When we think of sauropods, we usually think of giants like Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, and Patagotitan. The very first sauropod ever to be discovered, however, was Cetiosaurus. Described and named by Sir Richard Owen in 1842, it measured around 15 metres in length and 11 tons in mass. That may seem small compared to those other sauropods mentioned above, but Cetiosaurus nevertheless remains one of the United Kingdom’s largest known dinosaurs.
Unfortunately, Cetiosaurus hasn’t received very much attention from toy companies. To my knowledge, there’s the classic Invicta figure and this 2008 figure by CollectA. Right off the bat, that early date should alert you to the inevitable likelihood that this isn’t a very good representation. And you’d be correct, I’m afraid. But let’s get the basics out of the way first. From nose to tail tip, this sauropod measures 22.5 cm long and is around 6 cm tall at the back. It is sculpted in a casual walking stance with its neck held nearly straight out in front and its tail raised high.
The Cetiosaurus is coloured dark green with a brownish underbelly, silvery green accents, dark grey claws, and yellow eyes. The sculpting is nothing to write home about: basic heavy wrinkles and skin folds all over. I will also note that this poor fellow has one of the saddest-looking expressions I’ve ever seen on a dinosaur toy. 🙁
As well as lacklustre detail, this Cetiosaurus doesn’t score high in the accuracy category either. While the entire skeleton is still unknown, it’s safe to say that there are too many claws on the front feet, the neck is too short, and the skull is too small and the wrong shape. Click here and here for a better idea of what this animal probably looked like.
As I’ve noted in previous reviews, CollectA has done a great job in recent years of releasing brand new and improved versions of their older dinosaurs such as Iguanodon and Styracosaurus. It would certainly be wonderful if they did the same for Cetiosaurus in the future. In the mean time, you can safely give this toy a pass.
Sorry, little dude. But I know for a fact that the children in the kindergarten class I donated you to were thrilled to have you!
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Years ago I wanted to get this figure due to it being small and cheap but then I would hold it in my hand and just couldn’t bring myself to get it.
Ah the Procon days! This and the rebbachisaurus are two early sauropods from them I would hope to see get a makeover.
They have a charm for sure, like cartoon characters.
He is not a brilliant figure but I liked him a lot in his day. It belongs to Collecta’s dark ages and it is urgent to update the cetiosaurus by Collecta and bring it to the same level of genius at least as its Invicta counterpart. Short but very successful review.
Yes, Kindergarten and daycare classes are an excellent destination for outdated figures. Certainly those with some degree of ruggedness to their fabrication. I’ve probably donated over a hundred dinos to these places. Still holding onto my CollectA Cetiosaurus though, for some reason.