The Carnegie Collection Apatosaurus (1988)

Original 1988 prototype.

The Carnegie Collection Apatosaurus sculpted by Forest Rogers was in production in one form or another from 1988 to 2014. During its lifetime, the model was produced using at least 3 distinct molds, and issued in 2 different basic color schemes (each with their own minor variations). The prototype, presumably designed by Rogers, featured a dark gray body with gold highlights. Production versions included a gray and gold variant similar to the prototype and later a dark and light green variant.

Above: Three first molds compared. (Left to right: 1988 mold, 1992 mold, 1996 mold)

Detail of the head and neck sculpt from each mold
(Left to right: 1988 mold, 1992 mold, 1996 mold)

1st Mold

403-01 Apatosaurus

Species: Apatosaurus louisae
First release: 1988
Retired: c. 1995
Model number: 403-01
Schleich number: 15403
Size: 58 cm long
Advertised scale: 1:40
Actual scale: 1:35
Sculptor: Forest Rogers

The first mold is similar to the second, but with subtler detailing in the scales and wrinkles, not as deep and ribbed-looking as the second mold. The mold seems to have sustained some damage early on in its lifespan, as a crease is seen running from just above the left knee onto the tail, likely reflecting a crack in the steel mold. This is more noticeable in later production runs, though differences in material, paint, and color variously mask or highlight the crack. The head is narrow - ironically, more scientifically accurate than the revised mold.

Damage in the form of a crack running from the left hind leg to the base of the tail is visible in most samples of mold 1.

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As pictured in a 1988 Safari Ltd. brochure.

Mold: 1
Version: 1
Release: 1988
Status: Original

Variant type: Primary
Material: Medium weight dark gray (and purple?) rubber
Paint: 8 colors. Yellow (base coat); purple (base color?, wash); beige (belly, lower legs); dark gray (back, neck, head, tail); pink (teeth); brown (eyes); gray (claws); black (pupils).

Stamp text: Centered: (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD MIAMI FL / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / MADE IN CHINA

CE Mark: None.

TDR rating: 10/10

This is a very early variant of the Carnegie Apatosaurus. It has a relatively clear-print, centered info stamp. It is made of the same rubbery gray plastic as the more yellow version shown below. However, it has a much darker overall color scheme. It is extremely similar to the prototype photographed for the 1988/1989 Safari and Schleich brochures, which was basically all black or dark gray with slightly lighter legs. On close inspection, the paint operations are highly complex, similar to the "gloss wash" variants. In the case of this model, I am slightly baffled by the paint operations. There appear to be multiple layers of paint, perhaps even different colored base coats across the body, some of which are almost totally covered by other colors. I have tried my best to show where these layers are visible in scuffs in the photos here. I have given my best guess as to paint layers in the "paint" text above, but this is only my best guess. Most strangely, multiple paint scuffs show that there is a layer of bright yellow paint which is almost totally covered by dark gray. Yet the paint is the same kind as standard factory-produced Carnegie models and there is no indication or reason to think this is some kind of custom paint job, which are usually obvious. It seems possible that this was a mid-stream repaint of existing models to bring them closer in line to the catalog photos. The more washed-out beige on the legs is much closer to the porotype paint masters than the dull wash standard yellow, and the barely visible lavender wash (which also seems to form part of the underlying base coat) creates a subtly blended appearance that may be an attempt to mimic the slightly metallic look of the prototype. In all different kinds of lighting, it is hard to tell if the dark color of the dorsal side of this model is dark gray or slightly purple - it appears a slightly translucent dark gray layer was applied over a violet base. The gray base plastic could also be grading into violet in some places. This may be related to the violet rubber found in some Allosaurus models - it's possible the plastic itself is violet in places, either having changed color due to age or due to the use of mixed color plastic (similar to some "marbled" Marx dinosaurs). The pinkish white teeth also match the color used in the violet plastic Allosaurus. However, regardless of the base plastic color, there are clearly areas where a violet or purple airbrush wash, barely discernable from the dark gray, has been used, especially around the head and the sides where beige grades into gray.

All in all, a very odd model and one I had never seen before it popped up on eBay in 2023. It is likely more of these "primary version", prototype-esque models exist waiting to be recognized.

It should also be noted that out of all recognized paint variants, this one most closely matches the more common dark gray and beige Apatosaurus Baby variants.

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Mold: 1
Version: 2
Release: 1988
Status: Minor repaint

Variant type: Dull wash
Material: Medium weight dark gray rubber
Paint: 6 colors. Yellow (head, underside, legs); orange-gold (wash); white (teeth); brown orange (eyes); gray (claws); black (pupils).

