Review and photos by Nathan ‘Takama’ Morris, edited by amargasaurus cazaui and Suspsy
When it comes to ornithopods, the only one that ever seems to get a toy is Parasaurolophus. It is therefore no surprise that the only ornithopod that has graced the Schleich World of History collection is this classic hadrosaur.
The Parasaurolophus is another shrunken version of a Replicasaurus model, and it is an precise copy, albeit a repaint. Since this is a copy of Schleich’s second Replica Parasaurolophus, there is not much to say about this model’s accuracies or issues as most are noted within the original model review. I would like to comment on a few inaccuracies affecting both models, however.
First, the feet are not up to date. Most experts accept that hadrosaur feet were shaped like padded hooves, however the feet on this figure are big and flat. Another thing is the neck, which is far too skinny and should have more substance to it like the Wild Safari Gryposaurus.
Next, it’s time to talk about the colors on this version of the model. Remember, this is repainted from the original version. The colors are bright for the most part and remind me of a banana-split somewhat. The bottom half of the figure is yellow, with some green mixed in, while the top half is a light chocolate brown with the crest being colored in a dark white. Some white lines are visible on the torso, and I assume these were made to give the factory a color guide. The final result is not bad, and adds to the color-scheme.
This is a decent replica of Parasaurolophus, with the feet and neck preventing it from being exceptional. Unfortunately, it was recently retired, which illustrates how much ornithopods are under-appreciated by kids in Schleich’s target audience. Whether or not we will see another ornithopod from Schleich is anyone’s guess. On one hand, they’ve surprised us with some obscure species like Pentaceratops and Kentrosaurus, but on the other hand, Schleich does seem to favor theropods. Look at their new small dinosaur series, and make note of how theropod-rich it is. If you still want this Parasaurolophus model, you can find the World Of History Model more easily than the original Replicasaurus model, as it’s still readily available on Ebay and Amazon at the time of this writing.
Available from Amazon.com here and Amazon.co.uk here.
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As you note, if a company currently makes an ornithopod at all (and if they make several, they will always include it) it will tend to be a Parasaurolophus – instantly recognizable to the general public even if they don’t know its name besides “crested duckbill”. ‘Trachodon’ (Edmontosaurus) used to fill the role of token ornithopod (as did, less frequently, Iguanodon) in pre-Invicta lines.
Funny how default species in toy lines change, reflecting their profile in pop culture; Rhamphorhynchus used to have a higher toy profile than Pteranodon. ‘Brontosaurus’ was once the default sauropod (or rarely, Diplodocus), a role filled by Brachiosaurus since Jurassic Park.
Certainly this as I read in his day, was the so-called “banana Parasaurolophus” due to the similarity of its yellow or lime colors with banana.
There are other ornithopods that get made into toys, Parasaurolophus is just the one that gets made most often.
Since this is a separate review from that of the previous, larger Schleich Parasaurolophus and not everyone who reads this review will read the one for the bigger toy I think it’s worthwhile not to leave things out. Like the bigger version, the hands on this Schleich Parasaurolophus are incorrect, and the notch on its back is believed to be an injury on a Parasaurolophus specimen and not a natural feature of Parasaurolophus.
It just occurred to me it might’ve been planned to link to the review of the previous Schleich Parasaurolophus. I think it might still be a good idea to at least briefly mention relevant things about the toy being reviewed rather than saying these things can be seen in another review.
I’ve edited the review to include a link to the old Parasaurolophus review.
Nice review Takama. Now, this is a example of how well Schleich can make a prehistoric figure. Despite a few inaccuracies, it looks really nice, kids and collectors can both be pleased..