Although the Dino-Riders line consisted mostly of familiar faces like Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Diplodocus, and, of course, Tyrannosaurus rex, there were a few obscure animals tossed into the mix. I had never heard of Placerias until I came across it on the shelf at Toys R Us.
Placerias was a large dicynodont hailing from the Late Triassic. Like today’s hippo, it probably enjoyed spending time in or around water, happily munching on vegetation and only employing its large tusks for defence against predators or establishing dominance. The Tyco Placerias is a stout, rugged-looking beast measuring 11 cm long. As far as accuracy is concerned, it’s pretty good. The head, body, and limbs are of proper proportion and the feet actually have the right number of toes.
The Placerias‘ distinctive tusks are grooved and its body is covered in large scales and a few wrinkles here and there to emphasize joints and muscles. Its simple colour scheme consists of brown and pea soup green with orange and black beads for eyes. Its limbs are articulated at the shoulders and hips, allowing you to achieve two poses: walking and shambling dash.
The Tyco Placerias is not exactly what you’d call exciting, but it’s well-sculpted and built to last. Besides, dicynodonts are quite rare in the world of prehistoric toys, making this one something of a treasure.
Unfortunately, that’s all the Dino-Riders I have to offer. But stay tuned for some Jurassic Park!
Sometimes available on Ebay.com here.
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Trivia : Dr. Robert T. Bakker was a consultant for TYCO and offered his expertise in the design of the animals. He published his famous The Dinosaur Heresies two years prior and more than likely had a part in the inclusion of this genus.
The design still holds up today and despite it’s age, can sometimes be found at a reasonable price. The MATTEL 2021 JW: Dominion Lystrosaurus is only the second Dicynodontid ever the be made into an action figure in thirty-five years, and in some ways is less accurate.
[…] mandible to fit into when the mouth is closed. This skull looks more like that of a dicynodont like Placerias. And indeed, Halichoeres also informed me that this toy is actually based upon a computer model of […]
is this from the Smithsonian’s Dinosaur line from the 90’s?
It’s from Dino Riders. I don’t think it was part of the Smithsonian line.