Miragaia (Zhong Jieming)

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Review and photos by Takama, edited by Suspsy

Ever wondered if knockoffs such as this Papo Spinosaurus and CollectA Hylaeosaurus have a company name behind them? Well, to save you the time, that company turns out to be Zhong Jieming. After reading that, you might be wondering why I brought up Chinese knockoff figures on our beloved blog, but in all seriousness, I found the source of those knockoffs completely by accident, and I have no intentions on purchasing any of them.

However, the reason I found them is because the name of this company was printed on a curious little ugly dinosaur’s packaging that I found in a hospital gift shop on the 15th of April 2016 (while my mom had her heart surgery done by the professionals at the University of Iowa). The dinosaur I got (which was purchased thanks to my uncle) came in a flimsy little plastic container, and it was the only one of its kind left. Other dinosaur toys in the shop included merchandise for The Good Dinosaur and a set of pens with PVC dinosaurs built on to them.

My dinosaur was an ugly little thing with limbs that were connected by ball joints and a buildable body. The toy was preassembled except for a leg and its tail, which were unattached so it could fit in the little package. Also inside the package was a piece of cardboard with the word DINOSAURS (the U is printed bigger than the other letters) on the top and bottom of the slip. At the top left corner of the slip is the name of the company that I looked up after I acquired it, and I must say that I sort of regret letting my uncle buy it because of the bootlegs they make. But from what I can tell, the line that this figure comes in is completely original. On the back of the box are pictures of other dinosaurs in the line, which were drawn instead of being photographed. Only three of them are creatures that I recognize. Also, the dinosaur cost my uncle $4.00 (as you can see on the price tag), which is a lot more then this model is worth.

​The figure itself comes in nine pieces, and only two are easy to remove. The limbs and neck are ball-jointed while the tail only turns. If I were to make a guess as to what species this toy represents, then that would be Miragaia due to the long neck and the fact that it’s a stegosaur. The body can be disassembled easily by removing the plates and upper part of the torso. I believe that the head, tail, and limbs can be removed as well, but trying to pull them off is hard, and I’m reluctant to put too much force on this figure.

​In terms of detailing, this little guy is hideous. He has black lines in every crevice on his body, and the seams between the parts are very noticeable. He is painted yellow with green plates, and overall is a very unattractive little critter.

In the end, I can’t say I recommend you getting one of these models if you see one at the store. The only good that came from me obtaining this toy is the fact that some of its proceeds will go to fund research for the hospital, but I can’t help but wonder that at the same time, the other proceeds will go to funding more knockoffs from this company. For once in my reviews, I can say that this is a figure that you should avoid at all costs.