"Bad" Dinosaur Toys / Models That You Like?

[Halichoeres]

Some of my favourite figures are the product of nostalgia, charm, or rarity, irrespective of accuracy. The Dinosaur Toy Blog sometimes gets accused of being too judgemental when it comes to accuracy...I agree!

Interesting that you say so. Have you ever considered issuing guidelines to reviewers that would rein in our most pedantic tendencies? I don't think I write the most mean-spirited reviews on the blog, but some of them are definitely pretty picky. Or are you not concerned with an editorial voice?

[DinoToyForum]

Some of my favourite figures are the product of nostalgia, charm, or rarity, irrespective of accuracy. The Dinosaur Toy Blog sometimes gets accused of being too judgemental when it comes to accuracy...I agree!

Interesting that you say so. Have you ever considered issuing guidelines to reviewers that would rein in our most pedantic tendencies? I don't think I write the most mean-spirited reviews on the blog, but some of them are definitely pretty picky. Or are you not concerned with an editorial voice?

Reviewers should be free to write whatever they wish and I don't mind nit-picking per se, I usually do it myself. It can be interesting and educational for readers. We just need to remember that while accuracy is important to consider, there are other factors at play.  This is one of the reasons I enjoy it when the blog branches out into atypical territory, such as Lego, plush toys, Boneyard Pets etc. 

[suspsy]

Sadly, Lego Creator is not releasing any new 3-in-1 dinosaur sets, and I haven't come across any compelling new Nanoblock sets at TRU lately, so it looks like Bella and Beth will not be doing another Xmas special this year.

The Jurassic World Hero Masher sets were not very well received when I reviewed them, but they really are a heap of fun. I look forward to the day when my son is old enough to play with them.

[ItsTwentyBelow]

Haha, I can get in on this. I must, since that is a photo of my own Schleich Allosaurus from my 2010 Dino Toy Blog review.

A number of other charming, frumpy old Schleich figures come to mind. I especially like the Sauropelta and Torosaurus. I also liked the green Dinosaurs of China Therizinosaurus.

My favorite awesome, inaccurate figure might be the Smithsonian Institution T. rex (the non-motorized version of the Dino-Riders rex). It's just so huge and wide in the hips, plus it has been immortalized in the form of Rex from Toy Story.

[The Atroxious]

I've long been a fan of most of the Safari dinosaurs from the late '90s and early '00s. A lot of people knock them for being inaccurate and "too cartoony" but taking into account when they were made, I didn't have a lot of good options in my childhood. At the time, there were chinasaurs, the also cartoony, but vastly more fragile Kenner Jurassic Park figures with a limited selection, and the decent, but blobby and often asymmetrical Carnegie figures. I appreciated the attention to detail in the old Safaris, which showed more muscle definition and skin detail than any other toy line, and they were far more versatile than the JP toys, so I could take them to the beach or out in the snow and have them guard whatever fort I built without worry of them getting clogged with sand, or electronics or springs being damaged by water. In my opinion, they were the best dinosaur toys on the market at the time. Would they have been better with more natural color schemes and sharper teeth and claws? Undoubtedly. Regardless, I like them to this day because of how much more alive they felt to me than other dinosaur toys.

I also really like the little Dakin Jurassic Park toys. So much so that I reviewed all of them for the blog.

I really like those too. Inaccurate though they may be, they are well proportioned, and have a solid, pleasing style that I appreciate. Then there's the nostalgia of getting the Gallimimus as my first dinosaur toy after I decided that I did, in fact, like dinosaurs.

[Flaffy]

For me, I'm not personally fond of this figure, but it holds a lot of meaning to me.
The horrid JW Spinosaurus action figure.
It was the very first dinosaur figure that kickstarted my collection and my dinosaur craze. JW surprisingly played a huge role in getting me back into palaeontology and collecting prehistoric animal figures.
As of now, I definitely regret spending around $100 on Hasbro's JW toy line, but the toy line, and spinosaurus in particular will forever hold a special place in my collection.

[Brontozaurus]

Some of my favourite figures are the product of nostalgia, charm, or rarity, irrespective of accuracy. The Dinosaur Toy Blog sometimes gets accused of being too judgemental when it comes to accuracy...I agree!

Interesting that you say so. Have you ever considered issuing guidelines to reviewers that would rein in our most pedantic tendencies? I don't think I write the most mean-spirited reviews on the blog, but some of them are definitely pretty picky. Or are you not concerned with an editorial voice?

Reviewers should be free to write whatever they wish and I don't mind nit-picking per se, I usually do it myself. It can be interesting and educational for readers. We just need to remember that while accuracy is important to consider, there are other factors at play.  This is one of the reasons I enjoy it when the blog branches out into atypical territory, such as Lego, plush toys, Boneyard Pets etc. 

