Parasaurolophus (Chap Mei)

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Ah, Parasaurolophus. By virtue of its distinctive tube-shaped crest, it has become the “default” hadrosaur, the one most frequently depicted in films, television, and toys. This particular piece of plastic we’ll be looking at comes courtesy of Chap Mei.

From the tip of its bill to the curve in its tail, this dinosaur measures 21.5 cm long. Its colour scheme is very similar to that of the electronic Styracosaurus: muddy green with black stripes, white markings on the head, light green eyes, a red-orange crest, and a magenta tongue. As far as Chap Mei toys go, this is one of the more visually attractive ones. Too bad the claws aren’t painted.

The Parasaurolophus is in a modern quadrupedal walking pose with its right front paw raised and its mouth open. Looks like it’s just been startled by something. The entire body is covered in a variety of skin wrinkles, from thick ones on the neck, flanks, and belly to very fine ones running down the crest and vertebrae. The hands and feet feature rows of thick scales and the bill and claws have grooves. Pushing the well-concealed button on the Parasaurolophus‘ back causes its head to lower slightly. A simple, but fun gimmick. The arms and legs are articulated, but the latter have a very limited range of motion.

In terms of accuracy, this Parasaurolophus actually ranks very highly for a Chap Mei. The head is quite unmistakeable and the bill is toothless. The limbs don’t have insanely exaggerated proportions (although the hind limbs do look slightly too long) and the hands and feet have the correct number of digits and blunt claws. But then there’s the tail. Yes, like so many of its brethren, this poor Parasaurolophus is cursed with a ridiculously stumpy tail. I can’t imagine such an animal would be able to rear up on its hind legs.

Aside from the tail though, the Chap Mei Parasaurolophus is a pretty decent animal overall (and we all know there aren’t nearly enough ornithopod figures). It goes especially well with Jurassic Park toys.