At this point in my life, my reviews are all going to be somewhat personal. As collectors, we tend to form serious attachments to our toys or figures, as they often serve as memory capsules. They remind us of things such as a fun event that led to their discovery, a trip where a collector bought a figure at a gift shop, a gift given to a collector for their birthday, or by a special someone that may or may not be with them anymore, etc.
Review: Placerias (Deluxe Prehistoric Collection by CollectA)
4.8 (40 votes)
Before we begin the review, I would like to extend my gratitude towards Happy Hen Toys for sending this figure along as a review sample. Happy Hen Toys is a U.S. distributor of animal figures and one of the only places in the country where you can get CollectA figures at a reasonable price.
Review: Velociraptor (Blue) (Jurassic World Hammond Collection by Mattel)
3.6 (28 votes)
When I reviewed the original Hammond Collection Velociraptor, I was pretty forgiving of it, but truth be told, it has not aged well in my eyes. While I don’t regret purchasing it, I ultimately disliked it enough not to bother with the subsequent Hammond Collection JP3 raptors that featured all the faults of their predecessor.
Review: Dryptosaurus (Beasts of the Mesozoic by Creative Beast Studio)
4.8 (32 votes)
Leapin’ lizards – that ain’t no ordinary lizard!!
If you had to choose just one of Charles R. Knight’s influential and iconic paleoart pieces as his very greatest work, which one would you pick? Out of all Knight’s incredible paintings, the one I personally find most captivating is the 1897 “Leaping Laelaps“, a vivid illustration of two large theropods pouncing upon each other in what could be either play-fighting or serious combat.
Review: Triceratops (Jurassic World Dino-Trackers, Habitat Defender by Mattel)
4.5 (41 votes)
Ever since Mattel started making Jurassic World toys collectors have been vocal about wanting a large-scale Triceratops. Of course they would, Triceratops was the largest ceratopsian to ever exist and yet, Mattel’s various Triceratops toys were all woefully undersized.
Review: Velociraptor (Jurassic World Epic Evolution, Danger Pack by Mattel)
3.5 (17 votes)
Thanks to my handy clicker-counter and the DinoToyCollector website I was able to tally up 114 Velociraptor toys by Mattel. This includes various repaints, repacks, and toys outside the mainline but not the minis (I forgot them). It’s a rough estimate but it still gives you an idea of how many raptors Mattel has put out there.
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Review: Mamenchisaurus (Jurassic World, Legacy Collection by Mattel)
3.9 (34 votes)
Mattel’s previous large sauropods made sense. Brachiosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Dreadnoughtus all had significant screen time in the Jurassic franchise. And even though Mattel dutifully, and shockingly, made toys of them all, fans wanted more. Yes, among the Jurassic fanbase there was a subset of collectors yearning for the Mamenchisaurus, which featured briefly enough in The Lost World to allow a motorcyclist to drive between its legs.
Review: Carnotaurus (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Hammond Collection by Mattel)
4.2 (69 votes)
Mattel loves Carnotaurus. Our friends at DinoToyCollector.com have catalogued 22 Carnotaurus figures for Mattel’s Jurassic World line, but that number includes the minis, Snap Squad, and similar toys too, and their various repaints and repackages. Either way, the company has still produced an impressive array of Carnotaurus toys.
Review: Nothosaurus (Jurassic World Dino-Trackers, Danger Pack by Mattel)
3.7 (164 votes)
Nothosaurus is a genus of Triassic marine reptile that belongs to the Sauropterygia clade, along with other weirdos like placodonts and plesiosaurs. Aside from the plesiosaurs all members of the clade would go extinct by the end of the Triassic. Looking at Nothosaurus it is easy to see the relationship between it and plesiosaurs but nothosaurs were a distinct group with their own unique features and did not give rise to plesiosaurs.
Review: Track and Explore Vehicle Set (Jurassic Park, ’93 Classic by Mattel)
3.6 (51 votes)
Coming up with something to review for Jurassic Park’s much hyped 30th anniversary was no easy task, simply because we’ve been reviewing Jurassic Park toys on this blog steadily for the last five years, thanks to Mattel. What could we possibly feature on the blog that would live up to the grandeur of toys like the Legacy Brachiosaurus and Hammond Collection T.
Review: Concavenator (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Hammond Collection by Mattel)
3.2 (174 votes)
With the announcement of the Hammond Collection Concavenator late last year it became apparent that Mattel had no intention of limiting their premium collector’s line to creatures with significant screen time in the Jurassic franchise. This revelation left many collectors feeling frustrated, hoping that the Hammond Collection line would at least tackle more important prehistoric animals first.
Review: Tyrannosaurus rex (1/18 Scale Kickstarter Exclusive)(Beasts of the Mesozoic by Creative Beast Studio)
4.8 (236 votes)
Marbhtach’s crimson eyes are fixed on Banrigh’s as he carefully lays the freshly caught pachycephalosaur still oozing life on the ground before her. Whereupon he slowly backs away, nodding his head and cooing softly with each step while Banrigh sniffs and scrutinizes his offering. And it must indeed be to her liking, for she enthusiastically yanks off one of the hind legs, flirks it into the air, catches it deftly in her mouth, and swallows it whole.
Review: Triceratops (Jurassic Park, Hammond Collection by Mattel)
3.9 (26 votes)
“This one was always my favorite when I was a kid. And now I’ve seen one, it’s the most beautiful thing I ever saw.”
Those words from Alan Grant resonated with me upon my first viewing of Jurassic Park, because like Alan Grant, Triceratops was my childhood favorite too.
Review: Skorpiovenator (Jurassic World: Dominion, Roar Strikers by Mattel)
3.4 (13 votes)
Skorpiovenator is a genus of late Cretaceous abelisaurid known from the Huincul Formation in Argentina. It was described in 2008 and the genus name means “scorpion hunter” due to the abundance of scorpions dwelling around its dig site. The species name, bustingorryi, was given in honor of Manuel Bustingorry, whose farm the dig site was located on.