Type: Figurine

Review: Styracosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd)

Genus: Styracosaurus Brand: Safari Ltd., Wild Safari Classification: Centrosaur, Ceratopsian Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

3.5 (10 votes)

A smaller, 20 foot relative of Triceratops, Styracosaurus lived about 10 million years earlier than its more famous ceratopsian cousin. The apt name, Styracosaurus (“spiked lizard”), refers to the elaborate spiked frill. It also bore a horn on its nose.

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Review: Apatosaurus (UKRD)

Genus: Apatosaurus Brand: UKRD Classification: Diplodocoid, Sauropod Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine

2.8 (5 votes)

The mysterious early 1990s UKRD dinosaurs, then. Although clearly cheapo Chinasaurs, they were somehow a cut above – some people have referred to them as ‘semi-serious‘ while others have described them as ‘sub-museum‘. Good descriptions both, I think. Although clearly meant to be played with by children and with no pretentions to being a ‘museum-endorsed’ line whatsoever, they generally at least resembled the animal in question, even if in a slightly outdated fashion.

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Review: Macrauchenia (Prehistoric Mammal Series by Schleich)

Genus: Macrauchenia Brand: Schleich Classification: Mammal Age: Miocene, Pleistocene, Pliocene Type: Figurine

4.9 (12 votes)

The peculiar looking ungulate Macrauchenia (“large neck”) inhabited South America for roughly 7 million years, from the Miocene to the Late Pleistocene, only becoming extinct around 20,000 years ago. This herbivorous animal resembled a camelid superficially, when in reality it was a member of an extinct order called Litopterna.

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Review: Saichania (original sculpt) (Replica-Saurus by Schleich)

Genus: Saichania Brand: Schleich Classification: Ankylosaur, Ankylosaurid, Thyreophoran Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

2.7 (9 votes)

The Late Cretaceous ankylosaurid Saichania (which means “beautiful” in Mongolian) was a moderately sized but heavily armored dinosaur whose fossils were first discovered in southern Mongolia in 1977. Saichania was a squat animal which reached a maximum length of slightly over 20 feet, making it smaller than its more famous American cousin Ankylosaurus.

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Review: Therizinosaurus (Dinotales Series 4 by Kaiyodo)

Genus: Therizinosaurus Brand: Kaiyodo Classification: Therizinosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

4 (10 votes)

Review and Photos by Dr Andre Mursch (“Brontodocus”). Edited by Plesiosauria.
One of the most bizarre dinosaurs ever found was Therizinosaurus cheloniformis from the Nemegt formation of Mongolia, which is approximately 70 million years old. Today it is a famous dinosaur every enthusiast has an image about how it looked like but that was not always the case.

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Review: Mastodonsaurus (Bullyland)

Genus: Mastodonsaurus Brand: Bullyland Classification: Amphibian Age: Triassic Type: Figurine

4.7 (11 votes)

Mastodonsaurus (“breast tooth lizard”) was a Russian and European temnospondyl that belonged to a group of advanced, mostly Triassic amphibians called capitosaurids. It lived in swampy pools and fed mainly on fish, but probably did not avoid land living animals such as small early archosaurids.

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Review: Dimetrodon (Invicta)

Genus: Dimetrodon Brand: Invicta Classification: Pelycosaur Age: Permian Type: Figurine, Monochrome

4.9 (16 votes)

Ah, Dimetrodon – where would any dinosaur toy line be without this oddly anachronistic sail-backed pelycosaur? And where would I be if I didn’t drop names that I semi-understand? In similar places, one would imagine. Almost every dino toy company has churned one out, from Carnegie (ugly) to Bullyland to UKRD to Carnegie (better) to Inpro.

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Review: Ankylosaurus (Inpro)

Genus: Ankylosaurus Brand: Inpro Classification: Ankylosaur, Ankylosaurid, Thyreophoran Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

3.3 (8 votes)

Ankylosaurus has been an enduring presence in dinosaur toy lines over the years, in spite of the fact that other ankylosaurs (like Euoplocephalus) are known from more extensive remains. It’s probably the animal’s sheer size, and the fact that it lived alongside some famous giant theropod or other, that have made it such a pop culture fixture.

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Review: Herrerasaurus (Procon CollectA)

Genus: Herrerasaurus Brand: CollectA, Procon Classification: Theropod, Theropod (basal) Age: Triassic Type: Figurine

3 (12 votes)

Review by forumite Fooman666 (edited by Horridus)
In my last review, I spoke about how many of CollectA’s dinosaurs were misses rather then hits, however I also mentioned that there are a handful of dinosaurs that are hits. This Herrerasaurus is one of them.

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Review: Meganeura (Dinotales Series 4 by Kaiyodo)

Genus: Meganeura Brand: Kaiyodo Classification: Invertebrate Age: Carboniferous Type: Figurine

5 (5 votes)

Review and Photos by Dr Andre Mursch (“Brontodocus”). Edited by Plesiosauria.
Meganeura monyi was a gigantic insect belonging to the extinct Protodonata and superficially resembling a dragonfly. Its remains come from the Stephanian (late Carboniferous) of France and England and are approximately 300 million years old.

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Review: Ceratosaurus (Dinotales Series 4, by Kaiyodo)

Genus: Ceratosaurus Brand: Kaiyodo Classification: Ceratosaur, Theropod Age: Jurassic Type: Figurine

4.8 (10 votes)

Review and Photos by Dr Andre Mursch (“Brontodocus”). Edited by Plesiosauria.
Although it was rather uncommon and a good deal smaller than contemporaneous Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus nasicornis is arguably one of the most famous theropod dinosaurs. At its time it was a rather primitive theropod with a four-fingered hand, a deep and heavy tail and a less athletic chest than more advanced theropods had.

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Review: Tyrannosaurus rex (Monster in my Pocket by Matchbox, Series 1)

Genus: Tyrannosaurus Brand: Matchbox, Monster in my Pocket Classification: Theropod, Tyrannosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine, Monochrome

2.4 (11 votes)

I thought I’d review something a little different for a change. As a kid I was fascinated by the original Monster in my Pocket and managed to collect them all. After the first couple of series the lines started to go downhill though and I eventually lost interest.

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