When most hear the words “sabre tooth”, they would think of Smilodon and no others. But no species gains anything as unique as sabre teeth that large over night. It takes millennia of evolution from one species to another, and many of the steps can be found in the fossil record.
Author: Indohyus
Growing up in the late 1990s and early 2000s was great for moulding me into a dino fan. Jurassic park films were fresh, and even better, the ‘Walking With’ trilogy was produced. I watched ‘Dinosaurs’ and then ‘Beasts’. Especially ‘Beasts’. From there, I went on digs across the U.K., and eventually got my degree in palaeontology from Portsmouth university. I am (at the time of writing this) doing my masters in anthropology and museum studies, hoping to become a curator. My love of plastic extinct animals is as strong as ever, and I dare say it will only get stronger!All reviews by this author
Review: Macrauchenia (Jurassic Hunters by Geoworld)
4 (6 votes)
The isolation of South America during much of the Cenozoic era resulted in the evolution of many odd and unique creatures, like the Liptotern Macrauchenia. This odd ungulate has fascinated many since it’s discovery by Charles Darwin, and has been the subject of many art peices and toys.
Review: Megatherium (Tyco)
3.7 (7 votes)
Dino riders is a much cherished series by many, who eagerly looked to get all the figures of the line. The first two lines are large, full of various dinosaurs, while the latter two lines are smaller and often rarer than the first two. The last line featured ice age mammals, four recognisable animals from the Pleistocene (and a bit before).
Review: Pterygotus (Dinotales series 7 by Kaiyodo)
5 (8 votes)
Kaiyodo has to be one of the best prehistoric animal lines out there. At a small size, they gave us a wide spread of species from across earth history in glorious detail and beautiful paint schemes. Today’s review shows just this: Pterygotus, a Silurian Sea Scorpion, one of the largest arthropods ever known, reaching a body length of 5.7 ft.
Review: Hyneria (Paleo-Creatures)
4.7 (9 votes)
Ancient fish, with the exception of sharks, are a rarity in toy lines. Perhaps most believe they are all small and aren’t noteworthy. This is far from the case, as many ancient fish were large and bizarre enough to contend with dinosaurs. Fortunately, our own Jetoar has been able to prove they are worth making with figures like this: Hyneria, a Devonian Sarcopterygian from Pennsylvania, a 12 ft fish that would have terrorised all creatures smaller than it.
Review: Mastodonsaurus (Starlux)
3.7 (10 votes)
In spite of the discoveries since Starlux closed down, I feel that the old line could be fantastically varied in comparison to some modern line, producing vast numbers of species, not just familiar dinosaurs, but those that existed alongside them. Here, for example, the giant amphibian Mastodonsaurus from the late Triassic, which reached lengths of 13-20 feet long.
Review: Plateosaurus (DinoWaurs Survival)
2.5 (11 votes)
Greetings DinoWaurriors! I imagine it’s very easy for creators of toy lines to stick to the Jurassic and Cretaceous period dinosaurs for their line, as this is where many were at their biggest and strangest. Let’s not forget, however, that the Triassic saw the rise of these animals, and have interesting species that began this dynasty.
Review: Redondasaurus vs. Coelophysis (Favorite Co. Ltd.)
4.7 (7 votes)
Morning sun rises over the Pangean plains of the Late Triassic. The wet season has just ended, and it is a time of plenty for herbivores across the scrub land. This means the predators do well too. A lone Coelophysis wonders the land, searching for water to wash down a recent meal.
Review: Sarcosuchus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)
5 (21 votes)
Crocodilians have always garnered a special interest to me, modern or extinct. From the powerful predators we know today, with up to one tonne bites, to the oddities of the past. This includes giants like this review’s subject, Sarcosuchus, one of the largest crocodilians ever known, known to feed on dinosaurs.
Review: Herbivore dinosaur set (Wenno)
2.5 (8 votes)
Cheap dinosaur sets are fairly common on the market, offering a variety of creatures for a reasonable price (though usually picked from a very select group of species), something to keep kids entertained for a few hours. Wenno are a prime example of this, having released a few sets for ancient and modern species.
Review: Allosaurus (DinoWaurs Survival)
2.6 (14 votes)
Greetings DinoWaurriors! In spite of all the giant Theropods discovered over the years, I like that Allosaurus can still garner s decent amount of attention from both dino experts and the general public. As one of the major carnivores of the Jurassic (only really beaten by related Saurophaganax during it’s time), it truly earns it’s reputation.
Review: Dilophosaurus (DinoWaurs Survival)
3.3 (11 votes)
Greetings DinoWaurriors! While being a great medium to introduce the masses to dinosaurs, films can have an awful effect on people by presenting inaccuracies and people drinking them in as fact. Such is the case with Dilophosaurus in Jurassic Park. In the film, it was presented as a small predator, venom spitting with a frill, when in fact it had no frill, no venom sacs and was seven meters in length.