Venturing the sea of unlicensed “3rd-party” dinosaur toys can bring interesting results. Sometimes one can find hidden gold; other times one finds something like this Stegosaurus figure, which is certainly among the more unusual takes I’ve seen of the famous roofed reptile (albeit probably not intentionally so).
Age: Jurassic
Review: Megalosaurus (Edward) (Prehistoric Animal Models by PNSO)
4.4 (66 votes)
Megalosaurus isn’t a particularly awe inspiring animal as theropods go. It doesn’t have the strength and size of Tyrannosaurus, the bizarre adaptations of Spinosaurus, the horns of Carnotaurus, or even the rich fossil record of little ol’ Coelophysis.
Review: Metriacanthosaurus (Jurassic Park Hammond Collection by Mattel)
3.8 (54 votes)
The release of genera such as Metriacanthosaurus, Concavenator, and Irritator in the Hammond Collection line was initially met with controversy. Some collectors were excited to see non-canonical dinosaurs join the prestigious Hammond Collection while others were dismayed, hoping the dinosaurs seen in the films would be given priority.
Review: Dearc (Deluxe by CollectA)
4.4 (61 votes)
Discovered in the Lealt Shale Formation on the Isle of Skye in Scotland in 2017, Dearc sgiathanach (pronounced ‘jark ski-a-naw-ka’) was a Middle Jurassic rhamphorhynchine pterosaur, and quite a large one at that. Its precise size is uncertain, but the estimated wingspan is between 1.9 and 3.8 metres, which makes it the largest known aligerous animal of its time as well as one of the largest known rhamphorhynchids.
Review: Dilophosaurus & Dracovenator (Dinosaurs &Co. by De Agostini)
2.8 (24 votes)
Would you like a side of miniatures with your rubber monsters?
Not every dinosaur toy is equal. Not every absence of inaccuracy means inaccuracies are absent. Dilophosaurus is frequently plagued by imaginary features ingrained into pop culture due to a certain Universal/Spielberg blockbuster; but just because a toy of the two-crested reptile eschews the frills doesn’t mean the rest of the design gets a free pass.
Review: Dilophosaurus Ambush (Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary by LEGO)
4 (26 votes)
“Season’s greetings, fellow dinosaur lovers! Yes, it is us once again, Dr. Bella Bricking and my invaluable partner Beth Buildit, here to share some comfort and joy with the reviewing of yet another Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary set!”
“I can barely see with this thing on, Doc!”
“Let’s stick to the script, if you please, Beth.
Review: Xuanhanosaurus (Jurassic World Dino Trackers Danger Pack by Mattel)
3.8 (43 votes)
I, Emperor Dinobot, recently posited a question around, and it was the following: Could Mattel be designing dinosaur figures and naming them afterwards? We already have an example: Roarivores Sinoceratops is actually a Pachyrhinosaurus, but it got a name change due to the fact that Universal wanted to market Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom to the massive Chinese audience, and Pachyrhinosaurus was substituted by Sinoceratops, a dinosaur which represented China.
Review: Dacentrurus (Haolonggood)
4.7 (52 votes)
Happy Hen Toys has generously provided me with my first ever Haolonggood review subject: Dacentrurus. The very first stegosaur to be formally described and named in 1875 (the original name was Omosaurus until someone realized in 1902 that it was already taken), Dacentrurus is estimated to have been up to nine metres in length and five metric tons in weight, making it presently the second largest known member of its family after Stegosaurus.
Review: Piatnitzkysaurus (Jurassic World Dino Trackers Danger Pack)
3.3 (33 votes)
We owe a lot of our pop dinosaur knowledge to books such as “The Humongous Book of Dinosaurs” by David Norman (et al.), written in the very late 1980’s and early 90’s, published by various publishers in many formats, like collectible magazines, all which often included a comprehensive list of dinosaurs from a-z, and from all over the world.
Review: Proceratosaurus (Beasts of the Mesozoic Tyrannosaur series by Creative Beast Studios)
4.3 (49 votes)
Proceratosaurus. “Before Ceratosaurus“. I remember when I first laid eyes on the exquisitely preserved jaws of this animal, found in England from the rocks of the mid Jurassic. The picture was in most dinosaur books throughout the 80’s and 90’s, accompanied by a somewhat vague description usually saying that it looked like Ceratosaurus and Ornitholestes due to the nasal horns (in the case of Ornitholestes, the nasal horn never existed, as the fossil skull was somewhat warped).
Review: Compsognathus (Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary, Captivz by ToyMonster)
3.8 (22 votes)
Compsognathus longipes was a small late Jurassic theropod discovered in Europe and the first theropod known from mostly complete remains. For a time, it was also the smallest dinosaur ever discovered. Compsognathus doesn’t really need an introduction, however, we all know it from the Jurassic Park franchise.
Review: Dino Trackers Minis (Jurassic World by Mattel)
3.8 (28 votes)
Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy
Being a heavy collector of the Mattel Jurassic World line, it’s not often I give attention to their fantastic line of minis despite having collected a good portion of them ever since the line’s launch in 2018.