Today I venture into uncharted waters and review a figure by a company I’ve never covered, or bought products by, before. Although I’ve long been aware of Takara Tomy, they’re a Japanese company, making their offerings somewhat difficult to get in the U.S.
Author: Gwangi
My name is Arthur but I go by Gwangi on the blogs and forums, as homage to the old dinosaur and monster movies I love so much. In addition to writing about and collecting toy animals (extinct and extant) I also share my home with a variety of living animals, mostly reptiles but a little bit of everything. I have a lifelong interest in all things nature and natural history and most of my hobbies can be linked to those things in some way. I currently live in Maryland with my wife and daughters. In addition to writing on here I also write magazine articles, typically about local wildlife and aquarium fishes.All reviews by this author
Review: Gallimimus (Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, Attack Pack by Mattel)
3.4 (17 votes)
I reviewed the original Attack Pack Gallimimus back in 2018, with its sandy brown color tones, it was the first of many Gallimimus toys from Mattel. Indeed, the Attack Pack Gallimimus has received so many re-paints over the last few years that I would be hard pressed to list them all.
Review: Stygimoloch (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Pop! Movies by Funko Inc.)
2.4 (14 votes)
It was inevitable. Funko has now found its way onto the Dinosaur Toy Blog. Since this is the first Funko review on the DTB I suppose a brief introduction of the company is in order, not that it’s needed. Funko has managed to spread its tendrils into virtually every pop culture fandom imaginable and even if you don’t collect them, I know that at least a few readers here have a couple Funko figures around their home.
Review: Pteranodon (Marx)
3.9 (9 votes)
Today’s review marks a small milestone for the DTB as it’s the last review for a Marx toy in the Medium Mold Group, Pl-750. This mold group was released in 1955 and was the second wave of dinosaur figures produced by Marx. All in all, 17 out of 23 Marx toys have been covered thus far.
Review: Stegosaurus (Marx)
3.6 (9 votes)
The Marx Stegosaurus was first released in 1955 as part of Marx’s second wave of dinosaur toys, known as the Medium Mold Group, PL-750. The Marx Stegosaurus is based on the Stegosaurus painted by Rudolph Zallinger in his Age of Reptiles mural at the Yale Peabody Museum.
Review: Anatosaurus (Edmontosaurus) (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
3.9 (42 votes)
The Definitely Dinosaurs line by Playskool was a series of dinosaur toys produced in the late 80’s and early 90’s. For those unfamiliar with them they were basically the more toddler-friendly version of Tyco’s Dino-Riders. Some of them, like the Stegosaurus, were eerily similar to their Tyco counterparts.
Review: Brontosaurus (Marx)
Review: Tyrannosaurus (Dino Dana Feathered T. rex by Safari Ltd.)
4.7 (83 votes)
In late 2020 Safari Ltd. teased their upcoming dinosaurs with silhouettes of the figures, with two particularly interesting ones, the “fantasy” T. rex and Triceratops. Since Safari Ltd. had just acquired the rights to produce merchandise for the television show Dino Dana, it was assumed by many that those dinosaurs were part of that line.
Review: Carcharodontosaurus (Gamba) (Prehistoric Animal Models by PNSO)
4.6 (44 votes)
Eight short years ago I wrote a glowing review for the CollectA Deluxe Carcharodontosaurus. At the time the praise was deserved, aside from a Safari toy from the 1990’s there weren’t any other options for the “jagged toothed lizard”. CollectA’s model filled a vacant niche, and it was in turn followed by a new model of the genus from Safari in 2016.
Review: Orthoceras (Prehistoric World by CollectA)
5 (16 votes)
Orthocones, conical fossil shells belonging to extinct cephalopods, are among the most popular and easily obtained fossils. So abundant are they that they’re often included in mass produced fossil dig kits for children, made into jewelry, or sold as souvenirs in museum gift shops.
Review: Pachycephalosaurus (Austin) (Prehistoric Animal Models by PNSO)
4.4 (40 votes)
It was almost exactly a year ago when I reviewed the Safari 2020 Pachycephalosaurus, a much-needed modern rendition of the most popular of the bone-headed dinosaurs. In that review I declared the Safari Pachycephalosaurus the definitive figure of that genus, but now I’m back again with another Pachycephalosaurus, this time by PNSO.
Review: Hadrosaurus (Marx)
4 (9 votes)
Although we are all familiar with the dinosaur family hadrosauridae it seems that the dinosaur that gave the family its name has been largely forgotten, despite being a historically important dinosaur. Hadrosaurus foulkii was first described by Joseph Leidy in 1858, from remains found in New Jersey’s Woodbury Formation.