Seismosaurus is a name that a lot of younger readers may not recognize but for those of us who were dinosaur fanatics in the late 80’s and early 90’s it’s a name we remember all too well. Seismosaurus was a genus of dinosaur described in 1991, at the time it was estimated to have been the longest dinosaur ever discovered, measuring between 127-170 feet in length. It was a media darling, as big dinosaurs tend to be. As more material was unearthed it became clear that the genus was actually just a particularly large Diplodocus, and while impressive in that regard it didn’t reach the exaggerated size previously estimated, only a mere 110’. The name Seismosaurus was dropped and it joined the long list of dinosaurs that never were. That said, for whatever reason, Seismosaurus still pops up once in a while. In this case, it’s the name given to a 3D puzzle by Fame Master.
Like its namesake this toy is a Seismosaurus in name, but really just a Diplodocus. When assembled the toy measures 9” in length. A few other Famemaster toys have been reviewed here but they seem to mostly go unnoticed by the collecting community at large. Most have questionable accuracy but some are very dynamic, colorful, and look much better than a puzzle should. The Seismosaurus comes in 26 pieces and although fun to put together I can’t say it’s particularly challenging or worth taking apart and putting back together again. This is made for children however and they’ll no doubt find it fun.
Once assembled this toy does lend itself well to display and when viewed from a distance the seams really aren’t that obvious. As a model it isn’t bad but it does suffer from typical sauropod inaccuracies like the elephantine style feet and a shortened tail. Overall the toy looks elegant and modern.
The detail work amounts to nothing more than an abundance of wrinkles and the amount of wrinkling is certainly overkill. The paint scheme is well applied, even on small features such as the tiny yellow eyes and black toe nails. The toy is green dorsally with a brown under side and a black stripe that runs down the body and divides the two colors. Black bands are painted down the last half of the tail. Green is typically not my favorite color choice on dinosaurs but I like the banding on the tail.
Most collectors can probably pass on this one. While it’s good for what it is (a puzzle for kids to put together) it probably doesn’t offer much to anyone except diehard sauropod collectors. The puzzle aspect certainly adds a fun element to the toy and given that it’s a puzzle first, and model second, it’s really a nice little piece.
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“Seismosaurus” is one of those names that are too good to just let them die, sort of like Brontosaurus.
I always liked the name Seismosaurus.