Review and photos by Emperor Dinobot, edited by Suspsy
Hello! I am Emperor Dinobot and we shall now look at something many of us perceive to be a very strange decision on the part of Battat. This toy is clearly intended for the kids and it makes perfect sense since the industry has completely changed. We are looking at the strange revival of the Terra collection, and the equally strange revival of their famous Museum of Boston Utahraptor.
For only $9.99 US, it’s hard to pass up! I think that’s a great value! The box is the usual Terra box, except that it’s very large, and they have dropped the name of our dearly departed friend and artist Dan LoRusso. Then again, I don’t believe the original Utahraptor figure was sculpted by Dan, so it sort of makes sense. The box is open, with a “Try Me” sign. The back of the box features Utahraptor‘s stats, something the Terra series also does, which I think is an excellent educational item.
The instructions feature a Battat Ceratosaurus and tells you about the toy’s features. What I found strange was that it uses AG13 Batteries. Are they the same as A76 batteries, which are customarily used by Jurassic Park toys and Chap Mei? I will have to do a bit of research. I take it the instructions are the same for every figure. The Utahraptor is called a “Medium Dino,” whereas the bigger Acrocanthosaurus and Tyrannosaurus figures will probably be classified as “Large Dino.”
This is a large dinosaur figure, 11″ long and 8″ tall! It pays homage to the original Utahraptor while exaggerating certain features, such as the thighs and the shortened tail. The color scheme is nearly identical, but it looks sort of cheap. The whole dinosaur feels kind of cheap. Chap Mei’s dinosaurs are more detailed. The figure is done is a light plastic, which is worrisome since it is targeted at a younger demographic. But it also feels kind of sturdy. The elephant in the room is the light-up roaring feature. The soundbyte is rather interesting, but the glowing eyes and tongue just give it a very generic dinosaur toy look, almost as if it were a bootleg. But hey, it’s Battat’s decision, not mine, and they must have made it for a reason. They also took a page out of Hasbro’s Jurassic World fiasco in that the figure features screw holes, though they aren’t so evident.
The articulation is rather weak. The left arm triggers the roar and closes the jaw, but at a very shallow angle. Don’t expect this to close its mouth entirely. The right arm is also articulated, but it’s a very shallow angle. The same can be said about the legs. The raptor can basically just rear up and slouch down.The sculpt is asymmetrical, and it’s better not to get caught up on it. I really wish they had found a way to pose this in a neutral position. Articulated dinosaurs work better when they are in a neutral position.
I must say though, for $9.99 US, a ginormous electronic Utahraptor is just too good to pass, and especially so if it’s a cheap copy of a legendary dinosaur figure. Shame that the mold was not updated to have feathers, despite what the description on the back of the box says. That would have made this far more worthwhile.
Here it is compared to the original Battat and the most infamous Utahraptor figure of all, the Jurassic Park Series 2 version. Again, I reiterate, this one is for the kids. The toy industry has changed dramatically, and I’m writing this on the week that Toys R’ Us decided to liquidate its stores in the US and the UK. Sources tell me everything is going to use cheaper materials, everything electronic, and we all know Battat is just jumping on the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom bandwagon early, and I applaud their decision. Is this a cash grab? Yes. Is it the best dinosaur toy in the world? No! Is it fun? Yes! I’ve been collecting all manner of dinosaur toys for a lifetime, and I absolutely love my Terra Battat Utahraptor. I think it’s an oddity that will fit in well with my Jurassic and Chap Mei dinosaurs, and I was one of the few actually pleased and surprised that Terra was going to continue it’s dinosaur line. Again, hardcore collectors might want to pass on this, but they’re no longer the target audience.
Speaking of Target, that is the name of the chain in which you can find this line. I think the Terra dinosaur revival is great for the indoctrination of young minds. We want everyone to have easy access to dinosaurs and science, and this is a start. It’s going to be a great year for dinosaur toys.
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Wow Emperor Dinobot I Bought The Safari Ltd 1993 Yellow Velociraptor From you On Ebay And Nice Review
My son just got this one for his birthday. I agree with the assessment. Certainly not the best representation of this species, but its pretty cheaper. And like the author stated, it is comparable in size to the JP Utahraptor from long ago, and if quality & accuracy is not important, it makes an acceptable figure to play with that is to scale with the standard scale JP / JW toys.
Very nice review. My son wants it every time we walk by, so it looks like its intended audience likes it.
To me, I give it a 6/10 on scientific accuracy.
This thing need feathers and the more accurate scientific name.
And I still don’t see my review and I send it to Dr. Admin to edit it.
I suspect that he’s a very busy person.
Terribly disappointing how Battat releases this instead of the remaining repaints and the unproduced moulds from 2015.
Interesting, they give the species name as U. ostrommaysi, which hasn’t been used since 2000, when it was changed to U. ostrommaysorum. But yeah, the admission in the package copy that it likely had feathers represents some sort of modest progress.