The models in this set are a nice set of famous or classic prehistoric genera, but they definitely leave a lot to be desired as interesting renditions of said animals.
Welcome to the third entry of the Z-Cardz review series! Z-Cardz were a constructible card game line by California Creations, which predated the more prolific game lines by companies like WizKids, who officially coined the term for this style of toy.
The second set of dinosaurs in the Z-Cardz line reveals some surprising, if questionable, choices going on in the lineup for these little collectibles.
Constructible strategy games are a concept typically involving 3D punch-out card minifigures, which can be collected and utilized for play in large-scale games between players.
A relic of toy trends from the 2000s, these cheap assembled models make for a decent little novelty item, as long as you’re delicate with them.
I’ve never been much of a “card” collector, so I’ve never followed the hobby closely, but I do recall a time in the early 2000s when 3D card models like Z-Cardz and Star Wars Pocketmodels became all the rage, at least within my own friend circles.
Review and photos by Charles Peckham, edited by Suspsy
Trying to find information about either the creator of these toys, a Chinese company named Yantai, or their American distributor, Learnplay Inc., isn’t easy. According to one of the few sources I was able to find, Yantai has been around since 2011 and their Halftoy line is just one of hundreds of designs they have made.
Back in 2012 a representative from the toy vendor VictoryBuy joined the Dinosaur Toy forum looking for member feedback with regards to reissuing the Tim Mee set of toy dinosaurs, originally produced in the 1970’s. Flashforward to 2014 and VictoryBuy once again stopped by the forum, this time to announce the actual release of the set.
“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.
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.
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.
Review and photos by Charles Peckham, edited by Suspsy
Dinosaur Habitats is described as a book, but it’s not bound with pages in the traditional sense. Rather, it stretches out like an accordion to reveal three pop-up displays that each include a paragraph talking about the geological period and area they represent.
Every now and again, something rather interesting pops up that you wouldn’t expect to be as good as you’d think. The toy sets you would see at supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl, often seen as cheap item makers, having something worth getting. Here, we examine the Joy City line on prehistoric animals, a counterpoint to there Dinosaur wave, which seems more typical chinasaur.
Most of us, if we’re familiar with Italian toy company Geoworld, are familiar with the extensive “Jurassic Hunters” line of dinosaur and Cenozoic mammal figures, or perhaps the “Jurassic Action” line of articulated figures. Many collectors have a low opinion of these figures due to their crude sculpts, uncredited accompanying artwork, or garish paint jobs.
Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy.
I don’t usually buy LEGO, but the sets they’ve been putting out for the new Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar animated series have really caught my eye. Having a bit of money and way too much time on my hands, I decided to take the plunge with the most expensive set from last year, T.
Cheap dinosaur sets are fairly common on the market, offering a variety of creatures for a reasonable price (though usually picked from a very select group of species), something to keep kids entertained for a few hours. Wenno are a prime example of this, having released a few sets for ancient and modern species.
Right to begin with, yes, three figures by Linde are already thoroughly represented on this blog, the Tyrannosaurus, Sphenacodon and Dimetrodon. But for the sake of completeness I include those three in this review aswell.
“Linde” is a brand name for a coffee surrogate produced from grain and chicory.
