The Dinosaur Toy Blog

Amebelodon (Prehistoric Life Collection by Safari Ltd.)

itstwentybelow — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Amebelodon was a genus of prehistoric proboscidean which evolved along the Gulf Coast of North America roughly 10 million years ago during the late Miocene, eventually migrating to Asia via the Bering Land Bridge which would have connected Alaska and Russia. The animal became extinct on the North American continent about 6 million years ago but survived in Asia and Africa up until around 5 million. It belonged to a group called the gompotheres, more commonly known as “shovel tuskers” due to the prominent, bizarre tusks of their lower jaws. Aside from its head, Amebelodon largely resembled a modern Asian elephant. It’s always great to see a new genus introduced in figure form, and Safari has recently been a leader in this obscure genus crusade. Although other notable gompothere figures have been produced, such as the now-retired Bullyland Gompotherium, this is the first iteration of Amebelodon that I am aware of. At a little over 5 1/2 inches long and 3 inches tall, it is the largest of Safari’s 2005 prehistoric mammal wave. If you like to see figures in scale with each other as I do, this fits the bill for 1/40 if you consider it to be of the species Amebelodon floridanus, which was generally smaller than an Asian elephant, while Amebelodon britti was among the largest proboscideans ever to have lived. The figure is mostly gray, the same color it was molded in, but there are details. The skin is wrinkly and elephantine, the tuft at the end of the tail is black, and the nails are painted a tan/yellow color. The tusks are yellowed and the lower pair show deep grooves, giving them a more lifelike appearance. The tongue inside its bellowing mouth is pink and the nostrils at the end of the trunk are as well. Lastly, there are the orange eyes, which are painted somewhat sloppily on mine, but I don’t know if they are all like that. This Amebelodon is in a walking, bellowing pose with the trunk raised. This is a very accurate figure, and Safari should be applauded. The skull is very true to life. The two deep recesses on top of the skull are represented well here, as are the position of the tusks. It is thought that gompotheres had smaller ears, like an Asian elephant, and this Amebelodon exhibits this characteristic. The trunk reflects popular gompothere reconstructions, but as trunks do not readily fossilize, their appearance in gompotheres is still the subject of speculation. The postcranial anatomy is very elephantine, as it should be. Kind of hard to mess that part up to any noticeable degree, as elephants are still with us. Curiously, the animal’s name is misspelled “Ambelodon” on the tag but is correctly printed Amebelodon on the figure’s belly. I dunno who was in charge of that one. I like this figure. I really do. Safari was really on the ball with mammals in 2005 and I wish they still regularly introduced new prehistoric mammal genera, but this guy is still available so get ‘em while they’re hot! This figure is very affordable at under $6 and you know you’ll be adding something new to your collection if you get it!

Parasaurolophus (2007 version) (Replica-Saurus by Schleich)

itstwentybelow — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Parasaurolophus is a well known lambeosaurine hadrosaur from Late Cretaceous North America, where it lived near the Western Interior Seaway. It sported a large crest on its skull which may have been used for making vocalizations and has caused this genus to be easily recognizable to the public. The name means “near-crested reptile”. Parasaurolophus was a large animal at over 30 feet in length, but was herbivorous. The first fossil remains were discovered in 1920 in Alberta, Canada by an expedition from the University of Toronto. The area is now known as the Dinosaur Park Formation. Parasaurolophus is one of the most ubiquitous dinosaur figures out there because it is seems to be as much of a requirement for a toy line as T.rex or Triceratops. However, very few sculpts do justice to the animal. This figure, which was released in 2007, does. Schleich previously released a green Parasaurolophus in a tripod pose for this line, which is a good figure, but this one’s better. Schleich’s 2007 Para is 9 inches long (1/40 scale) and hefty! You’ll notice it’s very solidly built when handled. The figure is incredibly detailed and covered in realistic scales, giving it a rough texture. The colors are very earthy, if a bit drab, but that’s Schleich. The predominant color is a caramel brown, with darker brown spots that almost give it a cow-like pattern. There is a row of these markings along the spine. The figure’s underside is gray and the crest is an interesting lime green, which contrasts with the brown. Its hooves are painted dark brown and its eyes are yellow with black pupils. The animal is in a quadrupedal striding pose. This Parasaurolophus is awesome. It is quite possibly the best figure Schleich has released to date. This one shows that the people at Schleich did a little research. The sculpt is very well proportioned and does not have the “awkward” vibe of a lot of other Schleich sculpts (cough*Ceratosaurus*cough). The scalation all over the body and the wrinkles on its tail make this figure very realistic. There are even very small scales on its head. The limbs show some muscle definition, the 1^st and 5^th digits of the forelimbs are reduced, and the animal is also posed on all fours, which is an idea widely viewed by paleontologists to be its usual posture, although Parasaurolophus could run on two legs. The neck also curves up in a nice S-shape, and there is no purely speculative fleshy sail connecting the crest to the neck. Lastly, there is a notch in the figure’s spine above the shoulders. This was recently thought to perhaps accommodate the animal’s large crest, but it has since been determined that the fossil specimen the anomaly was found in was broken. Still, I like its inclusion because it shows that Schleich was at least paying attention to research, which is something I’m not so sure they always do… Parasaurolophus is my favorite dinosaur, and this figure is one of my favorite ever renditions of it. Pictures make it look good, but it’s a figure you really have to see for yourself. I don’t foresee this guy being retired anytime soon and it is widely available. This figure gets top marks from me.

