Described in 1985 the genus Carnotaurus is a relatively new addition to the elite list of truly popular dinosaurs. This abelisaurid is certainly unique enough to warrant notoriety but it has only recently really achieved it. Although toys abounded of the Carnotaurus from the 2000 film Dinosaur as well as some earlier Kenner toys for Jurassic Park, we really didn’t get a good toy of the theropod until 2011 with the re-sculpt of the Carnegie collection model. Since then we’ve been treated with fairly decent Carnotaurus models and toys on a fairly regular basis and its role in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom secures its position as a favorite dinosaur for many more years to come. In light of all this it’s kind of hard to remember a time when this Carnotaurus by Jasman was actually one of the best out there.
The Jasman Carnotaurus was released in 1997, the same year that Battat released theirs for the Boston Museum of Science, still one of the best models of the genus. The Carnegie collection had released a Carnotaurus too, in 1996. This toy by Jasman is eerily similar to that early Carnegie version, but actually better if you can believe it!
Measuring 16” long and standing about 7.5” tall this is a large toy that dwarfs its Carnegie counterpart but is almost identical in many other respects. The mouth is only partially open, which is the greatest improvement over the piece that inspired it. Otherwise its similarity mostly works to its benefit. Despite my review of it, the original Carnegie Carnotaurus did actually get some things right.
The only obvious inaccuracy I can see here is that the skull is much too wide on this toy. Carnotaurus had a very narrow skull. In fact, few toys actually get this feature right. The 4 fingered arms are appropriately small, but probably still too large, another thing few toys actually get right. The prominent brow horns and short snout make the identity of the toy unquestionable, that’s part of what makes the genus so popular after all. Unlike the other Jasman toys reviewed thus far the head on this one actually looks like the head of a real animal, not a goofy cartoon character. Small pebbly scales adorn the face and several rows of raised scutes run down the body, similar to what skin impressions of Carnotaurus show.
This toy is something of a paradox. The pose is static, and the bland brown tones are off putting, but this is still technically one of the best toys in the Jasman lineup. It just comes across as rather boring and uninspired, lacking the character and personality that many of the other Jasman toys have, even despite their own shortcomings. It seems Jasman just can’t win.
Back when I joined the Dinosaur Toy Forum this toy was actually something I wanted. I didn’t have a Carnotaurus. Disney toys weren’t sufficient, the Battat and Kenner toys too rare, the Schleich one too ugly. Then for no real reason we were flooded with an embarrassment of Carnotaurus collectibles that leave this one in the dust. Now I have five “flesh bulls” standing on my shelf and with a new one by Safari due out next year I’m sure I can squeeze at least one more on there. There’s no space for the Jasman toy, not anymore. But for a brief moment in time, and until fairly recently, the Jasman Carnotaurus really was one of the best Carnotaurus toys out there. Funny how things work like that.
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I had what must have been a bootleg version of this figure – it was green with a felt covering. There doesn’t happen to be a raptor in this series, does there?
Jasman has multiple sets of toys of different sizes. They have raptors but they’re smaller than the large ones I’ve been reviewing. I don’t think there is a large scale raptor.
It seems there is one Jasman toy that I actually want. It remind me of an old-school tail-dragging painting of the Carnotaurus.
Vannak jó tulajdonságai.Szerintem igencsak pontosnak tűnik és elsőre meg sem mondtam volna hogy ez egy Jasman figura.
A nice figure from Jasman; One of their better figures.The details on it are very good. The 2001 Replica-Saurus Schleich Carnotaurus figure was released after this one but surprisingly, the Jasman Carnotaurus, which was released before it, is better.
It certainly is a strange fellow.