More than any recent figure, Rebor’s sizeable King Rex seems to embody both the best and worst of the current dinosaur collectible scene. On the one hand, it’s hugely encouraging to see a company produce offerings that bridge the vast gap between the toy and ‘monstro Sideshow wallet-buster’ ends of the market, and produce a line of undeniably high-quality figures to boot. At the same time, it’s a little sad that their contribution to the ever-more-crowded T. rex toy shelf looks so…familiar.
When people inspect a T. rex figure, they’ll be looking at the head first and foremost – after all, it’s the cool-looking business end with the mouth full of spikes and a gnarled, keratinous mass to top things off. Looking at Rebor’s figure, the first two words to spring to mind are ‘Jurassic Park‘. Every small detail of the head – from the jawline to the ‘angry eye’ crests – is almost directly lifted from the JP creature. It’s not as close as the original Papo T. rex, but the similarity is quite unmistakable, all the same. It could’ve been worse, John – a lot worse – but just imagine what the artist could have achieved if they had sculpted a truly original head, based on the real animal’s skull. It’s just all so predictable.
If you’re going to stick a JP head on your figure, you might as well make it an exceedingly handsome JP head, and it’s here that Rebor have succeeded with aplomb. The Rebor Rexy is essentially akin to a Papo figure on steroids, and you get what you pay for in terms of fine detailing and a superb paint finish. The head in particular shows a great deal of finesse in the scalation, wrinkling around the eyes, and (like the Papos) an extremely fine set of very pointy dentures. The jaw is also articulated, allowing for a variety of looks ranging from ‘demure coelurosaur’ to ‘raging awesomebro jerk’. It’s a nice touch.
The rest of the body is very well detailed, too (even if not quite to the same standard as the head), and has the believable, organic quality that Papo’s dinosaurs are praised for. The flesh has an extremely gnarled, wrinkly and folded appearance, as if this were some battered old beast; muscles pop from the legs, and there is a weird, sinewy look to the base of the tail which I actually quite like. A lot of thought has gone into making this look like a living animal rather than a statuesque model that just ticks the boxes.
In terms of how it compares with what’s known about the real T. rex – well, it’s a mixed bag, as one might expect given the JP head. Its bodily proportions are certainly much more on the money than any of Papo’s efforts, indicating that at least a modicum of research went into this. The arms and legs are probably a little too long (the strange, almost crouching posture makes it a little tricky to judge), and the arms could also probably do with a minor repositioning. More obviously, the snout is too wide side-to-side, meaning the skull somewhat lacks its distinctive shape. The torso could perhaps do with being broader, but the creature has convincing heft all the same, with obviously massive hips and thighs and a reasonably chunky tail base (a feature often overlooked).
There’s no denying the high production values of this figure, and it’s certainly visually arresting. The sandy colour scheme (with fiery highlights) works very well, and the careful attention to detail outclasses even some resin figures that are notably pricier than the Rebor. The fact that it’s another all-over scaly T. rex is a bit of a shame – given the Yutyrannus that’s also in Rebor’s range, I’d have loved to have seen them stick a little plumage on their King Rex. The scaliness adds to the somewhat ’90s-retro feel of the model as a whole, although at least the integument is still handled with a little flair (the dorsal spines being very reminiscent of a certain sexy Sega).
In all, this is indeed a very well-made piece, but it’s probably also going to split opinion. Having spent some time this evening with the old fella on my desk, I must say that I’ve really warmed to him, in spite of my ongoing reservations. Yes, it’s a bit of a JP monster, and yes, that little rocky prop thing is…odd. However, it’s a charming number with an exceptional degree of artistic polish for a mass-produced figure. For the same reason I’ll normally p-p-p-pick up a Papo (while avoiding equally inaccurate Schleich pap), I’ll recommend the Rebor. A bit pricey and anatomically iffy, but I’ll still hail to the King, baby.
Available from Ebay.com here.
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Over six years later and I still can’t believe this review received 540 votes.
Because people spammed 1 star ratings and 5 star ratings so much that…
Anyways, something seems wrong about the teeth, and the number of knockoffs…*shudder*
I recently received this model. Gorgeous model.
