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: Einiosaurus (Age of the Dinosaurs by PNSO)

Genus: Einiosaurus Brand: PNSO Classification: Centrosaur, Ceratopsian Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

3.8 (15 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.

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Review: Nyctosaurus (Age of the Dinosaurs by PNSO)

Genus: Nyctosaurus Brand: PNSO Classification: Pterosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

4 (16 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.

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Review: Kentrosaurus (4D Puzzle by Fame Master)

Genus: Kentrosaurus Brand: Fame Master Classification: Stegosaur, Thyreophoran Age: Jurassic Type: Construction, Figurine

3.4 (5 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.

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Review: Seismosaurus (4D Puzzle by Fame Master)

Genus: Diplodocus, Seismosaurus Brand: Fame Master Classification: Diplodocoid, Sauropod Age: Jurassic Type: Construction, Figurine

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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Review: Tyrannosaurus vs. Indominus (Jurassic World Limited Edition Gift Set)

Genus: Indominus, Tyrannosaurus Brand: Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, monster Classification: Fictional, Theropod, Tyrannosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

4.4 (33 votes)

Regardless about how you ultimately felt about the movie one of the most exciting prospects behind the release of Jurassic World was the toys and other merchandise that would inevitably be released alongside the film. The old Kenner Jurassic Park toys are some of the best movie action figures ever produced and although Hasbro dropped the ball on Jurassic Park 3 there were still those that hoped they might do better for Jurassic World.

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Review: Elasmosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd.)

Genus: Elasmosaurus Brand: Carnegie, Safari Ltd. Classification: Plesiosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

4.5 (13 votes)

Measuring nearly 50’ in length with a extraordinarily long neck the genus Elasmosaurus is surely one of the most charismatic and awe inspiring members of the plesiosaur order and even more popular than Plesiosaurus itself. It’s no wonder since Elasmosaurus was one of the largest members of the group and has been featured in numerous books, artwork, and other pop culture depictions.

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Review: Saurolophus (Tyco)

Genus: Saurolophus Brand: Tyco Classification: Hadrosaur, Ornithopod Age: Cretaceous Type: Action Figure

3.1 (7 votes)

Saurolophus was a genus of late Cretaceous hadrosaur that had a large distribution, occurring in both North America and Asia. Despite its wide range, and thus the large assortment of material we have for it, Saurolophus has never been a popular dinosaur.

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Review: Pteranodon (Tyco)

Genus: Pteranodon Brand: Tyco Classification: Pterosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Action Figure

2.8 (4 votes)

A couple days ago I received a package in the mail. I could start off a lot of reviews this way but inside this package was something special, an old friend I hadn’t seen in over 20 years. This package might as well have been a time capsule.

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Review: Pteranodon (Jurassic Park Series 1 by Kenner)

Genus: Pteranodon Brand: Jurassic Park, Kenner Classification: Pterosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Action Figure

2.6 (8 votes)

Shrieking out of the sky and swooping in from 1993 comes the “Jurassic Park” series 1 Pteranodon. Although Cearadactylus was featured in the book “Jurassic Park” the original movie didn’t feature pterosaurs at all.

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Review: Pachycephalosaurus (The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Series 1 by Kenner)

Genus: Pachycephalosaurus Brand: Jurassic Park, Kenner Classification: Pachycephalosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Action Figure

3.6 (8 votes)

Two Pachycephalosaurus toys would be released in conjunction with “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” the monstrously large adult “Ram Head” and this one, marketed as a juvenile. Seeing as how the genus features prominently in the movie it makes sense that it would feature in the toy line as well but in the case of the juvenile we’re looking at today it may seem somewhat familiar.

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Review: Pachycephalosaurus (UKRD)

Genus: Pachycephalosaurus Brand: UKRD Classification: Pachycephalosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

3 (3 votes)

Fans of the dome headed pachycephalosaurs are hard pressed to find toys representing this group with one exception, Pachycephalosaurus itself. While not as popular as the likes of Tyrannosaurus or Triceratops this genus is unique enough to have been reproduced in plastic many times over, even by substandard companies like UKRD.

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Review: Brachiosaurus (1996, Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

Genus: Brachiosaurus, Giraffatitan Brand: Wild Safari Classification: Macronaria (basal), Sauropod Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine

4.2 (6 votes)

With an excellent catalog of accurate, high quality collectibles it’s hard to believe that the Wild Safari line by Safari Ltd. once produced a range of models that were often poorly sculpted and garishly painted. And if one were to forget about the past, the old Safari Suchomimus would surely jog some memories.

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