Author: Marc Vincent

My name’s Marc Vincent although I go by ‘Horridus’ on the forums. My interests include current affairs, dinosaurs (naturally!) and drinking myself to an early grave. Being a shameless populist my favourite extinct dinosaur is Tyrannosaurus; out of those extant it is surely the European magpie, Pica pica. I collect figures in a vain attempt to fill the awful, aching void in my soul and also because, you know, they’re cool to look at, and I find extinct animals fascinating – dinosaurs in particular

All reviews by this author

Review: Velociraptor (Museum Line by Bullyland)

Genus: Velociraptor Brand: Bullyland Classification: Dromaeosaur, Theropod Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

3.7 (9 votes)

Given the preponderance of bald dromaeosaurs that still stink up dinosaur toy stores, it was nice to see Bullyland step in two years ago with a Luis Rey-inspired feathered version of that perennial favourite, Velociraptor. Unfortunately the results are a little mixed – a figure with great potential let down in a few key areas.

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Review: Tyrannosaurus (The Great Dinosaur by Sega)

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

4.8 (19 votes)

Normally the choice for dinosaur figure collectors is a simple one – it’s either small, perhaps not-so-accurate but cheap plastic figures, or large, stunningly detailed resin statues that will make your PayPal account beg for mercy. However, here we have a compromise – a fairly large model (similar in size to the JP ‘Thrasher’ T.

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Review: Velociraptor (other one) (Jurassic Park by Kenner)

Genus: Velociraptor Brand: Jurassic Park, Kenner Classification: Dromaeosaur, Theropod Age: Cretaceous Type: Action Figure

4.3 (12 votes)

Since I reviewed both Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus figures (the electronic one here and the other one here) it seems only right that I take a gander at the standard JP Velociraptor now that I’ve got my sweaty mits on one.

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Review: Stegosaurus (Invicta)

Genus: Stegosaurus Brand: Invicta Classification: Stegosaur, Thyreophoran Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine, Monochrome

4.8 (16 votes)

Some dinosaurs have undergone quite radical image changes over the years – sauropods moved out of their swamps and got into shape and theropods went from blundering tail draggers to sleek, deadly (and quite horizontal) predators – some of then even gained feathers.

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Review: Tyrannosaurus (Invicta)

Genus: Tyrannosaurus Brand: Invicta Classification: Theropod, Tyrannosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine, Monochrome

4.6 (38 votes)

The Invicta dinosaurs are well-known for being quite anatomically accurate for their time, and especially when compared with contemporary competition. Here, then, we have their rendering of the most famous dinosaur of all, and while it’s not bad – especially when it comes to superficial details – it’s certainly not Invicta’s finest hour.

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Review: Velociraptor (Jurassic Park by Kenner)

Genus: Velociraptor Brand: Jurassic Park, Kenner Classification: Dromaeosaur, Theropod Age: Cretaceous Type: Action Figure

3.1 (13 votes)

Lock up your annoying grandchildren – it’s time to look at the Jurassic Park Velociraptor. Well, one of them – the electronic ‘Dino Screams’ version.

Ah, the Jurassic Park Velociraptor – you have a lot to answer for.

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Review: Dilophosaurus (other one) (Jurassic Park by Kenner)

Genus: Dilophosaurus Brand: Jurassic Park, Kenner Classification: Theropod, Theropod (basal) Age: Jurassic Type: Action Figure

4 (13 votes)

Following yesterday’s review of the electronic Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus, let’s look now at its more basic counterpart in the line – the classic ‘water pistol’ Dilophosaurus, among many people’s earliest and most fondly remembered dinosaur toys. It was the first JP toy I owned, actually.

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Review: Dilophosaurus (Jurassic Park by Kenner)

Genus: Dilophosaurus Brand: Jurassic Park, Kenner Classification: Theropod, Theropod (basal) Age: Jurassic Type: Action Figure

3.6 (13 votes)

More Jurasic Park I’m afraid – although here we have a figure of an animal actually featured in the franchise. Dilophosaurus was last seen giving Wayne Knight a good seeing-to in the first movie, but proved so memorable that Hasbro were still releasing figures of it for the Jurassic Park 3 line.

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Review: Chasmosaurus (The Lost World: Jurassic Park by Kenner)

Genus: Chasmosaurus Brand: Jurassic Park, Kenner Classification: Ceratopsian, Chasmosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Action Figure

3.4 (16 votes)

Chasmosaurus is surely one of the strangest additions to the Jurassic Park toyline. Although it was at least a dinosaur (unlike Dimetrodon, Estemmenosuchus etc.) it was never mentioned in the books or movies, and isn’t the sort of dinosaur that your ordinary MOTGP (Member Of The General Public…nothing to do with the Moto GP, hail Rossi) could recall from memory.

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Review: Baryonyx (Invicta)

Genus: Baryonyx Brand: Invicta Classification: Spinosaur, Theropod Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine, Monochrome

4.6 (25 votes)

The spinosaur Baryonyx was big news when it was unearthed in England in the 1980s, so it’s understandable that Invicta would have wanted to produce their own model of ‘Claws’. This 1989 plain-coloured toy is (sadly) still one of the best spinosaur toys yet produced, in spite of its outdated posture.

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Review: Mamenchisaurus (Invicta)

Genus: Mamenchisaurus Brand: Invicta Classification: Sauropod Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine, Monochrome

4.7 (22 votes)

Here it comes, straight from Bob Bakker’s 1970s fever dreams – the infamous banana flavour Invicta Mamenchisaurus, surely among the stranger serious sauropod toys.

As any kid with a dinosaur book will tell you, Mamenchisaurus is best known for having an extraordinarily long neck, making up half of the animal’s overall length.

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Review: Triceratops (Invicta)

Genus: Triceratops Brand: Invicta Classification: Ceratopsian, Chasmosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine, Monochrome

4.2 (20 votes)

Ah, the Invicta dinosaurs – every one a retro-tastic delight, and every one now sadly out of production (and replaced at the Natural History Museum (London) by a piece of Toyway tat not worthy of the museum’s seal of approval…BAH). Triceratops here is one of the earlier figures in the line, and it shows – which is not to say that it isn’t a delightful figure, like the majority of Invictasaurs.

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