Mattel - New for 2023

[Lynx]

You would think a big brand like Jurassic with the production bill footed by one of the largest toy manufacturers would need no help when compared to the more niche interest of BotM

You'd think that, but no retailer would ever be willing to stock this set, and larger companies like Mattel are a lot more reliant on them. It's easy to forget that as large as they are, Mattel currently still sits far smaller than Hasbro, and are largely at the mercy of big box stores.

Really? I'm surprised that the company behind one of the largest toy lines, Barbie, is smaller than Hasbro. Then again, Hasbro also releases a lot of stuff that's become popular. The more you know.

[Shane]

You'd think that, but no retailer would ever be willing to stock this set, and larger companies like Mattel are a lot more reliant on them. It's easy to forget that as large as they are, Mattel currently still sits far smaller than Hasbro, and are largely at the mercy of big box stores.

For the most part, I agree with you. However, Mattel's JP/JW lines seem to be one of the most consistent current franchises that bucks the trend that big box stores don't want large items. Usually, big items take up too much shelf real estate, but Mattel has shown that big box stores are willing to take on multiple Colossal scale dinos (7 if I'm not mistaken?), multiple large sauropods (3 so far), plus large figures like various Rexes, Spinosaurs, and Indos that are larger than most other available toys that share the same aisle. The upcoming HC Brachio as well, it's close in size to the Legacy Brachio but much more expensive, complex, and geared toward the collector rather than the child.

The gate would have been a bit of a step up, but I think Mattel could have made a case for it. I think if they could have sold it disassembled to conserve as much packaging space as possible, priced it at something reasonable, it could for sure have had a place amongst the other large sized Jurassic offerings.

[Carnoking]

You would think a big brand like Jurassic with the production bill footed by one of the largest toy manufacturers would need no help when compared to the more niche interest of BotM

You'd think that, but no retailer would ever be willing to stock this set, and larger companies like Mattel are a lot more reliant on them. It's easy to forget that as large as they are, Mattel currently still sits far smaller than Hasbro, and are largely at the mercy of big box stores.
[/quote

You would think a big brand like Jurassic with the production bill footed by one of the largest toy manufacturers would need no help when compared to the more niche interest of BotM

You'd think that, but no retailer would ever be willing to stock this set, and larger companies like Mattel are a lot more reliant on them. It's easy to forget that as large as they are, Mattel currently still sits far smaller than Hasbro, and are largely at the mercy of big box stores.

I can certainly understand the necessity behind these crowdfunds but what I was more getting at is that I expected to see more backers right out of the gate (no pun intended) when it came to a brand with as wide of an appeal as Jurassic

[Flaffy]

In a lot more exciting news... More leaks! And most of them look pretty great!

[Carnoking]

Usually these leaked images are enough to spark concern in me but those are actually looking promising.

[Gwangi]

Those leaks are exciting! Looking forward to seeing more of them all from the Danger Pack image, except maybe the Plesiosaurus. I even like that Velociraptor, its paintjob reminds me of the Primal raptors.

Hard to get a good idea of what the bottom images are but that Wild Roar crocodilian looks awesome and the theropod below it looks like it has an interesting paintjob.

That Allosaurus looks to be Mattel's best so far but I'm sure there's a Hammond Collection one coming eventually.

[Faelrin]

I am loving what I am seeing here. Eoraptor and Stegouros, Kaprosuchus. Avaceratops got a sweet Halloween like coloration too with that black and white. Looks cute too. Not sure what the rest are that have blurry names. Any ideas on what the big pseudosuchian is? Snout looks too thin to be Sarcosuchus. Might have to upscale that to get a better idea.

Also at least two of the raptors appear to be repacks as well.

[TheCambrianCrusader]

That Poposaurus definitely caught my eye

[Gwangi]

I am loving what I am seeing here. Eoraptor and Stegouros, Kaprosuchus. Avaceratops got a sweet Halloween like coloration too with that black and white. Looks cute too. Not sure what the rest are that have blurry names. Any ideas on what the big pseudosuchian is? Snout looks too thin to be Sarcosuchus. Might have to upscale that to get a better idea.

Also at least two of the raptors appear to be repacks as well.

I wonder if its a phytosaur.

[andrewsaurus rex]

Once again Mattel produces dinos I've never heard of.

Anyway, back to the Gates, this may be old news but this site has some nice close up pics.   I like the post electrocution Tim figure and the removable leg on the goat. 

https://www.superherohype.com/geek-culture/538719-mattel-crowdfunding-jurassic-park-the-gates-playset

So, how does this work, do ONLY the crowdfunders get the set,  or once it's funded, will Mattel produce extras to sell over time to new people that want one?

[Flaffy]

Hammond Collection:
Very excited for the long awaited HC Carnotaurus! Arms definitely could've been made smaller and without the elbow articulation, but I see the extra articulation point as a bonus. Those that want a more screen accurate pose can have the elbows flexed, while those that prefer a more scientific look can choose to have the elbows extended instead.

