Review and photos by Takama, edited by Suspsy
The subject of today’s review is one of Jetoar’s first models. He made this Torvosaurus before I contacted him about making one-of-a-kind models in the past, but only recently has he made it available for sale. The only issue with this model is that it was listed at 1:40 scale, but after he did some rethinking, it turned out to be one of his first 1:35 scale models. As of October 12, 2016 (the day I placed my order), all future casts of this dinosaur will be shipped to customers with a 1:35 scale name plate, instead of the 1:40 scale that it was originally intended to be. One of the reasons that it took so long for Jetoar to mass produce this model is the fact that it has an articulated jaw. All of his first 1:32 scale models also had articulated jaws, but when they were mass produced, the jaw function was lost because he had not yet figured out how to mass produce models with this kind of action feature.
Now that he has figured it out, we can expect all his future 1:35 scale theropod models to include articulated jaws. So how well does this feature work? Well, for a home-produced model, it works fine, though keep in mind it won’t be as tight as mass-produced products like those made by Papo. The lower jaw can be opened and closed, but you can’t pose it in between. Now, I’m not 100% sure if this is normal or not, but I’m not complaining about it at all. I reported to him that the jaw on mine is loose just like the one on the Schleich Dunkleosteus, and he was very apologetic about the result. However, I convinced him that I was still pretty happy with the way it was.
In terms of accuracy, this Torvosaurus is a real bruiser when compared to other replicas of the species (such as the Shane Foulkes model and the recently released CollectA model). Nothing about the model appears to be shrink-wrapped, and there seems to be the right amount of muscle in most places (though I’m a little iffy on the base of the tail). The model is posed horizontally with both legs held straight beneath the body and the the skull is the correct shape. One thing I was decently surprised with is that the inside of the mouth is nicely detailed despite being the one area where you will never be able to clearly see. The roof of the mouth has ridges and the tongue is realistically sculpted(though it is not as intricately detailed as Papo’s models). It is pretty clear that a great amount of care went into making this figure (certainly more so then what some major toy companies care to do for their products).
The colours on this model are ones that I often picture Torvosaurus having in real life, which are basically shades of green. It also has a row of what I thought was fungus-like osteoderms on its back (similar to those of the Rebor Ceratosaurus) that were painted red. But on closer inspection, they’re more akin to the scales found on the belly of a lizard or a snake. The claws are grey, the teeth are white, the eyes are yellow with precisely placed black pupils, and the tongue is pink with a nice sheen to it.
Overall, this is a great model for its price point. And it is becoming readily available directly from some online shops in Europe. If you’re in the USA, you can order it from Dan’s Dinosaurs, or send Jetoar a PM on the Dinosaur Toy Forum.
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I find it difficult to choose between the CollectA Torvosaurus and this one ,I find both of these models cool-looking and accurate. And guess what?I recently bought a dinosaur book and the Ravensburger Tiptoi camarasaurus,spinosaurus,T rex and velociraptor plus the mini ones.