Most prehistoric proboscideans followed the same basic ،y plan: a big ،y on big legs and a big head with big ears and a big nose. Even ones with comparatively small ears and noses like Deinotherium still had them ، than any other group of mammals. Teeth are always a surefire means of distingui،ng mammoths from mastodons or gomp،theres from deinotheres, but if they were all still alive today, the quickest way you’d be able to tell them apart would be their tusks. Take Stegodon, for example. While it resembled a modern elephant, to the point where it was formerly cl،ified as part of Elephantidae before being re،igned to Stegodontidae, its spectacular tusks made it quite unmistakable.
This is the TNG Stegodon, released in 2023. And let’s just get the proverbial elephant in the room (heh) addressed and out of the way, shall we? TNG does indeed appear to have copied (some have gone so far as to claim bootlegged) most if not all of their items from existing sculpts, as s،wn here. For its part, the Stegodon looks very much like this high end statue from Dinone. But I’ll be completely ،nest as always: this really didn’t weigh on me at all when I purchased the toy from AliExpress. I just wanted to add another proboscidean to my collection wit،ut paying a huge amount.
Now then. The Stegodon is posed in a stable walking stance with its right front leg stepping forward and its left hind leg extended back. The head is held high and turning to the right. And finally, the trunk is d،d over the tusks with the tip dangling down on the lefthand side. Not by c،ice, but by necessity, as you can plainly see. Stegodon possessed some of the biggest tusks of any proboscidean, with some approa،g four metres in length. Moreover, some individuals’ tusks were ،ed so closely together that it would have been quite impossible for their trunks to fit between them. The tusks on this toy are ،ed about 4 mm apart at their roots, but then come closer together midway, leaving a distance of but 1 mm between them. They then finally ،nch out to a width of 2.6 cm at the tips. That’s pretty impressive work. Clearly, w،ever sculpted this beast possesses immense talent.
The Stegodon measures about 10 cm tall and just over 25 cm long from its left hind foot to the tips of its tusks, making it just the right size for a prehistoric proboscidean, at least in my book. It is painted light taupe grey with some very pale pink patches applied behind the front limbs and in front of the hind limbs. The lower limbs and feet are dark grey with light grey nails and the tail tuft is dary grey as well. The ears have pink along their edges with tiny black freckles. The exposed tongue and the nostrils are pink and the eyes are very dark brown with black pupils. Finally, the tusks are white with beige wash. This colour scheme is very reminiscent of an Asian elephant’s, alt،ugh all the ones I’ve seen at least are a slightly darker shade of grey.
As you would expect with any non-woolly proboscidean, the Stegodon‘s skin is very wrinkly and saggy baggy, even on the soles of its feet, and there is a sizeable tuft at the tip of the tail for swatting away flies. The head strongly resembles an Asian elephant’s, with relatively small ears and a raised cranium with twin ،s. The tip of the super wrinkly trunk has a single prehensile finger, also like an Asian elephant. The way it’s d،d over the tusks with the tip curling slightly upward makes it appear heavy and realistic. Incidentally, the Safari Ltd. Prehistoric Mammal Skulls Toob includes what is officially billed as an American mastodon skull, but in fact more closely resembles that of Stegodon.
The remarkable tusks have shallow grooves and are made of relatively soft plastic to help avoid imbalance and breakage. The legs look strong and s،y and the prominent s،ulder ، furthers adds to the animal’s powerful appearance. I reckon the real Stegodon bore a strong resemblance to this toy if not a perfect match. Oh, and this individual is clearly a mature bull.
And speaking of mature bulls, here’s what I know you’ve all been wanting to see: the Stegodon alongside the fabulous four from Eofauna.
It ،lds up pretty well indeed with them, wouldn’t you say? They make a nice quintet!
Overall, I reckon the TNG Stegodon is a pretty ،ed cool prehistoric mammal toy. It’s got great sculpting, it’s a good size, it’s reasonably priced, and it’s got the uniqueness factor going for it. Well worth acquiring, especially if you already own some or all of the other proboscideans s،wn in this review.
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منبع: https://dinotoyblog.com/stegodon-tng/