Brachiosaurus (Junior by Schleich)

Review and photographs by ‘Resurrection of the dinosaurs’, edited by Dinotoyblog

For my second review, I will be considering a classic: the Schleich ‘Junior’ Brachiosaurus from back in 2002. It is essentially a smaller and slightly modified version of the even older original 1993 Replica-Saurus sculpt.

The immense Brachiosaurus lived during the Jurassic Period, growing to a height of more than 40 feet and weighing more than 85 tonnes. The warm and wet climate at the time resulted in thick green forests, so it had plenty to eat. Brachiosaurus was an herbivorous reptile and didn’t have to be on the lookout for food. Due to its relatively easy life with little energy to use, it grew so large that it probably could not stand on its hind legs and had to use all four. To reach the treetops the animal had to develop a long neck and a tall body. Brachiosaurus was a dinosaur belonging to the family of huge sauropod dinosaurs. Because of its huge size, Brachiosaurus had few or perhaps no natural predators.

Schleich has made more Brachiosaurus toys than you can shake a stick at, including Replica-Saurus versions one and two, World of History, Conquering the Earth( which was new for 2017), and this Junior one. In Schleich’s early years, their dinosaur models had a dull paint jobs and they were a mixed bag in terms of accuracy. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look.
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This toy measures about 16 cm long (6.3 inches) and weighs 150 g, considerably smaller than most of Schleich’s Brachiosaurus toys. This toy is made from solid PVC plastic, so you will have no worries about it breaking, but be careful with it because the paint job will start to scratch/wear away. The body is beige, with brown stripes on the back and some on the legs and body.

The head suffers from shrink-wrapping and the skull is poorly done. Imagine a Camarasaurus‘ head on a Brachiosaurus‘ body – that’s what the model looks like. The nostrils in the real Brachiosaurus should be a little bit further forward. The teeth are not even sculpted, but are just small white painted lines (as is also common in the old Carnegie Collection models by Safari Ltd). The head has large nasal openings, the fenestrae in the head are underlined with dark brown spray paint. The tiny eyes are red with a black dot.
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The body is in a static pose. I would prefer a more dynamic and active pose, but I understand that it is a quite old model. According to Laticauda in his review of the 1993 Replica-saurus version, it is based on the Berlin Museum’s ‘Brachiosaurus‘ (now called Giraffatitan) skeleton. The same is true for this reduced size Junior version. As accuracy is concerned, the only notable positive aspects is that the front legs are appropriately longer than the hind ones and that the tail is short, which is correct.

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More appealing is the meticulous paintwork, but another more striking paint job might be better. I pretend this figure represents a juvenile Brachiosaurus, as if the crest has not developed yet.

​​Overall, I have mixed feelings for this model. To be honest, I love accurate and up-to-date dinosaur models, but in my opinion, inaccurate and vintage retro dinosaur models also have a place on a collector’s shelf. They are also fun to play with.​

If you want to get your hands on this little fella or if it appeals to you as a retro/vintage and rare dinosaur figure collector, it is commonly available on Ebay. It is sometimes found in a lot with other older Schleich figures/other vintage figures. If you are lucky, you may still be able to spot it at a local store, like I did. I hope you enjoyed my second review. Before you go, check out my Brachiosaurus herd!