Dilophosaurus (Jurassic Park, Hammond Collection by Mattel)

It is with a heavy heart that I share my review of the Hammond Collection Dilophosaurus because I’m not the one that was supposed to review it. Fellow reviewer, EmperorDinobot (Luis Perez) was supposed to write about this one but on July 21^st he passed away. His membership on the forum predates my own and his first blog review was posted in 2008, making him one of the only reviewers to have stuck around since the very beginning.  Although my interactions with him were few and far between I have fond memories of participating in his Jurassic World vs. Minions photo contest back in 2015, and thanks to his eBay shop (100% positive feedback) he helped a lot of collectors fill in gaps in their collections. Although long plagued by health issues he was a constant presence on the forum with unmatched enthusiasm for the hobby. He will be missed, and his absence will be felt.

This review is for you, Luis Perez (Nov. 3, 1988-July 21, 2025). Rest in peace.

The Hammond Collection Dilophosaurus was released in 2022 and suffered from poor distribution and a short shelf life. As a result, it is now one of the most coveted figures in the Hammond Collection, commanding a price tag of over a hundred bucks on eBay, even for loose figures. The desire for it makes sense, this is one of only six dinosaurs that appeared in Jurassic Park and the movie’s unique take on this dinosaur makes it instantly recognizable and iconic.

The Hammond Collection Dilophosaurus stands about 2.75” (6.99 cm) tall at the hips and measures 8.25” (20.96 cm) long. The Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus is notoriously undersized when compared to its real-life counterpart. While the actual dinosaur measured 20’ (6 meters) or more, the JP version tops out at half that length, 10’ (3 meters). Scaled down from the movie’s length the figure comes out at 1/14 in scale. It’s too large to properly scale with the generally 1/18 Hammond Collection and closer in scale with the now defunct Amber Collection, which was produced in 1/12 scale.

The figure has the usual 14 points of articulation. The jaw can open, and the head is articulated at its base, the base of the neck is also articulated. The range of motion is excellent, especially when compared to the last two HC toys I reviewed. You can get the figure to look over its shoulder, fold the neck back into an S curve, and look down at the ground to feed or drink. There’s no side-to-side movement at the neck base but if you rotate the neck sideways you can get a few decent, albeit semi-awkward poses out of it. The range of motion is better without the neck frills.

The arms are articulated at the shoulders and elbows. The legs can pivot outwards slightly and are articulated at the hips, knees, and toes. The rubbery snap-on tail can rotate around and is bendable thanks to the wire inside it. The figure offers the amount of versatility you should expect from the Hammond Collection by now.

The Hammond Collection Dilophosaurus comes with two clip-on versions of the frill, one that’s relaxed and another that’s fully fanned out. Aside from the Amber Collection Dilophosaurus, this is the only Mattel Dilophosaurus with a detachable frill. Although the relaxed frill looks a bit odd when attached it’s still nice that it is included. The fanned-out frill looks excellent, with sculpted support ridges that are visible on both sides and a jagged edge.

The detail work is decent but keep in mind that this is one of Mattel’s older HC figures. It doesn’t have fine rubbery teeth or glass eyes, and the feet are proportionally large. The skin is mostly detailed with fine creases and skin folds but there are some labial scales along the mouth and scutes running down the fingers and toes. Faint grooves radiate out along the head crests and the antorbital fenestra and eye sockets are slightly visible under the skin. The body is lean, lithe, and muscular.

The body is painted drab green with dark green patterning over the face, stripes down the neck, and stripes running down the back and down the thighs. The jaw is cast in pale green and pale green airbrushing runs down under the neck and onto the belly. Aside from the hallux toes all the claws are painted. The teeth are white, the tongue is pink, and the roof of the mouth is unpainted. The eyes are set within gray sockets and yellow with elliptical pupils that appear to be the same dark green that runs down the back. Unfortunately, the pupil shape is wrong, as the film’s Dilophosaurus had round pupils.

Worse than the pupils being the wrong shape we’re also missing the white edging that should be outlining the dark green patterning. This is especially disappointing because that white trim is part of what makes the Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus so visually striking. Mattel included the trim on the Amber Collection figure, so why not here?

Thankfully, a lot of effort was put into the frill. It is dull green and yellow, with red chain-like patterning and black speckles, and a glossy finish. It is as close to the appearance of the Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus as I’ve ever seen, and it might even look better than the frill of the Amber Collection’s, but I don’t have that one for direct comparison. The relaxed frill is pale green and red with nice blending between the two.

Although I can live with the incorrect pupil shape and large feet, the missing white trim is a glaring omission. The Hammond Collection Dilophosaurus is still an excellent figure and one of the best JP Dilophosaurus figures around, but it really feels incomplete without it. That’s my only real criticism about it though. The Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus is one of my favorite dinosaurs in the franchise, starring in the only scene that had me hiding in the movie theater bathroom upon my first viewing. I am happy to have this figure in my collection.

When released, this figure cost $12.99 and it’s hard to take issue with any Mattel figure for that price. These days the small HC figures cost $14.99 but are still the best dinosaur action figures at that price point, so I tend to be lenient when judging them. A lot of collectors missed out on this figure during its initial run, but it was later repackaged with a figure of Steven Spielberg as a Comic Con exclusive. If you missed out both times then it’s off to eBay but hopefully Mattel will revisit this figure someday, and give it a more accurate paintjob along with the advances they’ve implemented in newer HC figures. That’s not something they’ve done yet but here’s hoping. It would definitely force me to buy this figure a second time.