It's about time we added a larger size range to the HC too. I certainly wouldn't mind a Parasaurolophus or Triceratops remake being included in this range. Never understood why Mattel chose the medium-size for these two very big dinosaurs...

[andrewsaurus rex]

I fear that the Poposaurus, Kileskus and Avaceratops (at last one I've heard of!) will be too big.  Very interesting subjects though.

[PrimevalRaptor]

Poposaurus and Kaprosuchus seem pretty neat (even if we got a fair few Kapros at this point) definitely got my eyes on those...if they show up here lol
Glad to see the Plesiosaurus again too, it's a nice sculpt and the new paint looks neat. If that big pseudosuchian ends up being a pythosaur that would also be great.

[TheCambrianCrusader]

That HC Carnotaurus looks really good! Yeah they prob shouldnt have had wrist articulation but hey glad they finally introduced a new size range.
Not gonna pick it up cuz Im only interested in the original trilogy dinos, so hoping this means a HC TLW Stegosaurus is coming soon!

And man I don't wanna harp on this crowdfund but scalpers are gonna have a field day with this set. If it does come to fruition, and it prob will, that buck is gonna be impossible to get a hold of. Also man the people on instagram praising this set and saying anyone with a negative opinion on it are entitled need a reality check.

[TheCambrianCrusader]

I am loving what I am seeing here. Eoraptor and Stegouros, Kaprosuchus. Avaceratops got a sweet Halloween like coloration too with that black and white. Looks cute too. Not sure what the rest are that have blurry names. Any ideas on what the big pseudosuchian is? Snout looks too thin to be Sarcosuchus. Might have to upscale that to get a better idea.

Also at least two of the raptors appear to be repacks as well.

I wonder if its a phytosaur.

Maybe its a teleosaur?

[Flaffy]

Mainline:
The Allosaurus looks really good. And if the mainline figure is anything to go by, the (inevitable) Hammond Collection version will turn out spectacular. Took them long enough to stop recycling that awful JWFK body sculpt with shoddy proportions.

The crocs are easily the most exciting releases for me. I'm genuinely shocked by how nice the Poposaurus looks, and they didn't do anything werid with it like the poor Prestosuchus. Funny how the non-dinosaurs gets spectacular sculpts while the theropods sculpts are phoned in half the time, usually it's the reverse! Also, I can't be the only one who thinks that the Poposaurus's colours are exactly the same as the HC Concavenator right?


Nice to see Kaprosuchus finally joining the lineup too. Someone on the Mattel team really wanted some proper croc representation for next year it seems . The species' comically large gnashers translates perfectly to the Mattel style. @Gwangi @Faelrin Would love if the long snouter was a Phytosaur, but there's also a good chance that it's Gryposuchus based on the genus's prominence in the Jurassic World games.

[Gwangi]

I didn't know that Gryposuchus was in the game, that's probably what the toy is then. I still want it.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

You'd think that, but no retailer would ever be willing to stock this set, and larger companies like Mattel are a lot more reliant on them. It's easy to forget that as large as they are, Mattel currently still sits far smaller than Hasbro, and are largely at the mercy of big box stores.

For the most part, I agree with you. However, Mattel's JP/JW lines seem to be one of the most consistent current franchises that bucks the trend that big box stores don't want large items. Usually, big items take up too much shelf real estate, but Mattel has shown that big box stores are willing to take on multiple Colossal scale dinos (7 if I'm not mistaken?), multiple large sauropods (3 so far), plus large figures like various Rexes, Spinosaurs, and Indos that are larger than most other available toys that share the same aisle. The upcoming HC Brachio as well, it's close in size to the Legacy Brachio but much more expensive, complex, and geared toward the collector rather than the child.

The gate would have been a bit of a step up, but I think Mattel could have made a case for it. I think if they could have sold it disassembled to conserve as much packaging space as possible, priced it at something reasonable, it could for sure have had a place amongst the other large sized Jurassic offerings.

All those big pieces your talking about are dinosaurs though, not playsets with just buildings or cars. The large dinosaurs are also pretty limited too. My Targets only have two Dreadnoghtus sitting on the shelf now, no Brachs, Apatos, ect.. that are in the main scale line. Mattel has tried in the past to get them to offer playsets, there was a Nedry set and another we saw concept art of that just never made it due to Target not wanting it.  From what I understand it took a real push to get them to carry the brachiosaurus, Mattel Universal and Target had to figure it out. Once it showed a demand they approved more.  If this crowdfund showed them demand then maybe Target would approve more similar projects?

That Allosaurus looks to be Mattel's best so far but I'm sure there's a Hammond Collection one coming eventually.

Yeah and it's probably next what with the new size of the Carnotaurus. I can't tell exactly but this Allo seems to have Rex teeth?

Once again Mattel produces dinos I've never heard of.

Anyway, back to the Gates, this may be old news but this site has some nice close up pics.  I like the post electrocution Tim figure and the removable leg on the goat. 

https://www.superherohype.com/geek-culture/538719-mattel-crowdfunding-jurassic-park-the-gates-playset

So, how does this work, do ONLY the crowdfunders get the set,  or once it's funded, will Mattel produce extras to sell over time to new people that want one?

