Velociraptor (Jurassic Park: Amber Collection by Mattel)

Review and photos by Faelrin, edited by Suspsy

Among my earliest memories were my first viewings of Jurassic Park. I was probably only four or five years old when I first watched it, but it quickly became one of my favorite movies from then on, and also helped to inspire my love for dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. One of my favorite creatures from the film back then, and to this day, is the antagonistic Velociraptor. It is hard for me to explain why I felt so drawn to it back then (slightly more so than the giant Tyrannosaurus rex), or even now (other then nostalgia). Perhaps I felt drawn to it because of the unique sickle-shaped claws that they wielded on their inner toes, and their now-iconic shrieks, snarls, and barks, as well as how they were depicted as being fast and highly intelligent. Even now, with the abundant fossil evidence showing that the creatures in the film did not exist in life the way they were depicted on screen, I nonetheless still love them as the cinematic movie monsters they were, and still are. With all that said, what subject for my 25th review for this blog on none other than the Mattel Amber Collection Velociraptor, which is not only a fantastic addition to my collection, and one I’ve waited a while for, but a nice tribute to one of my favorite creatures in the very film that helped shape my love for all things prehistoric to this day?

From as far back as when the Beasts of the Mesozoic Raptor Series Kickstarter was going on, I had desired and hoped for a highly articulated JP raptor to be made some day. Eventually, Mattel picked up the license, and while things haven’t gone perfectly with it (such as the numerous distribution issues worldwide, which these Amber Collection figures also suffer from, unfortunately), they’ve offered some of the best JP toys to date, and helped give collectors a modern take on the creatures Kenner produced over 20 years ago with their 3 and 3/4 inch line. They have pulled this off by using a sense of scale that hasn’t been done since that time, as well as lots of articulation on their figures and mostly film-accurate sculpts, in addition to the plethora of species featured in the films, or other tie-in material. The Amber Collection itself is a departure from that 3 and 3/4 inch line, and is the first of its kind ever released, being 6.5 inch scale JP and JW figures. They first revealed the Amber Collection prototypes back at San Diego Comic Con 2018, which included Velociraptor Blue, Owen Grady, and Ian Malcolm, although the final products have since gone under some revisions. In particular, the tail on the raptor sculpt no longer consists of multiple joints, but is made out of rubber and has a bendable wire feature, similar to the BotM raptors, aside from other minor changes. The subject of my review here was not revealed until around the time of SDCC 2019, and was quite a surprise addition to the previously revealed Blue.

When I was finally able to get my hands on this figure, I was greeted with some beautifully designed packaging, which was primarily black in color with gold cracks strewn about. The front features a plastic window for viewing the figure. The back features a short description and an image of the creature or character the figure is based on, encased in some “amber.” The figure comes with a display base made out of a translucent amber-colored plastic, which also features the JP franchise logo, complete with the iconic T. rex skeleton, and it also comes with a clear plastic posing rod of sorts that must be assembled into the base, and then can snap into the bottom of the raptor (right in the middle of what should be its pubic area) to help with stability for posing.

It is worth mentioning right off the bat that this sculpt is based off the earlier prototype of Blue. As such, the proportions, especially in regard to the shape of the head, are not based upon the original film’s Velociraptors, but of Blue from Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which has a distinctively different look when compared with the original raptors. This may be disappointing for some, since it sacrifices some of the accuracy to the original creature. The large feet might also not look appealing with collectors, but they do offer some additional stability when not being used with the accompanying base. The pubic bone seems to be reduced, if not missing altogether due to the location of where the posing rod plugs in, which is yet another issue with the sculpt’s accuracy. However, the sculpt itself features some nice texturing with wrinkles and tiny scales, which are about spot-on to the appearance of both the original JP and JW raptors, give or take. As mentioned previously, the figure is intended to be in a 6.5 inch scale, and it measures over 12 inches long by about 6 inches tall.

The raptor’s color scheme is mostly beige with darker brown airbrushing along the limbs, back, and the top of the head. The tail features a few subtle darker stripes, and the eyes are correctly painted a vivid yellow green color, though perhaps they could be more pale in tone. The color schemes of the maquette and animatronic Velociraptor were more complex and brighter in comparison, featuring more of an amber coloration with darker striping and speckling. The creature as seen in the film, however, seemed to be more muted in coloration, so the simplified coloration of this figure is perhaps appropriate in creating a similar likeness. If one does want a raptor based mostly on the coloration of the maquette and animatronic there is Chronicle Collectible’s 1/6 Velociraptor figure that is slated for release next year (and up for preorder right now), although that is nearly $500 US in price, and vastly more expensive and much larger compared to this $30 US figure.

The figure also has numerous points of articulation. Both the upper and lower jaws can move up and down, and there is a joint at the base of the head with limited movement. The neck is ball-jointed and seems to offer similar movement to the 3 and 3/4 inch scaled jumping Velociraptor. The shoulders, elbows, and wrists all feature articulation much like the highly articulated 3 and 3/4 inch scaled Indoraptor, in that they can be rotated and moved in and out at the shoulders, up and down and rotated at the elbows, and up and down and rotated at the wrists. The legs also feature similar articulation to the Indoraptor, capable of rotating and moving in and out at the hips, up and down and rotating at the knees, and up and down and rotating at the ankles. The famous sickle claws also feature articulation, but only at the claws themselves. As mentioned earlier, the tail is made out of rubber and features a bendable wire, and it is also on a ball joint for additional poseability. My figure does unfortunately feature a kink at the tail, probably caused from how it was packaged. The jaws on my figure also don’t seem to close all the way on the left side of the head, which I suspect is the result of a disappointing quality control issue.

Most who following the Dinosaur Toy Blog should be well aware that the JP and JW Velociraptor is far from being accurate to the real thing. For those who are not aware, the raptors in the films were based upon a now-outdated and slightly oversized interpretation of Deinonychus antirrhopus, not Velociraptor mongoliensis. The latter had a plethora of fossils to reference from even back when the first film was created, including the famous “Fighting Dinosaurs” specimen locked in combat with a Protoceratops. It makes one wonder why the long and low upturned skull was not retained in the film’s design, in addition to the size and proportion issues. This also goes for the numerous figures that have been influenced by the film, such as the first one by Papo or some of the ones by Schleich. It also does not feature any feathers whatsoever, a product of the times that has unfortunately lasted to this day. Also, this figure’s hands are pronated, a feature which real theropods could not achieve without breaking their wrists.

That all being said, this figure is mostly a wonderful rendition of the creature in the original film, give or take the sculpting discrepancies and a simplified color scheme. I’m very glad to have it in my collection, and it has certainly been fun to create scenes with it alongside my other dromaeosaur figures, such as the BotM Velociraptor, or even Mattel’s own 3 and 3/4 inch Battle Damage Blue and the Indoraptor. I am also looking forward to more of the Amber Collection figures such as Velociraptor Blue, and the teased Dennis Nedry and Dilophosaurus figures expected to arrive in 2020, in addition to hoping for a 3 and 3/4 inch raptor in a coloration similar to this figure to be made and released. The Amber Collection Velociraptor is available from Gamestop (both online or in stores), and will be available on Amazon and Entertainment Earth early 2020.