If there’s one group of dinosaurs that have never before graced a child’s toy box then it would almost certainly be the alvarezsaurids. Alvarezsaurids are small, maniraptoran dinosaurs whose fossils were found in North and South America, as well as Asia. These dinosaurs had long legs and necks, and were probably feathered, but the main characteristic that sets most of these particular dinosaurs apart, is their insanely tiny arms, which end in a single clawed digit.
Type: Action Figure
Review: Alpha Velociraptor (Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect by Kenner)
3.4 (23 votes)
Review and Photographs By Sketchy, edited by Suspsy
While Jurassic World popularized the idea of genetically modified dinosaur hybrids, Kenner beat them to the idea over 17 years prior with the Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect line, a mix of crazy hybrids and similarly crazy repaints of old figures.
Review: Polacanthus (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
2.9 (9 votes)
Review and photos by Art Rex, edited by Suspsy
Before the release of Jurassic Park in 1993, Playskool’s Definitely Dinosaurs was one of the best brands of prehistoric playtime, rivaled only by Tyco’s Dino-Riders. Most of the Definitely Dinosaurs were relatively simple in design, almost cartoonish to play to a younger demographic.
Review: Dilophosaurus (Savage Strike)(Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom by Mattel)
2.9 (18 votes)
Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy
The Legacy Collection line is one of the most controversial assortments of the Mattel Jurassic World toy line, what with having very poor distribution worldwide except for the most part in the US, and only at Target stores due to it being a retailer exclusive (exceptions being the Spinosaurus, etc).
Review: Dimetrodon (Savage Strike)(Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom by Mattel)
2.6 (12 votes)
Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy
Perhaps the most popular Paleozoic creature is none other than Dimetrodon itself. Although Dimetrodon is not a dinosaur, having lived long before them in the Permian period (and is not even a reptile, as it is in fact a synapsid), it has often featured alongside them and other creatures of the Mesozoic in various toy lines.
Review: Deinonychus (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
1.8 (6 votes)
Review and photos by dinoguy2, edited by Suspsy
Deinonychus was hot in the 80s’ – a relatively new, small, fast, vicious theropod that was beginning to catch kids’ attention in books and TV specials, and therefore made an obvious choice when it came time to fill in the small dinosaur slots in a toy line.
Review: Quetzalcoatlus (Tyco)
3.8 (4 votes)
Review and photos by dinoguy2, edited by Suspsy
The first series in the Dino-Riders line, released in 1987, is not exactly known for its scientific accuracy. The second series brought us some frankly very radical-looking Dinosaur Renaissance style figures, including a very modern take on Kentrosaurus and even a feathered Struthiomimus.
Review: Pachycephalosaurus (Tyco)
3.7 (6 votes)
Review and images by dinoguy2, edited by Suspsy
I knew I had a box full of Dino-Riders toys somewhere, and when it was rediscovered recently I was excited to take a fresh look at some of these 1980s’ era dinosaur figures, especially those I remembered as being ahead of their time.
Review: Microraptor with Forest Environment Accessory Pack (Beasts of the Mesozoic: Raptor Series by Creative Beast Studio)
4.9 (48 votes)
Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy
Back in the early 2000s’, paleontologists unveiled fossil specimens of a small, crow-sized dromaeosaurid named Microraptor, which would perhaps change the game for dromaeosaurids from then on, providing some definitive evidence that they had feathers.
Review: Buitreraptor with Wetlands Environment Accessory Pack (Beasts of the Mesozoic: Raptor Series by Creative Beast Studio)
4.9 (48 votes)
Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy
It has been quite some time since I last reviewed something from the Beasts of the Mesozoic Raptor Series, having been caught up with Mattel’s Jurassic World figures. But with the next Beasts of the Mesozoic Kickstarter campaign only a few months away, it is time I come back and give some much needed attention to this precious line of highly articulated, highly detailed, and mostly scientifically accurate figures.
Review: Nasutoceratops (Jurassic World Dino-Rivals, Duel Attack by Mattel)
4.6 (15 votes)
Nasutoceratops was a centrosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous in the south-western United States. Only having been described in 2013 this very unique looking dinosaur has gained a bit of popularity with toys released from both Safari and CollectA in 2015, and now from Mattel for their Jurassic World line.
Review: Coelurus (Jurassic World, Dino-Rivals by Mattel)
3.8 (17 votes)
Described by O. C. Marsh in 1879, Ceolurus is known only from a single skeleton found within the Morrison formation. This benign little theropod dates back to the late Jurassic where it rubbed shoulders with the likes of Allosaurus, Stegososaurus, and Brachiosaurus.