Pachycephalosaurus (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)

Review and photographs by dinoguy2, edited by Suspsy
 

Playskool’s Definitely Dinosaurs line can be broken down into two basic categories: the larger, ride-able toys that came with saddles for their “Cavester” companions, and the smaller toys with minimal accessories. Pachycephalosaurus was part of the smaller assortment, and like the others, it was pretty basic, with only four real points of articulation. The tail could (rather pointlessly) rotate, and the legs could move independently, but the arms were a single piece and moved as a unit. Still, I remember having a great time playing with this, one of the first pachycephalosaur toys I owned, and having it headbutt all my other toys.

The pose and sculpting on this figure reminds me of John Sibbick’s late ‘80s pachycephalosaur paintings, with bumpy skin, striations on the dome, and elbows held at an odd right angle. The paint applications are relatively simple, with ruddy brown over a tan plastic base, and a few dabs of blue paint for the eyes. I think if you got this figure on a flat enough surface, you could pose it in a horizontal aspect as if ready to charge; however, the tail is so heavy compared to the front end of the body that this is very difficult to accomplish, and any hands-free poses have to be tripodal or quadrupedal.

The detail on the head and neck looks nice, with pointy-enough spikes and wrinkly skin. The front paws have delicately sculpted fingers and claws, five in all, and the feet are (incorrectly) three-toed and missing the dewclaws. The Pachycephalosaurus measures 25 cm long and stands 16 cm high when in a tripodal stance.

The Cavester that comes with this toy is an odd looking, rectangle-headed caveman in blue furry shorts who really needs a shave, named Reeve. The cavesters from the second series had a wider variety of sculpts than Series 1, which pretty much repainted the same three or four figures over and over again.

Overall this is a pretty basic dinosaur toy, but like all the Playskool dinosaurs, it’s really the construction that counts. Made of sturdy plastic that still has some give to it, this thing can take a beating without any more damage than a few paint scuffs.