Stamp text: Centered: (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD MIAMI FL / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / MADE IN CHINA

CE Mark: None.

TDR rating: 9/10

This early Apatosaurus had a drab gray and light yellow color scheme, and was cast in softer rubber than later variants. The base color was unpainted gray plastic, with dull yellow paint applied, and an orange-gold wash on top of that. This is the earliest version as evidenced by its original, unaltered imprint stamp, printed on the belly in very clear, centered lettering with the name of the animal in larger font. As you can see below, this stamp was heavily modified in subsequent production runs. Anecdotal reports suggest this was among the first Carnegies for sale in the US, around September 1988.

This set of dull wash figures was purchased at the St. Louis Science Center in September 1988 (photo by Robb Jacobson).

For a detailed breakdown of the differences between the 1988, 1991, and 1996 releases of the Carnegie Apatosaurus, see this page at the Dinosaur Toys Collectors Guide.

From dinosaur-toys-collectors-guide.com

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Mold: 1
Version: 3

Variant type: Twilight version
Release: 1989
Status: Minor repaint
Material: Hard black PVC
Paint: Matte. 6 colors. Dark gray (back); yellow (head, lower limbs); beige (belly); gray (claws); black (eyes); white (teeth).

Stamp text: Centered: (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD MIAMI FL / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / CHINA

CE Mark: None.

TDR rating: 10/10

Very similar to the older versions, this one was cast in harder plastic, with more of a flat, darker, matte yellow color on the face and lower legs. It appeared in the 1990 Safari catalog, shown below. A corresponding Apatosaurus Baby exists with an identical color scheme of very dark gray and flat yellow. Like other so-called "twilight catalog versions", the paint scheme was high contrast and matte in texture.

Also note the extremely fatigued, barely legible imprint stamp. It almost appears as if this was done after the factory covered up the old stamp but before they added the new one. It is likely this was the last version to use the centered style stamp, which would be replaced in future versions with similar color schemes.

Twilight version (left) vs. dull wash version (right).

As featured in the 1990 Safari Ltd. catalog.

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Mold: 1

Version: 4
Release: 1990
Status: Minor repaint

Variant type: Gloss wash

Material: Hard black PVC
Paint: 6 colors. Dark gray (base coat); glossy dark green (wash); yellow airbrushing (feet); beige airbrushing (belly, underside of neck, claws); black (eyes); white (teeth).
Stamp text: Left-aligned. (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD, MIAMI, FL. / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / CHINA
CE mark: None.

TDR rating: 8/10

This version is similar to the previous color scheme, but lacks a yellow head. The body including the head are very dark (almost black) gray-green, similar to the classic Charles R. Knight painting of Brontosaurus.

This version was pictured in the 1990 Schleich Carnegie brochure. It has the same basic color scheme as the versions that follow, but is notably more "luminous" with a wash of glossy, warm-toned paint, especially on the head and limbs. It is the closest retail model to the prototype version.

                                        This version (right) vs. older variants.

Above: as pictured in a 1990 Schleich brochure.

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Mold: 1
Version: 5
Release: 1991
Status: Major repaint

Variant type: Classic color
Material: Bright blue plastic
Paint: Glossy. 10 colors. Light green (base color); Dark green (back); Kelly green (wash); beige (underside); yellow (underside highlights); gray (claws); pink (mouth); white (teeth); yellow (eyes); black (pupils).
Stamp text: Left-aligned. (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD, MIAMI, FL. / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / CHINA
CE mark: None

TDR rating: 8/10

This is the first version of the Carnegie Apatosaurus with it's "classic" color scheme of dark and light green. Interestingly, the base vinyl appears to be bright blue in color, the same bright blue vinyl seen in other very early classic color variants including Allosaurus and Diplodocus.

Note that this version has the same info stamp as the mostly black 1st generation version and retains the sharper original mold. Also note the different curl to the tail than other versions. The black stripes are longer and narrower than in subsequent releases. The head appears to have been slightly retooled in this version, and is intermediate between the original and refreshed sculpt.

Catalog and promotional photos from around 1991 are the first to show Apatosaurus models painted with narrow dark green stripes.

Pictured in a 1991 promotional image.

