Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy
In 2001, “cinematic genius” Joe Johnston introduced Ankylosaurus to the Jurassic Park film franchise in one of the worst scene transitions in the series (remember, this is the same franchise that thought going from a screaming mother to a yawning Jeff Goldblum was a good idea). Thus began the reign of the Ankylosaurus as one of the most underrated herbivores in the series.
Released in the second wave of Roarivores figures, alongside the already reviewed, “shows up for 3 seconds and smells poop” Ceratosaurus (thanks, Joe!). Like all other Roarivores, she has a button on her back that, when pressed, plays one of three different noises and swings the tail to the left; which is odd, as the curve of the tail would make you think it should swing to the right.
The figure features a nice array of articulation. Like all other Roarivores, the legs have universal joints, allowing for swiveling and outward motion, although the front legs are a bit more limited. Speaking of the front legs, I’ve had 2 of these figures and each one has had the same scuffs on the “armpits.” This was a problem of the first figure, as it led to stress marks on plastic around the shoulder. Since the Ankylosaurus’ gimmick is in her tail, she gets an additional point of articulation on her head: a nice ball joint that adds some personality.
The design, like most Ankylosaurus figures, is based more on Euoplocephalus, as the back is covered in spike-like osteoderms as opposed to the flatter, more rectangular ones that Ankylosaurus actually possessed. Large, soft-plastic spikes also protrude from her sides. Now, I’m not an expert on ankylosaurs, so I’m not sure if the back armor should have this “banded” look, or if the tail club has the right shape, although it does look a little weird. Unlike some other Euoplocephalus-inspired Ankylosaurus toys, this one lacks the tall vertical osteoderms on the first few armored bands. Even though the design is similar to Euoplocephalus, it does lack something that I think all ankylosaurs share: the correct number of toes. The front feet have four toes each, which, while accurate to the film, is one less than the actual animal had. The back feet are the worst in this case; the film design, as well as its fossil counterpart, actually has four toes on each foot, while this figure only has three.
Of course, most of these inaccuracies are not the fault of Mattel, as this toy is based on the film design and this figure is very accurate in that case. The color scheme, albeit simplified and overall proportions match the design seen in both Jurassic World films very well, although the onscreen Ankylosaurus may be a little less wide.
While the design of the movie Ankylosaurus may be one of my least favorite among the herbivores, this figure is definitely well done. She’s an imposing little Roarivore with a definite presence, bound to make even the most extreme chompers (sorry) think twice. You can pick this figure up at Amazon.
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I’m pretty sure that Ankylosaurus only had three toes on each of its hind feet in real life. Saurian’s model does (https://www.artstation.com/artwork/VlGWn), and I recall that it was accurate enough to be featured in an actual scientific paper. There’s also this Euoplocephalus mount that shows three rear toes: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Euoplocephalus#/media/File:Euoplocephalus-tutus-1.jpg. You may have gotten them confused with nodosaurs, which do have four toes on their hind feet.
Good review. Although given how bad JP3 was, I wouldn’t call Joe Johnston a “cinematic genius.” Unless you’re being facetious.
It was facetious, he sucks