Before I start my review, I must thank our friends and colleagues at Happy Hen Toys for sending along this review sample. If you are in the United States, Happy Hen Toys is the place to go for all your prehistoric pals in plastic!
Meraxes was one of three legendary dragons used during Aegon’s Conquest, the campaign in which Aegon I Targaryen conquered most of Westeros. Meraxes was ridden by King Aegon’s sister-wife Queen Rhaenys Targaryen. Maraxes’ legacy came to a tragic end during the First Dornish War when…oh? Wait, what’s that? Oh!!! This is the DINOSAUR Toy Blog? Not the Monster Toy Blog? OK, sorry about that. Let’s start over. Meraxes was a large carcharodontosaurid from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of present-day Patagonia, Argentina. The holotype was discovered in 2012 but it wouldn’t until 10 years later when the species was formally described, M. gigas. Meraxes is believed to basal to the rest of the tribe Gigantosaurini which includes genera such as Tyrannotitan, Giganotosaurus, and Mapusaurus. Today we will be looking at the 2026 version of Meraxes by CollectA. To my knowledge, this is only the second figure of this species following the 2023 model by PNSO. 2023 was a big year for megatheropods by PNSO, most of which I didn’t pursue (I only got the Spinosaurus). Large theropods are probably my least favorite group of dinosaurs, so I rarely get them unless they are produced by ‘Western’ companies such as Safari Ltd. or CollectA. I was happy when CollectA announced Meraxes in their 2026 line-up as it gave me the opportunity to get this interesting genus.
The CollectA Meraxes has a body length of approximately 28.0 cm for a scale of 1:36-1:41 based on a projected body length of 10.2-11.6 meters. Using skull as a metric (n=4.2 cm) the scales comes to 1:30. The slight discrepancy could be in that theropods are frequently sculpted with heads that are too large, although if this is the case I have trouble perceiving it in-hand. Using the body length as a metric it at least fits CollectA’s advertised scale of 1:40!
This Meraxes is sculpted in a fairly neutral pose, as if gently strolling through its environment. Promotional photos made it look much chunkier than it is in-hand, for which I am relieved. It also comes with a movable jaw, something I am not crazy about, but can live with. Generally I don’t like articulations, but a movable jaw is usually not too obtrusive or distracting.
The head bears prominent lacrimal horns running down the nose as ridges; they are much more linear than in the PNSO model (from what I can tell comparing pics online). The outer part of the mouth is lined with large scales suggestive of some kind of keratinous lips (although teeth are still visible when the mouth is closed). The three fingers on the hand look to be about the same size, which in life the middle finger at least should be longer than the others. The proportions of the toes are much nicer. The first (innermost) toe is represented by a small claw on the inside of the foot. The second claw is the largest, which is accurate based on other reconstructions of the genus. Overall, the tegument is covered with a fine, pebbled texture lacking large osteoderms.
The color choice is rather interesting; it appears to resemble the coat of a jaguar. It is probably unlikely that a large theropod would be patterned like this but perhaps it was a tip-of-the-hat to South America’s largest extant apex predator. Only the lacrimal horns stand out in a bright orange-red. This, however, is actually plausible, as such horns may have been used for, among other things, intraspecific communication. In inside of the mouth is painted pink but the teeth are the same base tan as the exterior of the mouth.
The figure also comes with this little dude, perhaps for scale purposes:
Overall, I am satisfied with the CollectA Meraxes. For those that want a more refined model, they should probably go for the PNSO’s. But the CollectA figure offers a viable option at a slightly lower price point. Available in the US at Happy Hen Toys or wherever CollectA figures are sold!
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I was wondering about this figure since it was first introduced along with the Lokiceratops (which I purchased to accompany my excellent PNSO one). Like the Loki, this Meraxes shows better in hand and I appreciate the thoroughness of this review. It was quite informative. I do have the PNSO Meraxes, and, furthermore took the expensive step of getting it “lipped”, so will remain content with it, as it’s a first class production, only needing the lips to make it state-of the art, so to speak. However, CollectA continues to offer very good value for the money.
Well, I don’t like this toy very much but I enjoyed your clever intro! I forgot that that’s where this dinosaur got its name.