Every year, starting with the release of their misnamed Pachyrhinosaurus in 2018, Mattel has released a ceratopsian that I’ve absolutely adored. In 2019 it was the Nasutoceratops, in 2020 it was the Sinoceratops, and it looked like this year it would be the Pentaceratops.
Type: Action Figure
Review: Dr. Wu’s Lab: Baby Dinosaurs Breakout (Jurassic World by LEGO)
4.2 (9 votes)
“Season’s Greetings, fellow dinosaur lovers! Yes, it is I, Dr. Bella Bricking and my invaluable assistant and companion Beth Buildit, back once again to celebrate the holidays with you!”
“Hiya, folks. Sure hope 2021 was kinder to all of you than 2020 was. Suffering studs, did that year ever bite.
Review: Kentrosaurus (Jurassic World Dino-Escape, Roar Attack by Mattel)
3.6 (16 votes)
With the addition of a re-sculpted Stegosaurus, Chialingosaurus, and now this Kentrosaurus to the line, Mattel has given the stegosauria clade much love this year. Until now the only member of this group represented in the line was the 2018 Stegosaurus and its re-paint.
Review: Allosaurus (Kid Galaxy/Lontic by Happy Kin)
2.4 (10 votes)
Although this DK-inspired poseable figure is alright as a generic theropod toy, it’s a pretty weak depiction of the iconic genus it’s meant to represent.
Dinosaur toy history is a relatively new endeavor of study, be it researching the origins of the hobby in the famous Marx line, or trying to catalogue the onslaught of brand-new models from PNSO.
Review: Chialingosaurus (Jurassic World Dino-Escape, Fierce Force by Mattel)
2 (24 votes)
Chialingosaurus kuani was a stegosaurian that lived 160 million years ago in China. It is one of the oldest species of stegosaurs known and would have resembled Kentrosaurus in appearance. You would be forgiven for having never heard of it, not many have.
Review: Apatosaurus (Jurassic World Legacy Collection, by Mattel)
3 (27 votes)
It has now been two years since Mattel released their Legacy Collection Brachiosaurus, a highly anticipated toy that fans had been pining for since 1993. During much of that time between then and now people had wondered, “will we get an Apatosaurus too?
Review: Ouranosaurus (Jurassic World Dino-Escape, Roar Attack by Mattel)
3.4 (21 votes)
With its tall neural spines similar to those of Spinosaurus, Ouranosaurus is one of the most unique and visually distinct species of ornithopods, and yet has remained relatively obscure. Many figures of the genus do exist with notable ones by Recur, CollectA, Schleich, and Starlux but they aren’t of particularly high quality or accuracy.
Review: Carcharodontosaurus (Jurassic World Dino-Escape, Mega Destroyers by Mattel)
3.3 (23 votes)
It has been a good year for Carchorodontosaurus, as I mentioned in my review of the figure by PNSO. The PNSO figure, along with the one by GR toys, gave sophisticated collectors a fantastic, updated pair of “shark toothed lizards” to display and admire whilst sipping brandy by the fireside.
Review: Ankylosaurus (Bumpy) (Jurassic World Dino-Escape, Roar Attack by Mattel)
3.4 (18 votes)
They grow up so fast! It was just over 13 months ago when I reviewed the bouncing baby Bumpy for the DTB and now here I am again with another Bumpy review. Only this time, Bumpy isn’t a baby anymore. When I reviewed that baby Bumpy, the animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous hadn’t even premiered yet, but I knew I had to have Bumpy in my collection because she was just so stinkin’ adorable.
Review: Fukuisaurus (ANIA by Takara Tomy)
4.6 (7 votes)
Today I venture into uncharted waters and review a figure by a company I’ve never covered, or bought products by, before. Although I’ve long been aware of Takara Tomy, they’re a Japanese company, making their offerings somewhat difficult to get in the U.S. Also, since their prehistoric figures mostly cover well known genera, or represent Jurassic World animals, they also just weren’t of much interest to me.
Review: Gallimimus (Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, Attack Pack by Mattel)
3.1 (14 votes)
I reviewed the original Attack Pack Gallimimus back in 2018, with its sandy brown color tones, it was the first of many Gallimimus toys from Mattel. Indeed, the Attack Pack Gallimimus has received so many re-paints over the last few years that I would be hard pressed to list them all.
Review: Zuniceratops (Jurassic World: Wild Pack by Mattel)
2.9 (19 votes)
Discovered in the Moreno Hill Formation in New Mexico by a paleontologist’s young son (lucky kid!), Zuniceratops is quite a significant animal in that it is the oldest North American ceratopsian known to have possessed horns. Indeed, it appears to be a transition between the more primitive protoceratopsids and the more advanced ceratopsids.
Review: Anatosaurus (Edmontosaurus) (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
4.1 (37 votes)
The Definitely Dinosaurs line by Playskool was a series of dinosaur toys produced in the late 80’s and early 90’s. For those unfamiliar with them they were basically the more toddler-friendly version of Tyco’s Dino-Riders. Some of them, like the Stegosaurus, were eerily similar to their Tyco counterparts.
Review: Dodo and Coelurosauravus (Primeval by Character Options)
3.8 (8 votes)
When it comes to TV shows, a chance to make merchandise and thus more money is a major point. With the success of the Doctor Who figures based on the series, ITV’s own time travel based show, Primeval, attempted the same. It ran for the first two series, but no further.
Review: Albertosaurus (Jurassic World: Massive Biters by Mattel)
3.8 (19 votes)
Repaints have been a mainstay of every single Jurassic Park and Jurassic World toyline since the very beginning, but retools are much less common. Probably the most famous and popular retool is the 2009 Tyrannosaurus rex by Hasbro that was created using Kenner’s Lost World Bull from more than a decade earlier.