Spinosaurus (Kinto Favorite Desktop Model)

libraraptor — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Kinto Favorite Desktop Spinosaurus Model Review by Dan of DansDinosaurs.com After a fairly prolonged dry spell, the Favorite Company of Japan (formerly known as Kinto) has unveiled a new dinosaur desktop model. This model features the highly-popular Spinosaurus aegypticus, a theropod whose name became famous after appearing in a certain feature film. Consequently, the Spinosaurus has been popping up in collectible form much more frequently. This leads to a somewhat awkward admission of ignorance from a paleontological perspective - we have only sparse fossils to indicate what the creature looked like, and yet reconstructions are now showing up everywhere. What little we do know about the Spinosaurus relates to its skull shape, which is elongated and closely resembles the skulls of predators like Suchomimus and Baryonyx. Based on this similarity, the animal now tends to be reconstructed with a somewhat gracile build, and enlarged claws on the forearms. Favorite does have a substantial history with this species, having already released a full skeleton model, and another fleshed-on model featuring the predator plucking a garfish from the churning current. Not surprisingly, this latest release appears to be their most striking version. One of the first things observers will notice is the animated posture of the carnivore. Since the animal is attached to a rock-like base, the sculpture is free to stand in any pose the artist desires. In this instance, the Spinosaurus is seen in mid-stride, its bird-like footing reinforcing the avian qualities of theropods. Throughout the sculpture, one can clearly see the contracting of powerful leg muscles and realistic wrinkles and folds in the skin. The hide is scaly, almost crocodilian, with broad osteoderms lining the flanks. The large forearms are carried with the palms inward, and the tail remains parallel to the ground for balance. One noticeable flaw can be seen in the jaws of the animal, where the distinctive subnarial gap seems to lack the proper prominence. Given the strong emphasis that is placed on this area of the skull morphology, as well as the substantial history Favorite has with this species, the discrepancy is somewhat disappointing. That being said, much of the skull is still very impressive. The teeth appear long and conical, the jaws are narrow and long, and the distinctive crest can be seen on the top of the head. This Spinosaurus also has one of the most impressive paint schemes of any model released by Favorite. The body is draped in a charcoal and blackened base, while the ventral surfaces have a contrasting yet traditionally pale hue. Vibrant patterns of yellow and orange are speckled across the flanks, slicing across the back, and virtually bursting from the signature dorsal spine. The combination of warm tones with bluish highlights almost resembles the flicking of flames, truly an indication that the Favorite Spinosaurus utilizes its sail for display purposes, if nothing else. The dorsal surfaces are also adorned with protruding spines, not quite to the extent of Todd Marshall's interpretation of the beast, though still a mature design aesthetic that warns: "Careful. I am not some child's plaything". The desktop model, like others Favorite's line, comes with a wooden base and brass name plate for display purposes. Despite the problems with the jaw, this is certainly one of the most impressive finished Spinosaurus models on the market. At the time of this review, the model is only available in Japan, which makes acquiring one a somewhat tricky and costly venture. Hardcore enthusiasts may wish to wait until a more accurate and affordable model is available, but this is still one of the finest Spinosaurus models around.

Iguanodon (Kleinwelka)

