Two new dinosaurs in the Mattel Jurassic World: Gigantic Trackers series have been unveiled. First we have Bajadasaurus, a South American dicraeosaur famous for its impressive neck spines. Its action feature consists of a raising/lowering neck.
And here is the giant carnosaur Mapusaurus, also a resident of South America.
Review and images by bmathison1972; edited by Suspsy
Dreadnoughtus schrani is a titanosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian to Maastrichtian) of present-day South America. Remains of only two individuals have been described to date, both from the Cerro Fortaleza Formation in Argentina. Dreadnoughtus was one of the largest dinosaurs; estimations put its total length at approximately 26 meters and its weight at 49,000 kilograms, although the holotype is believed to have not been fully grown at the time it died.
Kosmoceratops is a genus of Chasmosaurine that lived about 75 million years ago in what is now the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park in Utah. This is where the Kaiparowits formation is located, a rock formation that during the Cretaceous was a jungle bordering the Western Interior Seaway.
Venturing the sea of unlicensed “3rd-party” dinosaur toys can bring interesting results. Sometimes one can find hidden gold; other times one finds something like this Stegosaurus figure, which is certainly among the more unusual takes I’ve seen of the famous roofed reptile (albeit probably not intentionally so).
W-Dragon has revealed their take on Otodus megalodon. Set for release in the second quarter of this year, it will retail for around $98 US, measures 45 cm long and 25 cm wide at the tips of its pectoral fins, and is composed of PVC with a resin base sculpted to look like jagged underwater rocks.
For many years, the only described spinosaur from the United Kingdom was the famous baryonychine Baryonyx. That finally changed in 2021 with the announcement of two additional species: Riparovenator milnerae and Ceratosuchops inferdios. Both were discovered in the Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight, both are estimated to have been around 8.5 metres in length, and both have been determined to be more closely related to Suchomimus than Baryonyx.
Kaiyodo has revealed “The King of the Dinosaurs,” a 47 cm x 31 cm x 32.5 cm polystone statue mounted atop a wooden base. The world’s most famous and beloved prehistoric animal is posed majestically and menacingly with mouth wide open to reveal all the dentition and one foot placed atop the head of a defeated foe (I don’t reckon I need to specify names here).
Review and images by bmathison1972; edited by Suspsy
Prehistoric and primitive hominids are not rare in the animal toy market, but evolutionary sets of them are. The first, and probably the most popular, was called Evolution of Man, produced by Bullyland in 1999. The set featured Dryopithecus, Australopithecus, and four species of Homo: H.
Megalosaurus isn’t a particularly awe inspiring animal as theropods go. It doesn’t have the strength and size of Tyrannosaurus, the bizarre adaptations of Spinosaurus, the horns of Carnotaurus, or even the rich fossil record of little ol’ Coelophysis.
Dinosaurs weren’t the first giant plant-eaters to roam the Earth; that frontier was pioneered first among vertebrates by the dicynodonts, a group of tusked therapsids (the clade which includes modern mammals) which survived the Permian Mass Extinction and lasted to the end of the Triassic period. They ranged widely in size and distribution, from the diminutive Diictodon, to the pervasive Lystrosaurus, to giants like Lisowicia and Kannemeyeria.
For 2024, Papo will be releasing three new dinosaurs. First we have the armoured French titanosaur Ampelosaurus. Looks like one of Papo’s better sauropods, although the colour scheme is nearly identical to that of the CollectA version.
Second up is Corythosaurus, the famous helmeted hadrosaur.
PNSO’s first new dinosaur for the year is Zabad the Edmontosaurus! Judging from that crimson comb, this big brute is supposed to represent E. regalis.
Nanuqsaurus (“polar bear lizard”) is a poorly understood Alaskan tyrannosaurine that lived around 68 to 70 million years ago. Although it is presently known only from fragments of skull and an array of teeth, it recently received a major boost of publicity in 2022 by appearing in the first season of the fabulous Apple TV series Prehistoric Planet.
Last month, we saw the prototypes of Haolonggood’s gargantuan Alamosaurus trio. Now gaze upon the final production versions. They’re not as vividly coloured as before, but still quite attractive. Blue remains my favourite. Can’t wait to see someone review this behemoth!
The release of genera such as Metriacanthosaurus, Concavenator, and Irritator in the Hammond Collection line was initially met with controversy. Some collectors were excited to see non-canonical dinosaurs join the prestigious Hammond Collection while others were dismayed, hoping the dinosaurs seen in the films would be given priority.