As it stands there is only one review for Irritator on the blog, Irritator being an early Cretaceous spinosaurid from Brazil. That toy is by CollectA and it’s pushing a decade old and quite clearly “early CollectA” in terms of quality.
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: Mosasaurus (Jurassic World Snap Squad by Mattel)
3.6 (16 votes)
By and large the Snap Squad toys by Mattel have been frustratingly difficult to find. Nearly a year ago I managed to find a few at Wal-Mart, and foolishly didn’t buy them all. That was the first time I ever saw them “in the wild” and I wouldn’t see them again until April 2020, when for some reason they showed up at Aldi of all places.
Review: Majungasaurus (Jurassic World Primal Attack, Sound Strike by Mattel)
3.6 (12 votes)
Where abelisaurids are concerned the genus Majungasaurus is second in popularity only to Carnotaurus. It has a few things working in its favor. It lived at the very end of the Cretaceous period in what is now Madagascar and was the dominant predator of its ecosystem.
Review: Sarcosuchus (Jurassic World Primal Attack, Massive Biters by Mattel)
3.7 (14 votes)
Although first described in 1966 the crocodyliforme Sarcosuchus didn’t really achieve popularity until the mid 90’s through early 00’s, with additional discoveries by Paul Sereno and publicity via National Geographic. Since then Sarcosuchus has gone on to become, perhaps, the most popular extinct crocodyliforme of them all.
Review: Ankylosaurus (Bumpy) (Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous by Mattel)
3.9 (15 votes)
By now, everyone reading this entry should be aware of the animated Jurassic World series coming to Netflix, titled Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. Just a few days before this writing the trailer for the series dropped and the show will be airing next month.
Review: Dimetrodon (Marx)
3.8 (10 votes)
This review marks a somewhat significant milestone on the blog with regards to Marx reviews. This is the last review for the toys released under the small mold group, PL-755; they’ve now all been covered here. There are still plenty of Marx toys left to write about but for this group in particular, we’re done!
Review: Triceratops (Marx)
4 (8 votes)
No line of toy dinosaurs would be complete without a Triceratops and that’s a fact that has remained true since the beginning of dinosaur toy production with Marx in the 1950’s. Sure, many other elaborately horned dinosaurs have come onto the scene over the subsequent years but Triceratops is a classic and like Tyrannosaurus can never be dethroned.
Review: Plateosaurus (Marx)
3.8 (8 votes)
When I originally started reviewing Marx toys I only had four lined up for review but between then and now I’ve collected a few more which will extend my Marx series for the next few reviews. Up until now all of the toys I reviewed were from Marx’s 1961 second series mold group, PL-1083.
Review: Woolly Mammoth (Marx)
4 (8 votes)
Why is a requirement that every line of toy dinosaurs includes the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)? Even if said company otherwise ignores extinct mammals there is almost always a woolly mammoth and this is especially true with vintage companies.
Review: Smilodon (Marx)
4.1 (7 votes)
In addition to a diverse assortment of dinosaurs Marx also produced quite a few other prehistoric animals. Some, like the Dimetrodon and Pteranodon were obvious additions to the line; others like the Cynognathus are more surprising additions.
Review: Parasaurolophus (Marx)
3.9 (7 votes)
Carrying on with our series of Marx reviews next up is that most popular of ornithopods, Parasaurolophus. Like the previously reviewed Styracosaurus this figure is part of the Second Series Mold Group, PL-1083. This mold group was the most recent and last from Marx, produced in 1961.
Review: Styracosaurus (Marx)
3.9 (9 votes)
It’s no secret, finding subjects to review for the DTB has become somewhat of a challenge over the last several years. Nearly every figure by all the major players has been reviewed or has a review in the works; Safari Ltd., Carnegie, Papo, CollectA, PNSO, Battat, Invicta, Tyco, and the list goes on.