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"Museum Line"

Carnegie Safari  1/40 scale from 1988 -

The Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh is one of the world’s foremost museums and justly famous for its work in Paleontology.  In 1987 Carroll Carmen, the Carnegie Shop Director, came up with the idea to create a line of scientific models - and not just of dinosaurs. She knew Burnie Rubel of Safari, and made a proposal that became one of the most successful partnerships in the toy figure business. Since Safari was primarily an importer, the Bullyland Company in Germany did the tooling for the original run of 17 animals. The first releases were Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Apatosaurus, Apatosaurus juvenile, Parasaurolophus, Triceratops, Allosaurus, Australopithecus male, Australopithecus female, Diplodocus, Maiasaura on her nest, Euoplocephalus, Dimetrodon, Pteranodon, Protoceratops, and Smilodon. In 2004, with the introduction of Sinraptor and Albertosaurus, figures 46 and 47 were released. The Carnegie line is a microcosm of the changes in the study of dinosaurs of this period. Of the original 17 dinosaurs, five are retired, six have been replaced with new figures, and four have had a face or tail lift to revise the figures, because of mold fatigue or changes in paleontology.  Pteranodon and Diplodocus look to be unchanged in form. Another indispensable player is Forest Rogers, the sculpture for the Carnegie line.  In 1987 she was in Pittsburgh, working toward her MFA at Carnegie-Mellon University. An acquaintance, who was doing some mold making at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, contacted her about the museum’s dinosaur model plans. Little did she guess what a long lasting project it would be! The Carnegie 3D display elements were designed and originally sculpted by her mother, Lou Rogers. Dr. Mary Dawson, who has retired as Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Carnegie, still honors the dinosaur line with her attention, and new figures are added each year. First the list of possible new figures is examined; they should be well known and documented. For the 2005 figure, Ankylosaurus, the original Barnum Brown description was used along with the unpublished monograph by Ken Carpenter.  An illustration is prepared which goes to Forest Rogers, and if she agrees the proposal goes to Safari.  Next, Forest starts her 3D representation.  After the model has been created, ideas for the coloring are discussed; one idea for the 2005 Ankylosaurus was to give it eyespots on the tail.  2005's other dinosaur was Oviraptor; coincidentally, the Carnegie just obtained their own Oviraptor fossil, which gave them a first hand reference.  One of the ideas was to use parrots as a model for the dinosaur’s plumage.  This is the first feathered dinosaur produced for the Carnegie series, but not the first one proposed.  A few years ago, Caudipteryx was proposed, but Safari felt the public wasn't ready for a feathered dinosaur.  Based on the sketches, it would have been a spectacular figure. In 2006 the new management at Safari changed their mind, and in addition to the annual 2 - 4 new figures introduced there are also changes being made to existing models along with new paint jobs.  Several figures have also been discontinued; Deinonychus, Euoplocephalus, Protoceratops, Smilodon and the Australopithecines. Dimetrodon was replaced by a figure not in a larger scale. The trend is to keep the large figures at 1/40 scale but to use a larger scale to portray smaller animals.  Several figures have been modified over time; original Tyrannosaurus received a new head (the original head had the teeth painted on), and a new figure was released. The original Apatosaurus was a tail dragger, so it got a tail lift, and Elasmosaurus originally had a downward striking neck.  Allosaurus was also replaced, and Triceratops was repainted and then replaced.  Pachycephalosaurus and Triceratops both got black and blue paint jobs, while Parasaurolophus received a new, slimmer head and the Maiasaura sitting on its eggs was replaced with a figure having the solid crest and a separate nest with babies.  Stegosaurus was also replaced with a new figure.  Most of these changes can be explained by changes in reconstructions based on new data or degradation of the molds over time. Major repaint for 2007.

Note figures from original release can be identified by a gold wash over the colors and the more pronounced detailing of teeth and other fine features.

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Where the are more than one figure the oldest figure is on the left.  Clicking the links will take you to diorama using the figure.

ACROCANTHOSAURUS		ALBERTOSAURUS
This figure featured in the Early Cretaceous diorama page		2004 This figure featured in the Late Cretaceous Horseshoe formation diorama

	Allosaurus
The original release looked like the Tyrannosaurus with an extra finger keeping the same coloring.	In the early runs of the first figure the teeth are finely done but latter runs the detailing is blurred. The new figure is much improved.	See the Morrison Diorama Formation.

