Dinosaur Advent Calendar 2020 (Schleich)

Well, the holiday season is nearly upon us. No matter what this time means to you and what holiday you celebrate, it is a time to spread joy. This year certainly seems to need some, with everything that happened. It is now the time when many will choose a calendar to count down the days til the 25th. Schleich has produced many over the last few years, and this year is no exception. Let’s take a look……

Each day will give a different item, some designed to fit together into larger objections. but as that would make for an endless review and I am an oversized excited child, I’m heading straight in!

Let’s start with the non-dinos. First are four stickers, featuring the various pieces in the set. as they are rolled up, they will need flattening.

Next, we have a human, part of a ranger series, as seen on the box. This is the yellow one, Luis. He has three points of articulation, the legs move as one, and the two arms. He is 3.9″ high and 1.6″ wide, and also gains a walkie talkie and binoculars.

The major build of this set is a trapper cage, likely for the ranger to move animals around. It’s easy to build, but has no instructions, so best to use the box art to help. It works well, plus there is a net and greenery to cover it, looking like mopane, Acacia twigs and a cabbage.

Finally we have a bone (a snack for the predators of the set) and a pair of fish. They are fairly plain, looking a bit like a Coelacanth, largely in the head, but nothing to discern a species. They are simple, and work well enough.

Now to the dinosaurs! Starting is a standard for a lot of the Schleich sets, the Tyrannosaurus baby. It is curled up tight, and does have the features you’d expect from an infant T. rex, though the pronated hands don’t help. It is 1.4″ high, 0.9″ wide and 1.5″ long, noticeable small. It also comes with two halfs of an egg that it fits into.

Next, another staple, the Archaeopteryx. It is exclusive to Schleich sets, and been made many times. This version is green with red wings, good enough, if over colourful. The fan tail may be overly large, but it’s not terrible. It’s a very angry proto bird, snarling well. It measures 1.9″ high, 3.3″ long and 1.7″ wide.

Next is a nifty number from last year, Animantarx. This figure has been reviewed before, so will leave that full review here, as there is no difference between the figures.

Then we have one of the dino minis Schleich produced, a Velociraptor, though the bad head shape, lack of claw and pronated hands are really off for the species. The red and ochre colour on this version looks really good, and it is small, measuring 1.8″ high, 2.2″ long and 1.4″ wide. It is quite fearsome, though whether it could do this is suspect.

Finally, we have the big theropod, Spinosaurus, an older version recoloured to a blue and red, quite nice. Schleich certainly made worse, though the nostrils could be higher. It measures 3.4″ high, 6.7″ long and 2.8″ wide. The hips may be a bit off, but it could be worse.

I feel like previous years have had better calenders, more akin to natural animal sets than this, but I can see kids absolutely loving building and playing with this. It is available in a lot of stores, virtual or otherwise, so if you or your kids will like it, get it. And to those already starting to prepare for the season, happy holidays!