Mosasaurus (Real-Feel)(Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom by Mattel)

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Review and Photographs by Cretaceous Crab, edited by Suspsy

To paraphrase the character Gray’s signature catchphrase, “We need more teeth!” Following Hasbro’s lackluster attempt with Jurassic World‘s prehistoric marine monster, dinosaur toy collectors of all ages agreed that, “We need a better Mosasaurus toy!”

As we have already seen in previous reviews, Mattel has vastly succeeded where Hasbro failed. The Real-Feel Mosasaurus is no exception. It is not perfect, as with nearly any toy, but it is the only one of its kind on the market: a large articulated mosasaur action figure that is to scale with most of the Tyrannosaurus figures that accompany it in the “Large Dinos” sub-line for the upcoming film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It measures about 30″ long from nose to tail tip.

The figure is coloured a striking blue with complimenting light and dark hues to create that countershading coloration associated with most large marine animals. The eyes are yellow and the inside of the jaws are a subdued pink, including the tongue.

Like many of Mattel’s medium and large figures, some assembly is required: the large tail along with the four flipper appendages require manual attachment to the body. The flippers are nearly proportionate to the body, and with a ball-and-socket joint each, can swivel all the way around, as well as up and down. The body itself is a little shortened or stumpy compared to the actual mosasaur in the films, although this is likely due to smaller packaging. The “real-feel” feature of the body is as advertised; very scaly with some crocodile-like scutes down the back, and plenty of bumps and wrinkles in all the right places to give this toy some character. The body and upper jaw are made of a thick rubberized plastic, and rather hollow inside (almost like a squeak toy without the squeak). This marks the first of a few shortcomings with this figure.

While making the overall toy lighter in weight, the hollowness of the body lacks some stability and for a connoisseur of good prehistoric toys, it rather gives a sense of cheapness. Additionally, while the articulated lower jaw is more solid, the upper jaw is, as mentioned before, hollow without any solid structure inside it.

Let’s move on to that tail. Of course, it is not accurate to a real mosasaur but stays true to the fictional JW Mosasaurus. It is angled upwards and attaches to the base of the body, right behind the hind flippers. If you look closely, it is actually in three sections and when viewed from underneath, the seams are quite noticeable. The base section (the point where it attaches to the body) is hollow, just like the body. The other two sections are a harder rubberised plastic material, very solid. I actually would have preferred the entire figure to be made in this material and I’ll explain why. With that heavy tail that is approximately 66% solid, it weighs down on the point where it attaches to the body. The attachment point is hard plastic, but is loosely sealed to the rubber “real-feel” skin of the body. As the tail weighs down, it pulls on that seal, and within moments of assembling the toy, it broke that seal and has since torn that seal open more. I fear that in the not-too-distant future, this seal will be entirely compromised, and I am uncertain how to mend it in a way that will still permit play time for my son (for whom this toy was a birthday gift).

The most prominent (and redeeming) feature of this toy is the articulated lower jaw, which is perfect for re-creating this character’s scenes in Jurassic World: snapping up sharks, Pteranodons, or inattentive dinosaur hybrids. As you can see below, the figure is pretty much to scale with the large T. rex or the Indominus Rex of the 2015 film. Unfortunately, Hasbro did not make a human figure for the ill-fated Zara (Claire’s assistant), so if you want to re-create that shocking moment of her untimely demise, you may have to wait and see if Mattel releases one for their Legacy Collection line. [In fact, this mosasaur may have been a better figure if it was designed like the Super Colossal Tyrannosaurus rex, to completely “swallow” small figures that could be retrieved via a hatch on the belly.]

Aside from the hefty tail issue, the overall figure is still a worthy addition to the toy box or the avid collector’s shelf. The price is not bad for the size and quality of the toy, about $29.99 USD. However, if it is purchased with the intent to be played with, be mindful of that seal around the base of the tail. I would recommend storing it in a position where the tail is propped up to alleviate some of the strain on the attachment point.

Available from Amazon here.

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