Dimetrodon (small version) (AAA)

There are at least five different AAA Dimetrodon sculpts so I’m calling this the “small version” to differentiate it from the others. This one is from the 1980s and there are a handful of interesting aspects that make this figure stand out from other similar cheap Dimetrodons.

While most budget Dimetrodons usually have a generic lizard-like heads, this small AAA toy has an almost mammal-like muzzle, with thick lips hiding the teeth. The line of the mouth is a sinuous curve rather than a straight line, and the head has a boxy Dimetrodon shape, with the eyes in pretty mucg the correct position. I dare say the sculptor has actually consulted some satisfactory reference material for the genus. That said, I can’t make out any nostrils, so the attention to detail wasn’t that great.

Some interesting textural choices also stand out. There’s a roll of skin or blood vessel on the lower flank connecting the fore limbs and hind limbs, which lends the figure a more reptilian feel. There’s also a sporadic covering of wart-like bumps along the top of the back immediately adjacent to the sail, and along the top of the tail. So, together with the bulbous eyes, there’s also a pinch of amphibian in here too.

The sprawling legs have a kind of cross-hatching textural effect, which seems a little lazy compared to the other rather impressive details. The fingers and toes are just about visible. The sail is very narrow and flimsy, supported by 13 neural widely spaced spies. It should have closer to 25 closely spaced spines.

Compared to the textures described above the sculpt itself is a bit scruffy, with obvious flashing, especially distracting on the head. My figure is also distorted so the tail points downward, pushing the hind legs up off the ground a little bit, but this is probably because it has been bundled up in a bag with lots of other toys in storage for many years. The toy is 11cm long and 5cm high. Dimetrodon sizes vary greatly from species to species, but given an approximate average adult length of about 3m, this figure works out at 1:20 scale.

The underside of the figure bears the pyramid AAA logo, with one ‘A’ standing directly on two others. I’ve never been sure how to pronounce the company name, how do you say it? “ay ay ay”, or “three ay”? Below the logo it says “MADE IN CHINA”.

The figure is a pleasing dusty orange-yellow colour, I’d be tempted to describe it as ochre or burnt umber if I wanted to sound pretentious. The base colour of the plastic is visible on the underside, it’s a pale yellow or cream. Or ripe banana if you will.

Overall, this small AAA Dimetrodon toy is nothing to shout home about, and there isn’t too much to say about it in a world filled with dozens of similar Dimetrodon toys, but I do think it’s a notch above the usual bargain bin fare, and it’s probably the best of AAA’s Dimetrodons. We can compare them when we get to the others. It’s an easy one to find on Ebay cheaply.