Review and photographs by Takama, edited by Suspsy
Dilophosaurus has been a staple dinosaur ever since it appeared in a certain 20-year old movie that many companies like to pander to. Despite the inaccurate appearance in that movie, most companies base their Dilophosaurus on the real thing to an extent, making sure that their models lack a extendable frill. Sometimes they get the anatomy wrong by putting two crests on a generic theropod head, or omitting important details such as a tooth notch. The company we know as Schleich has created two Dilophosaurus toys in their lifetime.
The first one was made for their Junior line of dinosaurs, which were made to be cheaper models than the larger Replicasaurus models being sold at the time. That Dilophosaurus, however, was one of a couple animals in the junior line that did not have a counterpart in the Replicasaurus line. So when I heard that Schleich was going to make a new one for their World of History line of figures, I was stoked to say the least.
This Dilophosaurus is not one of their best models. It is a lot better than the Junior version, but that is not saying much, as the company has come a long way in terms of detail in these figures. In terms of accuracy, this model is very flawed, The legs are a little too beefy for the species, and the hands are pronated. On top of that, the skull is too short and a lot more robust than that of the real creature, with the lower jaw appearing to be particularly beefy when viewed from the front. Another issue this figure has is that the hands are lacking a couple of digits.
Despite these obvious flaws, there are some points to be given to this figure. The mouth does have the animal’s signature tooth notch, and the body seems very gracile apart from the over-sized legs. In terms of detail, this model is like a Chap Mei figure without the sounds and screw holes. The body is decked with large scales and the back has a row of spikes that go up and in between the crests and around the lower jaw. The colours on this figure are not for everyone. The base color is blue-green and the top color is bright blue. The spikes are red, the claws are grey, the teeth are white, and the tongue is pink.
Overall, this is another figure that will divide tastes. It is not as fine as their Kentrosaurus, but it’s nowhere near as bad as the Replicasaurus Ceratosaurus. To me, it’s as charming as the rest of the World of History figures, and I’ve been waiting for Schleich to release this species for the WoH collection since its inception in 2012. If you like accurate models, then this one is not for you. It was made as a collectible kids’ toy, and there are better models of the genus on the market (like the Papo model). If you do want one, you can get it anywhere that sells Schleich as well as Ebay and (eventually) Amazon.
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Wow. I covet this figure but I haven’t the money. This is better than the Boley Dilophosaurus to be sure but yet the writer of this review slaughtered a great figure. I guess when you have lots of money you can be pickier 🙁
Oh, and P.S. I’m making a felt plush dilophosaurus inspired by this figure. It’s gonna be blue with gray belly and red crests. I may dispense with the spikes though.
I don’t see how Takama “slaughtered” it. Every single criticism he makes is solidly based in science. He also lavishes a good bit of praise on the figure as well. And this is hardly an expensive purchase.
I wonder if this was intended to be a “Dilophosaurus” sinensis (aka Sinosaurus triassicus), rather than the more familiar D. wetherilli. Look at this comparison of the skulls: https://satorsaurus.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/dilophosaurus-sinensis/
The review of Takama is accurate. I said this figure is more than mediocre and the colors are too gaudy and inelegant.
Moreover, the figure is just finished and as noted it is very appropriate for younger children.