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: Liliensternus (Bullyland)
4 (8 votes)
The earlier dinosaurs of the Triassic are often overshadowed by their larger and more glamorous decedents. Though less flashy than later genera these were important animals in their time that paved the way and gave rise to the later dinosaurs we all know and love.
Review: Dracorex (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)
4.4 (18 votes)
Where reviews of new toys are concerned this 2012 release has somehow gone neglected. Now, amidst the flurry of reviews for newer models I’m writing one for this little guy. I’m writing of course about the Safari 2012 Dracorex, one of a stellar lineup of toys released last year and the only one from that lineup that has yet to be reviewed.
Review: Tyrannosaurus (Sue at the Field Museum by Safari Ltd.)
4.3 (16 votes)
Having previously reviewed the Torosaurus created by Safari for the Chicago Field Museum it only seemed appropriate to review the two tyrants of the same line. These two models represent Sue herself, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus ever discovered.
Review: Torosaurus (Sue at the Field Museum by Safari Ltd.)
4.6 (13 votes)
In 2004 Safari Ltd. released four dinosaur figures in collaboration with Chicago’s Field Museum in honor of the newly mounted “Sue,” the worlds largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus. Among the releases were two versions of Sue herself but two other dinosaurs that were Tyrannosaurus contemporaries (and food) were also released; Anatotitan and Torosaurus.
Review: Caudipteryx (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd.)
4.6 (19 votes)
It’s a bird…it’s a dinosaur…it’s possibly both. It’s the Carnegie Caudipteryx! Although reviewed briefly in 2007 it’s time this stunning oviraptorosaur got the more in depth treatment it deserves. Released in 2006 with several other feathered representations of China’s Yikian formation, this is Carnegie’s take on the small theropod that remains one of the best feathered dinosaur models available.
Review: Coelophysis (Jurassic Park by Kenner)
3.6 (14 votes)
Anyone that has read up on their dinosaurs knows who Coelophysis was. This small, lithe theropod is one of the oldest dinosaurs to have been described. Their massive late Triassic bone beds are among the most famous fossil sites in North America and the genera holds a special place in my heart as one of the only dinosaurs known to have lived in my home state of New York.
Review: Allosaurus (1988) (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd.)
3.5 (22 votes)
Among theropods one of the most popular and well known is the Jurassic Morrison Formation’s Allosaurus, also known from Portugal and possibly Tanzania as well. Though it lived in pop culture in the shadow of Tyrannosaurus, the Allosaurus was arguably a more efficient animal all together.
Review: Gallimimus (Jasman)
3.6 (5 votes)
Gallimimus and ornithomimosauria in general are poorly represented in the world of dinosaur models and toys. Recently CollectA fixed this with their outstanding figure of Deinocheirus but Deinocheirus is only known from scant remains and while it is a marvelous example of the group we could still use more figures of the better known genera.
Review: Chalicotherium (Bullyland)
4.7 (6 votes)
To celebrate Bullyland’s highly anticipated re-release of their prehistoric mammal collection I felt it was a good time to review the only Bullyland mammal figure I actually own, the Chalicotherium. For those of you out of the loop on this a brief overview is in order.
Review: Sinosauropteryx (Dinotales Series 1 by Kaiyodo)
4.6 (7 votes)
Over two decades after paleontologist John Ostrom described Deinonychus and subsequently launched the “Dinosaur Renaissance” yet a new genus would be found that would change the public perception of dinosaurs and finally bring forth the last piece of evidence needed to connect dinosaurs to birds.
Review: Diplodocus (1988) (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd.)
4.6 (16 votes)
Diplodocus is one of those all American sauropods every kid grew up with, right alongside Apatosaurus and Brachiosaurus. Described in 1878 it is still the longest known sauropod from a complete skeleton. It is no wonder then, that the Carnegie Collection would include this animal in their original 1988 lineup of museum quality replicas.