I generally don’t have favorable opinions about the Jurassic World trilogy, but I’ll give them credit for one thing: reinstating Mosasaurus as the A-List paleo-media star it deserves to be. Mosasaurus has been a staple of Mesozoic media since its discovery two centuries ago now; but thanks to its prominent appearances in the Jurassic World films, the mighty quasi-lizard of the ocean has been thrust front and center into widespread fame once again.
Author: Fembrogon
An aspiring artist, Fembrogon (who goes by Eric in real life) has been drawing dinosaurs and strange creatures since he was capable of walking and talking, and probably will be for a long time to come. Although energetic and admittedly absent-minded at times, prehistoric life is one of a few subjects which has never failed to engross him wholly. Dinosaurs – theropods in particular – are unsurprising favorites (special shout-outs to the remarkable Dilophosaurus, the massive Giganotosaurus, and the bizarre Deinocheirus); but he admires a wide range of prehistoric life from Cambrian invertebrates to pterosaurs. Fembrogon first discovered the Toy Blog (and Forum) around the year 2012, and found it an indispensable reference for the expanding world of dino collectibles. Since joining the review team, he’s enjoyed covering a varied assortment of figures, from classic to modern and mainstream to obscure. When he isn’t absorbed in prehistory, Fembrogon also enjoys modern wildlife (birds & reptiles are favorites), nature walks, special effects films, and traditional animation.All reviews by this author
Review: Spinosaurus (Mesozoic Life Project)
5 (5 votes)
Dawn breaks across the Egyptian marsh. Rays of sunlight begin piercing the treeline, and Ramses stirs as the warmth of the rays tickle the arch of his sail, working their way down his flanks. His six-foot long, toothy jaws open wide in a yawn, and he begins stretching his muscles, readying his body for a new day of activity.
Review: Parasaurolophus (ANIA by Takara Tomy)
3.7 (3 votes)
In my last Takara Tomy review, I covered the ANIA Styracosaurus, the 17th figure in the AL line and a decent, but admittedly somewhat drab-looking rendition of the horned dinosaur. As if in full awareness of the latter fact, Takara Tomy’s 18th figurine of the AL line features a striking contrast in the elegant and brightly colored Parasaurolophus, the first ornithopod dinosaur featured in the series.
Review: Baryonyx (Maxim) (Prehistoric Animal Models by PNSO
5 (4 votes)
My thanks goes to the good folks at Happy Hen Toys for providing a review sample for this review. Despite its history and the significance of its discovery, I never had much Baryonyx in my collection growing up. Although Baryonyx has had a presence in the toy market since the late 1980s, for a long time that presence seemed pretty sparse.
Review: Lythronax (Beasts of the Mesozoic by Creative Beast Studios)
5 (6 votes)
What better-suited rival for the “devil-horned face” than the “gore king” tyrant?
Some animals know the dangers of their environment by instinct. Other animals have to learn by experience – provided they can survive it. For young nestling Diabloceratopses exploring life in Late Cretaceous Utah, knowing danger could mean recognizing the difference between the casual bustle of the foraging adults, and the sound of the herd suddenly tensing in fear.
Review: Styracosaurus (ANIA by Takara Tomy)
3.8 (4 votes)
Takara Tomy is a brand stretching a wide range across toy production, from miniature cars to blockbuster IP tie-ins, to wildlife and extinct life replicas. Beginning in the early 2010s, Tomy began releasing the ANIA “Animal Adventure” series, a line of palm-sized action figures featuring extant and extinct animal life.
Review: Edmontonia (Haolonggood)
5 (5 votes)
Out of all the exciting releases unveiled by Haolonggood in 2023, there were few I anticipated more than the nodosaur Edmontonia, which began arriving to vendors in June. Named after the Edmonton (Horseshoe Canyon) Formation in Canada where the type species was discovered, Edmontonia isn’t one of the most famous dinosaurs, nor even necessarily one of my own favorites; yet it’s known from enough substantial fossil remains to make common appearances in dinosaur literature growing up (especially in Dorling Kindersley publications, featuring the Royal Tyrrell Museum’s life model).
Review: Pteranodon (ANIA/Animal Adventure by Takara Tomy)
3.7 (6 votes)
Takara Tomy is a millennial industry giant of toy production, whose products have probably found their way into everyone’s homes at least once. Naturally, my introduction to the brand came through their ANIA “Animal Adventure” line of palm-sized action figures featuring extant and extinct animal life.
Review: Diabloceratops (Beasts of the Mesozoic by Creative Beast Studios)
5 (7 votes)
Diabloceratops is a dinosaur in a curious position. Despite relatively little fame or pop culture presence, the “devil-horned face” has been a popular choice of genus for toy companies; Safari ltd., Collecta, Schleich, Mattel, and recently Haolonggood, among still others, have all taken a crack at the animal, with surprisingly good results in general.
Review: Allosaurus (Haolonggood)
4.6 (5 votes)
My thanks goes out to Happy Hen Toys, who were gracious to provide a sample of YangZhi the Allosaurus for this review. YangZhi & SuoChao are the latest in a long line of Allosaurus toys, going as far back as 1955 and now numbering into the hundreds.
Review: Sinosauropteryx (Dinotales Series 1, ver. B by Kaiyodo)
4.8 (27 votes)
It’s been over ten years since fellow reviewer Gwangi covered a figurine of Sinosauropteryx, a small compsognathid theropod, produced by Kaiyodo under their renowned Dinotales series. Since that time, a grand total of… two, maybe three more figurines… have been produced of this seminal genus.
Review: Dilophosaurus (Haolonggood)
4.7 (44 votes)
Although I grew up with dinosaur toys around me for as long as I can remember, there was one dinosaur missing from my collection as a small child. This dinosaur, which I desired more than almost any other, was the “two-crested reptile”, Dilophosaurus.