I’ve actually had my copy for about 15 years, but I always assumed that it already had a review so never thought to cover it myself. But while writing my Kaiyodo Titanis review I looked through the other Kaiyodo and bird reviews and couldn’t find it. Although I was shocked to see it wasn’t on the blog already, I was also delighted that I now had the opportunity to write about this figure.

The Kaiyodo Dinotales Gastornis stands 2” (5.08 cm) tall to the top of the head, not counting the base, and measures 2” long from beak-to-tail. There were several species of Gastornis and the largest was G. giganteus, which would have stood about 7’ 1” (2.15 meters) tall. Using that height puts the Kaiyodo figure at about 1/42.5 in scale. The figure comes in four pieces, the head and neck, the body in two halves, and the base.

Being from the first series of Dinotales figures this Gastornis is not as remarkable in sculpt and fine details as later figures, like the series 6 Titanis that I recently reviewed, but it is still a fantastic little figure and probably my favorite figure of the genus. It tough to pick between this one and Safari’s though.

The figure displays the deep, laterally compressed, large beak that Gastornis is famous for. The edge of the beak is straight, and there are no visible nostrils but if they were there, they would be close to the front of the eyes and about midway up the skull. The neck is held in a loose S-curve, and the body is stocky in build. The wings are greatly reduced in size, and the legs appear thick and sturdy but not as thick and sturdy as on the Safari figure, which is something I would prefer. There’s not much for fine details here aside from shaggy, ratite-like feathers over the body and defined toe claws. The base is smooth and featureless.

This figure comes with two paintjobs with one being black and the other gray. The bills and markings over the body are painted differently too. Mine is the black version. It has a yellow beak with white edge around it and black markings on it. The eyes are green with black pupils and edged in pink. White spots decorate the cheek and there’s a brown cap on the top of the head with black speckles. The neck is brown with green and black markings, and the body is black with brown wings. The chest and tail gradually transition to brown. The legs are gray with brown markings and black claws and the base is green.

The other version of this toy is largely gray, with a black back, wings, and black markings on the body and tail. The bill is white, red, and yellow, and there are yellow markings on the cheek. The legs are yellow with white claws and the base is brown. The paintjob is probably more complex than what I’ve outlined but I don’t have one to closely examine. Personally, I prefer the paintjob on my variant but they’re both good and ultimately differ little from each other.

The Kaiyodo Gastornis/Diatryma remains the best small scale model of its genus, 25 years after it was made. Thankfully, it is easy to find on eBay too, but most sellers are in Asia and shipping and import fees will take their toll if you’re in the United States. US sellers occasionally get them in, and I suggest biding your time and waiting for one of those.