I adore lines like Yowie for bringing out models of animals that are comparatively rare in terms of being immortalised in plastic. Animals from the Paleogene and Eocene are rare. Extinct turtle species are rare. And yet Yowie made a figure of an animal that fits both criteria, the Tingamarra Soft-Shelled Turtle.
Type: Figurine
Review: Adansonia, Baobab (by Schleich and CollectA)
4.4 (24 votes)
The family of Baobabs is one of the most distinct and recognizable trees in the world. Eight species exist under the genus Adansonia, they are native to Subsaharaian Africa, Madagascar and Australia. The natural history of Baobabs is somewhat clouded and methods as molecular clocking yield debatable results.
Review: Hallucigenia (Kaiyodo vs. Trilobiti Design)
4.6 (11 votes)
Review and images by bmathison1972, edited by Suspsy
Today we are going to look at the history of the enigmatic Cambrian animal Hallucigenia sparsa, by comparing an older, outdated model with one depicting the most recent concept of this species.
Review: Palaeotherium (Starlux)
4.1 (11 votes)
Bonjour all, and welcome to another review of the classic line from Starlux. I always admire this old line for the variety it provides. Long before CollectA and Safari ltd., Starlux produced a wide range of species, many of which have not been made by a major company since.
Review: Kronosaurus (Unknown)
4 (13 votes)
There was a time when Kronossaurus was the most famous marine reptile. It was part of the elite group of dinosaurs (and other prehistoric animals), sort of like the Mesozoic version of the Justice League. These assortments would be the core group to be featured in the 1950’s Marx set, the first real toy set to focus on prehistoric animals, This Mesozoic superhero group would feature icons: we see Tyrannosaurus rex, Diplodocus, Allosaurus, Triceratops, Anklyosaurus, Hadrosaur (iguanodon?), Pteranodon, and of course Kronosaurus (representing the marine reptiles).
Review: New Zealand Giant Eagle/Hieraaetus (Lost Kingdoms Series A by Yowie)
4.2 (5 votes)
When a species goes extinct, you take out one piece of the food web, affecting everything above and below it. When the Moa went extinct, so too did it’s main predator, the largest eagle to ever have existed, Haast’s eagle, Hieraaetus.
Review: Pachyrhinosaurus (PNSO)
3.5 (34 votes)
The rainy season is in full swing and out on the plains, herds of animals are gathering for their migration. Their path is cut by a river that, just a few months ago, was shallow and easy to cross. As the rain gather strength, so too are the numbers of animals coming in from different corners.
Review: Cave Bear (Prehistoire by Starlux)
4.1 (14 votes)
Review and photographs by Stolpergeist, edited by Suspsy
A lot of people feel a special connection to their local extinct Pleistocene megafauna, those mysterious beasts that once roamed where we stand along with the animals we see today. The majestic Irish elk among fallow deer, the American cheetah hunting pronghorns, the mighty giant wombat grazing alongside kangaroos, or the mega lemurs fending off fossa.
Review: Coelodonta (Jurassic Hunters by Geoworld)
3.5 (10 votes)
I sometimes can’t believe it’s been nearly five years since I first reviewed a figure, a woolly rhino by Papo. I felt recently that I should take a nostalgic look back at the beast that started it all, review a figure of the great animal that once roamed the grasslands of Europe and Asia some 10,000 years ago.
Review: Baryonyx (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)
4.6 (41 votes)
Before Spinosaurus was all the rage, and before we even had a good grasp of what Spinosauridae was as a family, Baryonyx was the bizarre piscivorous theropod that was capturing the public imagination. In much the same way modern companies try to keep up with new discoveries, Invicta Plastics was able to produce a Baryonyx in 1989, only 3 years after it was fromally described.
Review: Parasaurolophus (AAA)
3.6 (5 votes)
Review and photos by Strawberry Crocodile, edited by Suspsy
Hadrosaurs are often relegated to the role of “supporting cast” in dinosaur media. Despite their success as a group, they simply don’t grab people’s imaginations as much as deadly theropods, record-shattering sauropods, or the absolutely bizarre shapes their ornithischian cousins have taken.
Review: Cryolophosaurus (Dinosaurs by Schleich)
1.7 (23 votes)
Review and photographs by Stolpergeist, edited by Suspsy
Schleich had a strong release year in 2019 and the upcoming 2021 releases look quite promising. The 2020 releases, however, received a lot of criticism among collectors and thus didn’t get much attention. Today, I am taking a closer look at one of those releases, the Cryolophosaurus, and will examine it to find out where this flak came from.