Japan has a prolific industry for collectibles and merchandise, although it is a fairly insular market that western collectors might find tricky to break into. There are always new surprises to uncover from riches of new releases each year. One such item which caught my attention in 2022 was a set of minifigures produced by The Access, a company dedicated to planning, manufacturing, and wholesaling a variety of in-house products for multiple age ranges.
Type: Set
Ancient Fossils (Toob by Safari Ltd)
4 (8 votes)
Of all the product lines offered by stalwart manufacturer Safari Ltd, the “Toob®” line gives them the freest rein to explore unusual taxa. I’m personally fondest of the Toobs that furnish small versions of small animals that might scale well with Safari’s full-size figurines. We’ve reviewed some of their most interesting Toobs featuring “alive” animals here, here, here, here, and here.
Baby Velociraptor Playpen (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom by LEGO)
3.7 (6 votes)
“Greetings once again, fellow dinosaur lovers! Dr. Bella Bricking here, along with Beth Buildit and her precocious young niece, Bronwyn!”
“Bwah? What the heck is Bronwyn doing here, Doc?! My sister forbade me from taking her on any more of our adventures after that last time!
“Oh, Bronwyn was perfectly safe with us, Beth!
“Bwah? What the heck is Bronwyn doing here, Doc?! My sister forbade me from taking her on any more of our adventures after that last time!
“Oh, Bronwyn was perfectly safe with us, Beth!
Baryonyx Face-Off: The Treasure Hunt (Jurassic World by LEGO)
3.8 (4 votes)
“Hello, fellow dinosaur lovers. Dr. Bella Bricking here, along with Beth Buildit. The holiday season has arrived once again and needless to say, we are very happy and thankful to be back here on the Dinosaur Toy Blog.”
“It’s been one heckuva lousy year, hasn’t it, Doc?”
“It certainly has been a most difficult and trying one, my dear Beth.
Bendable Dinosaur Playset (Dorda)
1.9 (8 votes)
Review and photos by Emperor Dinobot, edited by Suspsy
Hello everyone! Welcome to yet another EmperorDinobot(TM) dinosaur review! Today we are going to give a look at these quirky bendable dinosaurs from Dorda! Made in 1987 (I think I would have to lift up their skirts to make sure it was ’87 or ’88), these dinosaurs look a wee bit like the Playskool Definitely Dinosaur figures from the late 80s, but definitely have their own aesthetic and gimmick in order to keep kids and strange adult dinosaur toy collectors entertained for hours!
Cambrian Creatures Mini Model Collection (Favorite Co. Ltd.)
4.8 (5 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.
Cambrian Life Toob (Safari Ltd.)
4.7 (12 votes)
Review and photos by Stemturtle, edited by Plesiosauria.
Wonderful ‘toob’! New for 2013, this collection illustrates the explosion of new animal phyla in the Cambrian Period, from 541 to 485 million years ago. The eight toys in this set are well-sculpted, good-sized, and colorful. Safari Ltd lists the range of sizes as 1.5” (4 cm) to 3” (7.5 cm).
Wonderful ‘toob’! New for 2013, this collection illustrates the explosion of new animal phyla in the Cambrian Period, from 541 to 485 million years ago. The eight toys in this set are well-sculpted, good-sized, and colorful. Safari Ltd lists the range of sizes as 1.5” (4 cm) to 3” (7.5 cm).
Carnivorous Dinos (Toob by Safari Ltd.)
2.8 (10 votes)
When it comes to tubes of miniatures, or “toobs,” Safari Ltd. remains the undisputed ruler. That said, they haven’t released any new toobs in years, and many of their prehistoric-themed ones are really showing their age. Today we’ll be examining one such example, Carnivorous Dinos, consisting of twelve miniatures representing a veritable Who’s Who of Mesozoic (and one Paleozoic) Meanies.