If you want it, you need to pledge for it. Usually there aren't extra pieces made unless it's a handful to cover damage in shipping or something.

@Blade-of-the-Moon

Sure, for the mainline. The excuses falls apart when you apply them to the supposed premium collector's line though... Last I checked the HC was marketed towards adult collectors, and having them sold on store shelves is not a valid excuse just because a kid might ask for it. Moreover, it's been proven time and time again that oversized feet are not strictly necessary for stability (see Marco's customs and the most recent HC releases with more proportionate feet). People who still find ways to justify clown feet are choosing to willingly ignore this major point.

I'm not ignoring anything, just looking at it from a retailer perspective. Retailers don't want parents coming in returning a 50.00 item because the " this stupid thing doesn't even stand up" . They do test these with all sort ages, yes it's a "collector's line " but if it were for sale when I was a kid I would have mowed a few yards to get it. I know all about Marco's customs and the like. I have seen a lot of kids play with a lot of dinosaur toys over the years. They don't have as much coordination. Some of us as kids were more delicate with our toys, we carefully set them up made dioramas, ect..other kids are brutes with toys. If it doesn't stand up kids get frustrated, parents hear it.  Mattel made larger feet for stability, that's it. They applied this reasoning to their current products at the time, so we have larger feet on mass market collectors toys. Now it looks like they are trying something new and improving, but we complain about how we didn't get progress sooner? I simply don't understand.

@Blade-of-the-Moon

Sure, for the mainline. The excuses falls apart when you apply them to the supposed premium collector's line though... Last I checked the HC was marketed towards adult collectors, and having them sold on store shelves is not a valid excuse just because a kid might ask for it. Moreover, it's been proven time and time again that oversized feet are not strictly necessary for stability (see Marco's customs and the most recent HC releases with more proportionate feet). People who still find ways to justify clown feet are choosing to willingly ignore this major point.

Re: Bull rex
I highly doubt the final production piece is going to look this good. It's a printed and hand painted prototype after all. I fully expect the following downgrades IF it were actually produced for this crowdfunder:
- blunted teeth
- simpler paint
- less sharp detail

Additionally, I don't really buy that Target wouldn't sell this. Target has shown time and again that they will devote large shelf real estate to JP items. You've got Colossal scale figures, large sauropods, big T-rexes from the main line to HC.

The HC Brachio pretty much sinks that whole theory - it's an expensive, complicated item, very large, geared to adults, and Target is selling it.

I just do not see $250 of value in the gates and Explorer alone, even with the lights, sounds and other electronics. It's just not a $250 piece.

The way they went about it is just, really, not the way to get people on board. Locking so much of what many will deem essential behind stretch goals just kills any incentive for me.

I would much rather, honestly, see the gate, fencing, and paddock markers as the main thing. Maybe with a dinosaur (not necessarily the buck rex, but something), and maybe one figure, Tim or Lex. Then stretch goals could be Explorer, the other human, the goat, little bells and whistles that make the purchase that much more palatable. But if all you're giving is the gate and car and expecting people to risk getting only that for $250...it's a no from me.

I tried to get a quote once for a set of static in scale gates made for my dioramas. Artist quote me 500.00 If I built it myself the materials would be close to 300.00 not counting the time, I can't see how this isn't a deal?

I feel like this is a huge miss. Nobody wants to pay 2,000+ (just from what I'm hearing) for a single Rex that you can get customized for cheaper, except the most dedicated collectors

Not sure where you heard that..it's 250.00 to pledge for all of it if the goals are met.

[Stegotyranno420]

These new ones look pretty good for mattel. While the Poposaurus looks too much like a Concavenator, I think I know someone who'd be excited 

[Faelrin]

@Flaffy Tbh I feel bad about forgetting what Poposaurus was. I thought it was a theropod for a hot minute. Probably because they made the legs digitigrade like the Postosuchus, etc in the past. I also agree it looks really similar to the HC Concavenator from what we see here. Enough to have it stand in as like a juvenile for it.

So from what I can tell we have in total, either coming later this year, or next year:

-Allosaurus
-Avaceratops
-Carnotaurus (HC)
-Craterosaurus
-Dimetrodon (HC)
-Eoraptor
-Gryposuchus (I think, had to ai upscale the image, and can vaguely make out something that looks like that, so I think @Flaffy was right to call it as this one)
-Kaprosuchus
-Kileskus
-Plesiosaurus
-Poposaurus
-Stegouros
-Suchosaurus or Szechuanosaurus (not sure which, green one above the Kaprosuchus)
-Tuojiangosaurus
-Velociraptor (repack of 2022 Legacy Collection, and 2022 Danger Pack, HC Blue)

That leaves three with names too blurry/pixelated that even ai upscaling doesn't help much. Best guess for the stegosaur is Wuerhosaurus or Hesperosaurus. There's also pretty clearly an abelisaur of some kind.

Edit: Added and correct a few.