Jurassic World Dominion Minis part 1 (Jurassic World by Mattel)

The Jurassic Park/World has had it’s fair share of miniature dino models, from the original metal ones to hard plastic. Now Jurassic World Dominion brings hard (ish) rubber, safer for siblings, and we see one and two packs of minis, giving plenty of material to review. But how to cover them? By two pack, as individuals? I am going to do them from worst to best, seven in each of the two reviews. Let’s dive right in!

Starting at the bottom of the heap, we see Baryonyx, though I did think it was an Allosaurus due to the colouration. The crocodilian snout is there, but the thumb claw is very hard to spot. The most egregious thing however is the feet. Now, I know oversized feet is seen regularly to balance bipedal models, but I draw the line here as it is overly large and an odd shape in general, really bad here. The hands aren’t quite pronated, but enough to make you double look. It measures 3.5″ long and 1.4″ high, pretty small, but not bad. This can be found in a two pack with Iguanodon. This is the bottom of the barrel, but only upwards from here.

Next up is Gallimimus, which is a miniaturised version of the attack pack model (with similar colouration) and a similar mini used during Fallen Order. The same oversized feet issue is here, and one hand is fully pronated, which is annoying. It is also completely featherless, but let’s be honest, this is to be expected. Otherwise, accuracy isn’t horrible, slim and speedy, very nice. It measures 2.6″ long and 1.3″ high, good for a juvenile, bit better than the Baryonyx. It can be found in a two pack with Quetzacoatlus.

Next up is new raptor Atrociraptor (which may have a better name than Velociraptor). The colouration is based off the Atrociraptor leader from the film, “Ghost”, clear from the white and brown colouration. It may be unintentional, but having white on an animal from Canada has an air of appropriateness to me. As in the film, it is bigger than the Velociraptor model, measuring 2.2″ long and 1.1″ high (ironic, as in reality, the two species are roughly the same size). It has mostly correct anatomy, with the larger size helping the feet seem less oversized, but the boxy nature of the skull drags the accuracy down for me, the the narrow slenderness it should have, though my guess is it’s to ensure it isn’t too similar to the other raptors in the film. Pronated wrists don’t help either. It is found in a two pack with Stegosaurus.

Next is the second raptor (making me sad this set of minis lacked Pyroraptor) Velociraptor. This, as you may expect, is based on “Blue” from the movies, clear from it’s blue and grey colouration. While it’s narrower snout makes it an improvement in Atrociraptor, the smaller size (2.2″ long by 1.4″, but is far less bulky and is only taller due to tail position) means the feet are really hug here. Usual other inaccuracies (pronated wrists, lack of feathers) are also here. It comes packaged with Yangchuanosaurus.

One of the two single packs next, and it’s big gun Rexy! And this Tyrannosaurus has many failings. General shrink wrapping, huge hips and big feet being the anatomical ones (though the feet are easier to overlook), but my main issue is in manufacturing: a noticeable seam through the top jaw that is distracting. The mildly upright pose isn’t impossible, just odd. The brown colouration matches the film, and works well. The thing that boosts this is a surprising feature some models in this line have that I didn’t expect: articulation. The T. rex here has a hinged jaw, which is a pleasant surprise. It measures 4.2″ long and 1.9″ high.

Next is Stegosaurus, which features the first piece of articulation I found out about, tail swishing, great with the pose being aggressive, perfect for kids. The issue is the colour of the tail is very basic, unlike the rest of the body, which would have been easy to sort, but not been done. The look is pretty old school, bit low to the ground and dumpy around the neck and underbelly. Seen better. The figure measures 3.7″ long and 1.6″ high, and is in a two pack with Atrociraptor.

We’ll finish off this half of the review with Pteranodon. The model is decent in accuracy, skinny with modelling that gives the impression of pycnofibers, but the legs, beak and head crest seem a little short. The colours are decent, but the yellow is a bit distracting. It’s small like the rest, measuring 3.2″ in wingspan and 1.9″ from head to feet. Not bad overall, just average. It is packaged alongside Triceratops.

This concludes the worst half of the line. Re-join soon for the best of them!