The very first time I laid eyes on the Early Cretaceous ankylosaurian known as Polacanthus was at a birthday party when I was only four or five years old. I can’t rightly recall if it was my own or some other child’s, but I’ll never forget that wrapping paper.
Author: Suspsy
Suspsy has lived in Canada all his life. One day when he was in kindergarten, his teacher did a lesson on dinosaurs and put up some giant cutouts on the wall. Suspsy immediately began pretending to be a Tyrannosaurus rex at playtime, and continued to do so for many subsequent playtimes. Since then, he has acquired two degrees, worked many different jobs, travelled to many fantastic locations, fallen in love, gotten married, and settled down to raise a family, but his passion for dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals has never waned.All reviews by this author
Review: Gorgosaurus (PNSO)
4.7 (44 votes)
July 1 is Canada Day, so today we shall be taking a gander at one of the most famous Canadian dinosaurs, Gorgosaurus. I do believe that Gorgosaurus was the second tyrannosaur I ever learned about after Tyrannosaurus rex, courtesy of an illustration in a Dover colouring book that I had when I was but a wee lad.
Review: Stegouros (Deluxe by CollectA)
4.8 (40 votes)
Most ankylosaurs are classified as either Ankylosauridae or Nodosauridae. Ankylosaurids are easily distinguishable by their wide, blocky heads and tails terminating in solid bone clubs, and include the likes of Ankylosaurus itself, Euoplocephalus, Jinyunpelta, Pinacosaurus, and Zuul.
Review: Mosasaurus (Dinosaurs by LEGO)
3.4 (26 votes)
“How do you do, fellow dinosaur lovers? Dr. Bella Bricking and Beth Buildit here once again, wishing you all both a happy National Dinosaur Day and a happy Pride Month! Are you ready for yet another dive deep into the exciting world of prehistoric LEGO sets?”
*sigh* “Why are we wearing these getups, Doc?
Review: Baryonyx (2020)(Schleich)
3.8 (30 votes)
Baryonyx caused quite the to-do in paleontology circles back when it was formally described in 1986, as no one had ever seen a theropod quite like it before. Indeed, for a time it was even thought to be a member of a whole new family: Baryonychidae.
Review: Smilodon with Neanderthal (ANIA by Takara Tomy)
4.6 (22 votes)
The majority of items in my prehistoric collection are purchased online. Schleich abounds at several brick and mortar stores in my neck of the woods, but I’m not a huge consumer of their wares. Safari Ltd. products are sold at Michael’s and the local natural history museum, but the assortment is always woefully limited.
Amazon ad:
Review: Hesperosaurus (Jurassic World: Wild Roar by Mattel)
3.7 (18 votes)
Pop quiz: which Upper Jurassic dinosaur from the famous Morrison Formation of North America had two rows of large plates on its back and four long spikes on its tail? I reckon the majority of respondents would immediately say that the answer is Stegosaurus, and of course, they wouldn’t be wrong.
Review: Skiaraptor (Eldrador by Schleich)
3.3 (29 votes)
One of the most unusual and frightening members of the dromaeosaur family, Skiaraptor kakos (“evil shadow raptor”) was first discovered in the African nation of Zamunda by the distinguished scholar Professor Cuthbert Calculus. Subsequent remains have turned up in Birani, Equatorial Kundu, Kijuju, and Wadiya, indicating that the species ranged throughout the continent during the Middle Cretaceous.
Review: Elasmosaurus (Jurassic World: Gigantic Trackers by Mattel)
4.3 (35 votes)
One of the biggest and admittedly funniest fiascos in paleontological history involved the legendary American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope and the famous plesiosaur Elasmosaurus platyurus. The latter’s fossil remains were first discovered in 1867 in the Pierre Shale Formation of Kansas and formally described by Cope in 1869.
Review: Eotyrannus (Beasts of the Mesozoic by Creative Beast Studio)
4.2 (42 votes)
As the Neovenator pair appears on the scene, the nesting Iguanodons begin rising to their feet and bellowing aggressively. The carnivores pace back and forth rapidly in front of them, jaws snapping and sharp eyes scanning for any discernible weaknesses as they attempt to panic the big herbivores into stampeding.
Review: Ceratosuchops (CollectA)
4.4 (55 votes)
For many years, the only described spinosaur from the United Kingdom was the famous baryonychine Baryonyx. That finally changed in 2021 with the announcement of two additional species: Riparovenator milnerae and Ceratosuchops inferdios. Both were discovered in the Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight, both are estimated to have been around 8.5 metres in length, and both have been determined to be more closely related to Suchomimus than Baryonyx.
Review: Nanuqsaurus (CollectA)
4.1 (50 votes)
Nanuqsaurus (“polar bear lizard”) is a poorly understood Alaskan tyrannosaurine that lived around 68 to 70 million years ago. Although it is presently known only from fragments of skull and an array of teeth, it recently received a major boost of publicity in 2022 by appearing in the first season of the fabulous Apple TV series Prehistoric Planet.
Review: Dearc (Deluxe by CollectA)
4.4 (59 votes)
Discovered in the Lealt Shale Formation on the Isle of Skye in Scotland in 2017, Dearc sgiathanach (pronounced ‘jark ski-a-naw-ka’) was a Middle Jurassic rhamphorhynchine pterosaur, and quite a large one at that. Its precise size is uncertain, but the estimated wingspan is between 1.9 and 3.8 metres, which makes it the largest known aligerous animal of its time as well as one of the largest known rhamphorhynchids.
Review: Dilophosaurus Ambush (Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary by LEGO)
4 (25 votes)
“Season’s greetings, fellow dinosaur lovers! Yes, it is us once again, Dr. Bella Bricking and my invaluable partner Beth Buildit, here to share some comfort and joy with the reviewing of yet another Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary set!”
“I can barely see with this thing on, Doc!”
“Let’s stick to the script, if you please, Beth.
Review: Dacentrurus (Haolonggood)
4.8 (48 votes)
Happy Hen Toys has generously provided me with my first ever Haolonggood review subject: Dacentrurus. The very first stegosaur to be formally described and named in 1875 (the original name was Omosaurus until someone realized in 1902 that it was already taken), Dacentrurus is estimated to have been up to nine metres in length and five metric tons in weight, making it presently the second largest known member of its family after Stegosaurus.