Allosaurus “Raptillion” (Plasma Dinosaurs by Mega Bloks)

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This little oddball of a dinosaur toy might not win any beauty or accuracy contests, but is it a decently entertaining piece in its own right?

Between 2006 and 2008, Mega Bloks released a line of small toys under the “Plasma Universe” title which included dragons and dinosaurs. Being an avid dinosaur nut since I could speak, I was always attentive to new toys on store shelves. While the likes of Wild Safari easily caught my attention most, I wasn’t above ogling any prehistoric plastic to fall within view. Naturally, I was drawn to these little prehistoric monsters, but I only ended up getting a couple before I forgot about them over time. Now that I’ve gone and dug the beasts out, however, let’s give one of them the Dino Toy Blog treatment!

Raptillion, as the toy’s character is named, was released in Series 3 of the line. The figure was originally packaged in standard, simple cardboard and plastic. Mine has long been discarded, but the description on the back would have read as such: “Raptillion (Allosaurus) is a frighteningly efficient, bloodthirsty creature with a sense of smell that is superb for detecting prey and performing stealth ambushes. Also, Raptillion is a bully who enjoys a long and massive reign of terror over other dinosaurs.”

Raptillion came in seven unassembled parts, enclosed within a rubbery “yolk” inside a large, two-piece plastic eggshell. The head and body are a hard plastic, while the limbs and tail are a softer, rubbery material. Instructions showing assembly and illustrating other toys in the line were also included. Raptillion is designed after the iconic genus Allosaurus, the lion of the Jurassic, but if you haven’t guessed from the images already, scientific accuracy was the least of the designers’ concerns. The skull is rather flat and broad, and the torso is ill-defined. The arms are oddly humanoid in shape and musculature, with four-fingered hands and opposable thumbs. The legs are set rather far apart (partly a fault of the assembly/articulation) in a squatting position with enlarged feet. The tail is small and serpentine in nature. It looks great for a custom monster movie, but the only thing really distinguishing it as an Allosaurus is the presence of the genus’s signature eyebrow crests, on full exaggerated display.

This all isn’t to say the toy is without merits, however; indeed, for what was (I think) essentially a $5 toy, there is some quality production here. Raptillion is only 5 inches long, but the level of detail on this figure almost resembles a Papo figure. Large, grooved plates line the back and tail, with smaller, overlapping scales along the flanks, limbs, and back of the head. The facial crests are themselves ridged, and the neck and belly have a leathery skin texture to them. Only the teeth and claws look underwhelming, being round and blunt – presumably for maximum child safety. All of the sculpt detail is displayed in saturated brown and yellow coloration, with highlights to the head and down the shoulders. The eyes are a sharp, evil green, and a heavy black wash pronounces every scaly detail. Raptillion doesn’t look very realistic, but it does look pretty cool.

Raptillion is engineered with seven points of articulation largely based on assembly: the head and limbs are on ball joints, the tail is on a swivel joint, and the jaw is hinged. The range of motion is a far cry from S.H. Figuarts or NECA, but the level of play ability is still good. It’s a bit hard for the figure to hold poses, though.

Collectors focused on scientifically accurate or historical figures need not give this “Allosaurus” a second glance, but for the more wide-ranging collector and the average kid looking for a fun toy, the Plasma Dinosaur Raptillion has enough to offer, especially if you have more of its partners to play with. Due to being long out of production, though, you’ll have to pay (mildly) inflated prices on Amazon or eBay in order to acquire this beastie.