Mattel - New for 2023

[Lynx]

I agree that they should stop reusing the same old sculpt all over again. The JW sculpt has run its course, and a Lost World or JP sculpt would be so much nicer.
Edit: Not saying they should get rid of it, because, well, Mattel is a JW line, but new sculpts would be nice and add diversity to the shelves of Rex.

The Kenner Rex doesn't even look like the original Rexy IMO, I don't see the resemblance at all.

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I won't be getting it if it doesn't have the same faulty electronics the original red rex did.     

But seriously, while I stand by my criticisms (big feet and obtrusive digital scan code), I have to agree that Mattel has certainly raised our standards with what we've gotten so far-- especially in the Legacy and Hammond collections. @Gwangi has a good point in that most of the early Kenner dinosaurs looked only vaguely like their film counterparts, not to mention the likeness of the human characters. I should also note that my criticisms above apply to most other Mattel dinosaurs as well.

I think the Jurassic World: Evolution games used the ILM models to create some of the dinosaurs for the game. I suppose there are different constraints on toys and their production that probably wouldn't allow for this, though.

[Eatmycar]

The filler species are for kids, new dinosaurs for their toy boxes. So are all the repaints and retools. A steady stream of different dinosaurs to stock in stores for kids.

This. This. THIS. I have to laugh when people get very upset when dinosaurs are redecos or retools. It feels like the kind of criticism Schleich gets. I'm not sure what people expect? PNSO? Beasts of the Mesozoic? For the prices that Mattel produces these things, even the meh ones, there have to be compromises, costs cut, changes made from the film model. And somehow this leaves people flabbergasted when it happens.

If you want Beasts of the Mesozoic quality, that comes at a cost.

And yeah, I'm sorry, I have to scoff at the idea that the Kenner red rex has perfectly fine proportions. I've always hated the arms on that thing, the overbite, spindly neck, the bent tail. That awful generic roar. It gets a pass because of its age but it's hardly the ideal representative of Rexy. 

That's such a funny thing to me. People lament Mattel using the wrong dinosaur roars like its a crime but forget how awful the original dinosaurs sounded. Is it fair to compare? No, but since everyone else wants to lament the present not being as good as the past, let's go.

Some Kenner figures had very SPARTAN paint jobs to put it nicely. JP S1 Young T. rex, anyone? The Lycaenops? Seriously. Many lacked nail paint to boot. Also, for all of the good sculpts like the Dilophosaurus and the TLW Stegosaurus, Mattel had plenty of stinkers. Nobody's really nostalgic for the screaming face on the Kenner Stegosaurus, or the high-as-a-kite Triceratops with tiny horns. Come on. Every wave has its stinkers and winners.

Yet somehow Mattel is always just inches above 2015 Hasbro Jurassic World. Give me a break. Mattel's biggest issues are quality control related. Poor eye paint, weak springs for the jaws of their carnivores,  and god-awful distribution of assortments and figures, not a decline-and-fall scenario.

[Flaffy]

Some of y'all are missing the main point.

The argument that sculpting a new Tyrannosaurus would be "too expensive" holds no ground when Mattel churns out new sculpts for non-cannon species on the regular.

Whether something is filler or not was not my core argument. In fact I quite enjoy collecting the odd non-cannon species here and there. It's fun to go out hunting for dinosaur figures when no other brand is available besides the Schleich powerhouse.


I still think it's fair to expect more screen accurate sculpts from Mattel simply because they have access to the digital models used in the film(s) iirc. And even IF they don't, technology has advanced a LOT in the 3 decades since Kenner's original runs. I feel that it's important to emphasise that Kenner toys are 30 years old at this point. While both lines have their stinkiers, it's embarassing when a 3 decade old toy can go toe to toe with one made in 2023 with modern technology.

Going back to the JP Red Rex yes I see that it has shoddy proportions here and there too, and I must retract the assessment that it's "perfectly fine". However, I still feel that those proportionate feet does wonders at making it less cartoonish; and the round fleshy body and deeper chest makes it a superior representation IMO. (seriously what's up with the JW design having such a scrunched up torso, it's not even Mattel's fault at this point)

[Flaffy]

The filler species are for kids, new dinosaurs for their toy boxes. So are all the repaints and retools. A steady stream of different dinosaurs to stock in stores for kids.

This. This. THIS. I have to laugh when people get very upset when dinosaurs are redecos or retools. It feels like the kind of criticism Schleich gets. I'm not sure what people expect? PNSO? Beasts of the Mesozoic? For the prices that Mattel produces these things, even the meh ones, there have to be compromises, costs cut, changes made from the film model. And somehow this leaves people flabbergasted when it happens.

If you want Beasts of the Mesozoic quality, that comes at a cost.

