With all the new rexes (to be) released, let`s have a look to the past for a change. Almost 30 years ago, in the year 1992 the Californian company Horizon released a small number of high quality dinosaur models made from vinyl. Two of these models are already covered here on the blog, the Elasmosaurus and the Stegosaurus.
Review: Zuniceratops (Jurassic World: Wild Pack by Mattel)
3.1 (21 votes)
Discovered in the Moreno Hill Formation in New Mexico by a paleontologist’s young son (lucky kid!), Zuniceratops is quite a significant animal in that it is the oldest North American ceratopsian known to have possessed horns. Indeed, it appears to be a transition between the more primitive protoceratopsids and the more advanced ceratopsids.
Review: Halfbaby Dinosaur Set (Yantai, distributed by Learnplay Inc.)
3.3 (9 votes)
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.
Review: Anatosaurus (Edmontosaurus) (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
3.9 (41 votes)
The Definitely Dinosaurs line by Playskool was a series of dinosaur toys produced in the late 80’s and early 90’s. For those unfamiliar with them they were basically the more toddler-friendly version of Tyco’s Dino-Riders. Some of them, like the Stegosaurus, were eerily similar to their Tyco counterparts.
Review: Dodo and Coelurosauravus (Primeval by Character Options)
3.7 (9 votes)
When it comes to TV shows, a chance to make merchandise and thus more money is a major point. With the success of the Doctor Who figures based on the series, ITV’s own time travel based show, Primeval, attempted the same. It ran for the first two series, but no further.
Review: Quetzalcoatlus (Soft Model by Favorite Co. Ltd.)
4.1 (7 votes)
Time will tell if some of Araki’s artistic license proves true, but there are still definite issues with the design which may turn off more serious-minded collectors.
While long-established companies like Safari Ltd. and Schleich have been going steady, and rising stars like Rebor and PNSO have been conquering the collecting market worldwide, Japanese companies like Favorite have been tending to their own corner of the scene.
Review: Tyrannosaurus Wilson V2 (PNSO)
4 (69 votes)
Aging and death are two facts of life that many of us has chosen to ignore. In a society that has placed an almost obsessive quest for youth, beauty, and perfection, it’s no surprise that these two inevitable life events remain hidden, lurking in the dark shadows.
Review: Stegosaur (Lost Kingdoms Series B by Yowie)
3 (7 votes)
Yowie has a very interesting and vast collection of prehistoric critters in their lines, though some have been a pain to write up owing to the lack of material to discuss accuracy with. However, at least most of these had something to go off. This figure, however, is so vague in it’s written material that it is odd that it was included: Yowie’s Stegosaur.
Review: Brontosaurus (Marx)
3.6 (9 votes)
Before we begin the review, I would like to take a brief aside and recollect for a moment, as the date of this posting has some significance to me personally. Today, July 16th, 2021, is my 10-year anniversary writing for the Dinosaur Toy Blog. It was on this day in 2011 that my first review was posted here, the AAA woolly rhinoceros.
Review: Pinacosaurus (PNSO)
4.8 (45 votes)
During the Cretaceous period, ankylosaurids abounded in Asia even more than they did in North America, with some of the more notable genera being Gobisaurus, Jinyunpelta, Liaoningosaurus, Minotaurosaurus, Saichania, Tarchia, and the subject of this review, Pinacosaurus.
Review: Elasmosaurus (CollectA)
5 (21 votes)
Elasmosaurus is a genus of long neck plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous and lived in what is known today as North America in one of the most famous ancient sea, the Western Interior Seaway.It rivals Plesiosaurus itself in both fame and name recognition, as well as being one of the most produced marine reptiles in toy form.
Review: Giganotosaurus (Nanmu)
3.8 (22 votes)
Review and images by PhilSauria, edited by Suspsy
If you are of a certain age then chances are that this animal was not among the species in the dinosaur books that you may have had growing up. Formal recognition came in 1995 (by Rodolfo Coria & Leonardo Salgado) with its name, Giganotosaurus, meaning “giant southern lizard.” A reference to its location in the Southern Hemisphere with remains found in Argentina at the Candeleros Formation.
Review: Rebbachisaurus (Jurassic Hunters by Geoworld)
3.6 (8 votes)
The Cretaceous period was a time of mighty titans among the dinosaurs, with gigantic animals all across the globe. Largest of these were the sauropods, and they reached monumental sizes, from pony sized to thirty metre giants. They were present on almost every continent, with several on Africa.
Review: Tyrannosaurus (Dino Dana Feathered T. rex by Safari Ltd.)
4.7 (83 votes)
In late 2020 Safari Ltd. teased their upcoming dinosaurs with silhouettes of the figures, with two particularly interesting ones, the “fantasy” T. rex and Triceratops. Since Safari Ltd. had just acquired the rights to produce merchandise for the television show Dino Dana, it was assumed by many that those dinosaurs were part of that line.
Review: Tyrannosaurus rex (2007)(Schleich)
1.8 (18 votes)
Review and images by PhilSauria, edited by Suspsy
Tyrannosaurus rex. Now there’s a name that conjures up all sorts of images, but what’s left to say about this iconic animal? Probably not a lot, but in the case of this figure, Schleich seemed to think that they had something different to offer.