Dilophosaurus (Jurassic World: Amber Collection by Mattel)

Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy

Before the mainline sized 3.75″ Hammond Collection came onto the scene this year and became all the rage, there was the ill-fated Amber Collection, a line of figures intended for 1/12 scale collectors. After its launch in late 2019, it saw poor species diversity (too many Velociraptor figures), poor quality control, poor accuracy to the source material at times, and limited distribution globally (mostly online only), etc. Despite the many issues the figures in that line suffered from, one of the better ones (and highly sought after thanks to a short shelf life and being largely available online only) is none other then the Dilophosaurus, which was released in 2020. I might even consider it the best of the bunch. Let’s see why.

For starters, the Amber Collection figures each come packaged within a nicely designed presentation. The box on the outside is mainly black, with some amber cracks, and the ever famous Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus logo at the top left corner. The inside of the package looks to be designed as if it were a piece of amber, playing on the Amber Collection name. The back of the packaging features a short description of the creature within, along with an image from the film. The images I’ve taken for this review are of a figure that’s already been opened and played with, but thankfully it is mostly able to be placed back inside with little issue (minus the base and the included East Dock sign).

Now for the main focus of the review. The Dilophosaurus itself should need no introduction, as I imagine most will be familiar with the iconic “Spitter” in this franchise, if not the real animal itself by now. The venom spitting, frilled beast from the film is represented pretty faithfully with this figure. Starting with the paintwork, the only thing I can catch that’s incorrect is the shape of the pattern on the back and the legs, which has been simplified when compared to the elaborate design of the original source material, which only purists might catch and be bothered by it. Otherwise, all of the major colours are depicted here. The body is a dark yellow green with a pale yellow or cream on the belly, and with black markings outlined in white for the pattern covering the back of the head and namesake crests and running down to the tail. The hands and feet are covered in a dark red shade, and black paint is used for the claws. There’s also the slightest bit of red around the yellow eyes, which is accurate to the maquette and animatronic used in the film. The iconic frill is depicted pretty faithfully, being primarily yellow on the inside with red markings overlaying white. A few black spots are present as well. Only the backside is left unpainted, and the edges were not painted black either as it was on the maquette and animatronic.

The sculpt is pretty faithfully recreated in its general proportions, for both the body and the shape of the head. However, the texture is much more simplified and is missing some key details such as the round scales overlaying the body and the small scutes on the backside (at least from referencing the original maquette’s detail). A wrinkled texture covers much of the body instead, with some hints of scales here and there. The texture of the belly does seem to resemble the source material, but it is not as sharp and a bit simplified. Moving on now to one of the key features of this figure: the articulation. The Dilophosaurus has joints at the jaw, base of the head, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, feet, and tail. The tail is also a rubbery piece with a bendable wire inside it. While intended to be the juvenile or small individual from the first film, when scaled alongside any of the respective Amber Collection human figures, it does also work rather well in the mainline scale as well, closer in size to the real animal. Worth noting that the figure is roughly about 10.5 inches/26.67 cm long if the neck and tail is straightened out, and 3.5 inches/8.89 cm tall from the feet to the top of the crests, which will fluctuate with another pose.

The figure also comes with several accessories, the first of which being an interchangeable frill piece, colored cream and red, for when the frill is closed. The figure’s head can be removed and either frill, closed or open, can be slid over the head before reattaching it to the body. Another accessory is the characteristic “venom” the Jurassic Park animal uses, which can be inserted into the hole in the throat, although it is in the typical green shade Mattel has used in their mainline figures and not black as seen in the film. One of the more interesting accessories is the East Dock sign, which comes in two separate pieces: the sign and a brown base that cannot be taken apart once assembled. The little direction marker can also be spun around like in the film, which is a nice touch. Lastly is the namesake amber base which most of the earlier Amber Collection figures share (later 2021 releases had clear bases instead), and the clear piece that plugs into the hole on the underside of the figure. I didn’t feel like removing it from the package, so hopefully the package shots of it are sufficient.

Whoever designed this toy went above and beyond in doing their research, at least for the most part, and it shows. It’s easily one of my favourite figures that Mattel has released so far as well, and I was very lucky to have gotten my hands on it for slightly above retail price from an online seller way back in early 2021 before missing my chance on it. For anyone so unfortunate to have missed out on it earlier on, it does show up from time to time on eBay and the like, but be warned: it routinely goes for $100 US or more. Otherwise, keep an eye out for the upcoming Hammond Collection Dilophosaurus, which may be a nice alternative (though smaller and with less detailed paint apps, which is reflective of its much cheaper price point).