Author: DinoToyBlog

Dr Adam S. Smith (aka 'DinoToyBlog' here, and 'DinoToyForum' on the Dinosaur Toy Forum) is a curator and palaeontologist at the Nottingham Natural History Museum, Wollaton Hall, UK. Adam launched the Dinosaur Toy Blog in July 2007 and followed it up with the Dinosaur Toy Forum in January 2008, and the Animal Toy Forum in December 2012. He is particularly interested in marine reptile figures, especially plesiosaurs. Adam also runs The Plesiosaur Directory website and has published several popular articles and technical papers on fossil marine reptiles. He is a children's book author with 'The Plesiosaur's Neck' (2021) and 'The Tyrannosaur's Feathers' (2023).

All reviews by this author

Review: Styracosaurus (Carnage Collection by ReSaurus)

4.6 (5 votes)

Few dinosaur toys are as strikingly exotic as the Carnage Collection by ReSaurus Company Inc. It is a bit of a mystery why these spectacular figures have received so little attention here on the blog, and by ‘little’ I mean ‘none’. So, after being overlooked here for more than five years, I’ve finally taken it upon myself to give Carnage a little love.

Review: Plesiosaurus (Soft Model by Favorite Co. Ltd.)

4.2 (5 votes)

Favorite’s ‘Soft Models’ tend to receive acclaim on the Dinosaur Toy Blog and I’ve been promising to review the Plesiosaurus for…well, years actually. Certain members of the Dinosaur Toy Forum tend not to let me forget it! So it will be a weight off my shoulders to finally give this figure the attention it deserves.

Review: Brachiosaurus (resculpt)(CollectA)

3.1 (13 votes)

I’ve been able to tear myself away from our sparkly new Dinosaur Toy Forum (please do register if you aren’t already a member) to dedicate a little time to our old friend the Dinosaur Toy Blog.
It isn’t easy to find a respectable range of dinosaur toys in brick and mortar establishments these days.

Review: Quetzalcoatlus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

2.7 (9 votes)

Last time I had a stab at reviewing a Carnegie Collection pterosaur (the Pteranodon), I didn’t have much nice to say about its aesthetic appearance. One might say I was downright rude. Bearing in mind that the Pteranodon was an early release, it would be fair for us to expect some significant improvements by the mid-nineties when the next Carnegie pterosaur was released.

Review: Dimetrodon (2011 version, Bullyland)

3.6 (7 votes)

German company Bullyand seem to be slipping off the radar a little bit in recent years but still continue to provide new releases every twelve months for their Museum Line, although in rather small quantities. 2011 saw two new figures released by Bullyland, both resculpts of previously produced species.

Review: Pteranodon (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

1.5 (10 votes)

Now here’s a figure that’s had a beating with the ugly stick. The Pteranodon was one of 17 models in the original Carnegie collection lineup, way back in 1989. It was retired in 1995 but reissued the following year and is still produced today. It’s one of the smaller toys in the line with a wingspan of 11cm (about 4 inches)

I think the Carnegie Pteranodon is supposed to be in a flying pose, either that or sprawled out on its tummy in the most ungainly manner.

Review: Attenborosaurus (CollectA)

4 (14 votes)

Unfamiliar British taxa are the order of the day for UK-based company CollectA, and we can now add the relatively obscure plesiosaur Attenborosaurus to their list. Attenborosaurus is one of two plesiosaurs released by CollectA in 2011 (the other one being the Rhomaleosaurus, again, another relatively obscure British genus).

Review: Rhomaleosaurus (CollectA)

3.5 (10 votes)

Another in CollectA’s (a trademark of Procon) range is this hefty Rhomaleosaurus, which joins the terror bird Kelenken and the stegosaurid Dacentrurus in the ‘Deluxe’ line up for 2011. Funnily enough, my PhD research project was dedicated to the study of Rhomaleosaurus, so this pliosaur is particularly close to my heart.

Review: Opththalmosaurus (Walking with Dinosaurs by Toyway)

4.7 (9 votes)

Toyway produced a set of 11 dinosaur figures for their now out of production Walking with Dinosaurs line. This number includes the pterosaur Ornithocheirus, which was only available as a magazine give-away and is thus almost impossible to find. For this reason many collectors consider a WWD set complete even without the pterosaur.

Review: Tyrannosaurus rex (Monster in my Pocket by Matchbox, Series 1)

2.3 (12 votes)

I thought I’d review something a little different for a change. As a kid I was fascinated by the original Monster in my Pocket and managed to collect them all. After the first couple of series the lines started to go downhill though and I eventually lost interest.

Review: Ouranosaurus (Battat)

4.9 (20 votes)

Despite the distinctive and unusual appearance of the sail-backed Ouranosaurus, it is rather rare in toy form. When it comes to iguanodontids, most companies tend to opt for the more generic and more familiar Iguanodon. Starlux, Schleich and CollectA have produced replicas of this fascinating species as well (review of the Schleich Ouranosaurus here), but the Battat figure is by far and away the superior figure.

Review: Baryonyx (Schleich)

1.8 (19 votes)

If this figure looks familiar that’s because it was reviewed here before! The original review of the Schleich Baryonyx was one of several interesting reviews here by former dinosaur toy blogger Tomhetleere. Sadly, Tomhet left the Dinosaur Toy Blog earlier this year and, to everyone’s dismay, removed his valuable dinotoyblog contributions on his departure.

Review: Coelacanth (Wild Safari Prehistoric World by Safari Ltd)

4.9 (15 votes)

This review has moved to the Animal Toy Blog https://animaltoyforum.com/blog/coelacanth-wild-safari-by-safari-ltd/ Although the figure is a modern animal, it is part of the ‘Prehistoric World’ line by Safari Ltd, so I’ll leave this link here on the Dinosaur Toy Blog in perpetuity.

Review: Tanystropheus (Starlux)

4.1 (7 votes)

Somehow, not a single Starlux figure has ever been reviewed on the Dinosaur Toy Blog! I don’t know how we omitted such an influential line all this time but it’s time to finally change that. The delightful line of prehistoric animals produced by French company Starlux, mainly during the 1960s and 70s, is highly collectible today.

Review: Stegosaurus (Desktop model by Favorite Co. Ltd, sculpted by Michael Trcic)

4.9 (7 votes)

I recently decided to give in to a long-lasting urge and purchased my first ever desktop dinosaur models. Given the considerable price tag on some of these statues, it can be a big decision, especially in these days of online shopping when it’s difficult to know if it’s really worth it, and when there’s risk of damage during transit.

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