Review by Mihnea Nicolae (aka Wildheart). Edited by Plesiosauria. Psittacosaurus (parrot lizard) was a small ceratopsian that lived during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now Eastern Asia. A number of species have been recognised so far based on the shape of their skulls and the area in which they were discovered. In contrast, many other dinosaur genera are...
Review by Dan, photos by Boki The CollecA lineup continues its tradition of introducing exotic species to the mass-produced figure market, admirably calling attention to animals that many have never before seen. The 2011 Hatzegopteryx may sound odd, but the appearance of this animal is quite familiar. One quick glance recalls the azhdarchid pterosaurs, known for their lengthy necks and…...
Nope, that’s not a spelling error or practical joke. There really is a dinosaur named “Irritator”. The Irritator was named as such because, as it passed through the unscrupulous hands of commercial fossil markets, many modifications were made to the original fossil in order to make it appear more desirable. Separating the real from the fake was a real pain...
Among prehistoric collectible enthusiasts, the company currently known as CollectA has a considerable reputation to cope with. Their figures, although competitively priced, have ranged anywhere from decent to embarrassing over the past few years. Fortunately, their lineup for 2011 kicks off with a batch of fresh faces that have clearly been more carefully constructed than their predecessors. So far, my...
Another in CollectA’s (a trademark of Procon) range is this hefty Rhomaleosaurus, which joins the terror bird Kelenken and the stegosaurid Dacentrurus in the ‘Deluxe’ line up for 2011. Funnily enough, my PhD research project was dedicated to the study of Rhomaleosaurus, so this pliosaur is particularly close to my heart. It’s nice to think that maybe my research led...
This year’s new Collecta figures represent a huge leap forward from their rather ugly forebears, and one of the most handsome in the lineup is this sizeable model of the phorusrhacid ‘terror bird’ Kelenken guillermoi, released as part of the ‘Deluxe’ range. It’s a real treat for anyone who’s recently developed a fascination with these sadly extinct enormous carnivorous avians...
Review by forumite Foooman666 (edited by Horridus) The subject of my review today has been previously reviewed here, but the review in question seems to have been removed, so I decided to do a new one myself. The toy I’m going to review is none other than the much loathed CollectA Eustreptospondylus. Eustreptospondylus itself was a mid-sized megalosaurid theropod from...
Review by Nicholas Anning (“Brontozaurus”), pictures by Zachary Perry (ZoPteryx) With the notable exception of Carnotaurus, abelisaurids have not often been made as toys. Lately, though, there has been a move towards renditions of less well-known species, perhaps because toys of the most famous dinosaurs are very common. An example of this is CollectA’s Majungasaurus. Majungasaurus (formerly ‘Majungatholus‘, which this...
Review by forumite Fooman666 (edited by Horridus) In my last review, I spoke about how many of CollectA’s dinosaurs were misses rather then hits, however I also mentioned that there are a handful of dinosaurs that are hits. This Herrerasaurus is one of them. Herrerasaurus is a dinosaur very rarely represented in toy form, so I applaud CollectA’s choice to...
Review by forumite Fooman666 (edited by Horridus) CollectA (a Procon brand) is one of the most despised names in dinosaur toy collecting. Their representations of often obscure dinosaurs are generally hit and miss, mostly misses. However this Tarbosaurus has the potential to be a hit. Tarbosaurus, for those who don’t know, was a smaller cousin of Tyrannosaurus. It terrorised...
Afrovenator – that’s one most people haven’t (and won’t) heard of. It almost makes me surprised that CollectA did one (but I guess if any of the mainstream dinosaur companies were to do one, it would be them). Afrovenator itself was a megalosaur (or allosaur or spinosaur, does anybody even know?) from mid-jurassic Africa, who was about thirty feet long,...
At long last, we come to CollectA’s first effort to bring the ever-popular Maniraptora clade to their generously proportioned Deluxe line. It’s hard to go wrong with Velociraptor; the name is known throughout the world, and the basic body plan remains recognizable despite the efforts of a certain motion picture. Complicating matters is the incorporation of feathers, which many mainstream...
