Every now and again, something rather interesting pops up that you wouldn’t expect to be as good as you’d think. The toy sets you would see at supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl, often seen as cheap item makers, having something worth getting. Here, we examine the Joy City line on prehistoric animals, a counterpoint to there Dinosaur wave, which seems more typical chinasaur.
Classification: Mammal
Review: Diprotodon (Lost Kingdoms Series A by Yowie)
3.3 (4 votes)
Marsupials are a fascinating group of mammals. With the ability to have multiple young at once and pouches to keep them safe. They have been around for millions of years, now restricted to Australia and South America. Australia once had the largest member of this class: Diprotodon, a giant Wombat relative the size of rhinos, they died out 50,000 years ago, just as the first Aborigines came to Australia.
Review: Andrewsarchus (Play Visions)
2.2 (9 votes)
Part 3 of 4 – Large Play visions Prehistoric mammals
Dust funnels swept across the dry and hot landscape. It’s been months since the last rain and the vegetations, once lush, has now turned brown. Animals that inhabit this environment are under tremendous stress as they seek out food and shelter from the exhausting heat.
Review: Basilosaurus (Recur)
4.3 (32 votes)
When anatomist Richard Harlan was presented with the fossil remains of a huge marine creature in 1834, he thought it must have been a reptile like Plesiosaurus or Mosasaurus, and therefore bestowed upon it the name Basilosaurus, “king lizard.” But when Sir Richard Owen later examined the teeth, he noted their double-rooted nature, which is a signature of mammals.
Review: Palorchestes (Play Visions large and mini figure)
4.4 (10 votes)
Review and photos by Bokisaurus
Part 2 of 4 – Large Play Visions Prehistoric mammals
This will be a series of four reviews. I decided that each of the figures in the set warrants their own review instead of combined into one. I will also cover the mini version that was from a separate set of 8 figures.
The four large figure with the book the figures were based on.
Review: Sabre-Toothed Cat (Arctic Air Transport by LEGO City)
4 (8 votes)
“Good day to you all, fellow prehistory lovers! Yes, it is I, Dr. Bella Bricking, along with my always faithful associate, Beth Buildit. And as you can clearly see, we are once again dressed for an epic adventure in the coldest regions of the globe!”“Yeah, that’s right, folks, an epic adventure taking place on the exact same desk in the exact same basement as always, and in the middle of summer, no less.
Review: Steller’s Sea Cow (Club Earth)
3.7 (3 votes)
The gluttony of humanity has had catastrophic effect on the flora and fauna of the world, resulting in destruction and extinction. The example here is a clear exhibition of this: the Steller’s Sea Cow, a sirenian colossus that once lived in the Bering straits, it was wiped out by Europeans within 27 years of it’s discovery, being easy to catch and full of tender meat.
Review: Smilodon (Play visions large mammal set)
2.5 (4 votes)
Review and photos by Bokisaurus
Part 1 of 4 – Large Play visions Prehistoric mammals
This will be a series of four reviews. I decided that each of the figures in the set warrants their own review instead of combined into one. I will also cover the mini version that was from a separate set of 8 figures. So, for the next few installments, I will try and post one from this set in-between others just to break it up a bit.Enjoy.
Review: Woolly Mammoth (Marx)
4 (8 votes)
Why is a requirement that every line of toy dinosaurs includes the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)? Even if said company otherwise ignores extinct mammals there is almost always a woolly mammoth and this is especially true with vintage companies.
Review: Smilodon (Marx)
4.1 (7 votes)
In addition to a diverse assortment of dinosaurs Marx also produced quite a few other prehistoric animals. Some, like the Dimetrodon and Pteranodon were obvious additions to the line; others like the Cynognathus are more surprising additions.
Review: Fossil Whale/Mammalodon (Yowie Lost Kingdoms, Series B)
3.5 (4 votes)
Recently, a thought occurred to me. I’ve been reviewing ancient fauna for several years but, in spite of having a user name based on ancient cetacea, I have yet to review a fossil whale. Time to change that with none other than THE fossil whale.
Review: Hipparion (Jurassic Hunters by Geoworld)
3.6 (7 votes)
Ancient horses really don’t get much love in the toy market. Aside from Starlux and Bullyland, no one has added to the herd of prehistoric equinids. That is until Geoworld brought out their rendition of Hipparion, one of the most successful horses ever, lasting 22 million years and covering almost every continent, before dying off in the Mid-Pleistocene, possibly being out competed by the modern horse.