Elasmosaurus (Chap Mei)

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The Chap Mei Elasmosaurus no doubt has to be the antithesis of what the real Elasmosaurus looked like. While the actual animal would have no doubt been smooth and elegant the action figure we’re reviewing today is none of those things. With its ragged teeth, twisted and misshapen head, and body covered in wrinkles and bumps this toy is an Elasmosaurus in name only. But such was the case with Chap Mei and their line of dinosaur toys, awful representations of the animals they claim to be and yet so appealing in their stylized atrociousness. Collectors aren’t the demographic here, young kids with as much love for monsters as for dinosaurs were the target consumers and make no mistake, Chap Mei was the best at blending prehistoric animals and monsters together.

This beast doesn’t just look like a monster; it’s monstrous in size as well. Resting on its belly and measured to the top of its head the toy stands 9” high; it can be lifted even higher when propped up by its flippers. From nose to tail the toy measures about 13” long. I’ve never seen an action figure of a plesiosaur quite like this one; it’s truly in a league of its own.

This brute gets no points in accuracy but you can see that much for yourself, there is no way anything ever looked quite like this. It’s “awesomebro”, but even if you’re tired of awesomebro style dinosaurs and prehistoric animals there is no denying the fun factor of this toy. This is the kind of toy that’s meant to be snatching sailors from ships, and as something like a menacing sea monster or Godzilla style kaiju, this toy fits the bill.

Being an action figure implies that this toy has action features, and the main feature here is the button on the back that raises and lowers the neck. This simple feature is a lot of fun and is great for performing the aforementioned sailor snatching, or knocking over boats. For little fingers however, it can be difficult to apply enough pressure to actually move the long, heavy, head and neck. It’s easier to just manually pull the head down. Moving the neck up and down is also a noisy affair with the mechanics inside creaking and groaning, quite annoying actually. The mouth opens and closes but without the aid of a button. The neck just past the head swivels about and the flippers can be rotated around as well.

The detail work and overall sculpt are what really bring this monster to life. It’s both cartoony and scary and the combination of the two is pulled off really well. Chap Mei wasn’t afraid to take their toys to the next level and in doing so a lot of them really stand out as unique characters. The only real criticism I can make is that screw holes are visible all along the right side, a lot of toys are like this and it’s always off putting as well as just lazy.

The colors are appropriate for a sea monster such as this, a dull purple color with cream colored underside. The teeth are white, tongue red, and the slit-pupil eyes are brown. The paintjob is almost identical to the one used on the Cryptoclidus animatronic (named Lucy) used in the Five TV documentary, Loch Ness Monster: The Ultimate Experiment.

Truthfully, this toy is a terrible Elasmosaurus. But as a Nessy stand in or B-grade horror monster, it’s in a league of its own. And indeed, this toy would look better sitting next to Rodan and Godzilla, or Bigfoot, than with other marine reptile figures. But if you have a child, or can channel your own inner child, then you might find the Chap Mei Elasmosaurus worth seeking out.