Type: Figurine

Review: Tyrannosaurus rex – Feathered & Unfeathered (Soft Model Series 2 by Favorite)

4 (7 votes)

Favorite’s ‘soft models’ have had a complete revamp this year, with an all-new series of sculpts by the renowned Kazunari Araki. With the exception of Pachycephalosaurus and Deinonychus (replaced by Velociraptor), every animal in the original series has an Araki counterpart, and the differences are quite striking and very interesting.

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Review: Diplodocus (Collecta)

Genus: Diplodocus Brand: CollectA Classification: Diplodocoid, Sauropod Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine

4.4 (16 votes)

Guest review by Niroot Puttapipat (Himmapaan)
Diplodocids are largely represented in figure form by the ubiquitous Apatosaurus (or ‘generic-o-pod’, as a certain friend and esteemed colleague has it), with Diplodocus itself being relatively few in number. I greeted the news of the CollectA model with mixed feelings; glad that there is another to add to the list, but afraid, quite prejudicially, that it might disappoint.

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Review: Stegosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

Genus: Stegosaurus Brand: Carnegie, Safari Ltd Classification: Stegosaur Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine

4 (15 votes)

Now here’s a dinosaur figure that’s somehow evaded review year after year. The classic Stegosaurus model by Safari Ltd has gone through several incarnations since its original release in 1988-9. The Stegosaurus figure is one of the originals in the Carnegie Collection line up.

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Review: Diabloceratops (Collecta)

Genus: Diabloceratops Brand: CollectA Classification: Centrosaur, Ceratopsian Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

3.3 (15 votes)

Diabloceratops, thanks no doubt to its distinctive appearance, media exposure and – of course – that irresistible name, is proving to be quite popular with dinosaur toy manufacturers. This year, both Collecta and Safari are releasing a figure (the latter in their Wild Safari range), with Collecta’s being first out of the blocks.

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Review: Gastornis (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

Genus: Diatryma, Gastornis Brand: Safari Ltd, Wild Safari Classification: Bird, Theropod Age: Eocene, Paleocene Type: Figurine

4.7 (17 votes)

Perhaps surprisingly for an animal that was a staple of popular books on prehistoric life for decades (and made an appearance in Walking With Beasts), models of Gastornis are a little thin on the ground. Happily, Safari have stepped forward with this very decent effort – the first toy “Diatryma” in years.

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Review: Megacerops (CollectA)

Genus: Brontotherium, Megacerops Brand: CollectA Classification: Mammal Age: Eocene Type: Figurine

4.7 (13 votes)

Review and photos by Nathan Morris (AKA ‘Takama’), edited by Plesiosauria.
Megacerops was a large odd-toed ungulate that lived during the Late Eocene in North America. It is most commonly referred to by the synonymous name Brontotherium. Brontotherium means ‘thunder beast’, and its origins come from an old American legend that suggest that these beasts ran across the clouds, while causing thunder to roar with their footsteps.

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Review: Carnotaurus (Papo)

Genus: Carnotaurus Brand: Papo Classification: Ceratosaur, Theropod Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

3.4 (22 votes)

In the past, Papo have tended to make their theropods either too scaly or too monstrous. Fortunately, the real Carnotaurus was both very scaly and rather scary-looking – why, it even had a pair of devilish horns protruding from its very toothy head.

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Review: Concavenator (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd.)

Genus: Concavenator Brand: Carnegie, Safari Ltd Classification: Allosaur, Theropod Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

4.4 (19 votes)

In recent years, the fossil beds of Spain have provided spectacular examples of dinosaurs, but perhaps the most famous is Concavenator. First revealed in 2010, this allosauroid’s distinctive physique made it an instant celebrity. The peculiar hump along the back does not seem as awe-inspiring as the humongous sails lining the backs of certain other critters, yet it has clearly made an impression upon us.

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Review: Amargasaurus (Salvat)

Genus: Amargasaurus Brand: Salvat Classification: Diplodocoid, Sauropod Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine, Knock-off

2 (6 votes)

Review and photos be Patrick Król Padilha (a.k.a. Ikessauro), edited by Plesiosauria.
Hi folks, how you doing? If you don’t remember me, I’m Patrick a.k.a. Ikessauro, a collector from Brazil. I enjoy collecting most kinds of prehistoric critters from companies from all around the world.

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Review: Brachiosaurus (Papo)

Genus: Brachiosaurus Brand: Papo Classification: Macronaria (basal), Sauropod Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine

4.2 (18 votes)

At long last, it’s here – the most anticipated Papo figure of 2012! By ‘here’ I of course mean the blog, as it’s been on sale for quite some time now (everywhere but in the UK at least). It’s certainly an intriguing, not to mention suitably massive, figure, and I think an awful lot of people will find it impossible to resist.

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Review: Shantungosaurus (Dinotales Series 4 by Kaiyodo)

Genus: Shantungosaurus Brand: Kaiyodo Classification: Hadrosaur, Ornithopod Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

4.6 (11 votes)

Trust Kaiyodo to turn such a monstrously huge dinosaur into a miniature masterpiece of a figure. It might have had nothing on the largest sauropods, but this animal was named Shantungosaurus giganteus for a reason (it is the biggest non-sauropod dinosaur yet known).

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Review: Zhuchengtyrannus magnus (Dino Kingdom 2012 by Takara Tomy)

Genus: Zhuchengtyrannus Brand: Takara Tomy Classification: Theropod, Tyrannosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

2.5 (2 votes)

Here’s something unique! Although the animal was described in 2011, Tomy are the only company to have produced a Zhuchengtyrannus magnus figure (so far – I can’t imagine Collecta will leave it alone forever). The Dino Kingdom 2012 expo had a particular focus on Chinese dinosaurs, so it’s only fitting to see this huge tyrannosaur among the tie-in toy lineup.

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