Torosaurus (Tyco)

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Photographs and review by Indohyus, edited by Suspsy

For many dinosaur fans, the Dino-Riders toyline by Tyco is a great memory from their childhoods: looking through the toy stores and hoping to get the bigger, more expensive figures someday. I . . . was actually not one of those, as I wasn’t born until the mid-90s’, but looking over the reviews so far, I can tell that there is a lot of love and nostalgia for this line. So, I thought I’d pick up a figure and see what’s what. And the figure I choose is today’s subject: Torosaurus.

As owners of Tyco figures will know, these are large figures compared to most lines. At 11” long and 5.4” high, this Torosaurus certainly dwarfs the other ceratopsians in my collection, and many other figures as well. It scales best with fellow Tyco figures for that reason. As this is a proper Dino-Rider figure (as opposed to the Smithsonian remakes), it features motorized walking action. And, I am delighted to say, it still works after over thirty years. The mix of beige and dark green may seem subdued, but I feel it works well, a perfect camouflage for an herbivore. The beads used for the eyes (another feature of Tyco toys I adore) are yellow, but not too bright to stand out too much.

One may see a resemblance between this figure and the Triceratops of this line. And the reason for that is that they share the exact same body, just with a different head. This is excusable though, as the two are similar in terms of body shape, with the head being the main difference (as is often the case with marginocephalians). This is a very 80s’-style design, with the sloping back that looks like it would be slightly painful in a real animal. The only other inaccuracy I can see is that the frill seems a little on the smaller side for a Torosaurus and should be a little bigger. Otherwise, this is a fairly accurate figure. Limbs are correct, tail is short, and the horns are the correct length.

Overall, I can see why people covet the Dino-Riders line. This is a great figure, and I can imagine kids absolutely loving these figures. As the line has long since been retired, eBay is your best bet for finding one, and you can get them without the armour or the human figures. Even spare parts aren’t difficult to get, as I had to replace the battery guard and found one easily. Well worth a pick up, for dinosaur and nostalgia lovers alike.