The Sphenacodon was part of Marx’ first wave, produced from 1955 onwards. This species is not a very common choice for toy producers. Since the Sphenacodon was of the earliest wave it may not be surprising that it is a comparably weak representative of the real animal, even with its outdated history in mind.
Sphenacodon was a close relative of Dimetrodon and its remains suggest it looked basically like its more popular cousin just without the big sail. While the dorsal spines are elongate they may have been fully muscled in Sphenacodon, though it is usually restored with a low sail or ridge on its back as in this figure here. From the snout to the tip of the tail the figure measures 9.5 cm.
The length of the real animal is molded along the base of the tail (8 feet), as well as the genus name. The scale is approximately 1:25.
Overall the sculpt is quite simple and the whole figure looks rather cartoonish. The figure suffers from more or less obvious seam lines and sprues, but those can be cut away carefully. The plastic is after all those years still robust and makes the figures durable toys. It lacks ear and rear openings for those wondering.
[This review was originally part of a larger joint review of three Marx figures: Moschops, Sphenacodon and Cynognathus, which were subsequently teased apart into three separate figure reviews and tweaked slightly. So, for a more detailed general account of Marx see the Moschops review – Ed. (DinoToyBlog)]
Additional photos by Gwangi.
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Great to see a review of the Sphenacodon- I’m always reminded of the Crystal Palace dinosaurs by it for some reason. However, I think its clearly inspired by the famous Zallinger Age of Reptiles mural. It’s a dead ringer for the Sphenacodon in the Permian section.