Mattel’s previous large sauropods made sense. Brachiosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Dreadnoughtus all had significant screen time in the Jurassic franchise. And even though Mattel dutifully, and shockingly, made toys of them all, fans wanted more.
Classification: Sauropod
Review: Dreadnoughtus (CollectA)
4.2 (53 votes)
Review and images by bmathison1972; edited by Suspsy
Dreadnoughtus schrani is a titanosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian) of present-day South America. Remains of only two individuals have been described to date, both from the Cerro Fortaleza Formation in Argentina.
Review: Nigersaurus (Jurassic World Dino Trackers, Wild Roar by Mattel)
3.2 (29 votes)
Nigersaurus is a genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod that was discovered in the Elrhaz Formation in Niger, Africa. It lived during the middle Cretaceous and is notable for its small size (by sauropod standards), short neck, and bizarrely shaped broad muzzle packed with over 500 teeth.
Review: Ampelosaurus (1:35 Scientific Art and Model by Haolonggood)
4.3 (47 votes)
Review and images by bmathison1972; edited by Suspsy
Ampelosaurus atacis is a titanosaur described in 1995 from fossils from the Late Cretaceous (Early Maastrichtian) of present day France. Interestingly, in 2012 morphometric studies of titanosaur fossils from the area showed the presence of a second, currently undescribed species of titanosaur, bringing into question historic reconstructions of the animal (a little more on that later in the review).
Review: Dino Trackers Minis (Jurassic World by Mattel)
3.8 (28 votes)
Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy
Being a heavy collector of the Mattel Jurassic World line, it’s not often I give attention to their fantastic line of minis despite having collected a good portion of them ever since the line’s launch in 2018.
Review: Dicraeosaurus (Haolonggood/GR Toys)
4.6 (111 votes)
Sauropods are typically famous for their immense size and shape; genera like Mamenchisaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Patagotitan were among the very longest, most massive animals ever to walk the Earth. Every rule has its exception, though.
Review: 3D Dinosaur Pictorial Book (The Access)
3.3 (55 votes)
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.
Review: Ruyangosaurus (Deluxe by CollectA)
4.9 (89 votes)
Haoran is enjoying himself as always when relieving the itches along his colossal body by rubbing against the coarse bark of a far more colossal tree. Seeking to scratch both the top and the bottom of his neck at once, he squeezes it between two thick, knobbly branches and grunts with pleasure at the sensation.
Review: Dinosaurs III (Authentics Habitat Collection by Safari ltd.)
3.7 (15 votes)
The final set of Safari’s first forays into dinosaur miniatures features a charming blend of aesthetics, and also serves in retrospect as a tribute to a dawning hobby and its burgeoning artists.
In 1994, Battat was commissioned by the Boston Museum to produce what would become one of the most praised toy lines in dinosaur collecting.
Review: Dreadnoughtus (Jurassic World: Dominion by Mattel)
4.5 (44 votes)
Dreadnoughtus schrani was a species of titanosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous in what is now Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It was discovered in 2005 in the Cerro Fortaleza Formation by Kenneth Lacovara and described in 2014. The name Dreadnoughtus translates to “fears nothing,” and what an apt name it is.
Review: Ampelosaurus (Jurassic World: Dominion, Massive Action by Mattel)
4 (38 votes)
Confession time. I like ugly sauropods. In fact, my favorite sauropod is widely regarded as one of the ugliest, Camarasaurus. And I’m one of the few collectors that likes the Schleich Barapasaurus, which I reviewed for the blog upon its release.
Review: Prehistoric Tube C (CollectA)
4.3 (27 votes)
Since they first started producing tube sets back in 2015, CollectA has covered a pretty decent variety of prehistoric life, wild animals, sea creatures, and farm stock. In 2021, they went back to the beginning with a third dinosaur (mostly) set consisting of ten figures, all based on previously released toys.