Talk about moving the goal post. Not sure how wanting a new fresh Tyrannosaurus sculpt based on it's OG appearance, along with better proportions equates to expecting a PNSO/BotM quality figure out of Mattel.

Some Kenner figures had very SPARTAN paint jobs to put it nicely. JP S1 Young T. rex, anyone? The Lycaenops? Seriously. Many lacked nail paint to boot. Also, for all of the good sculpts like the Dilophosaurus and the TLW Stegosaurus, Mattel had plenty of stinkers. Nobody's really nostalgic for the screaming face on the Kenner Stegosaurus, or the high-as-a-kite Triceratops with tiny horns. Come on. Every wave has its stinkers and winners.
scenario.

You say that, but fail to recognise that despite the simple paint apps, both figures still had painted tails and claws, a rarity in Mattel. Though personally I feel more strongly about unpainted tails as it just makes the figure look unfinished. Especially with how harsh & noticeable the cutoffs are in some figures. (People who collect Bandai MMS kaiju vinyls should know this pain well)

Moreover, the simpler paint apps of some Kenner line offerings can often be chalked up to the heavy use of "real feel" rubber, i.e. a soft material, which would make intricate paint apps challenging (see Rebor's struggle and failure on finding a durable paint for their Titanoboa). Likewise, Mattel's only "real feel" offering, the Mosasaurus, also has an incredibly simplistic yet effective paint app.


And for the record, I have zero nostalgia for the Kenner line (I've already said this before). And the only Kenner rex in my collection is the TLW Thrasher.

[stargatedalek]

I for one appreciate repaints in this line. They discontinue things so quickly it's the only way a lot of these end up reasonably available.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

They are what they are. The original red Rex will be one piece I die with, like the Dino Riders Rex. It played a huge part in my childhood and I can recount the story of finding one with feeling.

Pretty off topic I guess but I do like the BotM 1:18 Rex because it reminds me of this one and the novel Rex, which was so much cooler with it's dried blood colored hide.

[Gwangi]

Maybe I am missing your main point, or maybe you're missing mine. My argument that it would be too expensive to make a new T. rex mold was only meant to apply to the Kenner inspired rex. That toy is already $50, I suspect that Mattel would feel compelled to charge more if they had to make an entirely new mold for it. Asking parents to pay $50 for a toy T. rex is already pushing it so it seems like compromises were made. Reusing a mold for that T. rex makes sense to me. It seems like you've moved past talking about that specific T. rex and now just want a bulkier movie accurate T. rex. Fair enough, I guess. The heart wants what it wants. But saying that Mattel doesn't make new T. rex molds just isn't accurate. They released two last year, they just didn't give us one for the Kenner inspired rex, and I personally think that's fine.

[Gwangi]

I won't be getting it if it doesn't have the same faulty electronics the original red rex did.     

I bought my red rex in an antique store about 10 years ago and the electronics worked like brand new, and they still do, with the same batteries that were with it when I bought it. I have to wonder if they're the original batteries but that seems unlikely. I should probably check them for corrosion. So, my red rex works great. But I have heard horror stories about it.

[Flaffy]

Maybe I am missing your main point, or maybe you're missing mine. My argument that it would be too expensive to make a new T. rex mold was only meant to apply to the Kenner inspired rex. That toy is already $50, I suspect that Mattel would feel compelled to charge more if they had to make an entirely new mold for it. Asking parents to pay $50 for a toy T. rex is already pushing it so it seems like compromises were made. Reusing a mold for that T. rex makes sense to me. It seems like you've moved past talking about that specific T. rex and now just want a bulkier movie accurate T. rex. Fair enough, I guess. The heart wants what it wants. But saying that Mattel doesn't make new T. rex molds just isn't accurate. They released two last year, they just didn't give us one for the Kenner inspired rex, and I personally think that's fine.

No I was still very much talking about the red rex, sorry if it wasnt made clearer.

I had a quick check on how much the OG red rex would cost today, and turns out $29.99 in 1993 is roughly equivalent to just over $60 today. As such based on this, I feel the need to adjust my attitude towards the current $50 price tag as well; though the comparison with the $54 HC Rex still stands.

Had Mattel put out a JP rex with a fresh new sculpt with proper proportions, I feel they could get away with charging $60 as well. Especially since it has both electronic roars and the swallowing feature as mentioned before. I personally would feel more comfortable paying a higher price for a fresh new sculpt, much like how even though I already have the old Herrerasaurus, I'm still inclined to get the new one. But as Mattel is just recycling their base JW sculpt, I don't feel justified in paying for what essentially is the same toy.

