dinosaur reconstructions (was `sigh')

[Phillip Bigelow <n8010095@henson.cc.wwu.edu>]

Regarding the misrepresentation of dinosaurs (and animals in general,
for that matter) in the toy / picture book business:
  The Dinosaur Society has a program in which it "endorses" a particular
product (I don't know the details of the endorsement) if the 
company protrays dinosaurs as realistically as the present scientific
knowledge allows.  Some companies are producing merchandise with education
as the main goal.  However, we do live in a Capitalist economy, with
Capitalist mentality, so anything goes in the dino-merchandizing biz.
Unfortunately, I have seen some repudable sources with glaring mistakes as
well.  The British Museum and the Carnegie Museum have, on occasion, produced 
dinosaur models for children (and adults) that have some glaring mistakes, such
as tail draggers, vertically-oriented T. rexes, and a few other 
mis-morphologies.  So, it seems, even the cream of the crop could stand 
a going-over from time to time.
  Frankly, what I would like to see (but probably wouldn't have the money to
buy) would be mass-marketed plastic- or resin-cast models, standing about 1 - 2
feet tall, of intricately-detailed dinosaurs.  Sort of along the lines
of a Czerkas-style sculpture.  If they could be mass-marketed in great enough
quantity, the unit price might get low enough to be affordable.  At the lowest
possible price (say $100/dino), you wouldn't see these things in 
many toy stores.  But I bet people would buy them up.