Geosternbergia (Jurassic Park Hammond Collection 30th Anniversary by Mattel)

I told you I would return to pterosaurs soon enough. I, EmperorDinobot, got this Jurassic Park Hammond Collection Geosternbergia early on, and to be honest, there is not much I can say about it, as it is a re-tool of the Amber Collection Pteranodon, which has been reviewed here. I will just go ahead and get it out of the way: My opinion of the Amber Collection Pteranodon is extremely low, despite its superior articulation in comparison to the pterosaurs I reviewed recently. There is something about Mattel’s use of rubber wrings that just puts me off completely due to their low durability and horrible texture. The rubber used on the Amber Collection Pteranodon’s wings hardens over time, and it rips off the sockets with ease. I just do not like it very much. The HC Geosternbergia figure, based on the formerly named Pteranodon as it appears in The Lost World: Jurassic Park’s Universal character designs, was eagerly anticipated by fans and completists, myself included. But is it an improvement over its JPIII predecessor, or just the same thing but worse? Let’s go back into the birdcage.

I really like the packaging style for the Amber and Hammond collection figures. The all black box just says “style” or “deluxe” for me. These figures are a step up from their regular releases, and in more than one case it shows. I like the drawing of the animal on the left side of the box, and on the back there is a picture of the animal featured, in this case the Geosternbergia. Every box also comes with a brief paragraph about the animal, and here it reads:

Geosternbergia

While the Pteranodon may rule the skies

of Isla Sorna, the Geosternbergia makes

a memorable pre-production appearance

and displays an impressive wingspan with

a longer neck, beak, and head crest.

It is true that the pterosaur formerly known as Pteranodon, Geosternbergia was to appear in the climax of the film, during the dino tracker’s escape. In the scene, the pterosaurs would attack the helicopters, Ian would get a glider, and it would have been a glorious ending to an otherwise strange film. I say strange because a ton of elements are completely different from Michael Chrichton’s book, and a lot of said elements originated in the original Jurassic Park book. Miraculously, some aspects of the scenes involving Pteranodon/Geosternbergia would appear in Jurassic Park III, and Jurassic World, so all was not lost.

As for the figure itself, it measures 14 inches wingtip to wingtip, and 7 inches long. It is a retool of the Amber Collection Pteranodon, but smaller. The rubber wings are shaped differently, and it has a different neck and head, accurately portraying the pre-production and screen accurate Lost World “Pteranodon”. The body is light cream, the wings are cream yellow with brown streaks, as are the crest and beak. The top of the body is blue, and the colors come together beautifully on this figure. I know in the intro I disparaged the figure a little in the introductory paragraph, as it is a retool rather than its own mold, but Mattel has cut a ton of corners when it comes to its pterosaurs, as I explained in earlier posts.

As I mentioned before, I am not a fan of Mattel’s rubber parts, which have been causing a lot of problems for collectors. The rubber tails for the Amber Collection raptors and Dilophosaurus are coming apart, and the wings on the Amber Collection Pteranodon are failing as well. Unfortunately (or fortunately, rather), I was unable to take pictures of my AC Pteranodon because I put it on the ceiling before I got this figure. The rubber wings on Geosternbergia are different though. They have more of a soft plastic feel, and in time I suppose we’ll see if it lasts longer. The figure is highly articulated, with the jaws, neck, wrists, shoulders, legs having joints, and the wings have a wire running through it. I did not want to move the wings to pose it in a walking position in fears of warping the wings, but there was no going back after this. The wings are now warped for the sake of this review. Don’t say I don’t spoil you….

Don’t say it can’t be done, though. Here is the Geosternbergia compared with the smaller and more fragile Singular Point Rodan from S.H. Monsterarts, which features excellent articulation for a pterosaur styled body. If Creative Beasts Studio ever decides to make pterosaur figures, I hope they ditch the rubber wings, and give us wings like Rodan. Some may not like it due to the very visible seams, but I say it looks fine, and it may be more durable on a larger figure as well. My solution to this problem is simple though: Stretchy cloth with an articulated skeleton underneath. Maybe the older Kenner pterosaurs were on to something…

The Amber Pteranodon was hung up really high…

Some of you may be confused as to why this is called Geosternbergia rather than Pteranodon. Pteranodon sternbergi has long been considered a subspecies of Pteranodon along with P. longiceps, and some believe it is different enough due to its upright crest, and because it lived earlier, 88-85 mya, while P. longiceps lived 81-80 mya, therefore warranting its own genus. However, most consider Geosternbergia to be Pteranodon sternbergi to date. Since the debate has yet to be ended, both names would have been correct in the packaging as of the date of manufacture.

I forgot to mention that this figure does not come with a stand, whereas the AC Pteranodon did. I cannot say whether I recommend this figure or not. Mine’s going in the ceiling along with all the other pterosaurs. If you are collecting the Hammond Collection figures as I am, I suggest you buy it when you see it, but it is one of the weaker figures at that particular price point. Oh, and do not bend the wings if you want yours to be in a neutral position forever.