Japan has a prolific industry for collectibles and merchandise, although it is a fairly insular market that western collectors might find tricky to break into. There are always new surprises to uncover from riches of new releases each year. One such item which caught my attention in 2022 was a set of minifigures produced by The Access, a company dedicated to planning, manufacturing, and wholesaling a variety of in-house products for multiple age ranges.
Classification: Ornithopod
Review: Anatosaurus (Edmontosaurus) (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
3.9 (42 votes)
The Definitely Dinosaurs line by Playskool was a series of dinosaur toys produced in the late 80’s and early 90’s. For those unfamiliar with them they were basically the more toddler-friendly version of Tyco’s Dino-Riders. Some of them, like the Stegosaurus, were eerily similar to their Tyco counterparts.
Review: Anatosaurus (Kleinwelka)
4 (8 votes)
With more and more Marx figures dropping in, I want to add something vintage from a German line that also calls for being completed on the blog. The history of Kleinwelka figures has been thoroughly told at least as far as my knowledge goes, so let`s get straight to the figure.
Review: Anatosaurus AKA Edmontosaurus (Wendy’s Exclusive from Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
4 (37 votes)
Review and photographs by Charles Peckham, edited by Suspsy
Before we get into talking about this toy, I think it’s worthwhile to discuss the history of the genus that we’re calling Anatosaurus, especially since this is the first review of a toy labeled with that genus on this website.
Review: Anatotitan (Sue at The Field Museum by Safari Ltd)
4.6 (21 votes)
In 2005, Safari LTD produced a line of 4 figures for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, IL. Among these is one of the best hadrosaur figures of recent years. Most famous for its role as the hapless victim of Tyrannosaurus in the classic Walking With Dinosaurs series, Anatotitan was a large hadrosaur that lived 68 – 65 million years ago in North America, coexisting with more famous dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and Ankylosaurus.
Review: Ancient Fossils (Toob by Safari Ltd)
4 (28 votes)
Of all the product lines offered by stalwart manufacturer Safari Ltd, the “Toob®” line gives them the freest rein to explore unusual taxa. I’m personally fondest of the Toobs that furnish small versions of small animals that might scale well with Safari’s full-size figurines. We’ve reviewed some of their most interesting Toobs featuring “alive” animals here, here, here, here, and here.
Review: Atlascopcosaurus (Lost Kingdoms Series B by Yowie)
3.7 (6 votes)
Once more, we take a look at another Yowie model of an ancient creature based on a slim evidence. In this case though, it does have better basis than others. Here, we see Atlascopcosaurus, an animal based on dentary found from early Cretaceous strata of Dinosaur cove, Australia.
Review: Brachylophosaurus (Jasman)
3.2 (13 votes)
As promised, or should I say threatened, we’re continuing on with my series of Jasman toy reviews. This time we’re looking at a curious little fellow, it’s an ornithopod of sorts, but one of questionable identity. Apparently this figure has been advertised as Maiasaura, Brachylophosaurus, and Iguanodon.
Review: Brighstoneus (CollectA)
4.8 (84 votes)
In 1978 (the same year I was born), the fossil remains of a hadrosauriform dinosaur were discovered at Brighstone Bay on the Isle of Wight. The remains were sent to the British Museum of Natural History (now the Natural History Museum) in London and declared to be those of the famous Iguanodon.
Review: Callovosaurus (Jurassic World: Primal Attack by Mattel)
4 (20 votes)
Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy
There’s been a trend in Mattel’s Jurassic World line to not only include the various species from the films, but also ones that have only appeared in the books. This explains the inclusion of the obscure Callovosaurus, a dryosaurid known from fragmentary remains found in England.
Review: Camptosaurus (CollectA)
2.4 (26 votes)
One of the very first ornithopods I ever learned about as a small child was Camptosaurus, a mid-sized member of the iguanodontian clade hailing from Late Jurassic North America. Due to its utter lack of horns, spikes, and armour, it has long been depicted in books and museum displays as “stock fodder,” either fleeing from or being eaten alive by the merciless Allosaurus.
Review: Corythosaurus (Antediluvia Collection)
4.2 (17 votes)
Corythosaurus is a relatively well known duck-billed dinosaur, or hadrosaur that lived in what is now Canada about 80-72 million years ago. Its name means “helmet reptile” because of the shape of the hollow crest that adorns its skull. The Corythosaurus that is part of the tiny and beautiful Antediluvia Collection, sculpted by artist, David Krentz, is no short of stunning just like the rest of the members of this collection.