Before we begin the review, I would like to extend my gratitude towards Happy Hen Toys for sending this figure along as a review sample. Happy Hen Toys is a U.S. distributor of figures by Safari, Papo, CollectA, Schleich, and other similar companies.
Review: 3D Dinosaur Pictorial Book (The Access)
3.3 (55 votes)
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.
News: Upcoming release from PNSO (New for 2023)
4.6 (25 votes)
PNSO’s second reveal for the year is Mungo the Meraxes! This giant carcharodontosaur was only described in 2022, so props to PNSO for being on top of the latest paleontology news. The grey colour scheme is pretty cool too, a welcome change from previous PNSO theropods.
Review: Macrauchenia (MPC)
4 (53 votes)
“If MPC Ran the Zoo”…
Macrauchenia looked like it could have inspired some of the creatures in a Dr. Seuss book, if its history of paleoart is anything to go by. First described in 1838, the “long-necked llama” hasn’t achieved the same level of fame as some of its mammalian contemporaries from the Miocene and Pleistocene; however, its lanky legs, long neck, and peculiar trunk make for a very distinct image, and have earned the genus at least a few toys over the decades.
Review: Diabloceratops (Jurassic World Dino Trackers, Wild Roar by Mattel)
News: Upcoming releases from Mattel (New for 2023)
4.2 (39 votes)
Earlier this week, we saw the reveal of the very retro-looking Electronic Real Feel Tyrannosaurus rex. Now check out its packaging, which is similarly a homage to the original 1993 Jurassic Park packaging by Kenner.
Also newly revealed are three additional Classic ’93 products.
Review: Tyrannosaurus rex (1/18 Scale Kickstarter Exclusive)(Beasts of the Mesozoic by Creative Beast Studio)
4.8 (239 votes)
Marbhtach’s crimson eyes are fixed on Banrigh’s as he carefully lays the freshly caught pachycephalosaur still oozing life on the ground before her. Whereupon he slowly backs away, nodding his head and cooing softly with each step while Banrigh sniffs and scrutinizes his offering.
News: Upcoming releases from Mattel (New for 2023)
3.3 (56 votes)
Among the many new toys Mattel is releasing for this year is the Electronic Real Feel Skin Tyrannosaurus rex. The colour scheme is clearly a homage to the original Electronic T. rex from Kenner’s 1993 Jurassic Park line, while the swallowing gimmick with a retrieval slit in the belly is reused from the Bull T.
Review: Iguanodon (Marolin / VEB Plaho)
3.8 (44 votes)
Can you detect the tiny ear conches?
A firm from the German Democratic Republic, VEB (Volkseigener Betrieb) Plaho, released a series of highly collectable die casting plastic dinosaur figures in 1967. They were sold in the Museum of Sena in Thuringia, Germany, until the mid-1980s.
Review: Talon (Primal Rage by Playmates)
3.4 (52 votes)
Review and photographs by Funk, edited by Suspsy
Ever since I first saw preview pictures of the stop motion figures used to animate the dinosaurs in the 1994 Atari fighting game Primal Rage in a Nintendo magazine, I thought, “Wow, they would have made great toys.” Fast forward to a few years ago where I learned such toys were actually produced by Playmates of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame, and I got a few of them used.
