A firm from the German Democratic Republic, VEB (Volkseigener Betrieb) Plaho, released a series of highly collectable dinosaur figures in 1967. They were sold in the Museum of Sena in Thuringia, Germany until the mid-1980s. The follower firm to Plaho, Marolin, re-released them in 1990. Plaho / Marolin did not only make dinosaurs but produced the complete span from wildlife animals to domestic animals, this broad span making it something like “East German Schleich”.
Type: Figurine
Review: Tanystropheus (Starlux)
4.1 (8 votes)
Somehow, not a single Starlux figure has ever been reviewed on the Dinosaur Toy Blog! I don’t know how we omitted such an influential line all this time but it’s time to finally change that. The delightful line of prehistoric animals produced by French company Starlux, mainly during the 1960s and 70s, is highly collectible today.
Review: Edmontosaurus (UKRD)
4.1 (20 votes)
The blog’s gone all grown-up recently with resin kits and limited-edition statues – leave it to me to lower the tone and introduce a mere toy. What we have here, then, is what is known among collectors as a ‘Chinasaur’ – cheaply made and featuring little more identification than ‘Made in China’.
Review: Tyrannosaurus rex (Antediluvia Collection)
4.7 (23 votes)
David Krentz, also responsible for sculpting and designing the Sideshow Dinosauria Collection, has created a line of dinosaur models on a much smaller and thankfully less expensive scale. The Antediluvia Collection consists of dinosaurs all made in exactly 1/72 scale but don’t let the small size fool you.
Review: Protoceratops (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd.)
3.7 (7 votes)
One of the more unusual early Carnegie releases (© 1988), this Protoceratops is less dinosaur toy, more cheap-‘n’-cheerful diorama. The inspiration’s pretty obvious for anyone who’s read a dinosaur book or two (a classic case of mistaken identity – nobody tell this guy!), but it made for an odd early entry among the chunky theropods with painted-on teeth.
Review: Agustinia (Deluxe Collection, CollectA)
3 (26 votes)
Review and Photos by Nicholas Anning (“Brontozaurus”). Edited by Plesiosauria.
CollectA/Procon is somewhat unique among dinosaur toy companies in that they have an extensive range of dinosaur toys which represent relatively obscure dinosaurs. While these toys seem to vary in quality (to say the least), they at least deserve points for trying.
CollectA/Procon is somewhat unique among dinosaur toy companies in that they have an extensive range of dinosaur toys which represent relatively obscure dinosaurs. While these toys seem to vary in quality (to say the least), they at least deserve points for trying.
Review: Apatosaurus (2010) (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)
4.3 (23 votes)
Review and photos by Dr Andre Mursch (“Brontodocus”). Edited by Plesiosauria.
Get your fore feet back down to earth, Bronto, here comes 2010’s latest release of the Wild Safari Dinos series by Safari Ltd:
Apatosaurus maybe regarded the archetype of a sauropod – a highly iconic dinosaur taxon almost everybody knows today – despite the long taxonomic confusion caused by its popular junior synonym Brontosaurus coined by the same author, O.C.
Review: Plesiosaurus (Papo)
2.8 (24 votes)
The exciting news in 2010 that Papo was to release a plesiosaur, their first ever marine reptile, was quashed quickly when I saw the early publicity photograph. The picture revealed a disappointing Nessie-like concoction with a chubby body and a swan-like neck. In the flesh, the Papo Plesiosaurus evokes mixed feelings.
Review: Kentrosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)
3.9 (19 votes)
What’s that coming over the hill? Why, it’s the Wild Safari Kentrosaurus, new for 2010. A special mention should go out to the magnanimous and quite probably very handsome Dan Liebman, he of Dan’s Dinosaurs, who was generous enough to airmail me this little guy for a reviewing.
Review: Hypacrosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)
4.5 (17 votes)
Guest review by forumite Rugops
Safari has done a wonderful job of bringing us this obscure dinosaur. This is probably one of their best hadrosaur models.
Safari has done a wonderful job of bringing us this obscure dinosaur. This is probably one of their best hadrosaur models.
The body of this hadrosaur is well designed, and is very accurate except on a few details. Starting at the base of the neck the back has a large arc in it that stops at the legs.
Review: Allosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari ltd.)
3.2 (25 votes)
Allosaurus is one of the most well known meat-eating dinosaurs. Its fossils date back to the late Jurassic and have been found in both Portugal and the United States. It is characterized by wicked three-clawed hands and a skull that could have been utilized like a hatchet to slice off chunks of meat from carcasses.
Review: Iguanodon (Kleinwelka)
4.9 (8 votes)
Review and photos by ChemaV, edited by Plesiosauria
The Saurierpark (http://www.saurierpark.de/saurierpark.asp) is built on the grounds of a botanic garden, located in Kleinwelka, a subdivision of the city of Bautzen in Germany. In 1977 a large series of life sized dinosaurs were built out of steel and concrete.