Here I am, Emperor Dinobot, offering thee another Mattel pterosaur review, this time of Tupandactylus.
Tupandactylus, formerly known as Tapejara, hails from the Cretaceous fossil rich Brazil. It was reclassified into Tupandactylus imperator and T. navigans in 2007 as it was found to warrant its own genus.
Last year, when I wrote my review for the Hammond Collection T. rex I stated that, “I can finally say with some degree of confidence that I will never buy another Mattel T. rex, certainly not from the main line.” Well, I guess I’ll have to eat those words, because here we are.
Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy
Since 2018, when Mattel got the Jurassic World license, I’ve been wanting and waiting to see if they would make a Jurassic Park III Ankylosaurus, which has always been my favorite take on this animal in the franchise.
The ending of Jurassic World opened a can of worms to a world of possibilities as to where our favorite sci-fi dinosaur franchise was going. Luckily there was a ton of lore to draw from, whether it was from the books, game or other media, though maybe not as deep as Star Wars, but just like the Star Wars sequel trilogy, there was not much of a plan going forward in terms of movie-making.
Once in a while, Emperor Dinobot, who is me, will go to discount stores such as TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, Ross and others to find stuff to eat, like veggie chips and so forth. Sometimes, some bargains are too cheap to leave behind, and that is…what this review is all about.
Coming up with something to review for Jurassic Park’s much hyped 30th anniversary was no easy task, simply because we’ve been reviewing Jurassic Park toys on this blog steadily for the last five years, thanks to Mattel. What could we possibly feature on the blog that would live up to the grandeur of toys like the Legacy Brachiosaurus and Hammond Collection T.
It is quite refreshing to finally review a 1/18 scale dinosaur from Beasts of the Mesozoic that is not a ceratopsian. It is also refreshing to not have to write a review of a Mattel dinosaur or a pterosaur either. The BOTM Tyrannosaur series has arrived, and I, Emperor Dinobot, am excited beyond belief.
Many of the most vibrantly coloured vertebrates living on the planet today are reptiles, particularly squamates such as the gold dust day gecko, the collared lizard, the rainbow boa, and the eastern coral snake. Certain testudines including the red-eared slider, the eastern box turtle, and the northern river terrapin also feature bold patterning and coloration.
For almost every Tyrannosaurus toy on the market, there’s a Triceratops toy to face off with – as it should be, considering the rich history of fossils and iconic paleo media depicting these legendary Cretaceous contemporaries. Triceratops was more than just a prime steak to fill a theropod’s belly, of course; this colossal herbivore would have been a spectacular animal in its own right, and a powerful presence roaming the forests and hills of Western North America.
There’s no real debate about it. The Mattel Jurassic World Mosasaurus is still one of the line’s best toys. Pushing 30” in length and covered in rubbery “real feel” material, it has also been released and re-released consistently over the last 5 years. A testament to its quality.
Mattel has serious distribution problems going as far back as 2004. I collect Batman figures, and I am also a completist, if you haven’t noticed. The final few waves of the Comic Book style Batman series, as well as some figures from The Batman were only released on Europe, and sometimes in Latin America.
I told you I would return to pterosaurs soon enough. I, EmperorDinobot, got this Jurassic Park Hammond Collection Geosternbergia early on, and to be honest, there is not much I can say about it, as it is a re-tool of the Amber Collection Pteranodon, which has been reviewed here.
