The titans of Greek myth were beings of great strength and power, so it is no surprise that prehistoric creatures of great size and strength were named after them. The leader of this group during their golden age, according to legend, was Kronos, the father of Zeus, and a mighty marine monster was named after him: Kronosaurus, a 30 ft Pliosaur from the early Cretaceous of Queensland.
Review: Megalodon (Age of the Dinosaurs by PNSO)
Review: Triceratops (Blue Ocean Entertainment Exclusive Magazine by Schleich)
Review: Protoceratops (Lindberg/Pyro)
Review: Dinosaurs (Tim Mee Toys by J. Lloyd International Inc.)
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.
Review: Jinyunpelta (Vitae)
Discovered in Jinyun County, China, in 2008 and officially described in 2018, Jinyunpelta sinensis (“Jinyun shield from China”) hails from the Albian-Cenomanian age, which at around one hundred million years is the oldest age of the Late Cretaceous. This makes it the oldest and baselmost ankylosaurine known to date.
Review: Zhejiangopterus (Vitae)
When we think of the group of pterosaur knows as azhdarchid, the first thing that comes to mind are the large species such as Quetzalcoatlus and Hatzegopteryx for good reason. These two famous species are the largest of the pterosaurs and hold the record as the largest animal that have ever taken to the air.
Review: Tingamarra Soft-Shelled Turtle (Lost Kingdoms Series A by Yowie)
I adore lines like Yowie for bringing out models of animals that are comparatively rare in terms of being immortalised in plastic. Animals from the Paleogene and Eocene are rare. Extinct turtle species are rare. And yet Yowie made a figure of an animal that fits both criteria, the Tingamarra Soft-Shelled Turtle.
Review: Adansonia, Baobab (by Schleich and CollectA)
The family of Baobabs is one of the most distinct and recognizable trees in the world. Eight species exist under the genus Adansonia, they are native to Subsaharaian Africa, Madagascar and Australia. The natural history of Baobabs is somewhat clouded and methods as molecular clocking yield debatable results.
Review: Hallucigenia (Kaiyodo vs. Trilobiti Design)
Review: Palaeotherium (Starlux)
Review: Kronosaurus (Unknown)
There was a time when Kronossaurus was the most famous marine reptile. It was part of the elite group of dinosaurs (and other prehistoric animals), sort of like the Mesozoic version of the Justice League. These assortments would be the core group to be featured in the 1950’s Marx set, the first real toy set to focus on prehistoric animals, This Mesozoic superhero group would feature icons: we see Tyrannosaurus rex, Diplodocus, Allosaurus, Triceratops, Anklyosaurus, Hadrosaur (iguanodon?), Pteranodon, and of course Kronosaurus (representing the marine reptiles).