Glyptodon (Invicta)

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For my last review I tackled the Schleich Glyptodon with a pretty obvious hint regarding what I would be reviewing next. Well here we are, reviewing another Glyptodon and transitioning back into my Invicta reviews. There aren’t a lot of models in this classic line left to review. A couple mammals and a Pteranodon and then FINALLY all of these models will have their proper place on this blog. The Glyptodon is such an amazing animal, a testament to mammalian diversity and a great example of convergent evolution. It’s easy to see just how seriously mammals took their new dominion on the earth with a creature unique enough to give even the strangest dinosaurs a run for their money.

Despite dating back to 1975 this classic model still stands up as being remarkably accurate. The shell and tail in particular are spot-on reproductions, nearly identical to the remains of the actual animal and a much closer match than my previously reviewed Schleich model. Thousands of individual plates are sculpted on the shell with larger plates along the border of the shell. Tiny plates of armor can be seen on the head. The tail is think and knobby with bony rings down the length. The toe count on the short stubby legs is correct, with four digits on the forelimbs and five on the hind-limbs. If you have the painted version you’ll notice that only four of the toes on the hind-limbs are painted black but this is a manufacturing error, the fifth toe is definitely sculpted on there. My only real complaint about the model lies with the head. While beautifully sculpted with meticulous detail, the head has a very rodent-like appearance, even to the point of having a little twitchy rodent nose and cute puffy cheeks. It makes this model look much more like an armored hamster than the actual skull would imply. The Schleich model has what looks to me to be a more accurate head sculpt. But really it’s just a minor complaint, the model is so small you might be hard pressed to even notice. This is a rather small model, at only 3” in length which only makes all the detail that much more commendable.

Like the rest of the Invicta line the original version of this model is one solid color, a sandy beige coloration. The colored version has a light brown shell and legs with a darker brown head and tail. Dark brown stripes line the shell. The eyes, mouth and toes are all painted black, minus the two toes they forgot. The color is pleasing to look at but ultimately the paintjob obscures a lot of the finer details. And this model is certainly well detailed. I already addressed the individual scutes on the armor but even the head and body have fine hairs sculpted on them. On the painted version it is nearly impossible to see some of these details, such as the individual scutes on the head. As with all the Invicta models, I much prefer their unpainted version. That said, this is probably one of the better looking paint-jobs.

It really is a shame the Invicta line ended, especially since they weren’t able to churn out a few more mammals first. In a line of toys fully of dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles it’s easy to overlook the two mammals they did produce which some might consider a bit tame, or perhaps boring, when compared with the likes of their more charismatic reptiles. But such is life; prehistoric mammals are too often sidelined in favor of those “terrible lizards”. But even I’m a self-professed dinosaur nut so I digress. The Invicta Glyptodon is luckily one of the easier Invicta models to obtain and well worth it. It’s a small, detailed, fairly accurate and charming reproduction of one of the strangest mammals to ever walk the earth. What’s not to love?

Sometimes available from Ebay.com here.