Miragaia (Jurassic World: Ferocious Pack by Mattel)

Review and images by EmperorDinobot, edited by Suspsy

I, Emperor Dinobot, would like to quote, or rather, paraphrase what someone said a few months ago upon seeing pictures of Mattel’s Miragaia: “This is an evil-looking figure!” I am not sure whether they were referring to the paint job or to the lack of accuracy, but I have to disagree. I see nothing but a gentle giant that can be aggressive when threatened.

The open package seems to have become smaller with this line of action dinosaur figures, which is probably a good thing. I do not think I have reviewed a Dominion era package before, and I will say this: Mattel has done an excellent job with their packaging since they began producing these Jurassic era figures. They are ergonomic, leave as little environmental impact as possible, and while the artwork has always been kind of generic, one can always tell that they have walked into the Jurassic bit at the toy aisles. The Dominion era toys are just as eye-catching as the figures that have come before.

At 5.5 inches long and 2.5 inches tall, this lump of plastic leaves a lot to be desired. It would have been a better figure had it been in a different size class, perhaps a Roar Striker figure. The shoulder spikes should not be there, the head should not be so large, the neck should be longer, and the plates ought to be smaller. It is very well sculpted, however, with small, scaly details all throughout the body. It reminds me of a Graham Rosenwarne drawing from the 90s’ in a way. The rear part of the figure, including the tail, is cast in a dark forest green. The claws are unpainted as usual. The shoulder spikes are a light cream color, and the front end of the figure comes in an even darker, almost black color. There’s a white stripe on each side of the head and around the eyes, which are yellow. The teeth are white and the inside of the mouth and tongue are pink.

Articulation is standard with these figures: ball-jointed base of the neck, giving it an excellent range, hinged lower jaw, shoulders, and hips, and finally the tail, which whips around when pulled to either side.

It is difficult to hate these figures. Mattel has given us a huge variety of different species in many different sizes, which has definitely made our Jurassic Parks or Worlds grow bigger for sure. They have fun features, they are articulated, and they are nicely sculpted, but was Miragaia really a good choice for the Ferocious Pack size class? I cannot say something along the lines of, “Oh, they should not have made one since we do not even know what the rear half of the animal looked like,” not when we have figures of animals that are known by almost nothing. I can say this though: The more, the merrier! 

Here it is with the much beloved Carnegie Collection Miragaia. I wish that as of this writing I had the PNSO version, but I will ask the review to have that picture added once it is in my possession. 

The figure is definitely not in 1:18 scale. It should be a wee bit bigger than Beast Boy here, who is 3.75 inches tall. Miragaia has also been the recipient of many jokes because the paint makes it look like it is being slowly infected by a certain comic book symbiote. I collect DC figures, so this is not a picture I can provide. 

Chialingosaurus, Miragaia, Kentrosaurus, which stegosaur will be made next? Whichever it is, I hope it is done in a bigger size!

Do not forget to scan your figure! I was not able to take a picture of the DNA tab because it just would not stay up on mine. It is located on the right side, and it has spikes molded on it, so it was easy to pull upwards, unlike with the rest of the animals in this line.

The Miragaia can be found at most retailers as of this writing for $8.99-$12.99 US depending where you reside. I recommend it to those anyone who enjoys Jurassic World action figures.