Super Skeleton Model Sam is a life-size model of an adult male, standing 67” (170 cm) tall. Sam manages to incorporate several anatomical systems in a single model. With imitation tendons on one side and painted muscle and nerve paths on the other, this skeleton includes over 600 structures of interest. For its comprehensive representation of multiple physical systems at once, Sam has earned the TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award on our list of the best human skeleton models.
Sam’s details are what earned him the position of #1 on our lineup. Sam’s right side is outfitted with imitation tendons, allowing for relatively natural movement of the joints. His left side is painted to indicate muscle origins and insertions, nerve branches and vertebral arteries. Sam has over 600 numbered parts, and is one of only two models on our lineup that includes numbered bones and a corresponding bone guide. Sam’s vertebral column demonstrates a disk prolapse (commonly called a “slipped disk”), one of the most common skeletal ailments of the back.
Sam also comes with a 60” (about 152 cm) metal rolling stand that attaches to the rear of the pelvis, along with a protective dust cover.
In addition to the flexibility offered by the standard metal pins found on most human skeleton models, Sam’s right side is fitted with a series of rubber bands designed to resemble and emulate natural tendon movement. These bands allow Sam’s neck, spine, right shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle to bend and flex more naturally. The spine flexes forward and backward and side to side, allowing Sam to demonstrate various postures (including common posture problems) and styles of movement.
While Sam is our top-rated model, Flexible Skeleton Model Fred is another great choice for demonstrating posture because it holds its bent position.
Sam has removable arms and legs (attaching the limbs is part of the manual final assembly process). Sam also has individual teeth, rather than a one-piece molded jaw with teeth. Sam’s calvarium (skull cap) is removable and the skull comes apart into three pieces for a closer examination of how the skull fits together.
As Sam comes with over 600 numbered features, there is an accompanying guide that lists each item by number. Additionally, because this model is labeled with components of the muscular and nervous systems, it includes a wealth of anatomy information beyond the skeletal system.
These models are not meant to be self-contained educational devices, so they don’t usually come with general bone information like what would be found in a textbook. These models are designed mostly for use by teachers or doctors, as 3D tools for demonstrating physical structures and disorders.
While the models we all remember from 7th grade science class only showed the bones of the human body hanging limply from metal pins, Super Skeleton Model Sam goes further to incorporate information about the major tendons, muscles and nerves. Sam’s flexible spine is useful for demonstrating the movement of the spine and its connection to surrounding bones and other tissues. The imitation tendons fitted in the joints on Sam’s right side mimic natural angles of movement much more accurately than a standard model connected with pins.
