Quetzalcoatlus (The Dinosaurs Gallery, Vol. 2, by Bandai)

The Bandai Quetzalcoatlus is one of eight small toys released in the second instalment (volume 2) of The Dinosaurs Gallery series in 2006. The earlier Volume 1 consisted of five toys, and Bandai have also produced several other series of prehistoric animal models. Yet, somehow we’ve never reviewed a Bandai figure on the Dinosaur Toy Blog before. So, it is time to make amends.

These miniature Bandai figures are ‘Gashapon’ toys, which means they were dispensed in capsules from vending machines (in Japan, mostly). However, I bought mine on Ebay as a complete set of eight, sans-capsules. I considered reviewing the whole set, but decided to focus on just one for now, the Quetzalcoatlus.

The Dinosaurs Gallery toys consists of several pieces of relatively soft plastic, which have to be put together like a puzzle. Once built, the seams on the Quetzalcoatlus are not obvious. The only distracting joints are midway along the wings, where a row of circular pegs are clearly visible. Considering the small volume taken up by the loose pieces, the constructed Quetzalcoatlus model is surprisingly and satisfyingly large, with a broad wingspan (about 25 cm) and a tall base.

The pterosaur is posed in a dynamic flying position, with the wings raised at about 45 degrees to the horizontal, as if they are at the peak of a flapping motion. So, when seen from the front, the wings form a deep ‘V’ shape. This position seems unlikely to me, but I don’t know enough about the range of motion in pterosaur arms to say for sure. It certainly makes for an interesting display. The pose, as well as the distinctive turquoise and orange colouration, seem to be inspired by a piece of palaeo-art, but I haven’t been able to identify the artist. Please let me know in the comments if you know.

In general, the sculpt is a little cartoony. It has gangly arms, large fingers and toes like blobby sausages, and the face has a somewhat gormless, almost cheerful appearance. It also lacks certain anatomical details, for example, there is no pteroid bone or indication of ‘fur’ (pycnofibre). We might also critique the body proportions, which are reminiscent of the 1990s view of Quetzalcoatlus, with long narrow wings, and a relatively short neck. But, we can forgive it. In 2006, when this toy was released, Quetzalcoatlus and other large azhdarchid pterosaurs were not as well-known as they are today. For its time, this small toy is relatively accurate.

This is an interesting figure with an unusual pose, as most pterosaur toys tend to have their wings stretched outwards rather than upwards. It is still available for a reasonable price on Ebay here as part of the complete set of eight Vol. 2 figures, but who knows for how long ? So, it could be now or never. I’m not sure how w’ve gone for so long without reviewing a Bandai figure before, but  hopefully this is the first of many.