Mattel - New for 2023

[Prehistory Resurrection]

[Flaffy]

I still can't beleive the Legacy Geosternbergina has pycnofibers but the supposed premium collector-oriented version does not.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I still can't beleive the Legacy Geosternbergina has pycnofibers but the supposed premium collector-oriented version does not.

At least it doesn't have teeth


I guess you could get the Legacy and just never open it's mouth best of both worlds?

[Eatmycar]

I stopped taking his reviews seriously a while ago, but the blind praise for this Legacy Geosternbergia is absolutely wild to me. It's a horrid figure.

[Gwangi]

I still can't beleive the Legacy Geosternbergina has pycnofibers but the supposed premium collector-oriented version does not.

It's ridiculous. They basically made the same figure twice and screwed it up both times in completely different ways. I love the Lost World Geosternbergia concept art but I don't feel compelled to get either figure representing it.

[Faelrin]

The only thing I do like about the HC one is they got the coloration right this time, and that it doesn't have the awful unnecessary teeth of the Legacy version. But to leave out the pycnofibers is a huge no-no to me, especially since it is a huge glaring detail to omit. I only can wonder if it is the sculptor(s) not paying enough attention/not caring, or Universal telling them it needed to be this way. Perhaps worth mentioning Captivz has a figure marketed as the Geosternbergia (despite being based on the Pteranodon at the end of the film), so could be a Universal marketing thing going on.


TL;DR: Line is being poorly managed and it is making me considering dropping support for the line, at least for the most part, or unless things go on clearance. Full rant under spoiler:

Spoiler

In short the JPIII raptors, JPIII Ankylosaurus, TLW Geosternbergia, and TLW Pachycephalosaurus have all been poorly managed (the JPIII Ankylosaurus the least offender, but the cut paint apps, even if it may be due to the addition of the complex tail articulation added to the budget, hurts it, and lazily re-using the JW mold doesn't do it favors. The JPIII Ankylosaurus does in fact have a different body/osteoderm arrangement, and for people like me, it is a glaring difference. Both the JWE and JWE2 versions have the same problem too).

Honestly I'm already starting to feel pretty jaded towards this line as a whole. After years of supporting the line, I'm seriously considering calling it quits. It's probably pretty telling when each release has an issue with it, some minor (like the Dilophosaurus wrong pupil shape, and lack of white striping, which could be attributed to a much cheaper price compared to the AC one, but the former has no excuse), some major (like the lack of pycnofibers on the Geosternbergia). The Hammond Collection was something I was legitimately excited about last year, especially as it was a chance to start doing things right, and in the same scale as the mainline that I had been collecting for years. Yet I probably should have seen the signs from the start with the poorly managed JP raptor that really should have had a re-sculpted head from the start (based off the mainline raptors), the huge feet, etc. Instead it is being just as poorly handled as the Amber Collection was, just with more species variety this time around. Source material thrown out the window, similar quality control issues, etc. But the lack of respect to the source material, and basic research when they should have all the means to do so with having an officially licensed product, makes the reality that these are soulless cash grabs from a multimillionaire company crushing, especially as there is no alternatives (for highly articulated JP dinosaurs). It's especially damning when this is intended to be a collector's line, usually oriented at older people (teens and adults), not younger children, the very people that tend to have problems with things like this.

The mainline has also been going downhill for a while now, with how much cost cutting is being done, random fragmentary species no-one asks for, with unrecognizable generic sculpts, yet prices are getting scalped across the board (and not just figures), never mind the years of bad distribution issues, and aside from a very few appealing species additions lately (such as the Nothosaurus, Diabloceratops, Kronosaurus, new Herrerasaurus), I'm also questioning what's the point when there's so much more out there these days I could spend my money on instead (BotM, PNSO, etc), or save it, because again everything is getting too expensive as of late. I suppose there will be a few exceptions here and there (like the ones above, if they have good distribution), but probably going to stop for the most part. That's also not even touching on my upcoming personal situation that will make collecting very much unfeasible for the unforeseeable future too.

[close]

[andrewsaurus rex]

I mentioned a while back that I felt the Mattel Jurassic line is being poorly managed.  That was my opinion as someone who has only collected a very few of the figures and none of the human figures, to date, but is thinking of getting more involved in collecting the line.  After examining the releases, prices and availability....i'm still just thinking about it.  The line is not being run in a collector friendly way, imo.

It reminds me a lot of the Playmates Star Trek line of the 1990's which was a cash cow turned failure due to poor management.

[Andysdinosaurreviews]

I stopped taking his reviews seriously a while ago, but the blind praise for this Legacy Geosternbergia is absolutely wild to me. It's a horrid figure.

I appreciate that you don't take my reviews seriously, however I'm not giving it blind praise by any means. It's a fun figure but I clearly mentioned numerous negatives about the figure in my review. It's a Pterosaur toy made for children, I think sometimes people fail to realize this. For what it is, I think it's quite nice aside from a few issues.

Btw, just because you share a different opinion than I do, is no reason to discredit my reviews. I state MY opinions in my videos. That's the entire point of a review is to hear the person's opinion while getting a good look at the figure. Saying you don't take my reviews seriously just because I share a different opinion than yours is pretty ridiculous.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I view the HC one like the old Kenner Pteranodon, the big guy, it sort of feels like a redo of it?



I had a lot of fun with this one and the Quetz as a kid.

BTW, BBTS has their stock in of it, the Concavenator, Muldoon and JP3 Raptor.

[Paleo Flo]

Great stuff of memeories :-)

[suspsy]

A Prestosuchus has been revealed today; the image is spreading on social media. It looks, well, decent enough for a Mattel toy. I like it better than the Postosuchus.

[Carnoking]

Looks like it would be right at home on skull island.

[Gwangi]

I've seen it. It looks better than the Postosuchus but we'll just leave it at that. 

[Shadowknight1]

It reminds me a lot of the Playmates Star Trek line of the 1990's which was a cash cow turned failure due to poor management.

Personally, I think the oversaturation and declining interest in the franchise is what killed the Star Trek hotline.

[MLMjp]

Better than the Postosuchus? With that oversized head, goofy teeth and fins on its back?

[suspsy]

I didn't say it was a contender to knock the Safari version off its pedestal; it just looks decent considering what Mattel's aesthetic is nowadays.

[Flaffy]

One ugly duckling for sure...

[Faelrin]

It looks like they slapped a V. rex head on a modified Siamosaurus body. I feel the Postosuchus did a much better job at resembling its namesake, albeit an outdated 90's interpretation (which works fine with most of the JP styled stuff all things considered). Another pass for me.

Edit: Removed duplicate image since @Flaffy posted it too.

I'll add it to the OP soon enough, as well as the Regaliceratops and Orkoraptor. I'm guessing those two will be medium size electronic figures.

[Lynx]

Was expecting something very good considering the "better than the postosuchus" comments, since the postosuchus is already an amazing figure from Mattel... oh well.

I genuinely can't see ANYTHING good about this model, even if I were being generous. If we make massive exceptions to this disaster, maybe the torso not counting the fins is pretty good.
Looks like they had a decent sculpt and then ran out of time, slapped fins and a head from another dinosaur model, then shipped it out.

[andrewsaurus rex]

yowza......that Prestosuchus is not impressive.