Today I´d like to introduce to you Science and Nature Minmi. The company did it as a part of their signature line of figures, “Animals of Australia Realistic Toy Replicas.”
Minmi is the name of a small herbivorous ankylosaurian dinosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous Period of Australia, about 119 to 113 million years ago.
Since it’s first discovery in 1788, Megatherium has garnered much attention, not just from scientists but by the general public, it’s large size and fearsome claws drawing in many. In spite of the discovery of larger creatures over the centuries, this gargantuan xenarthran still has it’s fair share of art and models dedicated to it.
For some reason the 2001 version of an Iguanodon by Bullyland has not been reviewed yet. This text is going to change that.
I guess I don´t have to tell anyone here anything about lower Cretaceous ornithhischian Iguanodon, one of the most widespread, best known and best examined dinosaur species ever.
Review and photos by ‘Prehistory Resurrection,’ edited by Suspsy
Spinosaurus was one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs, probably exceeding Tyrannosaurus rex and Giganotosaurus in length, but not mass. Other factors which have contributed to Spinosaurus‘ fame apart from its huge size are its signature dorsal sail, its well-known (but inaccurate) appearance in the movie Jurassic Park 3, and the many figures of it that were released from different companies in 2019.
Today I`d like to review a figure that is a quite uncommon in several ways. First of all, it technically already has a review on this blog as part of a box set, but I felt it deserves its own entry.
Secondly, it is a Placerias, a species that, despite its certain popularity for appearing in the BBC series “Walking with Dinosaurs” is neglected by almost any toy company you can name.
Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy
It’s very easy to see where the inspiration for this model came from. While the name stamp on this figure’s wing might say “Anhanguera,” it is very clearly based on the BBC Walking With Dinosaurs series’ Ornithocheirus.
Animals can adapt to their environment in many different ways, resulting in many interesting species. but the more interesting case is when two distinctly different species, not even closely related, evolve similar or the same adaptation, known as convergent evolution. Such is the example whit this review: Thylacosmilus, which may look like a sabre toothed cat, but is in fact a sprassodont, a marsupial from South America.
Review and photos by Stegotyranno, edited by Suspsy
Today we will take a look at Mojo Fun’s new 2020 Giganotosaurus carolinii, a large carcharodontosaur from the Candeleros Formation of Argentina, It was related to such beasts like Mapusaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, and Acrocanthosaurus.
Review and photos by H. Sanchez, edited by Suspsy
Pentaceratops is a fairly well-known dinosaur, although not very represented in toy form. The most prominent one up until now is the one by Schleich. Today we will be reviewing this 2019 model by Papo. While it is true that it was not liked by many people at first due to the bipedal pose, I never thought of not acquiring it.
When most hear the words “sabre tooth”, they would think of Smilodon and no others. But no species gains anything as unique as sabre teeth that large over night. It takes millennia of evolution from one species to another, and many of the steps can be found in the fossil record.
Alioramus was one of the smaller tyrannosaurids to have arisen and thrived during the Late Cretaceous period. Mind you, the only known specimens thus far are juveniles and subadults, so just how big an adult could grow to be is unknown. Along with Qianzhousaurus, it appears to be part of a distinct branch of the tyrannosaur family.
The isolation of South America during much of the Cenozoic era resulted in the evolution of many odd and unique creatures, like the Liptotern Macrauchenia. This odd ungulate has fascinated many since it’s discovery by Charles Darwin, and has been the subject of many art peices and toys.
