Tyrannosaurus rex (Original Version)(Recur)

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Review and photos by Takama, edited by Suspsy

In 2016, a new brand of toys came onto the dinosaur collecting scene, with a huge selection in their Ancient Animals line. Recur, and its parent company Ankyl Toys Co. Ltd., has been around for a while, but only recently have their products have been revealed to the public (presumably for the first time outside of China). What sets their products apart from the competition is the fact all of them are made out of flexible PVC plastic, and most are filled with a synthetic cotton. As of now, there are 41 toys to choose from, and some of them appear to be in different sub-lines, although Recur has not come out and say if this is true or not. For instance, most of their new products for 2017 are simply jumbo-sized versions of some of the dinosaurs they already released, but I don’t know if they have stated anywhere that these ones are part of a different group. There is also a massive difference in the style of how some of them are made. For instance, the Edmontonia is clearly cartoonish, but the Ankylosaurus they made for this year is a lot more realistic in appearance. Today’s review is another example of this strange contrast in style. What I have here today is what I like to call Recur’s monstrous version of Tyrannosaurus, which was sculpted in a tripod stance instead of having a horizontal pose like the one that was already reviewed.

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As for accuracy, there’s nothing praiseworthy about this figure other than the fact that it has two tiny arms. But I’m finding it very hard to come up with the words to describe how inaccurate this T. rex is. For one thing, the skull is way too box-like and does not match up with that of the real animal at all. The skull even lacks the creature’s signature binocular vision, which is something that even collector oriented companies (*cough* Rebor *cough*) seem to forget on their figures. Another prominent issue I see with this figure is that it does not match up with the shape of the real T. rex. I cannot describe what’s wrong with it without writing for hours on end to explain it all, so I will simply say that the 2016 version is a vast improvement in terms of accuracy since it is not a tripod, and at least looks a little more like an actual T. rex than this one ever could.

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After all that criticism, you might wonder why I chose to buy this T. rex over the newer one to purchase. Well truth be told, I like this version better. When I say this is the monstrous version, I mean it. The toy looks gnarly and ready to tear you to shreds. However, that is part of what I like about it. I realize not everyone is going to like this figure the way I do (if not at all). But it is clear to me that this toy was made for kids as opposed to adults. The T. rex is posed in a dynamic turning-to-the-side motion, which is up for interpretation. Maybe it’s about to get charged by a Triceratops, and it dodged the hit? Who knows, and that’s what I like about this toy. The materials may not be up to Papo standards, but the detailing and colour choices make it seem like a living creature to me. Of course, the realism is diminished greatly once you get to the blunted teeth, but one must remember that this product was made for kids first and foremost. Not older collectors like us. That being said, it’s time to discuss the colouration of this toy. The model is simply dark, swampy green with an even dirtier swampy green on the bottom. The claws are your typical black and the teeth are white. Inside the mouth, you will find a shade of dark pink, and the eyes are orange. It stands 13.5 cm tall and measures 20.5 cm long.

Overall, I can’t say I recommend this to collectors. But as a kids’ toy, it could work perfectly as long as you don’t use it in an educational context that declares it to be an accurate model. As of now the only place I recommend buying it from is www.dejankins.com, as their prices are often fair, and it carries the entire line as of today. However, the supply of most of them is extremely limited, so if you want one, contact DeJankins now before they’re sold out.