Review and photographs by Patrx, edited by Plesiosauria.
Archaeopteryx lithographica, the famous “ancient wing”, was named for a single wing feather found in the Solnhofen Lagerstätten in 1861. That feather would soon be joined by more fossils, adding up to a remarkably detailed body of evidence for the creature’s shape, anatomy, and integument.
Classification: Theropod
Review: Velociraptor “Alpha” (Jurassic Park: Dinosaurs by Hasbro)
1.8 (17 votes)
The closure of Kenner by parent company Hasbro in 2000 meant that an entirely different team would design the toys for Jurassic Park 3. Many dinosaur collectors, including myself, feel that the quality of the line took a major nosedive as a result.
Review: Spinosaurus (1992) (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd.)
2.8 (14 votes)
For today’s review, we are going to travel back in time, to such an unimaginably distant era that the world as we know today it simply didn’t exist… specifically, the year 1992. For lovers of carnivorous dinosaurs, this was a simpler and more innocent time.
Review: Velociraptor (2015) (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd.)
4.5 (19 votes)
So this is it – the very end of the Carnegie Collection. At least we got our feathered Velociraptor before the final bow. It’s by no means perfect, but it should at least prove more popular than last year’s bafflingly despised T.
Review: Velociraptor “Cyclops” (Jurassic Park: Dinosaurs by Kenner)
3.5 (16 votes)
The various Jurassic Park lines have given us many Velociraptor toys over the years (and more still to come). One of the more interesting ones is the battle-hardened “Cyclops.”
Cyclops first appeared in the 1997 Lost World line, but like many of the smaller JP toys, it was re-released in subsequent years.
Review: Saurophaganax (CollectA)
3.6 (16 votes)
History: Saurophaganax is not a well known theropod dinosaur from the late Jurassic, even though it was originally found in the early 1930’s. Considering how large this dinosaur was, which has been estimated to be around 43 feet long, you would think it would get a little more press.
Review: Yutyrannus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)
4.6 (28 votes)
Review and photographs by Tallin, edited by Plesiosauria.
Approximately 125 million years ago, Northern China had a similar temperature to today – it was cold – at least by Mesozoic standards. Indeed, the Yixian Formation of China shows that the climate of this part of early Cretaceous China would have had an average temperature of only 10°C.
Approximately 125 million years ago, Northern China had a similar temperature to today – it was cold – at least by Mesozoic standards. Indeed, the Yixian Formation of China shows that the climate of this part of early Cretaceous China would have had an average temperature of only 10°C.
Review: Bistahieversor (CollectA)
4.5 (21 votes)
Bistahieversor was a large basal tyrannosaurid hailing from New Mexico. ‘Bistahi’ is a Navajo word that refers to the Bisti badlands where the dinosaur’s fossil remains were discovered while ‘eversor’ appropriately means ‘destroyer.’
In stark contrast to 2013’s lethargic Daspletosaurus, the 2014 CollectA Bistahieversor is sculpted in a dynamic action pose.
Review: Daspletosaurus (CollectA)
3.5 (15 votes)
One of my favourite activities as a child was seeing the dinosaur skeletons at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario. And my favourite one was the Daspletosaurus, due to the fact that it so closely resembled Tyrannosaurus rex.
Review: Liliensternus (CollectA)
3 (11 votes)
History: Ah the Triassic, a vastly important but overlooked period of time that occurred before the Jurassic. The Triassic began in the wake of the massive die off and it would take 30 million years for life to recover. Strange and magnificent beasts emerged from the dust and battled for control of Pangaea.
Review: Archaeopteryx (Papo)
4.1 (19 votes)
First discovered in 1861, Archaeopteryx lithographica was the first fossil to demonstrate an evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds. As such, it rightly remains one of the most famous and important fossils in the history of paleontology.
Archaeopteryx rounds out Papo’s prehistoric assortment for 2014 and it does seem fitting that their first feathered dinosaur should be the legendary Ancient Wing itself.
Review: Tyrannosaurus rex (Juvenile by CollectA)
4.9 (54 votes)
Weaving nimbly through the trees, the princess pursues her furry prey. With a final burst of speed, she pounces on the small mammal and crushes its squirming body with her razor-sharp teeth. As she trots back to her nest and her parents, her prey gripped tightly in her jaws, this former fledgling is unaware that she has taken a crucial step toward becoming the undisputed ruler of her world.