Review and photos by Torvosaurus, edited by Suspsy
Howdy from wonderful, windy Wyoming! Today we’ll take a look at the Honourable Lead Boiler Suit (HLBS) Tyrannosaurus rex. The model is approximately 8 inches (20 cm) long, but the curve of the neck puts it closer to 9 inches (23 cm) and gives it a 1/52 scale. In that respect, the model is small compared to many dinosaurs offered by other companies. It does, however, fit well with many smaller CollectA figures, as do most HLBS figures. This figure was produced in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
The Tyrannosaurus is in a typical mouth-open roaring pose. The body shape in general is accurate. The legs and tail could use a little more muscle mass, but are not outside the realm of possibility. The arms are supinated, a big leap considering pronated arms were pretty much a given among theropods in the 1990s. I’m not sure if this was intended or if the arms were simply sculpted without regard to their position.
The three-toed feet fit well with the figure, but there are no dew claws. The front arms are too long, but have two fingers, with the shorter claw above the longer one. The length of the head is right at 1/6 of the body length, perfect for Tyrannosaurus. Looking at the face from the front allows the viewer to see that this Tyrannosaurus had excellent stereoscopic vision, and that the upper jaw is U-shaped. There is a nice row of teeth, which appear to be properly sized. The head is a little shrink-wrapped toward the rear of the skull, but becomes less so towards the front.
The skin is covered with scales of varying sizes, giving the Tyrannosaurus a nice texture. The figure shows osteoderms aligned along the back, starting with five large rows and gradually reducing to two smaller rows at the end of the tail. These osteoderms are unknown in tyrannosaurs. The figure lacks lips, and there are also no feathers, which may or may not be to a collector’s tastes, as feathers are not known for Tyrannosaurus rex and the debate over lips in theropods continues.
The model came unpainted and unassembled. The top of the head, the arms, and the legs went on easy, but the tail isn’t quite wide enough for the open space allotted for it. The tail is pinned in place by a 3/8 inch (10 cm) dowel as the opening on the rear of the figure is concave, but the tail surface is flat, leaving only the outside edge for glue. This figure is all white medal. HLBS has started making figures again, but this model is retired and not part of their current line. Occasionally, it can be found on eBay.
Overall, the model is fairly accurate. It is a “big boy” toy, intended for gaming purposes. It is quite heavy, possibly 2.5 pounds (1.2 kg) and not suitable for younger children. This would be a great model for anyone, especially a collector who focuses on tyrannosaurids.
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I enjoyed the review Torvosaurus, good to see the less common brands get some attention. HLBS made some nice metal figures – I have the Phobosuchus and a tiny Protoceratops.
Great Blog.
I reckon this was and is A Great Figure..
I may be a bit biased as I am a huge Rex Fan.
I like the Opening Jaw on this Model also the Legs the way they are pivoted.
Cheers.
Sad to see the low ratings this figure is getting. I wonder if some people are even reading the review and understanding how old it is. If it’s really from the late 80’s or early 90’s (and possibly pre-Jurassic Park, I suppose) then it’s way ahead of its time. Just compare it to the likes of its contemporaries by Invicta and Carnegie. I gave it three stars but now I wish I had given it four.
I think this one did come out not too long after Jurassic Park. It’s so hard to recall that far back. I know I had it before WWD. My wife hated my Christmas list cuz for 5 or 6 years I had nothing but these dinos on it and she had to order them. It wasn’t like now where you could just order them on-line. She had to actually call them (on a land-line, lol) to actually order them. I don’t even know how I found these figures to begin with.
Totally Spot on, this model when released was way ahead of its time.
10 out of 10 from me
Cheers
Well … OK, go ahead and make me feel bad for not actually reading the review the first time around … Mea Culpa … so to give its due, as a figure three+decades old, it is surprisingly “accurate” compared to the typical dinosaur toy of the era (think – first generation Carnegie TRex or Allosaurus, for example). Of course, it looks, well, a bit comical viewed through today’s lens, but yes, it was indeed a fine figure for its time.
Not bad for a late-renaissance design.
I mentioned the legs and tail need more mass, guess I should have said it was too thin.
The HORROR! I clicked on the review and may NEVER “unsee” what greeted me here. Words fail me. *LOL*LOL*LOL*
The neck is also too long and the tail is too thin. Plus the eyes need to be oriented more toward the front in order for proper stereoscopic vision.