I think I've been using mold and sculpt interchangeably in my previous posts when they're two separate things, apologies. For the molding cost, correct me if I'm wrong but don't all the different mainline Tyrannosaurus have different molds? (Excluding repaints ofc) Like they pretty much all have different articulation cutting points, and unique aspects to accommodate the latest action-feature Mattel cooks up. The battle damage release(s) certainly gets a new mold for those deep gashes; and I imagine something as trivial as the new DNA slots would requiring retooling if not outright redoing the mold. Not to mention the 3 distinct iterations of the JW design head-sculpt so far.

I believe since Mattel is already retooling/redoing the molds for every new rex release (i.e. molding costs most likely isn't a huge concern for them), why not throw in a new sculpt while they're at it for this release? It's Jurassic Park's 30th anniversary and a special release afterall, why not go all out like they did with the HC rex?

[CityRaptor]

The figures are shown off here.

[ItsTwentyBelow]

Flaffy, do you think you could please just cool it? I'm not at all sure that even a new sculpt for this red rex would have kept you from complaining incessantly. There would have been five things to complain about with that one too, right? Oh, "I hate the placement of the scan code" this, or, "oh no, this new one ALSO has big-ish feet to help it stand well, because it's a toy" that...

The original red rex was not always the most stable on its feet, and it seems like no one ever brings up the ginormous feet of the Bull T. rex as a complaint. We were happy to have it back then. For those who may not know, the Bull rex was even prototyped for release with the JP Series II stuff as the "Gulper" rex, with different paint and no electronics, just the eating feature. There's a JP box art diorama photo of it surrounded by the human figs.

What's your opinion on the other new releases like the Scutosaurus set or the Grant/Malcolm packs? Those are in some ways more interesting to me. Do they interest you?

To anyone worried that this T.rex is stealing the thunder from a potential Lost World anniversary with the eating feature, I'd say there's a very good chance Mattel will do a proper tribute to that toy line too if they still hold the license in 2027. Maybe they'd drop an Ultrasaurus on us like the unreleased prototype? Who knows the Mattel Jurassic line could end before then. Let's appreciate what we have.

[suspsy]

Me, I tend to agree with @Flaffy. Aside from the colour scheme, the Classic '93 Rex looks pretty boring and redundant. I don't think it would have broken Mattel's bank to come up with a sculpt that looked less recycled.

The fact that the line is Target-exclusive is also quite a disappointment for anyone residing outside of the USA. So is packaging the Scutosaurus in with a vehicle. Given how difficult it was for people to find the toy in stores the first time around, it would have been way nicer to reissue it in the Dino Trackers like the Zuniceratops and the baby Brachiosaurus.

[Gwangi]

No I was still very much talking about the red rex, sorry if it wasnt made clearer.

I had a quick check on how much the OG red rex would cost today, and turns out $29.99 in 1993 is roughly equivalent to just over $60 today. As such based on this, I feel the need to adjust my attitude towards the current $50 price tag as well; though the comparison with the $54 HC Rex still stands.

Had Mattel put out a JP rex with a fresh new sculpt with proper proportions, I feel they could get away with charging $60 as well. Especially since it has both electronic roars and the swallowing feature as mentioned before. I personally would feel more comfortable paying a higher price for a fresh new sculpt, much like how even though I already have the old Herrerasaurus, I'm still inclined to get the new one. But as Mattel is just recycling their base JW sculpt, I don't feel justified in paying for what essentially is the same toy.

But the economy was a bit different in 1993 too and I have a feeling that parents today are more hesitant to drop $50-60 on a toy than $30 30 years ago. Heck, I didn't have a Kenner rex when I was a kid because of the cost of it. I'm a parent now and I can safely say that if I was uninterested in dinosaurs and my kid wanted one on a whim while walking through Target they would be getting a smaller attack pack or roarivore sized toy. If I'm spending $50-60 on a toy its for a special occasion like a birthday or Christmas and my kid has to really want it and repeatedly ask for it. Which is probably why Mattel can make a re-sculpt of a Herrerasaurus without too much concern for profit, it's a smaller cheaper toy. Mattel gets away with the $50+ toys on occasion but they're also the REALLY big ones. Man, I remember when the super colossal rex cost $50. Those were the days, all of five years ago.

Ideally yes, Mattel would have made a new sculpt for the retro rex but is the one they're using really their "base sculpt"? It's the super colossal sculpt isn't it? Just scaled down? Mattel has never released that T. rex in 1/18 scale, to the best of my knowledge. Also, is there really so much of a demand for a Kenner inspired rex that Mattel needs to make a completely new sculpt for it? I'm already hesitant to spend $50 on it. In fact, I probably won't buy it at all. I certainly wouldn't pay $60 even if it had a new, slightly different sculpt. This isn't a "higher end" HC figure, or even a screen accurate toy tied in to a movie release, this is a toy mimicking another toy from 30 years ago. The only people that will want it are older diehard fans that remember the Kenner days, and kids that are at the mercy of their parents wallet. So I think cost of production does have to play a factor.

