Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy
The Walmart exclusive (in the United States) Battle Damage series has produced a number of my favorite figures from Mattel’s Jurassic World line. The Battle Damage Pteranodon, which is the subject of this review, is one such figure.
I think the Carnegie Pteranodon is supposed to be in a flying pose, either that or sprawled out on its tummy in the most ungainly manner.
Review and photographs by Stolpergeist, edited by Suspsy
Long time collectors may remember Schleich’s first Pteranodon, part of the Replica Saurus line back in 2001. It was an elegant creature, beautifully sculpted, and still pleasing to the modern collector’s eye. In 2018, almost two decades later, Schleich released a new version as part of the Conquering the Earth line.
Facts about this creature: Pteranodon, which means “toothless wing” is a genus of pteradactyloid pterosaur that lived in what is now the central United States during the Late Cretaceous period about 86 to 84.5 million years ago.
It all began with a friendship, an illness, and the return to my favorite franchise. It is actually a sad story, but I feel like I must tell it because today is the 22nd anniversary of Jurassic Park III’s release in the United States, which is where I am writing this review from.
Of all the vertebrates on earth, only three in the history of life have achieved powered flight. Two, the birds and bats, are still amongst us today, but the third, the pterosaurs, have long since become extinct. This makes them an intriguing group, especially given that some reached incredible sizes.
Released in 1978 the Invicta Pteranodon has a very vintage look to it, almost like something out of a Ray Harryhausen picture. Unlike Harryhausen’s stop motion marvels this Pteranodon doesn’t have bat wings though, which is a relief. But much like bats, we know that pterosaurs adopted a similar posture when on all fours, with the wings folded and tucked back.
The Amber Collection Pteranodon is actually quite a mixed bag, with great coloration and good sculpting, but noticeable flaws in articulation.
Say what you will about the film as a whole, but Jurassic Park III had arguably some of the best creature designs in the Jurassic franchise (scientific [in]accuracies notwithstanding).
