Review and photographs by Stolpergeist, edited by Suspsy
Spinosaurus has always been an animal of mystery; the way it has been depicted over the years changes drastically with each new discovery. Just last year, we saw a huge change in its appearance with a new publication about its tail.
With all the new rexes (to be) released, let`s have a look to the past for a change. Almost 30 years ago, in the year 1992 the Californian company Horizon released a small number of high quality dinosaur models made from vinyl. Two of these models are already covered here on the blog, the Elasmosaurus and the Stegosaurus.
Review and photos by Charles Peckham, edited by Suspsy
Trying to find information about either the creator of these toys, a Chinese company named Yantai, or their American distributor, Learnplay Inc., isn’t easy. According to one of the few sources I was able to find, Yantai has been around since 2011 and their Halftoy line is just one of hundreds of designs they have made.
Aging and death are two facts of life that many of us has chosen to ignore. In a society that has placed an almost obsessive quest for youth, beauty, and perfection, it’s no surprise that these two inevitable life events remain hidden, lurking in the dark shadows.
Review and images by PhilSauria, edited by Suspsy
If you are of a certain age then chances are that this animal was not among the species in the dinosaur books that you may have had growing up. Formal recognition came in 1995 (by Rodolfo Coria & Leonardo Salgado) with its name, Giganotosaurus, meaning “giant southern lizard.” A reference to its location in the Southern Hemisphere with remains found in Argentina at the Candeleros Formation.
In late 2020 Safari Ltd. teased their upcoming dinosaurs with silhouettes of the figures, with two particularly interesting ones, the “fantasy” T. rex and Triceratops. Since Safari Ltd. had just acquired the rights to produce merchandise for the television show Dino Dana, it was assumed by many that those dinosaurs were part of that line.
Review and images by PhilSauria, edited by Suspsy
Tyrannosaurus rex. Now there’s a name that conjures up all sorts of images, but what’s left to say about this iconic animal? Probably not a lot, but in the case of this figure, Schleich seemed to think that they had something different to offer.
Repaints have been a mainstay of every single Jurassic Park and Jurassic World toyline since the very beginning, but retools are much less common. Probably the most famous and popular retool is the 2009 Tyrannosaurus rex by Hasbro that was created using Kenner’s Lost World Bull from more than a decade earlier.
Eight short years ago I wrote a glowing review for the CollectA Deluxe Carcharodontosaurus. At the time the praise was deserved, aside from a Safari toy from the 1990’s there weren’t any other options for the “jagged toothed lizard”. CollectA’s model filled a vacant niche, and it was in turn followed by a new model of the genus from Safari in 2016.
Every fall, Safari Ltd announces their releases for the upcoming year. Understandably, probably owing to the pandemic and the attendant slowdown in trade, their announcements for 2021 were pretty limited, only three new items in the core dinosaur range. I confess I was a bit disappointed that all three were theropods, not being a particular fan of the clade (or at least not of the apex predators in the clade).
Review and photos by Zim, edited by Suspsy
Among theropods from the Cretaceous period, Tyrannosaurus, Giganotosaurus, and Spinosaurus instantly come to people’s minds due to their sheer size and ferocity, as well as Velociraptor for its swiftness and intelligence (which is exaggerated by Jurassic Park).
The carcharodontosaurid family contains some of the very biggest flesh-eating dinosaurs known to science: Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus, Tyrannotitan, Acrocanthosaurus, and Carcharodontosaurus itself. But it also includes a much smaller and stranger-looking member: the humpbacked and possibly feathered Concavenator.