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Mold: 1

Version: 6
Release: 1991
Status: Material variation

Variant type: Classic color
Material: Hard black PVC
Paint: Glossy. 10 colors. Light green (base color); Dark green (back); Kelly green (wash); beige (underside); yellow (underside highlights); gray (claws); pink (mouth); white (teeth); yellow (eyes); black (pupils).
Stamp text: Left-aligned. (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD, MIAMI, FL. / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / CHINA
CE mark: None

TDR rating: 8/10

A version similar to the previous one, but made of dark black hard PVC plastic.

Above: Mold 1 dark green version vs. classic green version.

A good photo of the "twilight sands" photo set with the classic color Apatosaurus, from Issue 1 of Dinosaur Times magazine, summer 1993.

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Above: Comparison of the mint green version (bottom) with a more typical Carnegie Apatosaurus figurine. Photo by Fred Snyder.

Mold: 1
Version: 7
Release: c. 1992
Status: Major repaint

Variant type: Classic color
Material: Gray vinyl
Paint: Glossy. 10 colors. Pale mint green (base color); Dark green (back); mint green (wash); pale beige (underside); yellow (underside highlights); gray (claws); pink (mouth); white (teeth); yellow (eyes); black (pupils).
Stamp text: Left-aligned. (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD, MIAMI, FL. / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / CHINA
CE mark: None

TDR rating: 7/10

This version is very similar to the original green Apatosaurus, but has a much bluer-toned color scheme, almost turquoise. This "mint green" version is relatively rare but there was also a corresponding Apatosaurus Baby model.

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This version (top) vs. earlier green Apatosaurus. Photo by Fred Snyder.

Mold: 1

Version: 8
Release: 1993
Status: Minor repaint, minor retool

Variant type: Classic color
Material: ?
Paint: Glossy. 10 colors. Light green (base color); Dark green (back); Kelly green (wash); beige (underside); yellow (underside highlights); light gray (claws); pink (mouth); white (teeth); yellow (eyes); black (pupils).
Stamp text: Left-aligned. (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD, MIAMI, FL. / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / CHINA CE
CE mark: Small

TDR rating: 8/10

Very similar to the previous version, but with a slightly warmer tone of green and light gray claws vs. the typical dark gray. The paint application on the dark green stipes is more extensive, similar to typical mold 2 models. Most notably, there is a small CE mark added after the word "China" in the info text. The two marks are very close together, so it appears to read "ChinaCE". The presence of both CE (added to most models in 1991) and Miami (removed from most models in 1991) suggests this is an early 1991 production.

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2nd Mold

403-01 Apatosaurus

Species: Apatosaurus louisae
First release: 1992
Retired: c. 1995
Model number: 403-01 / 4003-01
Schleich number: 15403 (retired 1993)
Size: 58 cm long
Advertised scale: 1:40
Actual scale: 1:35

The second mold first appeared in catalog photography in 1992 and was probably newly produced that year (generally, molds need to be replaced every 4-5 years). This second mold may have been copied from the first using a pantograph machine. It is slightly larger and the details are more crude, with a ribbed texture on the limbs and neck and deeper details overall. The head is much more boxy than the original.

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Mold: 2

Version: 1
Release: 1992
Status: Retool, minor repaint

Variant type: Classic color
Material: Hard gray vinyl
Paint: Glossy. Black back, stripes, and head, green sides and limbs, beige and yellow underside, Kelly green highlights, gray claws, pink mouth, white teeth, yellow eyes.
Stamp text: Left-aligned: (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / CE
CE mark: Small.

TDR rating: 1/10

This is the "refreshed sculpt" version of the Carnegie Apatosaurus. By this point, the original 1988 mold seems to have been used as the basis for an inferior copy of the mold. The head is noticeably wider and boxier. The skin details are much more pronounced and blockier, replacing the finely delineated scales and wrinkles of the original with a ribbed texture. Thanks to the retooling, and to what seems like a denser, harder plastic, this version is among the heaviest of the bunch, a little heavier than the first, rubber version, and much heavier than the slimmed-down 1996 version.

Though it retains the "classic" color scheme, this version is the first with wavy or lobed, rather than narrow, stripes.

Notice that "MIAMI, FL" and "Made in China" are gone and there is a visible raised erasure mark where it used to be, and the CE mark has been added. This Apatosaurus model with its revised mold and lobed green stripes first appeared in the 1992 Early Learning Centre brochure (see the "Catalogs" page).

For a detailed breakdown of the differences between the 1988, 1994, and 1996 releases of the Carnegie Apatosaurus, see this page at the Dinosaur Toys Collectors Guide.

