Tyrannosaurus rex (Extreme Chompin’)(Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom by Mattel)

Review and Photographs by Dilopho, edited by Suspsy

The Tyrannosaurus rex is the undisputed face of the Jurassic Park franchise. As such, almost every JP toyline has had one to offer, and Mattel’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is no exception, with three main T. rex figures as part of their line. The focus of this review is the smallest of the trio, the Extreme Chompin’ Tyrannosaurus. But don’t let her status as the little sister fool you; her bite is far worse than her bark.

Right off the bat, there can be comparisons drawn to Hasbro’s Chomping T. rex, but don’t worry. This one actually lives up to its name, as we’ll soon see.

The overall sculpt of the T. rex is fantastic. Mattel really tried their best to emulate the movie design, and it may be one of the more accurate Tyrannosaurus figures from the franchise. The figure is really well detailed, with skin folds, wrinkles galore, and scaly areas, especially around the face. The paint job really helps to bring out old Rexy’s details even more, as instead of just being a solid colour, this Tyrannosaurus is decked out in a proper colour scheme reminiscent of the on-screen animal, with a light brown body, reddish brown stripes along the back, and a creamy colour for the belly. The reddish brown has also been applied to the face to make the fenestrae really “pop.” The eyes, which are thankfully not Velociraptor-style slit pupils, aren’t facing perfectly forward on most individual T. rexes, but they do a good enough job. And oh yeah, this one has true stereoscopic vision. There’s no hiding from this T. rex (unless you keep very still!).

Paint flakes all over the figure give the effect of large scales. It’s a nice addition, but I have noticed some of the flakes being a bit fragile on mine, and they will probably fall off if you play with it roughly. Some details, specifically the hand claws and dew claws, have been omitted from painting. It doesn’t detract overall from the figure’s looks, but it certainly feels like something we’ve missed out on.

Speaking of the foot claws, the feet on this figure are absolutely massive. It does look a bit silly, but it makes sure Rexy stands almost perfectly–no leaning and almost no wobbling when you plonk it onto a table. And just in case she ever were to fall, the tail (which comes as a separate piece to be plugged in) has a soft tip, so there’s no worries about that snapping. Her arms are also quite soft and durable. The figure feels quite sturdy overall. She’s made of a hard plastic (apart from the previously mentioned arms and tail), but isn’t very heavy. She’ll be able to survive any rowdy children with a bit of luck.

The action feature for this T. rex is the titular Extreme Chomp. There’s a button on her neck which, when pressed, makes her mouth open to a ridiculous extent, complete with a big tongue sticking out. It does look a bit silly, but is undeniably fun to mess around with. The jaw doesn’t shut very tightly though, so don’t expect to be picking up many bigger figures with it. Much like one of those arcade crane machines, you’ll end up dropping them more often than not. The inside of the mouth is really glossy and wet-looking and the teeth are pretty shiny. If they were any bit whiter, you could expect to see Rexy star in a dentist ad. Her claws are also glossy!

Mattel has done away with giving their dinosaurs JW gang tattoos (you wouldn’t want these dinosaurs to be a bad influence on the JW minis) so instead they have given them the T. rex emblem on the bottom of the (well-detailed) foot. On the other foot, there’s a scannable code for the app.

Not counting the jaws, there are eight points of articulation on this figure, allowing you to pose her in a handful of ways. You can even swivel her feet to give a better stability. What’s your Rexy up to? Is she sniffing out for a meal? Is she wandering around, looking for trouble? It’s all your choice!

Personally, I’d say that this Tyrannosaurus could be considered one of the best so far. At about 19 inches long and 7-and-a-bit inches high in her default pose, she’s not as big as her sisters, but she has an undeniably great look and a feeling of power that a T. rex should bring. Kids will adore this figure, and chances are you’ll find it neat at the very least!

This toy is part of Mattel’s “Jurassic Park Legacy Collection,” and it does suit the name. She feels like a true way to continue what JP figures should be like, unlike Hasbro’s offerings over the years. Long live Rexy!

Available from Amazon here.