The Carnegie Collection Maiasaura and Nest (1996)

4027-01 Maiasaura
Species: Maiasaura peeblesorum
First release: January 1996
Retired: 2015
Model number: 402701
Size: 25 cm
Scale: 1:40
Sculptor: Forest Rogers

Comparing the original Carnegie Maiasaura with the all-new 1996 remake version illustrates a subtle shift in the philosophy behind the line between its launch and the mid-1990s. The second Maiasaura is very much an educational toy - scientifically accurate, in a walking pose, with a separately sculpted nest kids could imagine it interacting with. Looking at the 1989 version, it would be very hard to characterize this as a toy at all. It's basically a gorgeously painted but static plastic statue.

1996 saw a refresh of the entire Carnegie line, featuring the more toyetic version of Maiasaura and much more colorful, in some cases garish, paint schemes for several of the older models. Luckily, even the new Maiasaura retained the same basic color scheme, which is based on what has become a common coloration for this species in art thanks to Doug Henderson's influential illustrations of the 1980s and 1990s.

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Version: 1
Release: January 1996
Status: Original
Material: Hard gray vinyl (adult), dark brown vinyl (nest)
Paint: Orange body with burnt orange wash, dark brown stripes, white underside, gray claws, black eyes, brown wash on nest, green inner nest lining, white eggshells.
Stamp text: MAIASAURA / (C) 1995 The Carnegie / Safari Ltd, Miami, FL / Made in China / CE
CE mark: Small.
TDR rating: 3/10

The remake of Maiasaura, rather than sculpted sitting on its nest as in the original 1989 version, came with a separate nest, including two hatchlings, foliage, and some eggshell fragments. These were packaged together like the Dilophosaurus pair on a piece of rectangular cardboard and secured with twist-ties.

Coming at the tail end of the fully-painted era of the Carnegie Collection, this first release of Maiasaura 2.0 included both a fully-painted adult model and a half-painted nest. The adult was molded in hard gray plastic, and all of the visible colors had to be painted on. The nest, however, was molded in softer brown vinyl and only the detail colors like the babies, foliage, and a darker wash, were added. This would change within a few years to include a half-painted adult as well, making the fully-painted version a little harder to come by today.

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Version: 2
Release: c. 1998
Status: Minor repaint
Material: Yellow vinyl (adult), dark brown vinyl (nest)
Paint: Orange body with burnt orange wash, dark brown stripes, white underside, gray claws, black eyes, brown wash on nest, green inner nest lining, white eggshells.
Stamp text: MAIASAURA / (C) 1995 The Carnegie / Safari Ltd, Miami, FL / Made in China / CE
CE mark: Small.
TDR rating: 3/10

This may be the first "color vinyl" version of Maiasaura and Nest. It appears to be molded in yellow-orange plastic rather than the darker orange of later versions, and is more fully painted over with darker orange paint. The nest and nestlings appear to be the same as the original release. The thickly applied, glossy belly paint suggests this is different from later color vinyl releases which had more airbrushed belly paint. It uses the same mold and belly stamp as the original version.

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Version: 3
Release: c. 2000
Status: Minor repaint
Material: Orange vinyl (adult), dark brown vinyl (nest)
Paint: Burnt orange wash, dark brown stripes, white airbrushed underside, gray claws, black eyes, green wash on nest,orange hatchlings with brown stripes and cream underside, cream eggs.
Stamp text:
CE mark:
TDR rating: 2/10

This release of Maiasaura and Nest included an adult molded in light orange plastic, possibly darker and less yellow than the previous version. The white paint on the underside is also much less pronounced in this version and appears to be airbrushed. The nest has had a color switch, from being mostly brown with some green foliage to mostly green with some brown highlights.

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Version: 4
Release: 2007
Status: Minor repaint
Material: Orange vinyl (adult and nest)
Paint: Burnt orange wash, dark brown stripes, white underside, gray claws, black eyes, green wash on nest, brown hatchlings with brown stripes and dark cream underside, cream eggs.
Stamp text: ?
CE mark: Large
TDR rating: 2/10

The color scheme of Maiasaura was not significantly changed for the 2007 line refresh, but some differences from the previous version do exist. Most notably, the nest is painted in a much denser and darker green, allowing only some of the orangey highlights of the underlying plastic to show through. The hatchlings are also now a much darker color. The white on the underside of the adult is more prominent and less airbrushed-looking.

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Version: 5
Release: c. 2012
Status: Minor repaint, retool
Material:
Paint:
Stamp text: Carnegie Maiasaura 1:40 / (C) 1995 Safari Ltd., Maiami, FL USA / Made in China CE
CE mark: Large
TDR rating: 3/10

This version has a 3-line, Wild Safari style belly stamp that includes the scale, given as 1:40. This style info stamp pegs the model as around a 2012 release. I am currently unsure if the cardboard packaging style also changed with this release to match the updated gray and white tag style of these later models, or if there were any other changes to the paint application.