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Mold: 2

Version: 2

Release: 1993
Status: Minor repaint, minor retool

Variant type: Classic color
Material: Hard gray vinyl
Paint: Glossy. Black back, stripes, and head, green sides and limbs, beige and yellow underside, Kelly green highlights, gray claws, pink mouth, white teeth, yellow eyes.
Stamp text: Left-aligned: (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / CE CHINA
CE mark: Small.

Weight: 1029g

TDR rating: 1/10

This is the same as the previous version, but the dark green lobed stripes are more blended together, and the imprint stamp on the belly as the word "CHINA" added after the CE mark.

The date stamp is pretty faded out in this model, having been re-done multiple times by this point. You can see the area around the stamp text looks raised and smoothed, a result of previous text having been smoothed out and re-stamped deeper in the mold.

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3rd Mold

4003-01 Apatosaurus

Species: Apatosaurus louisae
First release: 1997
Retired: 2014
Model number: 4003-01
Size:
Advertised scale: 1:40
Actual scale:

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Mold: 3

Version: 1

Release: 1997
Status: Retool

Variant type: Color vinyl
Material: Kelly green vinyl
Paint: Black back, stripes, and head, beige and yellow underside, gray claws, pink mouth, white teeth, yellow eyes.
Stamp text: Left-aligned: (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / CE / 2
CE mark: Small

TDR rating: 1/10

Along with the switch to colored vinyl in the 1997 refresh of the Carnegie line, a lot of the fatigued old 1988 molds were retooled. Apatosaurus got a big overhaul, with newly tooled wrinkles (including wrinkles on the bottoms of the feet), a slimmer overall build, and a narrower head more similar to the pre-1990s version. The base color of Kelly green was dyed into the vinyl plastic, and only the secondary colors were painted on. Most notably, the tail tip on the post-1996 apatosaur models curves upward rather than down.

A relatively smooth portion of the belly was left free for the date stamp, which comes out much more clearly in the new mold. A few interesting things to note here: First, the "20" in 20 Meters has a raised area under it, possibly due to an initial misprint that has been scraped out and corrected. Second, a scraped off area beneath the main imprint text seems to have originally read "Made In China" but has been removed. The original text seems different and not as deeply impressed as the rest of the text. This raised scratched-off area persisted into later versions where a differently aligned "Made in China" text was re-added on top of it.

For a detailed breakdown of the differences between the 1988, 1994, and 1997 releases of the Carnegie Apatosaurus, see this page at the Dinosaur Toys Collectors Guide.

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Mold: 3

Version: 2

Release: c. 1997
Status: Minor retool

Variant type: Color vinyl
Material: Pale green vinyl
Paint: Black back, stripes, and head, beige and yellow underside, gray claws, pink mouth, white teeth, yellow eyes.
Stamp text: Left-aligned: C 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / MADE IN CHINA CE / 2

Weight: 745g

TDR rating: 1/10

Same as the previous version, but with a lighter base plastic color and slightly different info stamp on the belly. This time, "Made In China" has been added over the area of erased text present on the first resculpted mold.

3rd mold (back) vs. 2nd mold (front)

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Mold: 3

Version: 3

Release: c. 2000
Status: Minor repaint, retool

Variant type: Color vinyl
Material: Olive green vinyl
Paint: Black back, stripes, and head, beige and yellow underside, gray claws, pink mouth, white teeth, Kelly green highlights, yellow eyes.
Stamp text: Left-aligned: C 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / MADE IN CHINA / CE / 2

TDR rating: 3/10

Probably a second dyed vinyl release, this one used an olive green vinyl instead of Kelly green, and added Kelly green highlights to the flanks. The beige belly is also more subtle, and it uses the newer, large CE logo that debuted with the new for 1997 models like Deltadromeus.

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Mold: 3

Version: 4

Release: c. 2010
Status: Minor repaint, retool

Variant type: Color vinyl
Material: Olive green vinyl
Paint: Black back, stripes, and head, beige and yellow underside, gray claws, pink mouth, white teeth, Kelly green highlights, yellow eyes.
Stamp text: Left-aligned: (C) 1988 THE CARNEGIE / SAFARI LTD / APATOSAURUS / 20 METERS / MADE IN CHINA / CE / 2

CE mark: Large

TDR rating: 3/10

This appears to be essentially the same mold as the early 2000s version with the same imprint stamp text on the belly. The only minor differences are a brighter paint scheme with yellow rather than beige on the underside, and a slightly widened smooth rectangular area surrounding the imprint stamp. The manufacture date stamp on the foot places this sample in 2010, but the actual retooling and repainting probably happened slightly earlier.