If there’s one thing that young prehistory fans enjoy, it’s randomly pitting their toys against one another in savage battles, geography and time be blowed. And if there’s another thing that young children in general are entertained by, it’s seeing things change colour by immersing them in water. That’s precisely why Mattel’s two biggest properties, Barbie and Hot Wheels, have...
Last summer PNSO released a wave of Triassic, Chinese marine reptiles that included the already reviewed Guanlingsaurus and Guizhouichthyosaurus. Now it’s finally time to look at the last one, the Dinocephalosaurus. Dinocephalosaurus was described in 2003, but it generated significant buzz when a new specimen was announced in 2024 that basically doubled the known size of the thing. Dinocephalosaurus was...
If my research is correct, it has been 13 years since Safari Ltd. released a prehistoric animal TOOB. Their last was the Cambrian Life TOOB, released in 2013 and retired from production 4 short years later. And in fact, all of the best Safari prehistoric animal TOOBs were retired in 2017, including the Prehistoric Sharks, Crocodiles, and Sea Life TOOBs....
Released back in 2024 is this interesting little Danger Pack set consisting of Eoraptor and Stegouros for the Mattel Jurassic World Epic Evolution line. Both dinosaurs were from what is now South America, with Eoraptor hailing from the Ischigualasto Formation of Argentina, and Stegouros from the Dorotea Formation of Chile. However they couldn’t have been more far apart, as Eoraptor...
Guanlingsaurus is a genus of late Triassic ichthyosaur from China. It is a member of the Shastasauridae family and for a time it was assigned to the Shastasaurus genus. It is known from the Xiaowa Formation and lived alongside Guizhouichthyosaurus, which was also once assigned to Shastasaurus. PNSO has made models of both genera. I previously reviewed the Guizhouichthyosaurus and...
Ingentia is an early sauropodiform that lived during the late Triassic in what is now Argentina. Described in 2018, the name Ingentia prima means “first huge one” and Ingentia was among the first large sauropodomorphs to appear. Ingentia belongs to the Lessemsauridae clade, which is either one of the most basal sauropod groups, or a sister group to Sauropoda, and...
In the wake of PNSO’s run of ceratopsians it appears as though they’ve moved on to a new succession of prehistoric animal figures, marine reptiles. Not just any marine reptiles though, Triassic marine reptiles known from China. This has dashed the hopes of those wishing for a new Mosasaurus or long-necked plesiosaur and those who focus solely on dinosaurs are...
Review and photographs of Proganochelys quenstedti (Vitor Silva) by stemturtle, edited by Suspsy More than twenty years ago, I saw a wonderful reconstruction of Proganochelys at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Ever since then, I have searched for a realistic model of that species for my collection. Finally, my wish came true. Proganochelys quenstedti was sculpted in cold...
Lophostropheus is a coelophysoid theropod known from the boundary between the late Triassic and early Jurassic. It is known from a single tooth, a handful of vertebrae from the neck, back, and tail, some pelvic material, and an unidentified fragment. Such scant remains practically guaranteed a toy of Lophostropheus from Mattel, and here we are. Although Mattel makes some bizarre...
Although I’ve reviewed a number of these Yowie figures there’s one above all others that I’ve been wanting to obtain, the Atopodentatus, and I guess the 12th times the charm! Although listed as “common” on the Yowie rarity chart it had frustratingly eluded me for two months. Upon opening it I squealed with the kind of excitement that only blind...
Recently, Mattel has started dabbling with small-figure two packs, first with an Eoraptor vs. Stegouros pairing and then with the set we’re looking at today, Guanlong vs. Lystrosaurus. I think these two packs are a fantastic idea and hope that Mattel will produce more of them in the future. With both these sets you’re getting smaller scale toys of some...
Rauisuchus is a genus of pseudosuchian that lived in the late Triassic of what is now Brazil. It is also the latest pseudosuchian and Triassic taxa offered from Mattel, who has miraculously produced more of these animals than any other toy company I can think of. Moreso than their mega theropods, gigantic sauropods, or even many of the offerings in...