It’s a very nice looking figure and I really do like it….BUT…..I agree that with the much higher price comes more scrutiny. What hurts this figure is the high price, odd pose, and being another JP knock-off design. It absolutely is a well made and detailed figure, but I would have preferred REBOR to use their obvious talent to make something more unique and original instead of another JP Rex. So I gave it 3 1/2 stars.
Well now rebor has loads of rexes including this aweful thing, killer queen which is rexy of jp, vannala ice(love it it really captures the v rex look)which is not at rex but is a v rex from kong, xenomorph rex( what the crap!?), baby rex, dead rex, rex embroyo and we finally got an acurate one that is unque ad acurate: the grab n go scientifically accurate t rex( dig it, but could use geathers) mabe thier next one will have feathers!
No, seriously that puntue as low to Rebor tyrannosaur, with this note just seems a figure of a dinosaur toy store chinasaurus cheap style, it seems that is not a collectible figure.
It’s a shame the note that has placed him.
You people are ridiculous. How does this figure have 2 stars cumulatively? Can children be excluded from spamming their one star votes, please?
It’s not perfect but damn, it’s a nice figure regardless.
I agree, it isn’t that bad of a figure, but remember, higer price, higer expectations, equals harsher scrutiny.
As a collector of S.H. Monsterarts figures (a type of high end Godzilla action figure), I understand that all too well. With the higher price point there definitely should be a higher level of quality. This figure SHOULD have the trademark tyrannosaur skulls shape. It should be the best of both worlds.
And maybe it should look a lot less like a Jurassic Park imitator. But it’s exceedingly handsome for what it is. And it is a large, haven’t figure. 2 stars? That reeks of a certain type of rather unhelpful bias, unfortunately. 3.5 stars would be more appropriate I think.
Oh well, the Ceratosaurus looks superb. I’m definitely ordering it when it comes up.
*Handsome, not haven’t. Stupid autocorrect.
This is a really nice review. Both the review, and some of the comments below (Matt Zeta Baen’s in particular) tempered my initial negative reaction to this model. (I confess, the fact that Rebor is referring to their Yutyrannus as the “Y-rex” has, by itself, been making it difficult for me to warm up to the company.) The Tyrannosaurus is indeed a very beautifully sculpted model and has definite aesthetic appeal. Not my cup of tea — I’m just not a fan of what I’d call “monster movie” models, and honestly I take the recent Carnegie T. rex over this one if forced to choose — but it would be completely curmudgeonly to deny that this is a lovely sculpt.
Thanks for the kind words. For the record, I intensely dislike the ‘Y-Rex’ thing too, in addition to the inadequate feathering of the model. Don’t think I’ll be getting that one.
I disagree with many appreciations comment this from my perspective or point of view. Figure tyrannosaurus rex longer a toy figure and becomes a collectible figure from my humble point of view, it is not manageable for a child. It’s more to have it on a desk, we must also recognize that the price is quite expensive and almost little to say nothing accessible. On the other hand it is a true figure of Jurassic Park but the details are meticulously sculpted and has no defects sewing as they can have other companies that we value. Finally say that despite its inaccuracies figure is a luxury collection toy made of material that is is a toy collectible figure body. And forgive for having extended.
It’s loaded with detail and the paintwork is lovely, but more than the accuracy issues (which I don’t really expect much of once it becomes evidently a JP copy), I still find that posture awkward and uncomfortable. And that, I think, is where it doesn’t quite match Papo in terms of organic believability. Good review again, however!
This goes to the myriad reasons why people collect dinosaur figures: 1) latest science, 2) historical reconstruction, 3) toy nostalgia, 4) pure aesthetic appeal. The Rebor rex has aesthetic appeal (for some) and is a kind of historical reconstruction with its JP inspiration (shared with many toys, including the ’06 WS rex). I collect purely on aesthetics since ‘accurate’ reconstructions are often fleeting. But to each their own.
I really like Rebor’s Yutyrannus which just might have a smidge of this in its DNA. http://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/dinosaur-discovery/birds-are-dinosaurs-too
This perfectly sums up how I feel about this model! Superb quality and a joy to behold, indeed it is my favourite in my collection. But it is a missed opportunity that is trying to tread the line between dedicated T. rex fans and mass market appeal, which as a new company, they need!
A fair and balanced review – good to see you back!
Don’t say ‘fair and balanced’, makes me sound like Fox News! 😉
Good to be back though, thank you.