Review of Allosaurus - One Million Years B.C.
Vinyl Statue

Introduction

Star Ace, like their parent company X-Plus, is known for producing some truly beautiful vinyl statues. Their latest is from the classic 60's film One Million Years B.C., based on the Ray Harryhausen stop motion dinosaurs.

The movie is best known for starring Rachel Welch in a fur bikini, but Star Ace has immortalized the terrific battle between the Allosaurus and Tumak, the male lead.

The statue comes in a regular version, which is just the Allosaurus, or a deluxe version that includes Tumak. I wish the deluxe had also included the young girl in the tree, but you still get the idea.  The regular runs around $190 or so, while the deluxe is closer to $250. I'll be checking out the deluxe tonight.

Packaging - ***
Nothing unique, but the large box has several plastic trays which hold the two figures and two bases safe and sound. It's all collector friendly, as long as you don't mind cutting a few pieces of tape. There's no assembly required.

Sculpting - ***1/2
As I mentioned earlier, the regular version only includes the Allosaurus, while the deluxe has Tumak as well. This is nice if you're into dinosaurs, and not so much into the film itself.

The Allosaurus is large, standing about 12.5" tall, with a thick tail and stocky legs.  He is sculpted to stand leaning forward a bit off the tail, but it requires the help of the included stand to achieve that pose. Instead, you'll probably let him rest back slightly on the tail - that's how all my photos show him. That's because I couldn't get the stand to work for me.  It's supposed to wrap around the foot, but it just pops out. It's a minor issue though, since he looks fine without it.

The detail work on the skin and various textures is excellent. I'm not going to say this is an accurate Allosaurus - remember, it's a movie based dinosaur, not a museum based one - but Harryhausen designed some amazing clay motion characters. This sculpt matches that version extremely well.

I also really like the pose, as he's about to dip and snap at Tumak. I do wish they'd simply sculpted the feet to be perfectly set with the tail on the ground, since that's the way it looks like I'll have to display him, but the right toes are only slightly off the ground.

Tumak stands almost 6" tall, brandishing the spear and wearing a faux fur coat. The skirt is pleather too, making this a mixed media statue, rather than completely vinyl. There's some really nice work on the hair and beard, and the portrait matches the actor fairly well considering the scale.

The scale is an interesting point. You can watch the sequence here for reference.  Usually, when a company produces a dinosaur figure, it's small compared to the on screen version. This time, it's actually a bit bigger, at least in relation to Tumak. I'm good with that though, as it's more impressive on the shelf.

Paint - ***
The paint work on both pieces is solid, although it's not quite perfect.

The marketing photos for the Allosaurus didn't show a lot of variation or wash. It was a bit flat, but the final product has a lot more color and detail. The dark wash brings out the sculpted textures, and the smaller areas - like the eyes and teeth - are fairly clean and neat.

Tumak has some good work on his face, as well as the hair and beard. They used some light dry brushing to add depth to the hair. There's a couple spots where the edges are a little sloppy - like the tops of the boots - but overall the work is solid.

As I mentioned, both figures come with a base as well. These are painted and sculpted to look like stone, and there's a logo as well. You don't have to use them, but they add a little something to the display.

Articulation - N/A
This is a non graded category this time - just an FYI. In case I wasn't clear, this is a statue, with no articulation for either figure.

Value - **
Vinyl statues - especially at this scale - are expensive. The market seems capable of bearing prices that surprise me, but getting classic characters like this - particularly of Harryhausen monsters - drives people to spend the bucks. The $250 or so the deluxe costs is a hefty price tag for me, but it isn't that far out of line with the vinyl market.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!  However, just because this is 'vinyl', that doesn't mean it can't break. Be particularly careful with the spear on Tumak.

Overall - ***1/2
This is one of those cases where the overall, at least for me, is more than just the sum of the parts. Paired together on the shelf, these two are really impressive, and if you're a big Harryhausen fan, you'll be very happy with the overall appearance.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other large vinyl statues from Star Ace include King Kong and the Lycan from Underworld.

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