Available from Amazon.com here and Amazon.co.uk here.
Big Al had a lot of early success in films starring in the lead role of predatory dinosaur. It first appeared in celluloid for the 1925 film, The Lost World. That Allosaurus was based on the artwork of Charles R. Knight, and had an epic battle with Brontosaurus. Years later, Big Al shows up out in the old west in North American taking on Cowboys. First, in The Beast of Hollow Mountain, and then in the classic, Valley of Gwangi. Sadly its film career has gone quiet, only making the occasional documentary and late night TV appearances. It was left out of the highly successful Jurassic Park books and movies. Despite this, twice before in a limited capacity, it has been made in toy form from the Jurassic Park line of toys. Kenner made one for a play set called Lost World JP Dino Damage Medical Center set that featured a cool Allosaurus. Hasbro made one called Allosaurus Assault in 2013 and it was a nice and articulated, but it was hard to find and barely saw the light of day. This makes it a pleasant surprise that they choose to make an Allosaurus toy for wider release in the Jurassic World toy line.
About the Toy: Allosaurus is part of the Basher and Biter line of dinosaurs for the Jurassic World. It is 8.4 in (21.3cm) long and 3in (7.2cm) high at the hip. This figure is stable on its feet and has the ability to raise its head to 5in (12.7cm) high or down to 2in (5cm). With the head down, the tail will raise to 6in (15.24cm) in the air. This makes the figure quite pose able, for play and display.
The proportions of the skull are pretty good, with a narrow, elongated head and the characteristic small horns extending from the skull above the eyes. In reality the horns would have extended out above and in front of the eyes. You can see the seam lines on the neck, for moving the head side to side and the seam for the lower jaw chomping action. The same can be said for the seam line on the tail as well. These are important for the action abilities of the toy. The neck is short and runs into a skinny torso, and a long tail. Along the left side of its body it is marred with a dino damage slashes, right down to the muscle. On the right side of the body, it has four lovely screw holes, so let’s just say the left side would be its photogenic side.
The feet are really big, but a small price to pay for stability. True to the animal, the feet have three claws, but the dew claw is missing. In the real world, the fore arm is shorter than the upper arm and the inner finger was larger, but it’s a JP toy so I should skip some of the scientific accuracy, but I will mention the typical piano playing pronation of the arms, which a real Allosaurus would have been unable to do.
The colors on this toy really stand out. From the snout all the way to the tail is a line of red. It covers just the top of the animal and is also present of the shoulder and hip. From the bottom of the snout, around the eyes, and all the way to the tip of the tail is a narrow strip of yellow. The lower Jaw, lower flanks and the underside of the beast are white. Now the arms and legs are in a yellow as well, but it is slightly different shade then the yellow stripe. All the claws are painted black. Inside the mouth, the roof and tongue are pink, but in the back of the mouth, it is just base white. The eye is orange, and just around the eyes is black. You can clearly see the paint layer application, as it feels a little sloppy.
The texture on the toy is a little varied. Along the back, starting at the horns is a crocodile pattern skin. This extends down the tail. Right were the red and yellow paint meet the skin texture changes to smaller bumps and skin folds. The muscle bulges are rather small on this figure, except the calves, so not quite a gym rat.
One thing this toy does excel at is in its playing options. When the tail is moved left or right, the neck will also move left or right. Even better, when the tail is pushed downward, the head goes up and the mouth opens, so it can roar or chomp down on its latest meal. It is a simple system, but it works very well. The plastic does feel brittle, so I am not sure how much of a pounding it can take, but for normal everyday play, it seems acceptable. My kids have tested it and found it to be a very fun and easy toy to use.
Overall Appraisal: When I look at the right side of the body and see the four screw holes, I just can’t see how Hasbro looked at the prototypes and put their stamp of approval on it. Of course, while the screw holes bother me, my kids didn’t notice or care. When I look at it, I can’t help but like it, despite some of its flaws. The colors are bright and vibrant (though the application is kind of sloppy); it is stable and can be posed in different ways. The toys features all work and are enjoyable. I would recommend this toy to people who like Jurassic Park toys, kids for playing, and anyone else who likes the look of this Jurassic predator in plastic.
Available from Amazon.com here and Amazon.co.uk here.
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The horns should be slightly in front of the eyes – not over them. Not that that’s its only issue, but it’s probably the most prominent one.
It is a Jurassic Park/World toy, you could pick it apart, but it is not ment to be “Musuem Quality”. They put screw holes on one side, I just think the horns are close enough. 🙂
Looks like Hasbro aped the Papo Allosaurus a little.