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: Triceratops (Field Museum Mold-A-Rama)

4 (3 votes)

We’re about to step back in time again kids, and no, not to the Mesozoic but to the 1964 World’s Fair. Although this figure was “made” quite recently it has its roots as a souvenir produced by the once popular Mold-A-Rama machines that used to be present at various tourist destinations and at least in this case are still available at Chicago’s Field Museum.

Review: Apatosaurus (Field Museum Mold-A-Rama)

3.2 (5 votes)

Although I’m not old enough to have witnessed the Sinclair Motor Oil “Dinoland” exhibit at the 1964 World’s Fair this has always been an era in American history that has fascinated me. The representations of dinosaurs at that time are now heavily outdated but they stand as symbols of just how popular these animals became in the wake of their discovery.

Review: Velociraptor (Jurassic Park by Dakin)

2.4 (5 votes)

Today we (or I should say, I) celebrate a small milestone in my personal “career” here on the DTB. For on this day we’re looking at the very last figure in the Dakin line of “Jurassic Park” toys issued in 1992. And although I am not a completest by any means the acquisition of this toy has completed my collection of these vintage oddities.

Review: Brontosaurus (Tyco)

4 (7 votes)

This review marks my 100th review for the Dinosaur Toy Blog and with having reached this milestone I think I need to reflect a bit. My first review was posted on July 16th, 2011. That’s just over 5 years of collecting and writing about dinosaur toys. Although others have reached this milestone in an impressively short amount of time that makes this no less significant for me.

Review: Brachiosaurus (Jurassic Park by Dakin)

2.7 (7 votes)

It’s a shame that despite four movies spanning the last 25 years we’ve never gotten a good sauropod toy in conjunction with the “Jurassic Park” franchise. No doubt this is because it would have to be an enormous toy, especially if it were in scale with the various Kenner Tyrannosaurus toys released over the years.

Review: Gallimimus (Jurassic Park by Dakin)

3 (4 votes)

We’re finally past the halfway point in our effort to review all the little “Jurassic Park” dinosaurs put out by Dakin back in 1992, with today’s review concerning one of their better efforts; the Gallimimus. The Dakin line of “Jurassic Park” dinosaurs consist of 6 dinosaurs in total, representing the dinosaurs of the original film.

Review: Acrocanthosaurus Skeleton (Kaiyodo Dinotales Series 3)

4.9 (8 votes)

While most of us prefer to collect dinosaur figures representing living animals there is something to be said about skeletal reconstructions as well. After all, we don’t really know what most dinosaurs looked like, almost everything we know about them comes from the ancient bones we’ve dug up and reassembled.

Review: Edmontonia (Tyco)

4 (5 votes)

Edmontonia is a popular genus of nodosaurid that has been produced by toy companies many times over the years. CollectA, Schleich, and Battat have all taken a crack at the beast with fairly good results. Edmontonia is a very well-known genus with articulated specimens first discovered in 1915!

Review: Tyrannosaurus (Dinotales Series 5 by Kaiyodo)

4 (7 votes)

With its head tilted back and puny arms stretched out the Kaiyodo Dinotales series 5 Tyrannosaurus presents the genus in a unique posture not often depicted in the mass market. This animal clearly has something to say; perhaps he’s attempting to impress a mate or reaffirming his dominance.

Review: Woolly Mammoth (Cuddlekins by Wild Republic)

4 (6 votes)

One of the minor perks of being a parent is being able to buy your children things that you want but cannot justify buying for yourself. Such is the case with this cute little plush we’re looking at today. I don’t personally collect plush toys but I appreciate a lot of the nicer made ones and those that do an above-average job of representing prehistoric animals in particular.

Review: Kosmoceratops (Age of the Dinosaurs by PNSO)

3.8 (11 votes)

A couple years ago I had the privilege of attending a presentation by paleontologist Dr. Scott Sampson at my local museum. The presentation was called “Dinosaurs of the Lost Continent” and concerned the recent discoveries being made in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah.

Review: Einiosaurus (Age of the Dinosaurs by PNSO)

3.4 (14 votes)

The last decade has seen the discovery of several new and charismatic species of ceratopsians and as fast as science describes them the toy companies start pumping them out. This is great for collectors who wish to display the diversity of this fascinating dinosaur group but while these new dinosaurs get all the attention there are several genera described in previous decades that seem to get forgotten about.

Review: Nyctosaurus (Age of the Dinosaurs by PNSO)

3.8 (14 votes)

Pterosaurs are known for their often outlandish headgear with one of the most extreme examples coming from the late Cretaceous genus Nytosaurus. The crest on this genus was truly gigantic, being as long as the body of the animal itself with a tall spike protruding from the back of the head and another horizontal crest jutting off the back.

Review: Kentrosaurus (4D Puzzle by Fame Master)

2.7 (3 votes)

Poor Kentrosaurus, it always plays second fiddle to its larger cousin Stegosaurus. Still, the genus has proved popular enough to be reproduced as a toy in several instances. And oddly enough, most of them have proved to be great representations. Safari, CollectA, Tyco, and even Schleich have all produced some outstanding Kentrosaurus figures.

Review: Seismosaurus (4D Puzzle by Fame Master)

3 (2 votes)

Seismosaurus is a name that a lot of younger readers may not recognize but for those of us who were dinosaur fanatics in the late 80’s and early 90’s it’s a name we remember all too well. Seismosaurus was a genus of dinosaur described in 1991, at the time it was estimated to have been the longest dinosaur ever discovered, measuring between 127-170 feet in length.

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