stolpergeist: The Conquering the Earth line was...

stolpergeist:

The Conquering the Earth line was made by Schleich to show the success of dinosaurs, how they spread across all corners of the globe over the span of the Mesozoic
A model of Tawa hallae was added to show their humble beginnings during the Triassic
Alongside other early dinosaurs such as Herrerasaurus its discovery in 2004 gives the hypothesis that dinosaurs emerged in Gondwana and spread from there to the rest of the world further support
Tawa is more advanced than Herrerasaurus however not as advanced as Coelophysis which lived alongside Tawa in the area of Ghost Ranch
When Tawa was described by Sterling Nesbitt and colleagues in 2009 its placement on the theropod tree was still unsure but certainly more basal than Coelophysis
Later the same year this was criticized by Mickey Mortimer as she pointed out the analysis didn’t consider comparison with a larger number of early theropods
In 2011 Steve Brusatte and Martin Ezcurra placed it as a primitive theropod and this result was also the case for the large analysis of early dinosaur relations by Paul Barrett, Matthew Baron and David Norman in 2017
The Conquering the Earth Tawa figure is an interesting and unusual choice for Schleich’s lineup and a unique addition for any collector interested in Triassic fauna
The sculpt is nicely done by Vlad Konstantinov and features a couple of primitive feathers on the model’s neck and tail
The warm colours of the simple yet nicely done paint job remind one of the rocks and sand at Ghost Ranch
Tawa not only shared its environment with other early dinosaurs such as Coelophysis but also with strange Triassic creatures such as rauisuchians, competing with them for dominance over the future
Tawa was named after the sun god of the Pueblo people and this dinosaur marked the rising sun shining above the empire of dinosaurs as they conquered the Earth