Mattel - New for 2023

[MLMjp]

I could easily get myself a Habitat defender Triceratops from amazon...for 70€, what the hell?! It's sold by third party seller which does explain the higher price but damn, it's my most anticipated figure but I don't want to spend that much on in.

Other stores have it for pre-order for a more appropriate price but they say it won't release until November

Aargghh...I don't want to wait more. But I won't drop 70€ on what should be on 50€ range.

Pain.

[Crackington]

@crazy8wizard Here's the codes for the two sets with the unique sculpts from this wave:

SD09F Elasmosaurus & Nothosaurus (tray code: HPY11)
SD10F Bistahieversor & Borealopelta (tray code: HPY12)

I have them on the first post, first page of this thread as well in the mini section (as well as for rest of this year's minis).

Thanks for posting this info @Faelrin - I'm also planning on tracking down the Nothosaurus set.

There's an ASDA supermarket fairly close to me in the UK that sells the JP stuff and will keep an eye out for it there soon.

[Faelrin]

@MLMjp Not the same situation but I'm behind on that figure as well, and many others this year like the beautiful Elasmosaurus and HC Corythosaurus. I might get my hands on the Borealopelta soon (funny that I have the minis of some of these first). It's a bit overpriced, but $10 over with free shipping on Amazon isn't that big a deal.

Minis aside, I have only picked up this year's HC Concavenator, HC Ankylosaurus, HC JPIII male raptor, Epic Attack raptor and spitter, the new Herrerasaurus, and two of the JP 30th sets (Grant and Scutosaurus). Most of these I got on sale. I probably should also request shipping from my friend in Germany for the Nothosaurus he got for me.

[Faelrin]

Here's an all in one look at the 2023 unique mini sculpts:



Some of these I'm technically holding for @Flaffy (those being the Amargasaurus, Herrerasaurus, Sarcosuchus, Kentrosaurus, and Kryprtops, Pentaceratops, unless pending a better set). He's generously given me permission to get images of those particular sets.

Flaffy also has the other sets, but I have them packed away and separated from my sets, which aside from those ones mentioned, the rest are on display here. He helped me get these, and I could not be more grateful to his help. Not included here are also the 2022 Wave 3 Concavenator & Parasaurolophus, Nasutoceratops & Ceratosaurus sets which he also helped me get much earlier in the year. I'm also holding a set of the former for him as well,

The Amargasaurus is the only new sculpt here to feature any articulation like the minis of previous years, likely due to the smaller size and softer material the post 2022/Dominion minis have.

[BlueKrono]

@Faelrin Cool minis! Would you consider selling the Ouranosaurus and Elasmosaurus?

[Faelrin]

@BlueKrono Sorry to disappoint but I don't want to sell them. I actually just got the Elasmosaurus set like last week I think? I would recommend reaching out to @Flaffy. He might be able to point you to the seller(s) that he got these sets from for us.

[Prehistory Resurrection]

[andrewsaurus rex]

Mamenchisaurus has arrived in Canada at Toys R Us.  $110 CAD....wait for the inevitable 20% off sales before you buy. 

Still VERY on the fence about this one.   Don't know If I can get passed the too short, skinny neck.  Annoying because the neck is too long for a Diplodocus and too short for a Mamenchisaurus.   I'm looking for another sauropod that has a neck proportionally this long and the animal is this size in 1/18 scale.  I think I might have found a diplodicud that fits the bill but I need to do some more research.  Even if I find one, I still don't know if i'm going to get this.

[Faelrin]

As mentioned I got my hands on the Mattel Borealopelta today. Got a review of this already in progress (before coming to share these pics). Never would have thought my first figure of this genus would be from Mattel (well technically the mini counts as the first, but still same company).

[Dilopho]

That Borealopelta actually looks really nice. It could easily fit with the 2018 lines more reserved dinos.

[Faelrin]

@Dilopho Now that you mention it, I suppose it kind of does. Like the Monolophosaurus and Protoceratops (excluding the many film species of course).

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Mamenchisaurus has arrived in Canada at Toys R Us.  $110 CAD....wait for the inevitable 20% off sales before you buy. 

Still VERY on the fence about this one.   Don't know If I can get passed the too short, skinny neck.  Annoying because the neck is too long for a Diplodocus and too short for a Mamenchisaurus.   I'm looking for another sauropod that has a neck proportionally this long and the animal is this size in 1/18 scale.  I think I might have found a diplodicud that fits the bill but I need to do some more research.  Even if I find one, I still don't know if i'm going to get this.

Idk, to me it works as what it's supposed to be

[Flaffy]

It's shocking how much better the Borealopelta looks compared to the Sauropelta. They're in completey different styles!

[Gwangi]

The Borealopelta is one of the year's best from Mattel. I got one too and I think it's the only Danger Pack I'll be getting from this wave.

[suspsy]

Sad to report that the only new toy that has shown up here in Ottawa recently is the Mamenchisaurus/Diplodocus.

[Stegotyranno420]

Wait, why do people not like the Mamenchisaurus again? It seems pretty good to me.

[crazy8wizard]

The only one of the big sauropod figures I actively dislike is the Apatosaurus because of the square feet and horrible football shaped head with nonexistent lower jaw. (A shame since the skull from the movie is pretty good aside from the continuous row of teeth)

[Faelrin]

@Flaffy Despite the osteoderm arrangement being inaccurate or simplified (at least compared to the fossil material, which I'll be going more into detail about in my review that I hope to finish soon), it certainly does a better job reflecting the general anatomy compared to the earlier Sauropelta (one of the key features is the long tail, which they made way too short). After doing extensive research into nodosaurid, ankylosaur, and thyreophoran anatomy, I've learned they are supposed to have four toes on the feet, but this figure has five. It does correctly have 5 digits on the hands, but only the first three should have claws, but that's typical of these figures. The Sauropelta has the opposite problem, too few on the hands (4), but the correct number on the feet (also 4).

[andrewsaurus rex]

Wait, why do people not like the Mamenchisaurus again? It seems pretty good to me.

For me, the Mattel Mamenchisaurus' neck is significantly too short.  Mamenchi necks are about 40% the overall length of the animal and the Mattel one is far from that.  It would have to be about 20 inches long to be more correct and I bet it's around 15-16.  The neck is by miles the most distinctive feature on Mamech and so it needs to be better on this toy.  Perhaps this toy is movie accurate (but I doubt it, the neck looks pretty long in the movie too) but it's not scientifically accurate enough for me to put up with the usual sauropod shortcomings on Mattel's big 'uns..

The other thing I don't like is how skinny the neck is....the skinniest of the sauropods they've made so far.   The vertebrae wouldn't even fit in that skinny of a neck if there was no musculature in it at all.  They may have made the neck skinny to make it look longer, but that's an odd thing to do.....why not just make it longer?.... they've made bigger sauropods than Mamenchi already, so why scrimp on this one.

Adding to my frustration with this figure, is the fact the neck is too long to represent diplodocus......so this figure is betwixt and between.

[suspsy]

Wait, why do people not like the Mamenchisaurus again?

Because it really doesn't look like any species of Mamenchisaurus.