Allosaurus (PNSO)

Review and photos by Zim, edited by Suspsy

Allosaurus (meaning “different lizard”) is probably the most well known large predator of the Late Jurassic period some 155-145 million years ago, similar to how Tyrannosaurus was in the Late Cretaceous period. It reaches sizes of 8 to 9.6 metres long, but could possibly reach up to 13 metres (more on that later). The animal’s most prominent feature were the crest-like horns in front of the eyes that were likely used for mating display or recognizing other members of the same species. There are three currently recognized species: A. fragilis and A. jimmadseni of North America and A.europaeus from Portugal. An unconfirmed fourth species, A. maximus, might either be Saurophaganax or another large allosaur type, but until more evidence is found, the debate rages on. Most of what we know about Allosaurus comes from the Morrison Formation in Wyoming, where its remains have been found alongside those of Ceratosaurus, Torvosaurus, Stegosaurus, Gargoyleosaurus, Camptosaurus, Dryosaurus, Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Camarasaurus, and Diplodocus among others. Life wasn’t easy for Allosaurus despite being a large predator, as many of its prey items were larger and capable of causing serious injuries or death. One Allosaurus specimen was found with holes in its pubis made by the spikes on a Stegosaurus‘ thagomizer. Torvosaurus tanneri rivalled both the North American Allosaurus species in size and competed for food, while in Portugal, T. gurneyi dwarfed A. europaeus.

Allosaurus is a popular species that has often appeared in toy form, movies, and documentaries. The most notable media appearances are from The Valley of Gwangi, Walking With Dinosaurs, the WWD spinoff The Ballad of Big Al, Planet Dinosaur, Dinosaur Revolution, and most recently, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Battle at Big Rock, and Jurassic World: Dominion. 

Paul the Allosaurus figure from PNSO measures 29.1 cm when stretched out. The skull resembles that of A. jimmadseni which puts it at 1:27 to 1:31 for said species. However, the ventral margin of the jugal, maxillary, and premaxilla resembles A.fragilis more and even PNSO confirmed that it’s this species. But to me, this seems like a chimera of both species and thus putting the scale at 1:27 to ~1:45 if you consider Saurophaganax a species of Allosaurus. The figure is sculpted in an active walking pose with the head turned to the right, the right leg stretched forward, the left leg balancing on its toes, and the tail curled to the left.

As mentioned above, the skull is mostly A. jimmadseni, but with parts of A. fragilis too. There’s a tiny bit of shrink wrapping on the antorbital fenestrae, orbits, and inferior temporal fenestrae. The skull is quite flat when viewed from the front, which is accurate to what we know about Allosaurus skulls. The eyes are painted a nice baby blue color, which is a nice touch in my book. The face is a darker brown with sprays of golden brown on the antorbital fenestrae. The iconic crests are an orange color which goes against the tradition of giving Allosaurus red crests. Like the other PNSO theropods, this Allosaurus is lipless and features an articulated lower jaw. The teeth are individually sculpted and are the correct size, and due to the figure’s small size, there’s some sloppy paint work especially on the lower jaw. The inside of the mouth is painted in a shade of pink with red accents and glossed out to give it a wet look. There are sculpted ears as well, but they are somewhat obscured by the wrinkles on the neck.

Going to the body of the figure, the back is adorned with a row of iguana-like spines running down the back and all the way to the tip of the tail. I would prefer these to be omitted as too many Allosaurus figures feature spines and osteoderms on their backs. Finely sculpted scales alongside larger pebbly scales and fine wrinkles adorn the skin, PNSO clearly having learnt from the over-scaling of their latest installment of Wilson the Tyrannosaurus. The figure is painted in a greenish color for the dorsal part of the main body with an orange brown wash halfway down the tail as well as dark brown stripes from the neck all the way down to the tip of the tail. The underbelly is painted in an off white cream color. The arms are the appropriate length and the hands and legs are washed out in a darker brown to give them a dirty look. The tail is nice and long, but I feel it should be a little beefier. The digits seem to be correct on the hands and feet, including the dew claws, however, the enlarged thumb claws seem to be omitted like on the Safari Ltd. version, which is a minor accuracy flaw to the figure. It is also worth noting that the claws are quite sharp so do be careful especially around children. The feet seem to be in proportion with the rest of the body, which raises the concern of stability. Like all PNSO bipeds, the Allosaurus comes with an acrylic rod to help stand it up for display. Unfortunately, the material used is prone to warping otherwise and I wished PNSO went back to making diorama-style bases like their Yangchuanosaurus, though it will drive costs up.

Between the Safari Ltd. and PNSO versions, I prefer this one due to it being lipless, as I currently support PNSO’s explanation of it being similar to crocodilians and besides, lips vs lipless is a hot debate and until more evidence is found, I’ll be on the lipless side. Despite the flaws, I think this is a solid attempt at an Allosaurus figure and it and the Safari version (which I do not own myself), are my favorite figures of this animal. Do I think it’s the definitive Allosaurus? Probably not, but it’s still high up among the best representations.

This figure is currently in production, but it’s worth noting that since it has been available for a while, the paint job may be slight different to the one reviewed here, which is likely a first run figure. PNSO figures are sold on Amazon and AliExpress as the best options for US shoppers while Taobao is the best option for the Asian market. Though I’d like to see PNSO make a Saurophaganax, I’d also like to see them tackle Megalosaurus or Eustreptospondylus, both of which need better figures in my opinion.