Groovy Tube Books: Gone Extinct

Hello again! It is time we return to something that is actually miniature and prehistoric isn't it? Groovy Tube books is a small line of books that include miniature figures in tubes (much like Safari LTD figures) for added play value. More so, they also include rules for different games to play with your figures (and gameboard within the book) On my Deviant Art page I did small dioramas for two previous books, being "Monsters: The Hunt and the Capture" and "Mythical Beasts". This is the last book I own, as they haven't released anymore that interest me. The dioramas I did for the prior two books is what inspired me to begin this blog in fact! Without further ado, here is: Gone Extinct

Take a look, its in a book

Mean green, Jurassic machine

I've decided to go in alphabetical order like the first page of the book does for the figures here. First up is an Allosaurus. Not bad, I have definitely seen alot worse. I like his color scheme, reminds me of salamander or something for some weird reason. Decent sculpt, Groovy Tube figures tend to vary in sculpt quality, some are great, others can be mediocre. Interesting pose on this guy too, though I don't know why they have the tail so high up..

All that is missing is lemon and butter

Next up we have an Ammonite. Good detail here! Also the only Ammonite I own. The only thing I can't make up my mind on is if I like the pink on his shell or not.. Its fine on the face and tentacles, but I don't know about the other details. Still cool though, and I like it alot!

Not quite a bird...

Archaeopteryx, the famous "missing link" between small therapod dinosaurs and modern day birds. While this has nice detail, I am just not a fan of it taken as a whole. The face is rather ugly and the red on it doesn't help much. It also looks more like a guy in a chicken suit more than an Archaeopteryx.

Prehistoric Cowabunga

Here is the book's Archelon. A giant sea turtle, probably not quite as menacing as it was in 10 Million Years B.C. The book depicts it with a more conventional shell, instead of this Leatherback style. Which is probably more accurate anyhow. Decent toy, it would be pretty hard to screw up a sea turtle.

Scarier in Primeval

The giant millipede from millions of years ago, the Arthopleura! Not bad, I like the paint apps and the sculpt, its just I prefer the version from Walking with Monsters a bit more. This could easily pass for another millipede or centipede toy. Not bad, I just have different preferences.

Bra- what?

Brachauchenius. An ancient marine reptile I never head of until I bought this book. Wouldn't it of been easier to go with something less obscure? Kronodon, Liepluerodon? Nothing wrong with this, heck its nice to see them branching out from the norm. It is just surprising they picked this species. Cool figure, sure it doesn't have much color, but the way it fades into white on the bottom looks great!

Dead as a.. Well you know.

You can not have a book about extinct species without the Dodo. If you did, that would just be silly. Rather static pose, and the only Dodo figure I have. The face could of used more color, and they could of used paints that look less cartoony on him however.

Longest name..

Miss Waldron's Red Colobus Monkey. That is how the book lists this creature on the first page. They had to write the whole damn name. Declared extinct in 2000, making it the most recent species in the book. Good detail, paint and pose, and a face you can feel sorry for.

Toya Obscura

We now come to my favorite in the entire set. Opabinia. Much like Anomalcaris (related to it as well) this species is quite rare in toy form. Not only is this an Opa figure, but it has great detail and a nice color scheme! Nothing I can hold against this one, really cool figure! If all the other figures sucked, the book would of been worth it just for this guy alone. Thank goodness that wasn't the case.

Glossy Wing

Pteranodon, the token flying prehistoric animal. It is ok. The bent beak is from storage and did not come like that. Color scheme is decent if not a little strange. Not a fan of the overuse of gloss (random figures in these books seem to get this treatment, it doesn't work for everyone). Definitely have had better Pteranodon figures. Moving on.

Zonkey?

Another strange one to see. The Quagga went extinct in 1883. Not bad, but then again I'm not one who collects, much less judges horse like things.

Smilodon you son of a..

The famous Sabre Tooth Tiger, Smilodon. Can't have an ice age without this creature! This feels decent, don't hate it, just feels like a little bit more work could of went into it. Interesting stripe pattern however..

The Queen of Sea Cows

The largest manatee known to swim the seas went extinct in 1768, sadly according to the book, less than 30 years after it was discovered. Stellar's Sea Cow could weigh as much as six of it's currently living relatives. This should be the only manatee I own, though I may have a dugong somewhere.. Nice figure, can't do much with a sea cow as it is, but they put in just enough to make this look nice without overdoing it.

Crikey!

The other poster child for extinct animals. The Thylacine was hunted to extinction in 1936 (unless you follow some Cryptozoologists that is, not entirely sure where I stand on this issue, though the romantic in me likes to lean to some surviving members, especially given all the Animal X I've watched). This figure... Eh, it feels so plain. Lame pose, paint that feels like an afterthought. Probably my least favorite here.

Chillax

We conclude with the most well known ice age creature, the Wooly Mammoth. Not a bad sculpt and decent paint. My childhood love of well known prehistoric things has left a soft spot for Mammoths. Always wanted to assemble my own herd of these and play with them in the snow as a kid... Though I'd still pick a T. Rex anyday over a mammoth.

That is it for today, hope you enjoyed the read! Catch you all next week!