350 million years before the advent of humans, reindeer, or consumerism, our distant gnathostome forebears celebrated Fishmas. Fishmas originated when Santa Claus turned the wrong dial on the time machine he uses to travel to every house in the same night, landing him in the Devonian and the gaping maw of a Dunkleosteus.
Type: Figurine
Review: Lambeosaurus (PNSO)
4.8 (41 votes)
Within the last few years, the ornithopod group of dinosaurs has seen a renaissance after being neglected for a long time. It wasn’t always the case, in fact some of the first dinosaur toy figures were from this group. But despite having had early fame, the group would soon be relegated to the sideline as token prey species for the ever-popular throng of predatory theropods.
Review: Belemnite (Prehistoric World by CollectA)
4.7 (15 votes)
CollectA has long been at the forefront of producing obscure toys of prehistoric animals but by and large they’ve all been tetrapods; four legged vertebrates and their descendants. This includes a variety of dinosaurs, pterosaurs, marine reptiles, and mammals. But this year CollectA has raised the bar and released four prehistoric invertebrate figures: a trilobite (Redlichia rex), Orthoceras, Pleuroceras ammonite, and a belemnite.
Review: Dunkleosteus (Like Hobby by ThinkArt)
4.5 (13 votes)
If somebody has heard of just one Paleozoic fish, it’s probably Dunkleosteus, designated yesterday as Ohio’s official state fossil fish! Toy companies have made more than a dozen different versions over the years, and several higher-end models exist as well. Earlier this year, a Thai studio called Like Hobby/ThinkArt released one of the latter.
Review: Cambrian Creatures Mini Model Collection (Favorite Co. Ltd.)
4.6 (12 votes)
Review and photos by bmathison1972, edited by Suspsy
Today, we will be looking at an overview of the Cambrian Creatures Mini Model collection released by Favorite Co. Ltd. in 2016. It consists of eight smaller models representing primarily Cambrian invertebrates along with one chordate. All the species presented have been found in the Burgess Shale deposits in North America.
Review: Herrerasaurus (McDonald’s Happy Meal Exclusive by Schleich)
3.2 (9 votes)
Review and photographs by Stolpergeist, edited by Suspsy
Schleich has a long history of collaborating with other companies to make exclusive figures, including small giveaways that represented company mascots, figures that were simply animals with corporation logos printed on them, or the figures available in the Schleich magazines by Blue Ocean Entertainment.
Review: Eric the Pliosaur/Umoonasaurus (Lost Kingdoms Series B by Yowie)
3.5 (4 votes)
Fossil discoveries can often turn up in the most unlikely places. From quarries to Chinese medicine shops, fossils may appear where least expected. This was the case for the species Umoonasaurus, better known as Eric the Pliosaur. The bones of this animal had not only fossilized, but opalized, making them appear like jewels, hence why they were nearly sold to a jewellery shop, if it hadn’t been sold to a business man.
Review: Dinosaur Bath Buddies (Little Hero)
2.4 (16 votes)
As a young child, I loved splashing around in the tub with my toys. Who didn’t? Most of my bath toys were sharks and whales and other aquatic creatures, but occasionally a plesiosaur would find its way into the mix. My older son, however, enjoys taking his bath with the Classic Big Four: Brontosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus rex.
Review: Tuojiangosaurus (Qichuan) (Prehistoric Animal Models by PNSO)
4.3 (31 votes)
For the last several months the Chinese company PNSO (Peking Natural Science-art Organization) has delivered upon us a glut of prehistoric animal figures that have shaken the fountain of our hobby and truly changed the game, or such is my opinion anyway. These figures are mostly in PNSO’s mid-range size of figures that retail for $20-30 and at this point I’ve frankly lost count of how many have actually been released.
Review: Sauropelta (PNSO)
4.6 (25 votes)
Leaves rustle softly in the wind, while a young Acrocanthosaurus is snoring in the cool shade of a tree fern. Unnoticed by the sleeping predator the quiet is slowly disturbed. Dried leaves and small twigs crackle in the distance, the sound crawls nearer, slow, but steady.
Review: Mapusaurus (CollectA)
4.5 (24 votes)
From atop a hill, the view of the dry wind-swept plains below is obscured by what at first looks like a dust storm. Soon, it becomes clear that the dust that has engulfed the plain is not from a storm. Here, in what would be known today as Argentina, an epic battle between two of the largest animals that have ever walked the earth is about to reach its conclusion.
Review: Pteranodon (Conquering the Earth by Schleich)
2.5 (11 votes)
Review and photographs by Stolpergeist, edited by Suspsy
Long time collectors may remember Schleich’s first Pteranodon, part of the Replica Saurus line back in 2001. It was an elegant creature, beautifully sculpted, and still pleasing to the modern collector’s eye. In 2018, almost two decades later, Schleich released a new version as part of the Conquering the Earth line.