Review and photographs by Laura aka “Paleona”, edited by Plesiosauria.
Hadrosaurs may not be as exciting as toothy theropods, as elaborately ornamented as ceratopsians, or as grand in size as sauropods, but I’ve always had a fondness for the “duck-bills”. There’s a certain charm in their unique shape and distinctive crests; I like to imagine them peacefully grazing in the prehistoric swamps, trumpeting to their family members. Parasaurolophus is the most easily recognized of all hadrosaurs, and is the star of todays review!
This Parasaurolophus from the Wild Safari line is sculpted in a walking pose, head turned slightly to the right as if it is being cautious of its surroundings. There are many finely sculpted wrinkles and hints of scales near the feet and shins. An interesting feature of this particular model, is that it has a theoretical “sail” attached to its crest. The base color is a pumpkin orange, with a grey underside and dark green running along its spine. There are splotches of a lighter green on its sides and stripes on its face and crest. The eyes are lined in black and are maroon in color. The nostrils, mouth and ears are also lined in black, while the nails are a dark grey.
Accuracy wise, it holds up pretty well for being released in 1996. I’m not a paleontologist or expert on dinosaur anatomy, so please excuse me if I miss something glaringly wrong! Judging by the crest shape, I believe this model is meant to be Parasaurolophus walkeri, though the crest seems like it could be a bit longer. The feet all have the correct number of toes, but It’s hard to say if the front feet have their toes fused into a padded hoof or not, which would be correct. The fourth reduced toe on the front feet are also painted with a nail, which it is genenerally considered not to have. The spine should be slightly higher above the hips, but overall everything looks ok to me. Hadrosaur posture has shifted a little recently, with their tails not sticking up quite so much, and even in this figure it’s not waving crazily in the air. In addition to this, I have heard that they were much more well-muscled than previously believed; this model, however, is not skin and bones and shows some decent musculature, even if the neck is still quite swan-like.
At about 6″ (15cm) long and 2.5″ (6cm) tall, it’s a fairly small figure, but with a nice amount of detail. The colors are bright, but not garishly so. It’s also very solid and should withstand play rather well- the tail tip, crest, and feet are all a bit rubbery and can be bent without worrying about the plastic snapping. Being quadrupedal, there’s no worries of your little friend falling over on the shelf, either. The somewhat grumpy look on its face gives this Parasaurolophus some character, as well!
If you’re looking to pick up this lovely little hadrosaur, keep in mind that it was discontinued in 2008. Occasionally it pops up on eBay for reasonable prices. I think it is still a charming dinosaur, not to mention it looks great wandering around in your garden. 🙂
Sometimes available from Ebay.com here
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[…] With its long, tubular crest protruding from the back of its skull, Parasaurolophus is one of the most easily-recognized hadrosaurids. The model to be reviewed today does not have much of one, being a juvenile animal. Safari Ltd’s rendition, while not perfect, is still a nice toy for collectors and children alike. This figure is stamped 1997, coming out a year after the original Wild Safari adult Parasaurolophus. […]
Is this your first review? Don’t think I’ve seen any others by you. If so, excellent job!
Yep, this is my first one. Thank you, I’m glad you liked it! I might just have to find something else to review soon. 🙂