【Tamiya】 Turning into a 3D model “Fukuraptor”, a new species of carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Japan for the first time!

“If I could walk through Fukui Prefecture 120 million years ago, what kind of scenery would spread out?” For people who have had such imaginations, “1/35 Fukuraptor” might become an existence slightly different from a mere dinosaur model. In an era where modern townscapes we know had neither shadow nor shape, in a corner of the Japanese archipelago, dinosaurs walked the earth and lived while searching for prey. Over a long period of time, those traces were discovered as fossils, and through natural science and paleontology research, their original figures gradually came into view. This product is a plastic model assembly kit reproducing the carnivorous dinosaur Fukuraptor that lived in such a distant era on a 1/35 scale. Furthermore, rather than freely making shapes through imagination alone, it has been developed based on research by experts and specialized institutions. Beyond enjoying dinosaurs as “cool creatures,” getting closer through a model to ancient life revealed by science—therein lies the fun unique to this kit.

What you want to know first about Fukuraptor is that it is a new species of carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Japan for the first time. The place where it was discovered is Fukui Prefecture, widely known for dinosaur fossil excavations and research, also called the “Dinosaur Kingdom.” In Katsuyama City located in its northeastern part, there is the “Kitadani Formation, Tetori Group,” a stratum from approximately 120 million years ago, and fossils of Fukuraptor were found here. And in 2000, the official scientific name “Fukuraptor kitadaniensis” was given. The name has a proper origin as well, with “Fukuraptor” meaning “Fukui predator” and “kitadaniensis” meaning “from the Kitadani Formation.” In other words, where this dinosaur came from is engraved into the scientific name itself. Recalling this background while gazing at the model, the feeling might gradually shift from “displaying a dinosaur model” to “reproducing an ancient creature discovered from the stratum of Fukui.”

The actual Fukuraptor is said to have had a body length of approximately 4.7m. While it is a sufficiently large carnivorous dinosaur, the confirmed individual is thought to have been in the middle of growth, and if it grew to adulthood, there is a possibility that it became even larger. Thinking that such a creature lived in Japan, it is hard to imagine from modern scenery. In this kit, that Fukuraptor is turned into a 3D model on a 1/35 scale, with an overall length of about 118mm upon completion. While it is incomparably compact next to the real thing, precisely because it is a scale model, the balance of the whole body can be viewed at once, allowing you to expand your imagination thinking “So it ran across the earth with such a build.” Imagining a carnivorous dinosaur several meters in total length from an approximately 11.8cm model that can be placed on a desk or shelf. The time spent complementing this difference in scale inside your head is also a true pleasure unique to dinosaur models.

If the total length upon completion is about 118mm, naturally the head becomes even smaller. However, details are by no means simplified there. Slide molds are used for the head parts, and in addition to complex 3D shapes, even the sharp teeth lined up inside the mouth are precisely reproduced one by one. When making a model, the overall silhouette is of course important, but the area around the face is also the part that determines the impression of that creature. If fine teeth can be confirmed when bringing your line of sight closer to the mouth, the expression as a carnivorous dinosaur will likely feel even more powerful. Gazing at it together with the large claws, it is a sculpt that makes you want to agree with the name “Fukui predator.” Rather than omitting details because it is a small scale, technology is used to pack information precisely because it is small. That stance is conveyed through this part.

Even hearing a total length of about 118mm, “how big the actual Fukuraptor was” is a bit hard to image. Therefore, in this product, parent-child silhouette parts capable of comparing size with the Fukuraptor are prepared. By lining them up with humans of the same scale, body size differences that were difficult to understand through numbers alone can be captured visually. Reading information of about 4.7m and gazing with a dinosaur placed next to human silhouettes give quite different impressions. If you can imagine specifically “If it appeared before my eyes, is it this big?”, ancient creatures will suddenly take on reality. Display ground parts are also included, so after completion, beyond just placing it standalone, you can enjoy it as a display evoking even size and the world where it inhabited.

The charm of “1/35 Fukuraptor” is not only having turned a dinosaur into a cool 3D model. Modeling Fukuraptor kitadaniensis, discovered in the Kitadani Formation, Tetori Group, Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture and known as Japan's first new species of carnivorous dinosaur, based on research by experts and specialized institutions, it crafts down to details such as poses conveying skeleton, skin texture, creature-like backbone curves, large claws, and sharp teeth. And yet it is assembled via a snap-fit style requiring no adhesive, with ground parts, parent-child comparison silhouettes, and even a dedicated leaflet prepared. Multiple enjoyments of making, gazing, comparing, and learning begin from one small model. Placing the completed Fukuraptor on a desk, please lower your line of sight to the same height as the model and gaze at it. Beyond that approximately 118mm figure, as if seeing the predator of about 4.7m in total length that walked Fukui 120 million years ago, it is a figure where you can savor an imaginary time unique to dinosaur models.