Spinosaurus (Original Version by CollectA/Procon)

I was first introduced to CollectA (then labeled as the brand Procon) in 2007, when the summer issue of Prehistoric Times mentioned two new waves of dinosaur figures being released by the company. Most of these early figures, like their take on the iconic sail-backed Spinosaurus, bear their own sort of charm, but generally haven’t aged well in the years since. More than anything, these toys just display how much the company has improved since then. Right from the start, the company’s propensity for covering a wide range of genera was shining through, and that practice paid off to help bring CollectA up among the best dinosaur toy manufacturers out there today.

Of all the Procon figures pictured in the Prehistoric Times, the Spinosaurus caught my eye the most. Standing about 4 inches/11 cm tall and 8 inches/20 cm long, it is pretty average in size, but it had a much more striking color scheme than the other, mostly drab figures Procon was releasing. The Spinosaurus is presented with a bright yellow face and belly, a blue-green wash along the back, and faint crisscrossing stripes of orange-yellow. The sail is prominently red with additional red and yellow spots. It’s kind of garish for an animal the size of Spinosaurus, but it’s actually pretty intricate and certainly eye-catching. We don’t know what colors most dinosaurs were, anyway, and considering modern reptiles and birds often see in color, who’s to say Spino didn’t show off a little?

Less forgivable is the sculpt. CollectA has a good reputation for their models today, but back in the Procon days, their sculpts left something to be desired. This toy is recognizable as Spinosaurus – the sail and long snout are hard to mistake – but otherwise, the anatomy is pretty sloppy here. The skull is, for lack of a better word, lumpy; there’s a vague sense of the real skull, but not much more. The limbs mostly lack any defined musculature. The fingers and toes are blunt and uniform in shape. The overall proportions are also very cartoony, with a shortened tail and exaggerated head. Spinosaurus isn’t exactly the best-known theropod, but even in 2007, this was hardly the most realistic attempt.

Not all details are bad, though. The teeth, while small and uniform, are still sculpted individually. Across the whole body are rounded scales, which despite being oversized, add a little depth and character. Honestly, for all of its issues, I find this figure kind of charming. It’s reminiscent of older times for companies like Safari Ltd., when the figures being released still had a long way to go, but the intent and the effort were starting to shine through. CollectA was well behind by the time they released this particular figure, but in its own way, it’s kind of “retro.”

Procon’s/Collecta’s first attempt at the massive spined reptile has its charm, but in the wake of numerous other quality figures (including three by CollectA themselves), this little figure has been resolutely eclipsed. If one should still like to purchase one, however, DeJankins and Everything Dinosaur should still have some in stock.