Review of the Giant Procon - Collect a 1-15 Scale Model of Tyrannosaurus Rex

1:15 Scale Model of Tyrannosaurus rex

It has proven to be a risky venture for the manufacturers to create an extremely large scale model of a Tyrannosaurus rex, but we tip our hats to them as the designers certainly had vision when they decided to create a 1:15 scale model of this most famous of all dinosaurs. Most collectors strive to achieve a set of realistic prehistoric animal models that they can use in their own model making activities, hence the attraction of 1:20 to 1:40 scale models, which are ideal for table top dioramas and scenes. However, the 1:15 scale model of T. rex was designed with a very different purpose in mind. It is a centre piece to any serious model collector's display and not really suited for use in model making. The model measures 93 cm long making it the biggest T. rex model of its type known to us, the box that the model comes in when purchased resembles a packing crate and credit must be given to the design team who have recognised the unwieldy nature of the packaging by providing a handy carry handle.

The painting is immaculate and the T. rex is depicted in an open-mouthed aggressive posture with its jaws and teeth very prominent. When examining skull material of this Theropod, the true size and strength of the jaws can be appreciated. The model makers have taken care to ensure an accurate replica has been produced, even the large gape of the jaws is realistically depicted. The model is painted with a green hue accompanying an array of black stripes down the flanks and tail, a type of camouflage that would help break up this animal's outline when viewed against a green and brown background, such as a Cretaceous woodland full of Southern Beech or some other ancient trees. The short forelimbs show fine detail and it is pleasing to see that the claws have been accurately reproduced, an area often neglected in the larger models of meat-eating dinosaurs we have viewed.

The model is presented on a simple, tan coloured stand that also provides a name plate. The objective of this large Tyrannosaurus rex model is to create a talking point, a focus for any model makers collection. Standing something like 40 cm at the hips, the model certainly stands out. Ironically the posture chosen by the designers for this extremely large model is very similar to the 1:40 scale model T. rex from the same manufacturer. We expect this was not a coincidence, with the early sculpts of the smaller scale model being used as blueprints for the larger replica. Creating a stable model of a bipedal dinosaur is a challenge and with the larger scale it was important to ensure the model was well balanced. Old sculptors tricks of using the tail as an anchor point (the tripod effect) or casting the feet just a little too big to aid stability were not options for these designers.

All in all, this is a very creditable effort. We have worked with some of the largest animatronic dinosaur models in the world and we appreciate the problems that can occur when larger scale prehistoric animal modelling is considered. Although not suited for use with other models in a diorama for example, this 1:15 scale model T. rex makes a fine centre piece for any serious dinosaur memorabilia collector.