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: Dimetrodon (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

4.9 (22 votes)

Among the 2018 lineup for Safari Ltd. is everyone’s favorite sphenacodontid, Dimetrodon. This famous not-a-dinosaur was the T. rex of the Permian period and has been a pop-culture darling since its discovery. Even now it seems we’re treated to one of these flamboyant synapsids every couple years or so with Papo, Schleich, Favorite, and Recur all producing one within the last five years.

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Review: Allosaurus (Kaiyodo Dinotales 1:20 Collection)

Genus: Allosaurus Brand: Kaiyodo Classification: Allosaur, Theropod Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine

4.8 (11 votes)

A couple years back I put together a poll on the Dinosaur Toy Forum with the goal of compiling a top ten list of the best Allosaurus toys ever produced. It was no small task, up until the 1990’s the Allosaurus only played second fiddle to Tyrannosaurus in the popularity contest.

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Review: Tyrannosaurus (Dor Mei)

Genus: Tyrannosaurus Brand: Dor Mei Classification: Theropod, Tyrannosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

3.4 (9 votes)

Here’s a toy that many of you will no doubt recognize. It probably doesn’t stand on too many collectors’ shelves today but certainly helped fill a lot of toy boxes in the 80’s and 90’s. Yes, you could call this a Chinasaur but you could also call it retro, vintage, and nostalgic.

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Review: Gigantspinosaurus (Prehistoric World by CollectA)

Genus: Gigantspinosaurus Brand: CollectA Classification: Stegosaur, Thyreophoran Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine

4.5 (17 votes)

It’s no secret that the stegosauria were an odd bunch of dinosaurs, one that we perhaps take for granted given the popularity of one genus in particular; Stegosaurus. But Stegosaurus is but one of many, and for whatever reason the other genera of this unique clade have never gained in popularity like the admittedly charismatic Stegosaurus.

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Review: Ammonoid (Paleozoic Pals)

Genus: Unspecified genus Brand: Paleozoic Pals Classification: Ammonite, Invertebrate Age: Devonian Type: Plush

4.8 (5 votes)

First off, just to get it out of the way, this is not an ammonite. This is an ammonoid, the broader group to which ammonites belong. While ammonites lived through the Jurassic and Cretaceous the group ammonoidea first appeared 400 million years ago in the Devonian. Thus, here we have a plush ammonoid, not an ammonite which would have no place in a line of toys representing Paleozoic fauna.

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Review: Dunkleosteus (Paleozoic Pals)

Genus: Dunkleosteus Brand: Paleozoic Pals Classification: Fish Age: Devonian Type: Plush

5 (8 votes)

Armored placoderm fishes have never been so cuddly! Manufactured by Jaag Plush and commissioned by the Paleontological Research Institute (PRI) comes this 16” long most famous of prehistoric fishes, Dunkleosteus. Ol’ Dunk is a popular fish, about as popular as a prehistoric fish can get anyway.

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Review: Einiosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

Genus: Einiosaurus Brand: Safari Ltd, Wild Safari Classification: Centrosaur, Ceratopsian Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

5 (26 votes)

Described in 1995 by Scott Sampson the Einiosaurus has been known to science for over 20 years but has never really caught on in popularity. Although not as iconic as Triceratops, or as flashy as Styracosaurus, the Einiosaurus has to be among the most bizarre looking ceratopsians.

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Review: Velociraptor (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

Genus: Velociraptor Brand: Safari Ltd, Wild Safari Classification: Dromaeosaur, Theropod Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

4.7 (57 votes)

For a long time now, too long in fact, various collectable dinosaur companies have tried and failed to make a properly feathered and accurate representation of one of the world’s most popular dinosaurs; Velociraptor and its kin the stem-birds we call dromaeosaurs or “raptors.” When I first started collecting dinosaur toys the best representations included those by Bullyland and CollectA and while we commend their efforts to popularize feathered dinosaurs they ultimately failed to make convincing looking animals.

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

Genus: Stegosaurus Brand: Mold-A-Rama Classification: Stegosaur, Thyreophoran Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine, Monochrome

3.7 (3 votes)

Finishing off our reviews of the Field Museum Mold-A-Rama collection is the Stegosaurus. Older original Mold-A-Rama dinosaurs exist as well but they aren’t currently being produced at the Field Museum and the only way to really obtain them is through eBay. It has come to my attention that the Stegosaurus machine was recently removed from the Field Museum so if you don’t already have the Stegosaurus then try to find one on eBay before they become scarce.

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

Genus: Tyrannosaurus Brand: Mold-A-Rama Classification: Theropod, Tyrannosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine, Monochrome

3.6 (5 votes)

Having technically already been reviewed there really isn’t much new to say about this one. DTF member “Foxilized” reviewed the original back in 2010. For the sake of consistency though I feel compelled to share my thoughts too, I’ve been reviewing all of the current Field Museum Mold-A-Rama figures and it would feel strange not including this one.

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

Genus: Triceratops Brand: Mold-A-Rama Classification: Ceratopsian, Chasmosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine, Monochrome

4.3 (4 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.

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

Genus: Apatosaurus, Brontosaurus Brand: Mold-A-Rama Classification: Diplodocoid, Sauropod Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine, Monochrome

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.

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Author: Gwangi

All reviews by this author

Review: Dimetrodon (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

Review: Allosaurus (Kaiyodo Dinotales 1:20 Collection)

Review: Tyrannosaurus (Dor Mei)

Review: Gigantspinosaurus (Prehistoric World by CollectA)

Review: Ammonoid (Paleozoic Pals)

Review: Dunkleosteus (Paleozoic Pals)

Review: Einiosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

Review: Velociraptor (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

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

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

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

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

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