Nearly 60 years after Mold-A-Rama imprinted itself as an icon of American toy memorabilia, The Field Museum of Chicago collaborated with Mold-A-Rama to produce a brand-new prehistoric creature in classic plastic form.
Mold-A-Rama figures have been an icon of dinosaur toy collecting for decades. Originally conceived in the 1950s by Tike Miller for personal use, the first official molding machines were revealed to the world at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair by Automatic Retailers of America.
It’s rare for me to audibly gasp from surprise, but that was exactly how I reacted in 2019 when I rounded the corner to the Chicago Field Museum’s “Evolving Planet” exhibit, and came face-to-face with the colossus now standing guard outside the exhibit entrance. When preparation began for installing Maximo the Patagotitan in the Field’s main hall, while Sue the T.
Overall this appears to be a fine representation of Quetzalcoatlus in many details, but when it comes to some of this animal’s most integral and challenging features the figurine actually falls short.
Having grown up familiar with the titanic pterosaur being featured in books and television programs, it’s sometimes surprising for me to remember that Quetzalcoatlus is a relatively recent discovery in the history of paleontology.
When the prologue (and later, trailer) for Jurassic World: Dominion dropped, it was met with a lot of grievances from our community. To be fair, there was a lot to gripe about, from anachronistic animals mingling together, to the sloppy anatomy typical of the franchise.
Although Quetzalcoatlus finally made its onscreen debut in 2022 courtesy of Jurassic World: Dominion, longtime collectors know full well that Kenner released a toy of the colossal azdharchid all the way back in 1994, which has still not yet been reviewed for the blog (although you can get a fairly good idea of what it was like from my review of the Lost World Pteranodon).
Review and photos by Bokisaurus
In what will one day be known as the Southern United States, vast herds of dinosaurs once roamed this desolate and hauntingly beautiful landscape.Large and small dinosaurs dotted the landscape, some moving in large herd while others like the huge sauropod Alamosaurus tower over them as they slowly make their way across the plains.
Time will tell if some of Araki’s artistic license proves true, but there are still definite issues with the design which may turn off more serious-minded collectors.
While long-established companies like Safari Ltd. and Schleich have been going steady, and rising stars like Rebor and PNSO have been conquering the collecting market worldwide, Japanese companies like Favorite have been tending to their own corner of the scene.
Review and photos by dinoguy2, edited by Suspsy
The first series in the Dino-Riders line, released in 1987, is not exactly known for its scientific accuracy. The second series brought us some frankly very radical-looking Dinosaur Renaissance style figures, including a very modern take on Kentrosaurus and even a feathered Struthiomimus.
Remains of what we accept as Quetzalcoatlus were discovered 1971 in North American Big Bend National Park by Douglas A.
Out of all the weird and wonderful pterosaurs, Rhamphorhynchus is arguably the one we know the most about thanks to many gorgeous fossil specimens with preserved soft tissues such as beak tips, crests, and even brains as well as the wing membranes and the tail vane.
In my last review, for the PNSO Centrosaurus, I stated that “paintjobs seldom make or break a figure for me, and if the paint is well applied, I’m usually still happy with the product.” Generally speaking, that statement is true, but there are exceptions.
