Quetzalcoatlus (Jurassic World: Mega Dual Attack by Mattel)

Although Quetzalcoatlus finally made its onscreen debut in 2022 courtesy of Jurassic World: Dominion, longtime collectors know full well that Kenner released a toy of the colossal azdharchid all the way back in 1994, which has still not yet been reviewed for the blog (although you can get a fairly good idea of what it was like from my review of the Lost World Pteranodon). As well, back in the summer of 2019, Mattel released a Quetzalcoatlus for their Jurassic World: Mega Dual Attack series. 

This particular toy holds an unusual place in my heart in that I bought it in March 2020 only a day or two before COVID-19 caused all non-essential businesses to be closed. And I distinctly recall thinking to myself at the time that I would give it to my older son as a reward for being a trooper once everything went back to normal in a few months, give or take. How hopelessly naive I was! Ah well, I gave it to him eventually regardless and he and his little brother have had a lot of fun with it since then. You can tell by the visible wear and scuff marks. 

Anyhoo, the main colour here is a sandy yellowish-brown with tiny flecks of medium brown. The brachiopatagium is painted slightly pinkish-brown and blueish-purple on top, but not underneath. The propatagium and uropatagium are also pinkish-brown on top. A splash of yellow-orange is on the back of the neck, flanked by streaks of turquoise that run right over the tiny orange eyes. The bill and crest are popsicle orange, with dark purple applied to the latter for good measure. Finally, the tongue is light pink. It’s quite the mishmash of colours, but it‘s no bolder than many extant species of bird and lizard. I just wish the underside of the wings, which house both the JW logo and the Facts app, had some paint applications to them.

From the tip of the bill to the claws on the hind feet, the Quetzalcoatlus measures about 30 cm long and has an impressive wingspan of 42.5 cm. That makes it the same size as the 2022 Massive Attack toy. When that one was first revealed, I thought that Mattel had simply retooled the head and the torso of the 2019 toy, but it turns out that they really are completely separate moulds, so props to Mattel for not cutting corners. The most noticeable difference between the two azhdarchids, aside from the colour schemes, is that the 2022 one features a triangular crest in front of its eyes while the one here has a longer, flattened crest atop its cranium. No complete skull of Quetzalcoatlus has yet been found and described, but most restorations, whether sculpted, skeletal, or drawn/painted, appear to favour the flattened crest. The head and the first half of the neck have a scaly texture, but the rest of the neck and the body and limbs are covered in pycnofibres. The wings have a wrinkled texture and the feet have thick rows of scales like a bird’s. The relative proportions of the head and body may be somewhat off, but unlike certain other Mattel toys, there’s really nothing exaggerated or monstrous about this Quetzalcoatlus. I think it looks far more appealing than any of the Pteranodons.

The hind limbs, which are made of soft plastic, rotate at the hips, enough so for the toy to kind of sit up. The wings fold or unfold at the wrists, allowing you to make the big pterosaur look like it’s either swooping or soaring. Mind, some experts contend that Quetzalcoatlus was only capable of performing brief bouts of flight like a wild turkey or a bustard. Others continue to argue that it was indeed a powerful flier. I suspect that most kids prefer to go with the latter position.

Pressing the front button on the toy’s back causes the neck to lower and the bill to snap shut. Fun stuff, although the bill is much too smooth to firmly grip smaller toys. Pressing the rear button makes the wings flap up and down. Both gimmicks can be activated simultaneously provided the operator’s thumb is big enough to cover both buttons. 

The Mega Dual Attack Quetzalcoatlus is a truly fun and impressive pterosaur toy that both my sons, and my niece for that matter, always enjoy playing with, and it has so far held up well to all that play. I prefer it to the Massive Attack one myself. It has long been discontinued, so your only bet is finding it on eBay or some online sales page. As always, best of luck!