Ever since Tyrannosaurus rex was described back in 1905, this amazing animal has captured our imaginations. Its not hard to see why. It was one of the largest land carnivores of all time and it had a huge skull with bone crushing jaws. It is so recognizable that toy makers just can’t help themselves on trying to capitalize on their popularity by making as many as they can. For 2017 Mojo released three new Tyrannosaur Rex toys and they are a vast improvement over their previous releases, which were tail dragging, piano playing monstrosities. Overall Mojo has improved their range of products. By no means have they caught up with Safari or CollectA but they have taken a step in the right direction.
About the toy: Of the three tyrannosaur’s that Mojo released for 2017, the articulated jaw T. rex is the smallest. It is 7.5 in (19.05 cm) long and 3 in (7.62 cm) high. It terms of size and pose the sculpt is similar (just a little smaller) to the striding Wild Safari 2011 sculpt. It legs are not spread out as far as the striding Wild Safari version, instead they are closer together in a fashion that makes it look like it is creeping up on its prey. Combine that with scientific inaccuracy, exaggerated rugosity on the skull, a softer rubbery plastic feel that you would expect from a Schleich WOH toy, and suddenly this toy looks like the Schleich T. rex met the 2011 Safari and they had a baby.
The pose is dynamic enough to make the toy look like it is on the hunt or it is just curious about what is on the other side of a river. The figure is very steady on its feet without any assistance and this is due to the exaggerated size of both feet. Unfortunately it does detract from the toy but I guess that’s the price for stability without a base. Unless some new information has come out that I am unaware of, there is another error that plagues this T. rex, and that is the position of the arms. The arms are pronated, with the claws facing down, which is inaccurate and every toy maker that wants to be taken seriously should know by now to have the claws facing inward. I guess old habits die hard.
One of the most important features on a Tyrannosaurs rex is the impressive head. One of the important things to look for is the position of the eyes. The orbits are set in a way for the eyes to face foreword. The back of the head should be expanded so that is in the shape of a T, with the snout being thin and long. When we look at the head on this figure, it has those characteristics. There is a clear antorbital fenestrae on the sides of the face in front of the orbit. Also present on this figure is rough rugged bumps on the nasals that spread backwards and spouts a little flaring horn above the eyes. This line of bumps continues going back on this toy until both sides meet at a point on the back of the skull. The seam for the head is visible despite attempts to blend it in along with skin folds on the neck.
Inside the mouth there are over thirty five teeth present. That’s double than what you would normally find inside a T. rex mouth. The teeth are individually sculpted and despite appearances, when you look closely you will notice they are different sizes. Inside the mouth is a sculpted tongue.
As for the rest of the body on this figure it appears to be on the thin side. There should be a little more heft to the toy. On its back you can see a small bump from the dorsal vertebrae and at the hips you can see the ilium sticking out. Above the arms you can see a bulge of muscle over the scapula. There are similar muscle bulges on the legs. There are some small skin folds connecting the torso and the legs. The overall texture on the sculpt are lines of wrinkles running horizontal and vertically across the figure. There are some scales on the antorbital fenestrae and on top of the head.
The colors are safe. The head, torso, arms, legs, and tail are green. The underside is in cream. There is some black wash in the skin folds that make them stand out a little. Along the back all the way to the tip of the tail are dark blue triangle stripes.
If you are wondering were the feathers are, sorry but this is a scaly version. Not trying to pick a fight but feathers are still speculative. Yes it is highly likely that Tyrannosaurus rex had a liberal coating of feathers, it is also not impossible that it had a considerable coverage of scales on it as well. Maybe feathers could have only been on youngsters. The reality is we do not fully know yet, though there are some good ideas on what it could have looked like. If you are interested in great feathered Tyrannosaurus rex toys both Safari (Hardbit)* and CollectA (Firestreak)* have made great versions with feathers, but lets take it easy on this figure as you can’t really take points off this toy for the lack of a feathery down.
Playability: It is durable and has a moveable jaw. Those are two important qualities for a dinosaur toy. It is safe to use as they are no sharp edges and the material is bendy. The toy is stable so it can be used on different surfaces with an increased chance of standing wherever it is being played. The only problem is the size. When you have a Tyrannosaurus rex toy, you want it to inspire awe and fear, unfortunately this is a smaller toy. I guess it could be a juvenile that would accompany a parent on the hunt.
Overall: Mojo has stepped foreword and released an improved product compared to their previous tyrannosaur releases. It checks a few positive boxes but it does fail in other areas. If you are looking for a gift for a child, well look no further as it is a really good toy for kids under eight years old. For collectors it is not a must have, as it is average at best when compared to all the other tyrannosaur toys that are available. For educators , you should pass on this figure as it has too many scientific inaccuracies. There is one more positive thing about this toy. The cost. It is an inexpensive figure. As always, if you like it go for it, and happy hunting.
*Disclaimer: Both the 2017 Tyrannosaurus rex by Safari Ltd and Feathered Deluxe T. rex by CollectA do not go officially by the names Hardbit and Firestreak, those are names that were given to the toys by the reviewer Suspsy and used in this review as a reference to the reviews done for those figures.
Disclaimer: links to Ebay and Amazon on the DinoToyBlog are affiliate links, so we make a small commission if you use them. Thanks for supporting us!
I’ve realised how similar this toy is to the Papo Running T-rex :/
What I said, a great figure for every child that likes prehistory and animals in general.
Likely the only research the sculptor did is looking at the old Jurassic Park rexes.
Hardbit and Firestreak appreciate the shoutout!
This toy, with its menacing and ferocious look, will no doubt make children fond of it and spend lots of hours playing with it. I think that Mojo has been inspired by Papo’s sculpt and paint jobs, this is seen on this T Rex figure that it looks very much like the Papo 2012 green running T Rex. I simply love the details and the crests on the head and its bird like features. I cannot wait to see what Mojo has next for us in stores. Hope to see a feathered Tyrant king, who knows! I cannot wait for the reviews of the hunting green and red T Rexes and the Allosaurus!
As always, you inspire me to write a review of my own with your detailed reviews. Good job on noticing the accuracies and inaccuracies on the figure.
Thank you.