Rajasaurus (Jurassic World: Roar Strikers by Mattel)

Rajasaurus, whose name means “princely lizard,” belonged to Majungasaurinae, a subgroup of abelisaurs that ranged from Europe to South Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. Its remains were discovered in the Lameta Formation of Western India, which has been dated to the Maastrichian age (72.1 to 66 million years ago). India back then was a huge island off the western coast of Africa whose environment may have either been semi-arid or tropical humid. Rajasaurus is thought to have been anywhere from 6.6 to 10 metres in length and probably preyed mainly on titanosaurs like Isisaurus and Jainosaurus. It also may have had to compete with its close relatives Indosuchus and Rahiolisaurus.

A Rajasaurus is included in the first wave of Mattel’s electronic Roar Strikers series, which follows in the footsteps of Roar Attack, Sound Strike, and Roarivores. Between Carnotaurus, Majungasaurus, Quilmesaurus, Rugops, Skorpiovenator, and this genus, it’s clear that someone at Mattel has a real fondness for abelisaurs. Not even CollectA or PNSO have made that many (yet)!

The main colour is medium brown with dark blue grey markings on the back of the neck and the shoulders. The lower jaw and throat are flesh-coloured and the mouth is vermilion with white teeth. The yellow eyes are ringed with metallic pink, and in turn surrounded by large splashes of metallic blue grey. Finally, the large single horn atop the cranium is off white. As with most Mattel dinosaurs, the claws have been left unpainted. The colour scheme is not what anyone would call visually striking, but it works alright. Although if you’re willing to wait a bit, a blue and white repaint is slated for release in the third wave of Roar Strikers.

From the tip of its snout to the end of its tail, the Rajasaurus measures 33 cm long and stands around 13 cm tall, making it significantly bigger than the Sound Strike Majungasaurus and the Roarivores Ceratosaurus that both my sons enjoy so much (and my wife finds rather annoying). Its hide is covered in a network of rounded scales that vary in size from small ones on the neck, torso, and tail to larger ones on the legs and very large ones on the tip of the muzzle. The digits are covered by rows of large overlapping scales and a row of tail spines runs down the neck. The top of the skull features a pair of jagged ridges that increase in size over the orbits. There are also large osteoderms covering the skin on the jugal and surangular regions of the skull and mandible respectively. More large osteoderms run in rows down the sides of the neck and along the back and most of the tail, with the largest ones growing on the hips. An imaginative skin texture to say the least, although no fossil evidence exists for it.

The head on this toy looks pretty good. In addition to the single short horn atop the cranium, it correctly features a slightly longer and more rounded snout than either Carnotaurus or Majungasaurus. It is, however, far too massive in proportion to the body. Similarly, the arms appear to be too long and end in three digits. Although no Rajasaurus arm bones have yet been discovered, as one of the last known majungasaurines, it most likely had stumpy little appendages ending in four digits. Incorrect arms have been a common issue with Mattel’s abelisaurs, unfortunately. As well, the legs and feet are oversized to boot and the innermost toes are humongous and unnaturally curved. And finally, the tail is oddly flattened at the base and too short.

The slide-out panel with the DNA scan code on one side and the JW logo on the other is located on top of the Rajasaurus‘ hips. Now, I don’t know if this new gimmick was devised because the scan codes on the soles of the feet had a tendency to get worn off over time or if the Mattel design team simply wanted to do something new, but I’m not enamoured with it. It feels pretty secure and sturdy, but I suspect some children will end up breaking these panels during rough play, or just through too much curiosity.

Like many Mattel theropods in this size category, the Rajasaurus has universal joints at the shoulders and basic rotating joints at the hips. Pushing down on the toy’s back causes the head to lower and the mouth to clamp shut, and activates one of three distinct throaty roars. Have to say, I much prefer pushing down on a button or twisting the tail around in order to activate these features. I also prefer ball-jointed hips. And both of my sons prefer to simply hold this toy in one hand and push down on the neck with the other rather than place the toy on the floor and push down on the back.

As I already noted before, this is only the second Rajasaurus toy in existence, so that alone makes it a special item. Dinosaurs from India definitely don’t get very much attention, period, so I reckon this toy will sell particularly well in that country. Mattel deserves to be commended for the wonderful diversity of genera in the JW line, no two ways about it! That being said, I really do feel like the Roar Strikers are a step down from all the previous electronic toys. I don’t like the slide-out panel or how the features are activated, and I also feel that a number of these new Dominion toys look overly monstrous and exaggerated. Then again, both my boys were very pleased with this new addition to their collection, so I reckon other children will be too. And that’s absolutely what matters the most.