Ankylosaurus

2005 These figures featured in the Hell Creek diorama pages. The reconstruction was done using new finds and a reanalysis original material. Prior to this reconstructions were based largely on the more common and earlier Euoplocephalus.

	Apatosaurus
The green color schema was widely used on a variety of initial figures.	These figures featured on the Morrison Diorama page	At some point the Apatosaurus got a tail lift.

	Apatosaurus Juveinal
original release	These figures featured on the Morrison Diorama page	The head/neck was redone.

AMARGASOSAURUS	AUSTRALOPITHECUS	BEIPAOSAURUS
2007	retired male, female with child. These figures featured on the Pliocene page	2006 These figures featured on the Liaonin page

	Brachiosaurus
Original release	These figures featured on the Morrison Diorama page

Baryonyx		Camarasaurus
This figure is featured in the English Early Cretaceous diorama		Check out the Jurassic Sauropod Diorama.

        ...

	Carnotaurus
	This figure is featured in the South American diorama

Caudipteryx	Corythosaurus	Dilong paradoxus
2006 These figures featured on the Liaoning page	This figure featured in the Campanian diorama	2006 These figures featured on the Liaoning page. This may be the same animal as Eotyrannus.

      

original	Dipplodocus	2008
This figure featured on the Morrison Diorama page

DILOPHOSAURUS	DELTADROMEUS	DEINONYCHUS
These figures are featured in the Kayenta diorama	Featured in the North African Dinosaurs diorama	retired This figure featured in the Early Cretaceous diorama page

          

Deinosuchus

Featured in the North African Dinosaurs diorama

	Dimetrodon
1/40 scale Dimetrodon here.	The original figures was retired and a new s released.	1/10 scale figure Dimetrodon here.

	Elasmosaurus
See the Cretaceous Seas diorama for more about these figures.	The neck position looks like it changed from striking down to help forward.	repainted

                ...

EUOPLOCEPHALUS		GIGANOTOSAURUS
retired  This figure featured in the Campanian diorama		2008 From the Late Cretaceous South America.

       

	Iguanodon
	This figure featured in the Early Cretaceous diorama page and his figure is featured in the English Weldon diorama

KRONOSAURUS	MAIASAURA	MAIASAURA
See the Cretaceous Seas	retired The original is sitting on its eggs and lacks the hard nose crest.  The paint on this figure seemed to chip easily.  The pose was copied by the Faro company.  Makes a nice generic duckbill.  Good candidate for repainting and build up. See the Campanian diorama

   

Microraptor		Mosasaurus
2006 Scale 1/3 These figures featured on the Liaoning page		retired see the Cretaceous Seas

	Oviraptor
2005		2007 The rather quick replacement was part of the Safari ltd move to feathered dinosaurs.

	Pachycephalosaurus
	retired featured in the Hell Creek diorama

	Parasaurlophus
original version	new slimmer head featured in the Campanian diorama	Current

Plateosaurus	Protoceratops	Pteranodon ingens
featured in the Kayenta diorama	Retired featured in the Dinosaurs of China diorama	See these ancient reptiles flying here.

Psittacosaurus	Quetzalcoatlus
2004 retired released in 1/10 scale in the Dinosaurs of China	See these ancient reptiles flying here.	Repaint

              

	Spinosaurus		Spinosaurus
This figure may have been modified or it could have some production variation Feature in the North African Dinosaurs diorama	Repaint		2009 This is a big contrast to the popular JP style. The most accurate figure. It a has a very resin look.

                 .

Smilodon	Salatasaurus	Sinraptor
Retired	featured in the South American	2004 See the Jurassic China

	Stegosaurus
	These figures featured on the Morrison Diorama page

STYRACOSAURUS	TANYSTROPHEUS	TANYSTROPHEUS
	1/10 scale see more in the Triassic Seas diorama page.

	Tylosaurus
	2009

	Triceratops
	The original figure repainted is still commonly available	These figures featured in the Hell Creek diorama page.

	Tyrannosaurus rex
	The original figure was done in Safari greens and had painted teeth at the end.  This may be an example of mold age.  Then it got a new head with new teeth.  The modified version is still commonly available.	These figures featured in the Hell Creek diorama pages. This figure was knokced of by Salvat and ELC

VELOCIRAPTOR		WOOLLY MAMMOTH
featured in the Flaming Cliffs diorama page	Repaint	featured in the Mammoth diorama

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