To the comment that this T. rex is boring and redundant, they're ALL boring and redundant at this point. How many T. rexes has Mattel released over the last 5 years? Unless you're really into the JP T. rex they all start to look the same at some point, no matter the gimmick. Chances are we all already have the Mattel T. rex we want and no amount of retooling would convince a casual collector that they need another. So I do believe that Mattel is trying to play it safe on this toy by recycling another T. rex.

[Eatmycar]

I'm going back and forth on whether or not I want this rex, to be honest. I have to say I agree with you on this point, @Gwangi:

This isn't a "higher end" HC figure, or even a screen accurate toy tied in to a movie release, this is a toy mimicking another toy from 30 years ago. The only people that will want it are older diehard fans that remember the Kenner days

Like, don't get me wrong, I will pick up the Alan and Ian and the car, but the rex? I'm not enamored with the Red Rex to begin with. I think it's overrated. It doesn't help when Mattel is releasing a new Hammond Collection rex which I presume will be the male T. rex, and a Hammond Brachiosaurus is slated for this year as well. Hammond Collection has a lot more big carnivores to cover to boot.

I think the collector demand is overshadowing the actual potential this thing has on shelves, but who knows. We've done three sauropods and Mattel shows no signs of stopping that waste of money.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

The Red Rex has a lot more flexibility to it than I had assumed given the more ridged vinyl of the mosasaur.

They could have sculpted another Rex, but bear in mind retail prices are now more set by companies like Target that dictate everything with exclusives.  They tell Mattel " yes we will take a 30th Ann. Rex, we will pay you 10.00 for each unit. we will charge 50.00 in stores, make it work. "  Walmart does this too with everything like electronics.

Shame this all we are getting for the Kenner line, it sure feels like maybe a test?

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I'm going back and forth on whether or not I want this rex, to be honest. I have to say I agree with you on this point, @Gwangi:

This isn't a "higher end" HC figure, or even a screen accurate toy tied in to a movie release, this is a toy mimicking another toy from 30 years ago. The only people that will want it are older diehard fans that remember the Kenner days

Like, don't get me wrong, I will pick up the Alan and Ian and the car, but the rex? I'm not enamored with the Red Rex to begin with. I think it's overrated. It doesn't help when Mattel is releasing a new Hammond Collection rex which I presume will be the male T. rex, and a Hammond Brachiosaurus is slated for this year as well. Hammond Collection has a lot more big carnivores to cover to boot.

I think the collector demand is overshadowing the actual potential this thing has on shelves, but who knows. We've done three sauropods and Mattel shows no signs of stopping that waste of money.

I'm going to pretty disappointed but not unexpectedly so, when they just repaint the HC Rex green. No resculpt juse a simple recolor.

Kids love the HUGE dinosaurs, Super Colossals and Sauropods do sell, I've sold everyone I've stocked here.

[Eatmycar]

Shame this all we are getting for the Kenner line, it sure feels like maybe a test?

It definitely feels like a test! At least it has been given better fanfare than the Amber Collection - that 'test' was horrible and doomed to fail.

Re the Male T. rex: I frankly don't care too much if they get the waddle on it, odd as that sounds. I want them to make sure they get the color right, fix the weak waist joints, and do the eyes nicely this time. I love the HC rex, but for goodness' sake, the eyes and the weaker joints are so frustrating on it.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Shame this all we are getting for the Kenner line, it sure feels like maybe a test?

It definitely feels like a test! At least it has been given better fanfare than the Amber Collection - that 'test' was horrible and doomed to fail.

Re the Male T. rex: I frankly don't care too much if they get the waddle on it, odd as that sounds. I want them to make sure they get the color right, fix the weak waist joints, and do the eyes nicely this time. I love the HC rex, but for goodness' sake, the eyes and the weaker joints are so frustrating on it.

I just don't think the AC was thought through very well. It had a lot of potential for detailed human characters and smaller dinosaurs. It wasn't really understood that was all it could be but that enough. It was missing a lot of key characters ( as is the main line..starting to get tired of asking for Wu, Masrani, JW Claire, ect.. )

The Male has a different head design altogether, the snout, eyelets, it really needs a totally new head, I would forgive a bulky male body.

[Mattyonyx]

I think there's a general misconception about Buck's head (which affected Nanmu's Once and Future King too). The actual head featured in the movie is more elongated than the maquette, both in the GCI and animatronic models.
There are differences, of course, just not as many as we're led to believe.