Rutiodon (Kaiyodo)

Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy.

Phytosaurs unfortunately suffer from their superficial resemblance to crocodiles in that they rarely get the level of representation that their more “charismatic” archosaur cousins enjoy. When they do show up, they are usually represented by the late Jurassic Rutiodon, the subject of this review.

Thankfully, given the rarity of this animal in toy form, Kaiyodo has done a pretty good job. Of course, being a Dino Tales figure, this is a small figure: about 4 inches (10 cm) long, making it around 1/75 scale (assuming this is a large individual).

Despite the small size, the figure is impressively detailed. The head is very clearly that of a long-snouted phytosaur, with the gharial-like snout and the nostrils positioned in front of the eyes.

The rest of the body is just as well-detailed. Crocodile-like “armor” covers the back and individual scales are visible. The limbs are maybe a bit too sprawled, but I’m not an expert. The back toes are webbed, hinting at the semi-aquatic lifestyles of phytosaurs. Unfortunately, the 4^th and 5^th digits of the front limbs feature claws when they should be covered in skin just like in their modern relatives.

The colors are also quite crocodilian. The top of the body is predominantly dark green with a cream underside. Most likely to differentiate this figure from a crocodile further, black patterns are used all over it. The head also features some respectable paintwork for a figure this size. Particularly noteworthy are the teeth, where a clean pink application is used between the teeth.

You’re not going to find many phytosaur figures, let alone many of Rutiodon, so, I’d recommend this one if you have an interest in these obscure archosaurs.