Review and photographs by Takama, edited by Suspsy
And now we come to the last of the Bashers and Biters figures released in 2015, and like the last one I reviewed, it’s not even a real dinosaur. Thankfully, this abomination was never featured in the flesh in Jurassic World, but due to the Indominus Rex’s unfortunate popularity, I can’t help but wonder if this thing will makes its big screen debut in the upcoming sequel.
Stegoceratops was a genetically modified beast that shares characteristics of two completely different dinosaurs, Nasutoceratops titusi and Stegosaurus stenops. I can go on and make up all sorts of crazy backstories about this creature because normally, we are expected to give a little history about new animals that have never been featured on the DTB before, but how on earth am I supposed to do that if said animal is nothing but a way to make fake dinosaurs more popular than they need to be? In case you’re wondering, yes, this thing was going to be in Jurassic World, but it was nixed by the director’s son. The reason that a toy was released is simply because it was too late for Hasbro to retract it from production.
The figure is your standard B & B model, with a tail that manipulates the head. Pulling down on the tail will make the head jut out, and pulling the tail to the side will make the head look to that side as well. Unfortunately, this one is the most sensitive of all of the models in the line. Every time I pull down on the tail, it makes an click that does not feel right. Almost as if it’s about to break every time I use it.
In terms of aesthetics, this toy is the most wrinkly of all of the B & B figures. Almost every inch of the torso is covered in wrinkles, with some scales being sculpted in random places. Overall, it would look great if it was one solid figure, but the seams and screw holes ruin it for me. All four limbs are articulated, but they don’t rotate as easily as they should, and may require exercise in order to loosen them up.
Being a cross between a ceratopsian and a stegosaur, you might be wondering about which traits it shares from both animals. Well, the head is definitely not a Triceratops as most people in the general public would assume. The lack of a nose horn and the bull-like brow horns make it look more like the recently discovered Nasutoceratops. The plates on this figure are clearly those of a Stegosaurus, most likely S. stenops given the shape of the plates. Overall, there are two anatomical hiccups that I can see with this model, and one pertains to both the ceratopsian and stegosaur sides of its genome. The first hiccup pertains to the stegosaur side. If you look at the thagomizer, you can see that the spikes are pointed upwards, when on the real animal they should be pointing out to the sides. The second issue with this model is the feet. None of the front feet look like anything you would find on a real stegosaur or ceratopsian, but with this being a genetic hybrid, I guess this is one part that the scientists screwed up in the creation process.
As of 2015, only two versions have been released for this model. The first one was green and the second is tan. I chose the green one for two reasons. First, it was the one I could find the most easily, and second, the frill is painted with some orange. To me, a ceratopsian should always have colour on its frill in order to impress mates. The tan version lacks any colour pattern on the frill. The horns and beak are colored in the same orange colour while the epoccipitals on the frill are painted tan. The plates are green with dark tan at the edges and they are only painted on the outside. The bottom of the figure is painted in the same color as the edge of the plates. The rest of the body is swamp green and the thagomizer and claws are unpainted. One of the things I do like about this model is the wound on the side. Being a fictional hybrid that has little backstory leaves a lot to the imagination with this model. Looking at the wound, it makes me think that the animal has regenerating flesh and what you see on the toy is the flesh starting to regenerate as its stretches across the exposed muscle and bone.
Overall, this one is not worth the $10-$13 you would pay to get it at the stores I have seen it being sold at. If you want a fictional hybrid dinosaur, then hunt down the original Chaos Effect toys, or get a figure of the I. Rex (my recommendation would be the one that comes with the Special Edition Movie Set, if you can afford it). The poorly designed gimmick and the screw holes on the Stegoceratops makes it among the worst of the B & B toys, and maybe even one of the worst toys to ever be released for the Jurassic Park franchise.
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Nice review either way though they help me decide which ones i should be picking up
Every review you post about the JW line you complain, say you hate them and say they are not worth the money but you continue to buy all of them anyway and then cocmmplain on threads saying the models are too expensive
wut
I cannot speak for Takama, but as I have reviewed my fair share of JW toys, and I agree that the line has not been very good. Despite that reason, I have quite of few toys from the JW line up. I have my own reasons as to why I choose to get them, but I purchased all of mine on sale ranging from 10%-65% off. I agree that it is hard to shell out $10-$12 dollars for something that that is of questionable quality. In the end remember everyone has their reasons to why they like or purchase something, the review, is just letting you know what their personal thoughts are of the product. 🙂
Nice review, and this is in no reflection of the review, this is one figure that I cannot bring myself to get. I don’t know if I’d want it, if it was given to me for free. To each their own.