Raptor (Primeval by Character Options)

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Review and photographs by Dilopho

Primeval was a show on ITV a few years back that was known for having atrociously shrink-wrapped dinosaurs and that weirdly tusked Kaprosuchus. While it did have some truly horrific dinosaurs, the best of the show’s creatures were the original ones, such as the terrifying super-evolved bat, the future predator, and this guy. In the show they’re referred to simply as “Raptors” but the same 3D model appears in another episode as a Deinonychus (which somehow gets attacked by a Spinosaurus. Did they even research prehistoric ecosystems at ALL?).

This is a really well-done figure. Like all of Character Options’ 5″ scale figures, it looks very realistic, and is in the same scale as the Doctor Who figures. Dinos vs Daleks! But seriously, this figure has many, many points of articulation: sixteen in total. While mine doesn’t stand without support anymore due to age, a brand new one will if you take the time to pose it right. The proportions are quite accurate to the animal, so you can put it in all sorts of wacky poses. Since mine doesn’t stand, I like to leave it in the classic dinosaur “death pose”. Notice the quills–they are made of soft, bendable rubber while the rest of the Raptor is hard plastic. It’s a nice touch which doubles as protection from falling off the shelf.

The detail on this figure isn’t exactly the best, but it definitely ranks up there with Papo and Battat. Almost every part of this animal is covered in tiny details, from the scales on the tail to the tiny battle scars on the thighs. They really put a lot of thought into this figure. Mysteriously, the nostrils are the only unpainted part of this figure. It’s got to have done that way been intentionally, because every quill is individually painted–you can’t have that much detail but leave out the nostrils by accident!

However, while the detail is amazing, the resemblance to life isn’t. The hands are pronated, the sickle toe is too small and not raised enough, it has strange scutes on the tail, and of course, it has no feathers, although the quills are nice. If you want a Deinonychus, try some other company. Really, this is just a “Raptor” and nothing else.

All in all, this is a figure that looks nice, is fun to play with, is actually quite impressive, and is in the same scale to murder Daleks. So all seems nice, right? Well, there’s one downside. This figure was retired in 2005, so boxed ones are really expensive. It’s worth £30 for something like a high-end, detailed Papo-type figure, but not for this. Although I love it, it’s not worth the money unless you REALLY like raptors. Get it if you want something to play with and pass onto your kids, but if you’re looking for a display piece you might want to leave it out. Sure, it beats Papo (until the new feathered Velociraptor comes out!) and Schleich on accuracy, but it’s not enough of a real species to be a dinosaur to me. It’s just a raptor, albeit an extremely well-done one!