Type: Figurine

Review: Mammoth Skeleton Tent with Cavemen (Playmobil)

Genus: Canis, Mammuthus, Woolly mammoth Brand: Playmobil, playset Classification: Elephant, Hominid, Mammal Age: Pleistocene Type: Action Figure, Figurine, Set, Skeletal

4.9 (7 votes)

As storm clouds gather overhead, a trio of human hunters work quickly to finish erecting their shelter. Fortunately, the mammoth that they recently killed and butchered has provided far more than just food. Its large, sturdy bones form an effective structure while its thick fur hide acts as a waterproof covering.

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Review: Euoplocephalus (Jurassic Hunters by Geoworld)

Genus: Euoplocephalus Brand: Geoworld, Jurassic Hunters Classification: Ankylosaur, Ankylosaurid, Thyreophoran Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

2.3 (7 votes)

Review and photos by Takama, edited by Suspsy
Up today is the first ankylosaur that Geoworld ever released for their line. Euoplocephalus was once the go-to ankylosaur for toy companies in the 90s’ due to the fact that it was a better known species then its family’s namesake.

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Review: Anomalocaris (Favorite Co. Ltd.)

Genus: Anomalocaris Brand: Favorite Co. Ltd. Classification: Invertebrate Age: Cambrian Type: Figurine

4.5 (12 votes)

Review and photographs by Indohyus, edited by Suspsy
Imagine the weirdest alien you can think of. Give it as many tentacles, eyes, and other appendages as you like, but chances are they still aren’t as strange as anything from the Ediacaran or Cambrian Period, especially the latter.

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Review: Thalassomedon (Deluxe by CollectA)

Genus: Thalassomedon Brand: CollectA Classification: Plesiosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

4.5 (16 votes)

Thalassomedon, the “sea lord” plesiosaur, inhabited Late Cretaceous seas some 95 million years ago. A close cousin of Elasmosaurus, it may have used its long neck to slowly sneak up on schools of fish or squid before before spearing a victim with its needle-like teeth.

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Review: Livyatan (Mega Abissi by Diramix)

Genus: Livyatan Brand: Diramix, Mega Abissi Classification: Mammal, Whale Age: Miocene Type: Figurine

2.8 (4 votes)

If you’ve ever wanted to build a diorama with your megalodon toys, you’ve probably noticed that there aren’t many other Miocene sea monster toys to pair them up with, although luckily plenty of the fish, turtles, and invertebrates alive then were very similar to modern ones.

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Review: Psittacosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

Genus: Psittacosaurus Brand: Safari Ltd, Wild Safari Classification: Ceratopsian, Ceratopsian (basal) Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

4.7 (17 votes)

Review and photos by amargasaurus cazaui, edited by Suspsy
In 2005, a fossil specimen surfaced at the Tuscon Gem and Mineral Show that would soon set the world of paleontology on end. The slab, containing a single specimen of Psittacosaurus, had been preserved in such a way that it would soon yield a treasure trove of scientific firsts, new information, and depth to our understanding of this species.

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Review: Pteranodon (Deluxe by CollectA)

Genus: Pteranodon Brand: CollectA Classification: Pterosaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

3 (8 votes)

Review and photographs by Cloud the Dinosaur King, edited by Suspsy
For my first review on the Dinosaur Toy Blog, I will be covering a somewhat underrated figure: the CollectA Deluxe Pteranodon.

Facts about this creature: Pteranodon, which means “toothless wing” is a genus of pteradactyloid pterosaur that lived in what is now the central United States during the Late Cretaceous period about 86 to 84.5 million years ago.

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Review: Spinosaurus (Jurassic Hunters by Geoworld)

Genus: Spinosaurus Brand: Geoworld, Jurassic Hunters Classification: Spinosaur, Theropod Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

1.7 (6 votes)

Review and photos by Takama, edited by Suspsy
Time for another Geoworld review. This time, it’s their take on the infamous Spinosaurus. Spinosaurus, as many of you know, has proven to be a conundrum for scientists. Everyone has been arguing over what the animal looked like because of a paper published in 2014 that ultimately altered the way we generally depict this creature.

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Review: Tylosaurus (Mojö Fun)

Genus: Tylosaurus Brand: Mojö Fun Classification: Mosasaur Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

1.9 (12 votes)

Very occasionally, the fossil record allows us a fascinating glimpse into interactions between various extinct animals. Take the “Talkeetna Mountains Hadrosaur” for example. Discovered in Alaska in 1994, it is a juvenile specimen that washed out to sea after its death and eventually sank to the bottom to become fossilized.

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Review: Rayonnoceras (Series 2 by Kaiyodo)

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

5 (7 votes)

Review and photographs by Indohyus, edited by Suspsy
In my last review, I mentioned how Palaeozoic creatures are rarely produced in toy form. There is, however, a group that is even rarer: prehistoric invertebrates. Outside of toob sets and the Bullyland figures, they are incredibly hard to find immortalized in plastic.

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Review: Primeval Predators kit (Royal Ontario Museum)

Genus: Laggania, Olenoides, Opabinia, Peytoia, Pikaia, Wiwaxia Brand: ROM Classification: Invertebrate, Trilobite Age: Cambrian Type: Figurine, Set

4.6 (5 votes)

Like many readers of this blog, one of my favorite things to do when visiting a new city is to check out the local natural history or science museum. For getting a sense of the scale and proportions of ancient life, nothing beats seeing specimens, or even reproductions of specimens, up close and personal.

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Review: Saurolophus (Favorite Co. Ltd.)

Genus: Saurolophus Brand: Favorite Co. Ltd. Classification: Hadrosaur, Ornithopod Age: Cretaceous Type: Figurine

4.7 (7 votes)

Part 2 of the Nemegt Fauna Series. Review and photos by Bokisaurus, edited by Suspsy
Back in 2012, the Osaka Museum Of Natural History launched an impressive special exhibit highlighting the impressive diversity of dinosaur fossils found in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. This special exhibit was aptly named “The Gobi: Cradle of the Most Enchanting Dinosaur Fossils” and consisted of beautiful specimens of some of the most famous Mongolian dinosaurs for the public to admire.

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