This has been a good year for fans of the early Cretaceous allosauroid, Acrocanthosaurus. Battat re-released their classic model, Rebor is getting in on the action with their own representation and CollectA has come out with their deluxe version of the theropod. Critics of the CollectA model point out that it looks awfully similar to last year’s Carcharadontosaurus. I suppose...
At four metres tall, eight metres long, and more than two tons in weight, Gigantoraptor is by far the biggest known oviraptorosaurid. Its toothless lower jaw suggests a herbivorous diet (the rest of the skull is unknown), but its powerful limbs and sharp claws meant that it was not an animal to be trifled with. CollectA’s 2009 Gigantoraptor figure is...
Chalicotheres were an unusual family of ungulates related to the similarly extinct brontotheres as well as extant horses, rhinos, and tapirs. At over 8 feet tall, Moropus was one of the largest chalicotheres. Unlike its smaller relatives, it appears to have walked on its palms as opposed to its knuckles. The 2015 CollectA Moropus stands just under 13 cm tall...
Her limbs paddling, her tail undulating, her great sail cutting through the water like a razor blade, the angler pursues her quarry. Although she cannot see in the murky water, her narrow snout contains pressure sensors that detect the slightest movement. A quick jerk of her neck, a snap of her jaws, and a fat coelacanth is caught. The angler...
Discovered on the Isle of Wight, UK, Neovenator was one of Europe’s deadliest dinosaurs, preying on the likes of Hypsilophodon and Iguanodon. CollectA’s first stab at Neovenator was a Standard class toy, and from the photos I’ve seen, it was nothing to write home about. This second version, released in 2012, stands 10 cm tall and measures 27.5 cm long...
Under attack, the young warrior lashes out desperately. Although he possesses great strength and weaponry, his stamina is fading and his attackers are many. His thagomizer swings through the air, but then one of the allosaurs manages to seize it just behind the spikes and hold on furiously. Immediately, the other allosaurs rush in, biting and clawing without mercy. Moaning...
Ornithocheirus shot to fame in 1999 when it starred in an episode of the fabulous BBC series Walking With Dinosaurs. Since then, however, scientists have determined that the pterosaur featured was in fact a species of Tropeognathus. The best-known Ornithocheirus species, O. simus, had a respectable wingspan of around five metres, but that was nowhere near the size of giants...
Smilodon, the legendary sabre-toothed cat (not tiger!), is rivalled in popularity among prehistoric mammals only by the woolly mammoth. Despite the fearsome appearance of its huge canines, they were actually quite fragile and could not have withstood the stress of struggling prey. Instead, Smilodon probably used its great strength to immobilize a victim before driving its canines into the throat...
The carcass is days old, decaying, and beset with insects, but that means nothing to the marauder. He seizes the prize in his monstrous jaws and crunches down decisively. Bone fragments, crushed marrow, rancid meat, and still-wiggling maggots all disappear down his throat. He pauses only to emit a wet belch before resuming his feast. Daeodon was the largest of...
Having gorged himself on flesh and liver of hadrosaur, the sovereign rises to his full height. He raises his fiery red crest, opens his blood-streaked jaws, and bellows a warning to the landscape. He then retreats to a shady grove a short distance away. As he settles down to rest, his dark eyes remain fixed on his half-eaten kill. Though...
Review and photos by stargatedalek This is my third review for the Dinosaur Toy Blog and I feel honored to be reviewing this absolute gem from CollectA for 2015! I would like to apologize beforehand about the state of the room, my regular office was in use today. I didn’t have a ruler on hand for scale in the photos...
Review and photographs by Tallin, edited by Plesiosauria. Kentrosaurus aethiopicus, the ‘sharp point’ or ‘prickle’ lizard, is one of the better known members of the stegosaur family, and though vastly overshadowed by its American cousin – Stegosaurus stenops – it has still managed to have several representations in toy form. Perhaps one of the tiniest of these is the CollectA...
