Author: DinoToyBlog

Dr Adam Smith aka DinotoyblogDr 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: Feathered Dinos Tube (Safari Ltd)

4 (21 votes)
Safari Ltd have produced several tubes (or ‘toobs’ as they call them) that contain a diverse selection of mini-dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. These tubes are a great choice for the indecisive amongst us. Why pick one single large dinosaur when you can get an entire tube of small dinosaurs for the same price.

Review: Brachiosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

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4.3 (18 votes)
The Brachiosaurus is one of the few original Carnegie Collection sculpts, as far as I can tell, that has remained unchanged (with the exception of a new paint job) since it was released in 1987.  As explained by Randy Knol on the Dinosaur Collector Site,  the majority of figures from the original line have been tweaked or retired.

Review: Tyrannosaurus rex (Papo)

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3.6 (24 votes)
Review by megaraptor1000, photos by dinotoyforum
Papo has produced some stunning, if inaccurate, toys in their short time in the model dinosaur industry. Today I will be reviewing one of their larger pieces, the Tyrannosaurus rex. I apologize in advance to Jurassic Park worshipers for bashing their little Rex, I don’t hate him, I am just a bit critical.

Review: Tapejara (Wild Safari Collection by Safari Ltd)

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4.3 (10 votes)
Tapejara is a pterosaur from the Cretaceous deposits of Brazil. Historically, several species have been referred to this genus, each species was differentiated based on the shape and size of their head crests. Safari’s offering shows a tall semicircular crest and a long prong protruding from the back of the head, this arrangement is characteristic of the species Tapejara imperator.

Review: Saltasaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

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3.8 (16 votes)
Titanosaurians are a quite poorly known group of sauropod dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period. Saltasaurus, from Argentina, is one of the better known representatives of this group and it provided the first conclusive evidence for osteoderms (bony armour) in a sauropod; many titanosaurians are now known to have been armoured.

Review: Plateosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

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4.3 (18 votes)
This Plateosaurus, with “1994” stamped on its tummy, is fast becoming one of the older figures in the Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd. Plateosaurus is from the Triassic of Germany and is classified as a prosauropod dinosaur, that is, a close relative of the later large long-necked sauropods.

Review: Beipiaosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

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4.5 (30 votes)
Beipiaosaurus is a therizinosauroid, although it is not included within the family Therizinosauridae because it is more ‘primitive’. Fossils of therizinosaurs have confused palaeontologists for many years. Their fragmentary remains were originally allied with prosauropods because of their long necks, backwards-facing hips, peg-like teeth suited for a herbivorous lifestyle, and other anatomical features.

Review: Diplodocus (2008) (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

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4.8 (22 votes)
Although the 2008 Diplodocus has been featured several times on this blog already, it has never been reviewed, so it’s time to make amends with a photographic walkaround and short review.

This is Safari’s second attempt at a Diplodocus and this version is a much improved affair.

Review: Nigersaurus (Wild Safari collection by Safari Ltd)

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4.8 (22 votes)
As coincidence would have it, two separate companies (Procon and Safari) released a Nigersaurus figure this year. The current review will concentrate on the offering from Safari’s rapidly maturing and increasingly impressive Wild Safari line. I won’t be comparing the two figures directly, but it is worth noting in passing that Procon’s rival pales in comparison to this superior Safari replica.

Review: Deltadromeus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

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4.3 (19 votes)
Fossil remains of this slenderly built and long-legged theropod are known from Late Cretaceous deposits of northern Africa. It is another quite obscure species as far as dinosaur toys go, maybe Safari picked it out to demonstrate that they are keeping up with palaeontological research, Deltadromeus was named and described in detail in 1996; the Carnegie figure was produced the following year.

Review: Sinraptor (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

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4.6 (10 votes)
Sinraptor is a medium-sized theropod from the Late Jurassic of China, named and described in 1994. Despite the name, it is not a member of raptor family (Dromaeosauridae) and it is actually related to the allosaurs, considered to be close to their ancestral form.

A particularly pleasing aspect of this figure is the raised tail – the body is held horizontally and stands on two feet without requiring support from the tail.

Review: Ankylosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

4.7 (27 votes)
I’m pleased to announce that the Dinosaur Toy Blog recently received a number of review samples representing the entire Carnegie Collection, courtesy of Safari Ltd. So, prepare yourself for a Carnegie Collection bonanza of reviews over the next few weeks! We’ve already reviewed the two exciting 2009 additions to the Carnegie collection, the Spinosaurus and Tylosaurus, so now it’s time to look at some of the other existing models in the line.
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