Author: Gwangi

My name is Arthur but I go by Gwangi on the blogs and forums, as homage to the old dinosaur and monster movies I love so much. In addition to writing about and collecting toy animals (extinct and extant) I also share my home with a variety of living animals, mostly reptiles but a little bit of everything. I have a lifelong interest in all things nature and natural history and most of my hobbies can be linked to those things in some way. I currently live in Maryland with my wife and daughters. In addition to writing on here I also write magazine articles, typically about local wildlife and aquarium fishes.

All reviews by this author

Review: Wuerhosaurus (Haolonggood)

4.6 (38 votes)

Wuerhosaurus is a genus of stegosaurid that lived during the early Cretaceous in China. Being from the early Cretaceous makes it notable as it means it’s one of the last living stegosaurid genera. While stegosaurids as a group flourished during the late Jurassic, they went completely extinct by the end of the early Cretaceous.

Review: Herrerasaurus (Jurassic World Dino-Trackers, Strike Attack by Mattel)

3.9 (84 votes)

The late Triassic Herrerasaurus is one of the oldest dinosaurs known from the fossil record. So old and primitive is Herrerasaurus that there is still debate about where it fits in the dinosaur family tree. At various times it has been proposed that Herrerasaurus was a basal theropod, a basal sauropodomorph, a basal saurischian, or not a dinosaur at all.

Review: Hadrosaurus (CollectA)

4.8 (65 votes)

Although only known from 35 bones and some teeth from a single specimen, Hadrosaurus is more significant than its fragmentary remains would suggest. Hadrosaurus foulkii was first described by Joseph Leidy in 1858 from remains found in New Jersey’s Woodbury Formation. It is the first dinosaur ever discovered in the United States and the first dinosaur skeleton to ever be mounted for display, anywhere in the world.

Review: Nothosaurus (Jurassic World Dino-Trackers, Danger Pack by Mattel)

3.7 (161 votes)

Nothosaurus is a genus of Triassic marine reptile that belongs to the Sauropterygia clade, along with other weirdos like placodonts and plesiosaurs. Aside from the plesiosaurs all members of the clade would go extinct by the end of the Triassic. Looking at Nothosaurus it is easy to see the relationship between it and plesiosaurs but nothosaurs were a distinct group with their own unique features and did not give rise to plesiosaurs.

Review: Pachyrhinosaurus (Haolonggood)

4.6 (64 votes)

Another Pachyrhinosaurus is not something I needed in my collection. I already have five of them. But Pachyrhinosaurus is a favorite ceratopsian of mine and none of the figures I own quite nail the look of it for me. Safari’s comes close but it’s a bit too svelte for my tastes, and while Battat’s has the bulk that I desire its paintjob holds it back from true greatness.

Review: Tyrannosaurus (Electronic Real Feel, Jurassic Park ’93 Classic by Mattel)

3.4 (119 votes)

Last year, when I wrote my review for the Hammond Collection T. rex I stated that, “I can finally say with some degree of confidence that I will never buy another Mattel T. rex, certainly not from the main line.” Well, I guess I’ll have to eat those words, because here we are.

Review: Track and Explore Vehicle Set (Jurassic Park, ’93 Classic by Mattel)

3.6 (50 votes)

Coming up with something to review for Jurassic Park’s much hyped 30th anniversary was no easy task, simply because we’ve been reviewing Jurassic Park toys on this blog steadily for the last five years, thanks to Mattel. What could we possibly feature on the blog that would live up to the grandeur of toys like the Legacy Brachiosaurus and Hammond Collection T.

Review: Estemmenosuchus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

4.7 (106 votes)

My introduction to Estemmenosuchus came from the 1994 episode of Paleo-World titled “Tail of a Sail”, which was about Dimetrodon and other synapsids, their evolution, and how they relate to mammals. Estemmenosuchus was only featured briefly via images of its skull and a couple pieces of paleoart but that was enough for me to become enamored with this animal and to help broaden my appreciation for prehistoric life beyond the Mesozoic.

Review: Kronosaurus (Jurassic World Dino Trackers, Wild Roar by Mattel)

3.4 (73 votes)

There’s no real debate about it. The Mattel Jurassic World Mosasaurus is still one of the line’s best toys. Pushing 30” in length and covered in rubbery “real feel” material, it has also been released and re-released consistently over the last 5 years. A testament to its quality.

Review: Ouranosaurus (Haolonggood)

4.7 (133 votes)

It has been 27 years since the release of the undisputed best figure of Ouranosaurus ever made, the Battat Ouranosaurus, produced in 1996 for the Boston Museum of Science. And although other Ouranosaurus figures have come along over those 27 years none of them came close to matching the craftsmanship, accuracy, and paintwork of that figure.

Review: Concavenator (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Hammond Collection by Mattel)

3.2 (170 votes)

With the announcement of the Hammond Collection Concavenator late last year it became apparent that Mattel had no intention of limiting their premium collector’s line to creatures with significant screen time in the Jurassic franchise. This revelation left many collectors feeling frustrated, hoping that the Hammond Collection line would at least tackle more important prehistoric animals first.

Review: Dimetrodon (Jurassic World: Dominion Captivz by ToyMonster)

3.5 (45 votes)

Mattel isn’t the only company producing Jurassic World toys and for this review we’re changing things up and introducing Captivz by ToyMonster to the blog. The Jurassic World Captivz are blind bag style toys originally released in Australia that started showing up in the US a couple years ago, with their Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous set.

Review: Dryptosaurus (Jurassic World Dino Trackers, Wild Roar by Mattel)

2.3 (101 votes)

The late Cretaceous tyrannosauroid, Dryptosaurus, is a historically significant genus that due to the fragmentary nature of its preserved material has been largely forgotten and ignored. Dryptosaurus aquilunguis was one of the first theropods ever discovered and the first theropod discovered in the Americas.

Review: Gastonia (Schleich)

3.9 (76 votes)

Before we begin the review, I would like to extend my gratitude towards Happy Hen Toys for sending this figure along as a review sample. Happy Hen Toys is a U.S. distributor of figures by Safari, Papo, CollectA, Schleich, and other similar companies. In the case of CollectA they’re often the only place that sells their products at a reasonable price within the United States.

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