It is not uncommon in the world of dinosaur toys to come across ones that appear to defy easy classification. Such is the case with the Chap Mei toy I will be reviewing here. If memory serves me correctly, the original packaging for this creature described it as a Pteranodon. Anyone who knows their pterosaurs, however, can plainly see that...
Ah, Parasaurolophus. By virtue of its distinctive tube-shaped crest, it has become the “default” hadrosaur, the one most frequently depicted in films, television, and toys. This particular piece of plastic we’ll be looking at comes courtesy of Chap Mei. From the tip of its bill to the curve in its tail, this dinosaur measures 21.5 cm long. Its colour scheme...
Rounding out my electronic Chap Mei toys is that scrappy (and in this case, rather scary) thick-headed lizard, Pachycephalosaurus! This rather dubious-looking dinosaur measures 25 cm long and stands 17 cm tall when hunched over. The main colours are light brown and dark brown with beige accents, electric blue stripes, white teeth, and translucent orange for the eyes and the...
Another staple of the Chap Mei prehistoric line is that famous, finned, and fearsome fish-eater from Early Cretaceous Africa, Spinosaurus! This version of the spined lizard measures a good 28 cm long and stands about 16 cm tall at the sail. It is posed in the classic theropod stance with the mouth open wide, the arms flailing, one foot in...
As Styracosaurus is to Triceratops, Kentrosaurus is to Stegosaurus. This thorny little thyreophoran would have been a risky meal for any Jurassic predator. Chap Mei’s electronic Kentrosaurus figure measures just under 28 cm long and stands 15.5 cm at the tip of its back plates. Very light grey is the main colour with medium and dark blue running down the...
Beginning with Jurassic Park in 1993, Velociraptor has been a household name, a dinosaur that everybody knows—or thinks they know. Our understanding of this diminutive dromaeosaurid has changed quite a lot over the past three decades, thus rendering the scaly, lizard-like depictions completely obsolete. Unfortunately, the public is still slow to accept this reality, and it doesn’t help when toy...
With its huge nasal horn and intimidating array of frill horns, Styracosaurus is probably the second most recognizable ceratopsian after Triceratops. The Chap Mei electronic Styracosaurus is a massive beast measuring 24 cm long and standing 13 tall at the tip of its spikes. Its main colour is olive green with dark grey stripes, a yellowish underbelly, off white beak...
Chap Mei is well known for producing cheap, slightly over-the-top dinosaur toys to be sold under a wide variety of labels. They can currently be found at Toys R Us as part of the Animal Planet toyline. Here we have Chap Mei’s electronic Tyrannosaurus rex. This iconic beast stands around 17 cm tall and measures 27 cm long. It is...
As recently featured on the Plesiosaur Directory toys page, there is a new Liopleurodon toy on the scene. Considering the rarity of Liopleurodon toys, coupled with the huge popularity of this pliosaur, this Liopleurodon figure is sure to be a collector’s item. It’s part of the second series of Dinovalley, produced by Chap Mei. The Dinovalley series is similar to...
Cheap and cheerful. I think these two words pretty much sum up the dinosaur figures produced by Chap Mei. They are quite unusual, like a cross between Hasbro’s Jurassic Park action figures and, umm, I’m not sure – something else. Barney the Dinosaur? Chap Mei dinosaurs come in plenty of different packages – this Suchomimus came in ‘Dinosaur Safari’ packaging...
