Takara Tomy is a millennial industry giant of toy production, whose products have probably found their way into everyone’s homes at least once. Naturally, my introduction to the brand came through their ANIA “Animal Adventure” line of palm-sized action figures featuring extant and extinct animal life.
Age: Cretaceous
Review: Lokiceratops (Frederik) (Prehistoric Animal Models by PNSO)
5 (6 votes)
The year 2024 saw a steep decline in the number of models produced by PNSO, 7 models compared to 15 in 2023. Now we’re a month into 2025 with radio silence from PNSO, which has led some to worry about the company’s future.
Review: Diabloceratops (Beasts of the Mesozoic by Creative Beast Studios)
5 (7 votes)
Diabloceratops is a dinosaur in a curious position. Despite relatively little fame or pop culture presence, the “devil-horned face” has been a popular choice of genus for toy companies; Safari ltd., Collecta, Schleich, Mattel, and recently Haolonggood, among still others, have all taken a crack at the animal, with surprisingly good results in general.
Review: Tyrannosaurus (Monster In My Pocket by Matchbox, Series 6)
2 (3 votes)
Monster In My Pocket was a toy franchise that released waves of, you guessed it, pocket sized plastic-monsters throughout the 90s. Several of the series included dinosaurs or near-dinosaurs, and some of the later series consisted almost solely of dinosaurs. The figures all seem to have come in at least three colour-variants, and included cards.
Review: Maip (Deluxe by CollectA)
4.4 (5 votes)
“Maip” may sound like an odd name for a dinosaur at first, but it is in fact a reference to a malevolent entity in Tehuelche mythology that is described as “the shadow of death that kills with cold wind.” That therefore strikes me as rather appropriate for a large and powerful meat-eating theropod.
Review: Chasmosaurus (Tyco)
4.8 (6 votes)
So, friends, here I am again. It took a little longer, that’s for sure. I was busy writing and marketing my first book about my own and other people´s fascination for prehistory (The Dinosaur Toy Blog and Forum play a big role in it!) and had the usual private and professional struggles.
Review: Quetzalcoatlus (Jurassic World Dino-Trackers, Captivz Build & Battle Dinos by ToyMonster)
4.3 (6 votes)
Before we begin the review, I would like to thank the generous folks over at ToyMonster, for sending me a large selection of Captivz figures to share with the blog.
When Jurassic World: Dominion came out there was a lot of talk about the inaccuracies of its dinosaurs.
Review: Masiakasaurus (Jurassic World Dino Escape Fierce Force by Mattel)
3.2 (5 votes)
My heart jumped in excitement when Mattel announced in 2021 that they were going to make one of my favorite dinosaurs, Masiakasaurus knopfleri! I finally get to talk about it which is an added bonus. This particular reconstruction is based on the 20 or so years old depiction that has dominated all sorts of media this animal was featured in.
Review: Ankylosaurus (Animal World Dinosaurs by Bullyland)
3.3 (4 votes)
Having been described in 1908 and being the eponymous ankylosaurid, Ankylosaurus has long been a staple of dinosaur toys. Originally known from rather fragmentary material, reconstructions of this dinosaur historically evolved from Stegosaurus-like before the tail-club was known, to the version that was made familiar by Rudolph Zallinger’s 1947 Age of Reptiles mural and the 1964 World’s Fair model, with their nodosaur-like spikes, sprawling limbs, and dragging tail-clubs.
Review: Jakapil (Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, Danger Pack by Mattel)
2.8 (4 votes)
Jakapil is a genus of basal thyreophoran discovered in the Candeleros Formation of Argentina and described in 2022, it is also one of the coolest dino-discoveries in recent years, although I might be biased since I have a thing for basal thyreophorans.
Review: Iguanodon (UKRD)
3.2 (5 votes)
This is my first review as an author rather than guest reviewer at this blog, so I’ll start out with a classic figure, the UKRD Iguanodon from 1992. Iguanodon of course has the distinction of being the second named dinosaur genus (after Megalosaurus), and has remained relatively famous for a non-American dinosaur, even being the protagonist of a film, Disney’s Dinosaur.
Review: Saichania (Haolonggood)
5 (7 votes)
There’s no palookas in this bout, folks, only two young fighters thirsting for glory! On the left, weighing in at 4,435 lbs, the Spiked Smasher, Cuff! And on the right, weighing in at 4,501 lbs, the Destroyer of the Dunes, Clout! Who will emerge victorious?