Ceratopsian Collection (Capsule Q Museum by Kaiyodo)
5 (4 votes)
The last several years have laid witness to the discovery of an ever more bizarre catalog of those charismatic and intriguing dinosaurs known as the ceratopsians. With outlandish head gear and eccentric names like Diabloceratops, Mojoceratops, Kosmoceratops and Medusaceratops it’s no wonder this group of dinosaurs is among the most popular.
Cretaceous Collection (Kaiyodo Capsule Q Museum)
4.3 (3 votes)
Review and photos by Patryx
Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Mosasaurus, and Pteranodon. What a familiar lineup! This is a set decidedly influenced by the hype surrounding the latest installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, consisting of five iconic creatures from all over the Cretaceous. It’s an intriguing concept, as Kaiyodo is revered for their up-to-date reconstructions, and Jurassic Park is, well, not.
Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Mosasaurus, and Pteranodon. What a familiar lineup! This is a set decidedly influenced by the hype surrounding the latest installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, consisting of five iconic creatures from all over the Cretaceous. It’s an intriguing concept, as Kaiyodo is revered for their up-to-date reconstructions, and Jurassic Park is, well, not.
Deinonychus and Tenontosaurus (Cerberus Clan and Ceryneian Hind by Rebor)
4.2 (5 votes)
Review and photos by Apatosaurus3232, edited by Suspsy
It’s been awhile since a Rebor product was reviewed on the blog. So this will be a two-part review of the Ceryneian Hind (Tenontosaurus tilletti) and Cerberus Clan (Deinonychus antirrhopus). These are parts 2 and 3 to the Acrocanthosaurus model that completes the diorama.
It’s been awhile since a Rebor product was reviewed on the blog. So this will be a two-part review of the Ceryneian Hind (Tenontosaurus tilletti) and Cerberus Clan (Deinonychus antirrhopus). These are parts 2 and 3 to the Acrocanthosaurus model that completes the diorama.
Dino Skulls (Toob by Safari Ltd.)
4.8 (11 votes)
From the savage teeth of tyrannosaurs to the intimidating horns of ceratopsians to the endearing crests of hadrosaurs and to the peculiar noggins of pachycephalosaurs, dinosaur skulls truly are stupendous. I previously reviewed Safari’s toob of prehistoric mammal skulls; now I’ll be looking at their Dino Skulls toob. There are eleven skulls in total, all painted medium brown with streaks of dark grey for a worn appearance.
Dinos (Toob by Safari Ltd.)
3.5 (6 votes)
Safari’s very first prehistory toob is charming, but largely showing its age in the details and aesthetics of the figurines.
Toobs might be the unsung heroes of Safari Ltd.’s toy lines. I see them wherever Safari products are sold, even when their larger, standard-sized kin are absent. Among the numerous Toobs released have been several focused on prehistory, and they all started with the original Dinos Toob.
Toobs might be the unsung heroes of Safari Ltd.’s toy lines. I see them wherever Safari products are sold, even when their larger, standard-sized kin are absent. Among the numerous Toobs released have been several focused on prehistory, and they all started with the original Dinos Toob.
Dinosaur Advent Calendar 2016 (Schleich)
4 (3 votes)
Review and photos by Tim Sosa
This year Schleich followed in the footsteps of companies like Lego and Playmobil in offering an advent calendar, but this one is dinosaur-themed! 24 days of dinosaur goodies sounds pretty attractive, so I bit the bullet and picked one up. I opened it long before Christmas, so that maybe this review can help you decide whether to buy one yourself.
This year Schleich followed in the footsteps of companies like Lego and Playmobil in offering an advent calendar, but this one is dinosaur-themed! 24 days of dinosaur goodies sounds pretty attractive, so I bit the bullet and picked one up. I opened it long before Christmas, so that maybe this review can help you decide whether to buy one yourself.
Dinosaur Advent Calendar 2020 (Schleich)
3.2 (5 votes)
Well, the holiday season is nearly upon us. No matter what this time means to you and what holiday you celebrate, it is a time to spread joy. This year certainly seems to need some, with everything that happened. It is now the time when many will choose a calendar to count down the days til the 25th.