Dinosaurs. We all know of them, many love them, and they’ve affected all of us in different ways at different ages. Through museums, books, movies, and toys, these mysterious beasts of prehistory have been a part of our lives for nearly two centuries. Our fascination of what they were like has lead us to re-imagine them in countless ways throughout the years, influenced by new scientific discoveries that constantly shape our view of how these animals lived and appeared. Today, museums, books, and movies provide more than you’ll ever need for your dinosaur interests. However, if you like dinosaur toys… well, lets’ just say it’s time for an upgrade, or an evolution if you will.

       Beasts of the Mesozoic- what is it?

Beasts of the Mesozoic is a line of scientifically accurate, highly detailed, and articulated dinosaur action figures. Being a serious toy collector myself, I’ve seen great advancements in the toy market the past several years with innovative companies raising the bar of what’s possible with detail, articulation, and value. However, despite my love for dinosaurs and for toys, my dinosaur toy shelf is surprisingly small compared to the other collections I have. Why? Well they simply haven’t changed much at all in the past several decades and honestly aren’t that good compared to other action figures. It just doesn’t seem like you get much for your money. I for one am ready for some good dinosaur toys worthy of my shelf space and my money, aren’t you?

      So who are you and why do you think you can pull this off?

Me? I’m David Silva, professional dinosaur enthusiast. And I also sculpt and design toys for a living (see the video). Since I began working in the toy industry back in 2003, the idea of doing a line of realistic dinosaur action figures has come up on several occasions, but unfortunately in every instance the project was canceled somewhere along the way. So seeing as how I have the toy industry experience and I’ve also been sculpting dinosaur model kits as Creative Beast Studio since 2009, perhaps I have everything I need now to get the ball rolling (well, except for the money). I feel a responsibility at this point to try to bring great dinosaur action figures to the masses.

         Alright, what’s being offered then?

This first series of Beasts of the Mesozoic will be the 1/6th scale Raptor Series consisting of mid-sized dromaeosaurs and related species. The campaign will begin with three species: Velociraptor, Atrociraptor, and Tsaagan with more to follow as the campaign progresses. (I will also be adding a Kickstarter exclusive figure the second week of the campaign). Each figure will have 26 points of articulation, realistic detail and movement based on the most recent scientific discoveries, and will also feature a base with posing rod as well as alternate running toes.

In addition, every package will have unique artwork by the amazingly talented Jonathan Kuo for each raptor and a collectible card on the back featuring the art and basic stats about each animal. And also available with this Kickstarter campaign is a signed, limited edition print by comic illustration legend, Mark Schultz, creator of Xenozoic Tales (a.k.a Cadillacs and Dinosaurs). I’m extremely grateful to have both of these fantastic artists helping me with this project.

    And how is this better than what I already have?

Aside from my extensive attention to detail and an near-obsessive respect for scientific accuracy, these figures have better articulation and movement than any dinosaurs toys you’ve owned or seen. (I even invented a few new joints just for this project.) So check out this construction video to see how it all works. Keep in mind though that this is just the resin prototype, so it’s a little fragile and unlike the actual toy, doesn’t hold together well. However, it gives a good idea of what you can expect with the final product in terms of movement. If all goes as planned, the toy will actually move better than this. (The final production figures will be mostly PVC with ABS ball joints and some flexible rubber parts such as the neck collar, primary wings,tongue and a bendable tail w/ wire.)

                       The Rewards?

Reward 1- $1 THANK YOU! I realize that not everyone has the money to buy action figures, but one dollar lets me know that you support this project (and are probably telling other people about it ..hint, hint). That’s pretty darn cool!

Reward 2- $10 Exclusive set of (5) 4×6 Beasts of the Mesozoic Post Card Set featuring the package art for the first five raptors by Jonathan Kuo! These cards will be high quality printed without text or graphics so you can just enjoy Jonathan’s incredible skill at painting dinosaurs.

Estimated delivery: July 2016

                            The Raptors

By backing at least one of these Raptor action figure rewards, you’ll be eligible to add-on the stretch goals.

Rewards 3 and 4- $35

Add-on price (for those pledging at $35 or higher)- $40 US or $43 INT

• Velociraptor mongoliensis (swift thief) – The one we all know and love from the movies- or is it?  Though the real Velociraptor was very different from its movie star counterpart, it was no less fierce and dangerous. It used to inhabit an arid desert climate in a part of the world that is now Mongolia. Velociraptor can be distinguished from other dromaeosaurids by its long and low skull, an upturned snout. And let’s not forget about that terrible toe claw!

This tier gets you one 1/6 scale Velociraptor mongoliensis action figure.

Shipping for US will be $10 and $25 for International backers.

Estimated delivery: May 2017