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Dinosaur Bin Figures
from the Dinosaur Collector update 11/0/206
Click on the Site A icon to the right for Dioramas organized by period or by manufacturer.
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Small dinosaur sets are not new but they have become a standard marketing format. The Miller company one of the first dinosaur companies marketed a smaller set of figures. They is supposed to be a set of Marx molds for mini dinosaurs with rocks and trees that was never put into production. Tim-Mee had a set of mimi figures that were used a premiums and included with some of their standard sets. The Lido Nabisco sets falls into the size and were originally used as premiums. Generally these smaller sets were not very realistic.
Bin figures are small vinyl figures 1 1/2 - 3 inches, not to scale usually either solid colored or two toned. The big break through is selling them in toobs or tubes. The companies best known for this format are Safari Ltd and K&M. Safari naturally has captured the high end of the market with its American Natural History Museum, Sue, Carnivorous, Dino, Prehistoric Life and baby Dino toobs some sets are painted and have the look of the high resin premiums from Japan. They have been able to tie the toob line with their high end museum lines. K&M also markets a line of toob products using custom painted figures from the generic JP set. The older retailing strategy for small figures used by Bullyland , Schleich and Play Vision was an open container that allowed them to be sold individually as impulse buys for customers. The profit per unit is higher for retailers but it requires more inventory and doesn't generate as much volume. It is a particularly unattractive to internet sellers were the shipping and packaging are issues. Toobs are easy maintenance, have less pilferage, and bring in a better total profit. The format has been picked up by a range of generic figure makers most of them nameless.
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Wai Fong my favorite of the bin style. The figures borrow heavily from Jurassic Park and Walking with Dinosaurs as do many of their products. |
This a nice set from a Dollar Store tube. The horned tyrannosaurid stand out and the four footed spinosaur. There is a glow in the dark set. From Riff Smith Below the 24 pices set ![]() |
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The Discovery Channel broadcasts the Walking with Dinosaurs series. The have their name on a variety of playsets none of them very good. You'd think they would partner up with Safari ltd or some other up market educational company. This set uses the same designs used by a larger hollow vinyl set seen in Dollar Stores. The raptor figure is very odd having the large toe claw but a skull like a hypsillophodont. |
From A Dollar Days tube. this uses a very rubbery medium similar to a larger size play set showing up in England. Great plants best I have seen. From Riff Smith |
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These figures were also sold in a plastic container shaped like a stegosaur in Museum shops. The nodosaur and large headed predator are distinct. |
Betta products sold these figures in drug store they look a lot like the Safari Mini Carnegie. The ceratopsid was probably intended to be a Styracosaurus but looks more like a Chasmosaurus. The figures avoid the chubby look common at the time. |
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Painted Giga figures, Giga has 24 figures of JARU quality. |
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I felt immediately that if Tim-Mee had made new figures they would have looked like these from Yobe. The nodosaur and psitacosaur are notable as is the lack of a T rex in the set. There is pearlised soft set. From Riff Smith |
Less elaborated painted versions show up in gumball machines. Bagged sets still being sold. |