Kosmoceratops is a genus of Chasmosaurine that lived about 75 million years ago in what is now the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park in Utah. This is where the Kaiparowits formation is located, a rock formation that during the Cretaceous was a jungle bordering the Western Interior Seaway. Other dinosaurs from this locale include Parasaurolophus, Gryposaurus, Nasutoceratops, Utahceratops, Talos, and Teratophoneus. Kosmoceratops, which means “ornate horned face”, is notable for its flamboyant frill decorated with hook-like forward curving horns. The genus was described in 2010 and over the last 14 years a small sampling of figures representing the dinosaur have been made, including those by PNSO, Kaiyodo, Eikoh, CollectA, Creative Beast Studio, and Mattel. Today we’re looking at the latest model to hit the scene, the Kosmoceratops by Haolonggood, one of their last releases of 2023.
The Haolonggood Kosmoceratops is a diminutive figure that is absolutely dwarfed by the company’s other ceratopsians. It measures about 5.25” (13 cm) long and stands 2” (5 cm) tall at the shoulder. The actual Kosmoceratops is estimated to have measured 15’ (4.5 meters) long so that puts the figure at 1/35 in scale, which is great, since that’s the scale it is advertised in. As we all know, the advertised scale of a figure is not always accurate. The figure is presented in a static pose with its right hind leg extended slightly behind it and the head lifted high and alert, as if briefly startled while in mid-stride and observing its surroundings.
Kosmoceratops made for sensational news headlines upon its formal description due to its number of horns, with 15 being the quoted number it possessed. So, I suppose the first order of the day is to count the horns on this figure and make sure they’re all there. The Haolonggood Kosmoceratops has 10 horns along the back of the frill with 8 hooking forward and an additional sideways hooking horn on either side. Two brow horns curve upwards and to the sides and the nasal horn is blunted at the tip. There is also a horn on each jugal bone so with that we get a total of 15. Well done, Haolonggood. Of course, there are also smaller epoccipitals along the sides of the frill and one must wonder why these don’t count towards the total number of horns. When included, the Haolonggood Kosmoceratops has 31 horns!
So, the head looks decent. I’ve seen some concern about the beak though, with production photographs making it hard to discern a hooked beak. I can confirm that the beak is indeed there, it’s just short, with the upper and lower jaws closed tight and close together. As for the rest of the body, the hands are correctly oriented with the fingers splayed slightly outward but there are claws on reduced digits 4 and 5 when there shouldn’t be. That’s the only inaccuracy this humble collector can find though. The rest of the body looks great, with a robust torso, large hips, and a short tail.
Although it is a small figure, Haolonggood’s commitment to detail is not sacrificed. The figure is covered in a coat of fine, pebbly scales, with larger feature scales along the body. The head has pebbly scales too, with larger scutes following the various contours of the frill. Nostrils and ear openings are present, as well as a cloaca on the underside. Scales are sculpted on the back of the frill too. Faint skin folds and wrinkles are sculpted where appropriate. There’s nothing to decry here, except perhaps the noticeable seam around the entire head. Its visibility depends upon the angle at which you’re looking at it though.
The figure comes in two different colors, and I went with the “red” one, which is more of a burnt orange color. It’s darker dorsally and transitions to a lighter cream color as you get to the underside. Dark broken stripes run along the back. Bright blue eyespots are painted on the frill. The horns are mostly gray, but their base color is the same shade of red as the body and that shows up quite a bit too. The toenails are black, and the eyes are yellow with black pupils.
The other version is a dark gray, almost black color, and production photographs made it look somewhat flat and less complex than its red counterpart. Pictures of the actual product look better than what was advertised but I’m still happy that I went with the red one. A dark wash over the figure means that it doesn’t have the hazy, flat look of other figures in the line, like the Wuerhosaurus. The overall paint app is nothing extraordinary, but it works. Application is decent, as is the blending between colors.
Due to its small size and subtle paintjob, the Haolonggood Kosmoceratops is less exciting than the company’s other ceratopsians, but it shouldn’t be overlooked. The small size makes it affordable and easy to display on a crowded shelf, and Haolonggood has not sacrificed craftsmanship here. This is the best Kosmoceratops figurine currently available and a must-have for all ceratopsian aficionados. It is widely available online and retails for less than $20.
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