Guest post by John Hall Many people are fascinated by the mythology of Atlantis, the legend that there was once an entire continent that was lost to the rest of the world when Atlantis sunk beneath the waves during some awful, ancient cataclysm. Less widely appreciated however, is the fact that the icy wastes of Antarctica represent a real-life Atlantis...
Having recently reviewed the Bullyland Liliensternus, I thought it fitting to do another Triassic dinosaur that lived with and was possibly preyed upon by Liliensternus. I’m talking of course about everyone’s favorite basal sauropodomorph, Plateosaurus. This one was put out by CollectA in 2011. CollectA is known for their production of obscure species so it is no surprise that this...
Guest review by Niroot Puttapipat (Himmapaan) Diplodocids are largely represented in figure form by the ubiquitous Apatosaurus (or ‘generic-o-pod’, as a certain friend and esteemed colleague has it), with Diplodocus itself being relatively few in number. I greeted the news of the CollectA model with mixed feelings; glad that there is another to add to the list, but afraid, quite...
Diabloceratops, thanks no doubt to its distinctive appearance, media exposure and – of course – that irresistible name, is proving to be quite popular with dinosaur toy manufacturers. This year, both Collecta and Safari are releasing a figure (the latter in their Wild Safari range), with Collecta’s being first out of the blocks. It’s a far cry from their bad...
Review and photos by Nathan Morris (AKA ‘Takama’), edited by Plesiosauria. Megacerops was a large odd-toed ungulate that lived during the Late Eocene in North America. It is most commonly referred to by the synonymous name Brontotherium. Brontotherium means ‘thunder beast’, and its origins come from an old American legend that suggest that these beasts ran across the clouds, while...
One of the standout pieces in CollectA’s 2012 lineup is this 1:15 scale reconstruction of Triceratops. The creation of this piece was certainly influenced by the success of CollectA’s giant 1:15 Tyrannosaurus model. However, while the giant Rex was essentially a “blown up” version of their popular “Deluxe” sized figure, this Triceratops is an entirely new sculpt. It is a...
Guest review by forumite ‘Australovenator‘ CollectA’s lineup of prehistoric figures for 2012 shows a company on the cusp of greatness. Having listened to the criticism of the collectors themselves, the company has upped the quality and indeed accuracy of their mass produced figurines. While this cannot be said for this year’s entire crop (*cough, cough* T. rex with prey *cough...
Following their excellent Therizinosaurus, Deinocheirus and Triceratops carcass, 2012 was really starting to look like CollectA’s year – a number of superb models and a distinct lack of genuine stinkers. Sadly, this model looks set to break that good run, and even more unfortunate is that it’s yet another dodgy T. rex. Like the world needed any more of those…...
Perhaps the most highly anticipated (especially by me) Collecta release of 2012 is finally here, and it doesn’t disappoint. Highly speculative as it is, this might just be Collecta’s best dinosaur model to date. It’s big, too – bigger than you might expect, at almost 30cm (1ft) long and 11cm tall at the hips. Collecta claim a 1:40 scale, but...
Review and photos by Nathan Morris (‘Takama’). Edited by Plesiosauria. Velociraptor is a true staple when it comes to dinosaurs. It has appeared in countless books and visual media, which has caused almost every toy company to produce one at some point in their lifetime. Unfortunately, almost every company churned out another scaly and outdated lizard-like creature. A good example...
Review and photos by forumite ‘australovenator’ (edited by Marc (Horridus)) CollectA’s lineup for 2011 featured a good handful of obscure dinosaurs for us collectors to be excited about. Being an Australian however, one creature on that list got me into a fan boy frenzy. That creature would be none other than good old Australovenator wintonensis. Australovenator was a medium-sized allosauroid...
I’ve been able to tear myself away from our sparkly new Dinosaur Toy Forum (please do register if you aren’t already a member) to dedicate a little time to our old friend the Dinosaur Toy Blog. It isn’t easy to find a respectable range of dinosaur toys in brick and mortar establishments these days. Even museum shops can disappoint with...
