Ankylosaurus (Jurassic Park: Hammond Collection by Mattel)

Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy

Since 2018, when Mattel got the Jurassic World license, I’ve been wanting and waiting to see if they would make a Jurassic Park III Ankylosaurus, which has always been my favorite take on this animal in the franchise. This is due in part to them being a frequent staple in my parks back when I would play Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis years ago, and also due to the rather vivid coloration it sported, much like some of the other animals in that film. JP3 was also the first movie in the franchise that I got to see in theaters when I was 10 years old, so I have a certain nostalgia and appreciation for the featured animals that might be lost on older generations that didn’t enjoy the film. It was the first time Ankylosaurus had featured in any of the films at that point, long before they became a staple in the later Jurassic World films and Camp Cretaceous series (particularly with the character Bumpy). The Ankylosaurus itself only had a brief amount of screen time, though, with two scenes overall (though better than that poor poo-smelling Ceratosaurus). Revealed in late 2022 as part of the Hammond Collection line of highly articulated figures, with an eventual release in spring 2023, I was ecstatic to add this one to my collection finally. I didn’t get to order it until May due to being caught up between the earlier distribution issues and an abrupt shift in my living situation.

Now let’s finally review this wonderful Ankylosaurus figure. For starters, the figure is packaged like most of the other Hammond Collection figures, featuring a clear window for it on the front. On the side is the film logo and another picture of the figure, and on the back is a short description. Unlike some of the other film canon species in the Hammond Collection line, this one lacks an image of the Ankylosaurus from the film. Another thing different about this box from some of the older releases is that the logo denoting it was released during the Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary, and represents a particular species from the original trilogy. For instance, the Concavenator, its wave mate, lacks that logo on its packaging. The box measures about 10 inches/25.4 cm long, 7 inches/17.78 cm tall, and 3 inches/7.62 cm wide, making it the same size as any medium Hammond Collection box.

The figure comes within a plastic tray and tied down with plastic twist ties that will need to be cut to free it. The tail is the only thing that needs to be assembled, and it is a one time assembly. Honestly, I’m not a fan of that, as it removes the ability to display it back in the package (which any of the Hammond Collection figures looks rather good in as well), or store away if needs be. I’d rather it be like the Beasts of the Mesozoic figures, where the tails can be removed (with some force) so that they can be displayed in either manner or stored away.

When stretched out, the figure measures about 11 inches/27.94 cm long by 4 inches/10.16 cm tall from foot to hip, and about 4 inches/10.16 cm at the widest part of the torso, including the spikes. The JP3 Ankylosaurus had a size of 28 feet/8.53 meters in length and 9 feet/2.74 in height, which puts the figure to about 1:30 scale, more or less. Although it is worth noting that the sculpt is based on the JW Ankylosaurus design, so that could throw things off.

The sculpt is for the most part based on Mattel’s older mainline Ankylosaurus, which as mentioned earlier, means it is based on the Jurassic World version. The JP3 version had a different armor arrangement that is mostly apparent with the placement of spikes on the side of the body and around the hip region, although the osteoderms were also arranged differently. It’s a subtle difference in the end, but one worth pointing out, I think. Here’s a pic of the ILM design to show what I mean. I think the most apparent difference is that the plates on the JP3 design are larger over the hips, whereas on the JW design, they are larger at the midsection. I’m not entirely sure what number of digits the JP3 design had on its feet, and if it differed from the JW one or not (which has four on both the forelimbs and hindlimbs). Both reconstructions are based on outdated reconstructions from the 1960s, if not earlier (such as the statue at the 1964 New York World’s Fair), so this figure certainly doesn’t offer anything for strict adherents to paleo-accuracy. There’s still something I find charming about the retro design used, though.

This figure does offer a lot of fun with the articulation on the other hand, particularly the tail. There is articulation at the jaw, head (which is on a ball joint), neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, and the tail, which is divided into four segments. The shoulders and hips can be pivoted in and outwards. The tail allows a wide range of movement in all directions, particularly from the second segment down. Less so from the first segment, which attaches to the body (and is the one time assembly). One can easily pose it to give a predator a good whack, or threat display. Recent research on ankylosaurs published in last year’s paper on Zuul by Arbour et al., even suggested they used their tail clubs in intraspecific combat, indicated by pathological evidence on osteoderms in the hip region of the animal, so if one had two of these figures, they could even pose them fighting with their tails in that regard. However minor, I also like the addition of the jaw articulation, and I think the Ankylosaurus looks rather adorable with the mouth open and viewed from the front.

The coloration of the figure is pretty reflective of the JP3 design for the most part, and easily recognizable as such, with a slate-colored back, tan or brown underside, cream-colored osteoderms and spikes, red markings on the face and around the eyes, and a light grey for the tail club. The beak is grey (although it appears to be of a lighter color on the ILM model), and the inside of the mouth and tongue are pink. It also features a really nice brown wash which highlights the details of the armor. What does notably differ is the eyes being solid black, whereas on the ILM model, the irises were light grey (although in some shots, they appear to be solid black, possibly from lighting). The osteoderms on the back are also the same cream color as the spikes, but they really should be the same slate color as the back, which is a consequence of making the osteoderms and spikes out of the same rubbery material. This is also a toy safety thing, and perhaps cost reductive as well. What it lacks altogether is both the purple or pink markings on the underside of the armor and legs and paint apps on the claws. I would have preferred those to be included, but I suppose that’s probably a simple and easy fix with some of my own paint. In the meantime, the figure will feel a bit bare on the underside and legs. The purple or pink markings and claw paint may have also been sacrificed to fit into the budget for the figure due to the addition of the wash and the tail articulation, but who knows?

When this Ankylosaurus is included alongside the 2018 Legacy Collection Spinosaurus, the 2021 Amber Collection Pteranodon, last year’s Hammond Collection Ceratosaurus, and this year’s Hammond Collection female Velociraptor, male Velociraptor, and Corythosaurus, one can have a nearly complete collection of JP3’s creatures, most of which were neglected since Mattel got the license in 2018. The only other notable animals I can think of are the green Parasaurolophus, the green and red Brachiosaurus, and the green male Tyrannosaurus with slightly brighter colors then the one featured in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, but I remain doubtful there will be strong demand for any of those. I have, however, noticed there’s a lot of interest in a Hammond Collection Spinosaurus, myself included, so hopefully we’ll see that in time. I’d also like to see this Ankylosaurus sculpt get repainted and slightly retooled to be used as Camp Cretaceous Bumpy down the line. In any case, this figure is a nice addition to one’s collection, and is available wherever Mattel Jurassic World figures are sold.