Indominus Rex (Destroy N’ Devour)(Jurassic World by Mattel)

Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy

After more than a decade since Jurassic Park III was released, the next entry in the franchise finally got to see the day of light in 2015, after a long and troubled development cycle. That film was none other then Jurassic World. Unfortunately, for any potentially excited collectors suffering from what was a drought of new JP toys at the time (with a few exceptions such as the Allosaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus among the sea of repaints), the toy line released for the film suffered from numerous issues such as screw holes on the sides of the figures, permanent battle wounds, and poor quality control in paint and gimmicks. As a result (and also due to the poor distribution the figures suffered from), sales suffered badly, and for the first time in the franchise’s history, Universal took the license away from Hasbro, and gave it to Mattel.

After Mattel acquired the license, and released a stunning toyline in 2018, one featuring (mostly) movie-accurate sculpts, a (mostly) consistent scale, and a plethora of species (including nearly all 27 film species now), there was fan demand for a particular fictional hybrid that starred in Jurassic World, and that was missing from the 2018 line (which was so that it wouldn’t steal the spotlight from the latest film’s brand new hybrid, the Indoraptor). After being hinted and teased about, the Destroy N’ Devour Indominus Rex was finally revealed in its full glory at the 2019 New York Toy Fair. For the first time since 2015, the creature was given some proper due, including a film accurate sculpt and enjoyable action features and articulation, all of which have delighted many children and adult collectors since its release. After finally getting my hands on this figure in September, it has certainly fulfilled the years-long wait I’d been carrying out ever since Hasbro’s rather poor handling of this creature.

As mentioned above, the sculpt on the toy is certainly strikingly film-accurate, almost as if the model came from ILM itself, and is detailed with lots of scales and scutes all over. It even features rubbery quills on the neck similar to those on the Indoraptor figures. The toy itself is made of a white plastic and there isn’t much paint detail, as one would expect given that the Indominus itself is white. However, there is some nice darker coloration along the back and around the face that help give it some depth and bring out some of the details. Like many of Mattel’s figures, only the claws on the feet have been painted. The teeth have been painted relatively well, with no real sloppiness, and the tongue and mouth are made of a pink plastic material. The eyes are also painted quite nicely, and feature the correct amber coloration on them.

Aside from the sculpt being relatively film-accurate, the gimmicks are worth discussing (and certainly worth trying out if acquired). The toy has several features, one of which is a tribute to Kenner’s Bull Tyrannosaurus rex to some extent, in that it is designed to be able to “swallow” smaller human and perhaps even dinosaur figures, or more correctly they can be stored at the back of the throat–if they fit. By pressing the button on the tail, the Indominus will roar out and open its massive jaws, and occasionally the neck will light up. If a figure is then “swallowed” or stuck into the back of the throat, it will light up, and the toy will make some eating sound effects.

The next gimmick features the arms, and is very similar to the Grab n’ Growl Indoraptor, in that the button above the shoulders makes the arms come together in a grabbing manner. The last feature is in regards to the left leg. If the leg is shifted so that the tail is posed higher up in the air, the neck of the Indominus will snap down a little, to be in a pose that is perhaps easier to eat figures.

In regards to articulation, there really isn’t much here, as most of the figure’s parts are tied to an action feature of some kind. While the legs can be swiveled up and down to an extent (and not independently much), they are tied to the action feature. The arms, however, can be rotated around at the shoulders, and the elbows can be moved up and down and rotated much like on the Indoraptor figures. The figure’s hands can also be used to grab and hold onto human figures, and possibly smaller dinosaurs. Unlike the previous large Hasbro incarnation, this figure stands absolutely fine as well, not only because of the enormous feet (which can also swivel around), but also because it is balanced quite well thanks to its long tail.

In terms of scale, this figure is easily one of the most largest Mattel has made so far, aside from the massive in-scale Brachiosaurus, and out-of-scale Super Colossal Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor Blue. It measures roughly 22 inches long and 11 inches tall (in the neutral position), and as such it is nearly the same length as the Mosasaurus, and certainly towers over it too. It is also the tallest of the large theropods Mattel has made, standing above even the Legacy Collection (and Battle Damage) Spinosaurus, as well as any of the Tyrannosaurus figures (again, except for the Super Colossal one). It is also worth mentioning that this figure is also slightly taller then the skeleton released in the Quest for Indominus pack.

As this toy was designed with children in mind first, and perhaps adult collectors as an afterthought, it wouldn’t have been fair for me to not share this with my nieces whenever I have had the opportunity to visit them. My youngest niece (nearly a year and a half now), has particularly taken a liking to this creature, partly from the light up effects. She’ll gesture for me to make it roar, and will bend her head over to peer inside the mouth, waiting to see if it will light up inside. I also let her hold it, and she’ll cuddle it and bring it with her all over the house. She’s also now at an age where she is able to figure out how to use the buttons, although her tiny hands, needs some help at times. My two other twin nieces (age 6), also enjoy playing with the Indominus and making it eat other figures. I suppose my only regret is that this isn’t even based on a particular real dinosaur (although its many traits have some real world inspiration, and in lore explanations, such as the horns being a trait from Carnotaurus, if not other similar abelisaurids like Majungasaurus, and the teeth and scutes perhaps coming from Deinosuchus, or another crocodilian, with much of the head and the size of the animal perhaps being similar to Giganotosaurus and its relatives), although once I can get my hands on the upcoming Primal Attack Carnotaurus, perhaps it could be a suitable alternative, due to having similar features to this one and the Thrash n’ Throw Tyrannosaurus (which I’m still behind on), and having been based on a real dinosaur, and isn’t terribly too far off from what the real thing may have looked like.

With all that said, this toy has certainly reached my expectations, and exceeded my desire for a film-accurate Indominus rex, which I’ve been wanting and waiting for since 2015. It is a step in the right direction for this line in regards to both film accuracy and action features. It was the last of the species from Jurassic World that I needed to acquire for my collection, at least until another much requested dinosaur, the Apatosaurus, can receive a toy someday, hopefully in time for the next film.

Lastly, this toy is available from many retailers around the world now. If you are in the U.S., both Target and Walmart have been stocking this for quite some time. The same goes for Amazon. If you desire to own one of every film species like I do, then certainly don’t pass up on what is easily one of Mattel’s most fun and film-accurate figures thus far. With the new Primal Attack line already beginning to be released, I don’t expect it to stick around for much longer, so get it soon if you haven’t already. It certainly might make a good holiday gift for any young ones too.