I am going to start by saying I like this design. I like how the design in hoatzin like, with blue around the eye, and the feathers sprouting from the back of its head. I like how the designer didn't just make a Troodon with feathers, but a Troodon that feathers it may not have had. I also like that it has tiny feathers similar to its wing on its back leg, maybe it was derived by a gliding ancestor of its. I also like that the feathers go past the ankles, not that it is more realistic, it's just that I like that style better for some reason. It also doesn't look shrink-wrapped, which is good, and gives it a more realistic appearance.
That's the good part. Now I am going to talk about the negatives. And theres more negatives than I wanted there to be. While the feathers look good in the picture above, in the trailer it doesn't look that good, as if it where super-glued on.
Like that picture.
However, it could be the pose the animal is in, but I'll just leave it at that. Now lets talk about the scaley lizard face. There are fossils of troodonts with feathered faces, and while we haven't found feathers on Troodon yet, given it position in the dinosaur family tree, it certainly had feathers, and if it did have feathers, it is unlikely it had a scaly lizard face. It is more likely it had a feathered face, or an unfeathered (and unscaled) face. However, since we will never see them, we may never know. Also, the scaly face was probably artistic license, giving the animal a villainous look. Obviously its the villain because it punches a hole in Patchi's frill when he was little. However, apart from the scaly face, I think he looks cute.
Another problem I am having with the animal is its wings. I am very happy they have wings, but it seem like the primaries are.... off. The primaries should be on the second finger, and based on the first picture, it seems like the primaries are sort of attached to it. I guess I'll give that a pass.
However, a little thing I've noticed (I'm not sure if anyone else has) is the shape of the skull. The skull has a little bump on the top of the skull, something I have not seen in Troodon skulls before. It is also ambiguous about what species of Troodon they are portraying. The movie is set in Alaska, and teeth of 4 meter long Troodon have been found there, but if they are the species seen in the movie or not is unclear. If they are, then I'll let that pass because it may have looked slightly different from its relatives. After all it was larger.
So the Troodon has an overall great appearance, but the head is the biggest issue, with the bump and being scaly.
As I do these reviews on the animals in Walking with Dinosaurs, I will score them based on my opinion and accuracy. I do have to say before I move on, I am not a paleontologist, but I think I know enough to look out for inaccuracies.
In total I give the Troodon a 9 on the accuracy scale, as it portrays a somewhat non-shrink wrapped feathered animal, and for having the primaries barely on the second finger, and a scaly face.
Watch out for more reviews, and if I got anything wrong, you can correct me and I'll update the post. Until tomorrow.
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