Megachoerus AKA Archaeotherium (Tyco)

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Review and photos by Archinto, edited by Suspsy

Here we will be taking a look at a classic rendition of the prehistoric mammal Archaeotherium, as perceived by the Tyco company in 1990 for their awesome Dino-Riders toy line. This particular figure was released for the Ice Age sub-theme (under the subgenus Megachoerus), which also featured a motorized woolly mammoth as well as an articulated Smilodon and Megatherium. Unlike those three, this particular figure was not reproduced for the later Smithsonian line, sadly. These critters all had special Arctic battle armour and each came with a unique articulated Cro-Magnon or Neanderthal figure. Tyco called their Archaeotherium a “Killer Wart Hog,” most likely for marketing purposes to make it sound more tough. And believe me, this beast looks as tough as its nickname! Let’s take a closer look.

This is a truly lovely figure. It is articulated at all four legs and the lower jaw and tail move as well. By rolling your thumb on the base of the jaw joint, you can make it snap ferociously! The figure sports a pair of the classic acrylic eyes that Tyco is well known for. They truly give a more lifelike effect to the Archaeotherium, and add to the already excellent detail that the figure possesses. The sculptors took their time on this figure, and it shows beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Here you can see the detail that they put into the creature’s face, exhibiting not only skin wrinkles on the lips and snout, but also how the skin blends into the hair seamlessly. The mouth is very detailed, sporting a battery of gnarly teeth and a tongue as well. The bony ridges on the bottom of the jaw, as well as the cheek bones, are very prominent on the figure. They’ve even detailed out the skin wrinkles inside the mouth.

The teeth are painted a soft white that’s not bright and glaring like some tooth jobs done on many older dinosaur figures. The face features a reddish colour that blends into the ears and cheeks, then subtly blends into the brown on the rest of the head, flowing into the mane. From here, the darker colours lighten up and blend into tan and a darker speckled pattern in the animal’s fur. The speckling appears on the shoulders and rump of the animal. The dark brown shades in the mane are also painted on his feet and tail tip. A very even balanced colour scheme that looks fairly believable.

The sculpting of the body hair is very well done. While it leans more to the chunkier side of hair sculpting, it all flows together wonderfully, especially on the legs and back. The leg musculature is slightly visible, and the joints are all correct and presented as they should be. The hair blends wonderfully to the hooves. The mane on the creature has a very interesting shape to it, and looks to flow as if a breeze is moving through it. Another nice feature is the shape of the tail, which when posed upward, looks a lot like how a modern wild pig’s tail goes up when it runs.

As far as accuracy goes, this figure is fairly close, although it does possess some slightly exaggerated features. I would still highly recommend it to any collector who is looking for an exciting Archaeotherium figure for their collection. Even though it has been around since 1990, it still stands as one of the coolest-looking entelodont toys out there. They can be difficult to find, and when they do show up, they aren’t always cheap. Still, there are deals to be had! I find this figure to be incredibly nostalgic, and a joy to handle and play with.