Carnotaurus (Kaiyodo Dinotales Series 5)

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One of the last South American dinosaurs, Carnotaurus was an interesting theropod that lived in what is now Argentina 70 million years ago. Its most distinctive features are the two horns that sit atop its head. In fact, the name Carnotaurus means “flesh-eating bull”. Ever since being featured in Disney’s “Dinosaur”, a movie from 2000, it has had some slight popularity in mainstream culture. Despite this, there are only a few Carnotaurus figures out there, and even fewer good ones. If you don’t wish to spend a small fortune on the offerings by Battat or Sideshow, the Dinotales Series 5 Carnotaurus is one of the best Carnotaurus figures out there and is quite affordable as well.

Accuracy-wise, the sculpt isn’t too special for a Dinotales figures, which are known for their supreme accuracy despite being only a few inches long. The somewhat odd proportions of Carnotaurus are captured excellently in this sculpt, from the relatively long neck to the thin head. However, there is one part of the figure that is inaccurate. The arms, another one of Carnotaurus’ unique features, are too large in relation to the rest of the body. One of the most distinctive of Carnotaurus, besides the horns, are its arms, which were smaller than the famous arms of Tyrannosaurus and were probably not of much use. In fact, the fingers were fused and immobile. However, this can be excused, as Kaiyodo probably didn’t want the figure’s arms to be too delicate and easily breakable. If one disregards this minor issue, the sculpt is pretty much perfect.

Kaiyodo managed to pack a lot of detail into this 4 inch (10 cm) long figure. The body is very nicely wrinkled, with appropriate osteoderms on the back. A skin impression which preserved almost the entire right side of Carnotaurus’ body was found with such bumps, so this choice of detailing is quite accurate. In other areas of the sculpt, the detailing is quite superb as well. The top of the back has scutes, and there are a few scales on the head, which is extremely realistic. The teeth are individually painted, the fenestrae (holes in the skull) are well defined, and even the nostrils have their own depressions in the front of the skull. As a theropod, Carnotaurus was likely a powerful animal, and the great musculature of this figure shows that. The great detail does not spare even the base, which is a portion of a carcass with a scattered bone.

For some reason, Carnotaurus is usually depicted as being colored red. The offering by Kaiyodo is no different. The base of the head is a darkish orange-red, which gets darker on the back and then fades away at the beginning of the tail. Black stripes adorn the back and part of the tail, while brown striations can be found on the rest of the body. On the base, there is dark purplish blood, with hints of white bone showing through. A snow white makes the exposed ribs stand out, and the hide of the carcass is a simple tan and purplish red. Like other Dinotales figures, the paint job on the Carnotaurus is very precise. Even the osteoderms, claws, and teeth are all individually painted. If there is one complaint to be made about the paint job, it is that the claws and toes are a tad too bright. Despite this, the paint job is still a great one. Like other Dinotales figures, the Carnotaurus has an alternate paint variation. The other variation is orange and brown, which does not look as appealing in my opinion.

One of the better Dinotales figures and best Carnotaurus figures, the Dinotales Carnotaurus is a figure worth acquiring for any theropod or dinosaur fan. The accuracy and details are just beautiful, and the figure takes the stereotypical red coloration of Carnotaurus and makes it quite natural. However, actually acquiring it may take a bit of work. The Dinotales Series 5 figures were sold as a bonus to a brand of lemon drink in Japan, and were only available there. Luckily, the Carnotaurus is usually available on eBay for no more than a few dollars. One must be careful though, as there are unscrupulous sellers who will charge sky-high prices for Dinotales figures, sometimes even going above $40 dollars! These sellers usually have good feedback despite their high prices, so one can’t just rely on feedback, and must be careful not to buy a Dinotales figures with a price tag of more than $10 (or $20 for some of the rarer ones). All in all, the Dinotales Carnotaurus is a great representation of the species and a nice figure to have.