Smilodon beast sculpt revealed • AIPT

On Friday, David Silva of Creative Beast Studios revealed what will end up being one of the first offerings for the Cyberzoic toyline Kickstarter, which launches on October 3 of this year. It’s also the first creature from the highly anticipated (and criminally underrated) Cenozoic Era.

Feast your eyes on the unpainted prototype for the Smilodon, more commonly (and incorrectly) known as a Saber-Toothed Tiger.

Here’s what Silva had to say about the incredible-looking creature in his reveal post on Facebook:

I have a very special Cyberzoic reveal today- I give you the first look at the (unpainted) 1/12th scale Smilodon prototype! Sculpted by Jun Huang, with articulation by Josh Sutton. This figure will be one of the launch offerings for the Cyberzoic Kickstarter coming Oct. 3rd!

Although it hasn’t been confirmed, one would assume that the Smilodon will end up having armor accessories/options like many of the other Cyberzoic figures…unless the creature somehow ends up being part of the Dragon Clan, which would still be cool.

In case you forgot, here is Silva’s bullet-pointed description of the mythology and release strategy behind Cyberzoic:

In the distant future, the remnants of humanity are in a struggle to earn their right to survive on a new planet, protected by the formidable ‘Dragons’. With limited defenses, Earth’s mightiest beasts are resurrected through science and technology, giving the humans more than a fighting chance against the reptilian natives. But after splitting into several opposing clans, humanity’s biggest threat may still be themselves.

• The dinosaurs will have cyber-enhanced armor (hence the name of the era) but there are no cyborg dinosaurs or cyborg dragons
• The dinosaurs are just as scientifically accurate as they are in Beasts of the Mesozoic, and the same figure molds will be used allowing for extra compatibility with BotM.
• This is a sci-fi story, but is still grounded in our own reality, albeit in the future. Thus BotM could be seen as a ‘prequel’ to this story.
• There will be plenty of humans and a few robot characters, many of which are planned for the 3 3/4″ figure treatment.
• Each Cyberzoic dinosaur release will have a BotM counterpart color, thus a ‘female’ (CZ) and ‘male’ (BotM) version of each species. However many BotM releases will still be exclusive to that line.
• A mini comic with the ongoing story is planned to come with each figure.
• Two preview figures will be first — Utahraptor and Achillobater. The remainder will be supported via crowdfunding, though the platform is yet to be determined.
• Cyberzoic is not limited to just dinosaurs, as the story incorporates wildlife from multiple eras which could also be made as action figures later on.
• Some existing BotM figures will be reintroduced into Cyberzoic with new colors, including but not limited to: Yutyrannus, Tyrannosaurus rex, Dryptosaurus, Triceratops, Styracosaurus, and Diabloceratops.
• The ‘Dragons’ will follow a natural history aesthetic as compared to the traditional ‘fantasy’ look. These figures will vary in size and will be released less frequently than the dinosaurs.

Although the unarmored Smilodon would still be a must-buy, those of us who grew up with Battle Cat and Panthor from the Masters of the Universe franchise are no doubt chomping at the bit for big cats adorned with armor and weapons.

Here are a few more pictures of the prototype that will give you an idea of the figure’s scale. Also, before you go (and begin adjusting your toy budget for October 3), make sure to read our interview with David Silva where he first revealed the Cyberzoic toyline.