Before we begin the review, I would like to extend my gratitude towards Happy Hen Toys for sending this figure along as a review sample. Check out their large selection of animal and dinosaur figures by clicking the banner below.
This year has been a good one for fans of the hornless rhinocerotoid, Paraceratherium, contender for the largest terrestrial mammal to ever live. Two of the most highly esteemed model companies have released 1/35 scale figures of the beast, Haolonggood and Eofauna. Prior to 2026 the only other large scale Paraceratherium models available were those by CollectA and the expensive and now out-of-production Itoy figure. When it comes to prehistoric mammals, Eofauna can’t be beat, and I knew when it was announced that theirs was the one to get.
Eofauna markets this model specifically as P. grangeri, which was described in 1923 as Baluchitherium grangeri by Henry Fairfeild Osborn and discovered by Roy Chapman Andrews in 1922, in Mongolia. It is considered the most primitive member of the genus. Eofauna’s website says that the model was based on specimens AMNH 18650, AMNH 26387, and AMNH 26175, and scaled to AMNH 26175, the largest known specimen. It is scaled down from a shoulder height of 4.4 meters (14.44’). The figure measures 9” (22.86 cm) from nose-to-tail and stands 5” (12.7 cm) tall at the shoulder and indeed, scales to 1/35 using shoulder height.
The figure is elegantly posed in forward motion, with the neck veering leftward and the right hindlimb pushing back far beyond the body, pushing it forward. The left forelimb has a slight bend in the wrist. On the head, the ears are perked in different directions, as if the animal is inquisitively listening to something nearby. The right ear is perked forward while the left ear is perked off to the side.
With a model like this the relationship between rhinoceroses and equids is easy to see, as Paraceratherium presents a rhinocerotoid in a rather horse-like way, it is essentially a rhinoceros body with a horse’s legs and neck, and Eofauna has given their Paraceratherium a gracile build despite the large size of the animal it represents. I suppose there’s a bit of tapir in there too, at least with the head shape.
Some reconstructions give Paraceratherium a short, tapir-like trunk and some even go a step further and give it elephantine ears, but Eofauna went with the classic look, and I’m thankful for it. CollectA went with the trunk and ears in their recent version and although their efforts to stand out were commendable I never liked that model. For the most part, Paraceratherium life appearance hasn’t changed much since the days when it was illustrated by the likes of Charles R. Knight, and I’m cool with that.
With this figure, Eofauna brings to life the classic Paraceratherium in the most lifelike way possible. The head is long, deep, and narrow, with a pointed upper lip that slightly hangs over the lower jaw, like on the extant black rhinoceros. Extra soft tissue is sculpted over the nasal region, perhaps indicating a cooling mechanism within. The neck is also long, deep and narrow, and the muscular, columnar limbs have three digits each. The torso is barrel-shaped, and the tail is long, thin, and tufted. A sculpted sheath indicates that the figure represents a male.
The skin organically drapes over the frame of the animal and is stretched taught over the shoulders and back and relaxes somewhat along the flanks and underside. Thick, rhino-like skin folds are sculpted around the elbows and knees, and the ribcage is slightly visible under the skin. The body has a pitted texture all over, with wrinkling where appropriate, such as along the neck, limbs, and tail. Compared to what I’ve seen of Haolonggood’s model, the detail work is much more conservative and lifelike, and I fear Haolonggood might be going a bit overboard with the wrinkling on their mammals.
The figure is painted classic large-mammal gray with a dark wash that brings out the details in the skin. Dark patches are painted on the chest between the forearms, and over the groin area. The tail tuft is black, and the ears are edged in black. The nostrils and eyes are black and glossy. On the Haolonggood figure the eyes are yellow with black pupils but it creates a wild-eyed, crazed look, and I actually prefer the more docile, cow-like expression of the dark-eyed Eofauna model. I can see why some might prefer that aspect on the Haolonggood model though.
When it comes to prehistoric mammals, Eofauna is leagues ahead of the competition, and I feel like that’s the case here too. Nothing illustrates that better than comparing this year’s two Paraceratherium models, with the Eofauna model easily outcompeting Haolonggood’s version. That said, it’s nice to have options, and Haolonggood’s version offers a bulkier built model at a cheaper price. For me, this will probably be the only Paraceratherium model I’ll ever own, so the choice was clear. Eofauna’s exhaustive research and commitment to their craft really shines through here. And it is clear that they inferred much knowledge from extant animals in bringing this one to life in a way that no other company ever has. You can purchase this model over at Happy Hen Toys by clicking on the banner below.
All articles on the Dinosaur Toy Blog are written without the use of ‘AI’
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