Personally, I consider the aesthetics of a toy to be often more important than how accurate it is. Like, the Invicta Megalosaurus on my shelf is old and outdated, but the overall look is so well done I don't care. Same goes for the basic JP raptor, it just looks good. On the other end, the new Safari Uintatherium is accurate but I find it to be pretty dull, especially compared to the rampaging hellbeast that is the CollectA version.

Inaccuracy annoys me more when it contributes to a figure looking terrible. The random line of feathers down the back of the new CollectA rex looks unrealistic and also just poorly done. In fact I'd say that this affects T. rex models more than any other species; half because there's so many, half because a lot of them are bad copies of the JP rex.

[Shonisaurus]

I really like the models of the mosasaurus recur and the dimetrodon of the same brand.

On the other hand I find the figures of the oviraptor and pachycephalosaurus Recur attractive that I still do not have.

[terrorchicken]

I have one of the Disney Dinosaur carnotaurus figures (not the electronic ones, the one that's articulated at the neck, tail and limbs). The articulation looks ridiculous but I love that carnotaur design as much as I love the JP T-rex design and I think its the best representation of it.

I'm a big fan of that design too and any of the toys that came out of it. I have one of them, a small one, but would love to have the big Carnotaurus.

I also really like the little Dakin Jurassic Park toys. So much so that I reviewed all of them for the blog.

all the old Jurassic Park toys are great, I dont even think they count as bad models, just outdated interpretations due to being based on the film design.

[stargatedalek]

I agree, the Jurassic Park toys while certainly bad representations of extinct animals are great sci-fi models. Most of them accomplish what they're intended to.

[IrritatorRaji]

I have one of the Disney Dinosaur carnotaurus figures (not the electronic ones, the one that's articulated at the neck, tail and limbs). The articulation looks ridiculous but I love that carnotaur design as much as I love the JP T-rex design and I think its the best representation of it.

I'm a big fan of that design too and any of the toys that came out of it. I have one of them, a small one, but would love to have the big Carnotaurus.

I also really like the little Dakin Jurassic Park toys. So much so that I reviewed all of them for the blog.

all the old Jurassic Park toys are great, I dont even think they count as bad models, just outdated interpretations due to being based on the film design.

I kinda collect them as models, haha. I know they're toys but I still love to collect and proudly display them.

[Archinto]

As an avid collector of vintage dinosaurs, it could be said that every single one of my dinosaurs is a "bad model" LOL!!

I love them all!

Recently I've taken a liking to some small figures I've found, they are Ajax minis cast in a minty toothpaste green soft rubber and are very old. The pterosaur is particularly satisfying to fidget with.

[terrorchicken]

all those old mono colored plastic dinos from the 60's/70's like Marx are really neat. Its funny that we can appreciate those but a current Schleich figure with more detail turns us off. Why is that? Guess it's nostalgia and the view that old "classic" things are just timeless...

[Faelrin]

I didn't mention it in my earlier post, but there's a few Schleich figures I like that would probably qualify. The first is the Dunkleosteus, and while there are more accurate Dunkleosteus out there, it just appeals to me for some reason, even with the cyborg undead fish look it has. Maybe it's just the silver and brown, although I also like the scutes it has. I don't mind the Schleich Dimetrodon too much either. The feet are too big, and the tail is stumpy, but I like the coloration it has. The third one would be the Utahraptor because an attempt was made at making a feathered dromaeosaurid, even if it was a rather poor attempt. Like with the Papo Allosaurus and Dimetrodon, I don't own any of these, but I've seen enough on them, that I don't mind them too much.

[Halichoeres]

all those old mono colored plastic dinos from the 60's/70's like Marx are really neat. Its funny that we can appreciate those but a current Schleich figure with more detail turns us off. Why is that? Guess it's nostalgia and the view that old "classic" things are just timeless...

Maybe it's because Marx was pushing at the edges of what was possible to manufacture at the time. Schleich is operating in a context where we know that better toys are possible because other companies are making them.

[terrorchicken]

^yeah, guess its why I love the Invicta figures as well.

[Archinto]

^yeah, guess its why I love the Invicta figures as well.

The difference thoigh is the invictas were co nsidered scientifically accuratefor the times, not to lention being beautiful models! I love mine too and am only missing lambeosaurus.

[CityRaptor]

THIS! Always look at figures in historical context.
Aside from some of the ones ( but not all ) already mentioned by others, I like  Schleich Classics, which were not even accurate when they were released.

[ITdactyl]

I'm very curious about that ornamented/armored stegosaurus.  Is that part of a series?

[CityRaptor]

It's a piece from a board game: "Die Schacht der Dinosaurier"


Here is more about it:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1081/die-schlacht-der-dinosaurier