Review and photos by PrehistoryResurrection, edited by Suspsy
Today we will be taking a look at a new Jurassic World line which I believe has not yet been covered on the blog, as well as a new type of figure, which is an articulated stop motion type.
Although I no longer hold The Lost World: Jurassic Park in high regard, I do have nostalgia for it. I was 13 when the movie was released and I don’t think I was ever more hyped for a film, aside from the first Jurassic Park, perhaps.
It’s Jurassic June! And this year I’m only reviewing Jurassic Park (and World) merchandise during this holiest of months for Jurassic fans. Yes, I know we review Jurassic stuff all year long, but I haven’t reviewed anything Jurassic for two months so I’m excited to get back into it for this special occasion.
“Hello, my fellow dinosaur lovers. Dr. Bella Bricking here once again, as well as the indispensable Beth Buildit. As always, we are happy and proud to be here. Happy National Dinosaur Day and Happy Pride Month!”
“Hey there, folks. Hope you’re still holding up strong.”
“Today’s review is an exciting one, for it deals with an animal we have never tackled here before: the iconic Stegosaurus!
While the merchandise accompanying the release of the various Jurassic Park films ranged between everything from watches to bed-sheets, the most exciting items for me were of course the dinosaur figures. So I was happy to find this cool little Velociraptor figure with a big The Lost World logo on the packaging at a Copenhagen dinosaur exhibition back in 1998, only to find when I opened it that it was… A rubber pencil eraser?!
When I reviewed the original Hammond Collection Velociraptor, I was pretty forgiving of it, but truth be told, it has not aged well in my eyes. While I don’t regret purchasing it, I ultimately disliked it enough not to bother with the subsequent Hammond Collection JP3 raptors that featured all the faults of their predecessor.
Sniffing silently at the entrance of the small hole in the ground, Mammock decisively detects dinner. She raises her head and glances toward her mate, Mangle, who has located a second hole a dozen metres away. The two bob and jerk their heads in silent argument before Mammock finally snorts in irritation and begins clawing and scraping at the hole, sending dirt and pebbles flying in all directions.
Thanks to my handy clicker-counter and the DinoToyCollector website I was able to tally up 114 Velociraptor toys by Mattel. This includes various repaints, repacks, and toys outside the mainline but not the minis (I forgot them). It’s a rough estimate but it still gives you an idea of how many raptors Mattel has put out there.
It’s Blue the Velociraptor, as you’ve never seen her before! Mattel has taken the sleek, aerodynamic, and menacing Jurassic World Velociraptor design and flipped it on its head. What we have here is a version of Blue that has embraced domestication and spends her days lounging around Owen’s cabin, chowing down on dino-kibble.
When is a Velociraptor not a Velociraptor? I would imagine every dinosaur fan is familiar with the famous “swift thief”, and seasoned enthusiasts are probably aware there’s a history of confusion surrounding the dromaeosaur’s identification. V. mongoliensis, the type species of Velociraptor, is currently the primary species recognized under the genus; however it might not be the only one.
Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy
In 2022, the last of the Jurassic World films was released, ending the trilogy that started back in 2015, for better or worse. While I didn’t enjoy the film overall, I did enjoy some aspects of it, one of those being the batch of new creatures.
The ending of Jurassic World opened a can of worms to a world of possibilities as to where our favorite sci-fi dinosaur franchise was going. Luckily there was a ton of lore to draw from, whether it was from the books, game or other media, though maybe not as deep as Star Wars, but just like the Star Wars sequel trilogy, there was not much of a plan going forward in terms of movie-making.