plesiosauria — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Review and photos by ChemaV, edited by Plesiosauria Iguanodon (Kleinwelka) The SAURIERPARK (http://www.saurierpark.de/saurierpark.asp) is actually a botanic garden sited on Kleinwelka, a subdivision of the city of Bautzen (Germany). In 1977 somebody had the idea of building a large series of life sized dinosaurs built on steel and concrete. The designs were largerly based on designs by the excellent european paleoartist Zdeneck Burian, who still during these years had his works (or ripoffs of them) constantly published in several books for children and adults. Though his designs have started to become very innacurate as new scientifical discovering and theories arise, his talented artistic qualities still are fairly enjoyable even today. In 1977, the Dinosaur Reinassance was giving his baby crying, slowly transforming all the good old dragging-tail dragons into post-modern warm blooded proto-bird beasts. Still, the people who made the models for the Saurierpark on Kleinwelka choose the classic versions because popular imaginary was still attched to Burian’s designs, as they will be not until the end of the 80’s. In 1991, the sculptor of the figures was hired again to create new models and a pack of killer deinonychus, beside other creatures with a new warm blooded look, were added to the already existent retro-looking sculptures. image 1 In the 70’s, the Saurierpark had a gifts shop where plastic models of the giant sculptures were sold as toys. Made of an unknown German plastic, though. The Iguanodon figure was made, at least, in two different versions with a very different material. I ignore if the rest of figures had also being made in these two (or more) different versions but it’s also very possible. My theory is the lighted material ones are the oldest, probably from the very 70’s. The “version 1” is made on a very lightweight “plastic”, about 0.01 lb (in comparison with the “version 2” that weights about 0.08 lb). Material looks similar but besides the weight, the surface of the “version 1” is more rough to the touch. The “version 1” has a lighter colour than the “version 2”. Size is exactly the same on both, though (exactly the same mold). Picture of the “version 1 (it has "Iguanodon, Saurierpark Kleinwelka, SAchsan (?)" written on the belly) : image 2 Picture of the version 2 (it says only "SKS" on the belly): image 3 Going to the description of the Iguanodon per se, the guy is totally reminiscent of 1940’s and 1950’s Zdeneck Burian paintings of the beast (and which design had already been transformed into a figure by MARX, INVICTA, STARLUX and others): image 4 The figure maintains the same Iguana-on-stheroids basis, with the kangaroo pose and the dragging tail. It is much implied that the animal would only walk in this 2 legs, as it’s not simply rising up to obtain higher leafs as still today is represented. In comparison with the modern 2 legs Iguanodons, this old version has a way more straight column. The beast is also in an active walking pose. He exposes his left knife-like big finger to the front, like preparing it to stab in some enemy’s belly. image 5 The figure is fairly well detailed. Not as much as Invicta (that is a top that no other plastic line could ever reach) but being fair with this Kleinwelka figures, which I personally like a lot, they have charm even being objectively ugly. And this Igu guy surely is! His face depicts a total badass, with angry eyes and exposed teeth (no cheeks). He has a reptilian piece of skin in the throat, just like the reptile who gave him his name. image 6 More good details: there is a sutile line of osteoderms in the back, like a dragon. Muscles and skin wrinkles, even some veins, are also sculpted. The “version 1” has even very little scales all over the skin, very nicely done, that the “version 2” doesn’t have (the skin is totally pulished), reason why I consider the “version 1” being older as it’s more detailed (molds could have been lost quality with time). I recommend this figure to nostalgic lovers of Zdeneck Burian’s designs, and as a true piece of dinosaur figures’ history.

Seismosaurus (Kabaya)

plesiosauria — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Review and photos by Brandon Though the Diplodocus was discovered in the 19th century by Samuel Wendell Williston and Benjamin Mudge and named by Othniel Charles Marsh, a new and large specimen was found in the later part of the 20th century in the late 1980s and was finally described in 1991 by David D. Gillette as a new family member of the Diplodocidae. It was the longest of all the sauropods and called Seismosaurus "Earthquake Lizard" halli. In the first decade of the 21st century it was determined to be just another Diplodocus species and thus was named Diplodocus hallorum. The Kabaya figure of the former Seismosaurus was similar like Hasbro's Marvel Legends "build a figure" or Mattel's DC Universe "collect and connect" figure where a piece of the figure was in each box of the figures in the series. It wasn't necessarily a chase it's just that you'd have to collect all of the figures in order to have the Seimosaurus which is a cool and fun thing to do provided you wanted all of the figures. The sculpting of the Seismosaurus is just phenomenal, nothing more, nothing less! The figure is sculpted in such a way that you know right off the bat that its a sauropod! the appearance of the figure is inspired by David Peters' work! Its Huge body with a very long neck and tail. The equine-like head is small with tiny eyes and sculpted nostrils aways from the snout. The neck and tail seems right on the tick. One might imagine a sauropod having skin like a specie of the Proboscidea such as the modern African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) which on the entire body of the Seismosaurus figure the skin is indeed very weathered and the texturing effect works well especially underneath the long neck and stomach and tail. The figure has the pillar-like legs with the front being the short and the back being the longer legs. The hooves-like manus or front feet of the Seisomosaurus is quite accurate because their sculpted like the hands of a real one with the singled clawed-finger and the back feet are far different being three-clawed. He has protruding osteoderms near his head reaching all the down to his tail. He has no stand and really he doesn't need one. He is needed to be assembled once you get all of his parts consisting of the neck, two halves of the body and the tail. You place the thick peg of the neck and the thick peg of the tail in either side of one of the body half's and you place the other body half on snaps the small pegs into the holes and walla, you got your self a Seismosaurus! The paint is arguably the best of the entire set. Really nothing even minor that I noticed! I just love his eyes and the overall gray color scale! This Seismosaurus or rather D. hallorum is a tremendous figure, one of the best sculpted I've ever seen and is a definite example of how graceful the sauropods were! Truly a marvel and a must have! I purchased the Kabaya set of five on eBay and it is sometimes available but can be scarce.

Amargasaurus (Carnegie Collection 2007)

plesiosauria — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:38:46 +0000

One of my favorite dinosaurs, Amargasaurus is an amazing sauropod with a double row of spines running along the neck. This 2007 replica from Carnegie Collection is in a graceful walking pose. Available here

Triceratops (Schleich)

plesiosauria — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 14:24:58 +0000

The famous three-horned Triceratops! Great detail on the skull - the beak and the horns around the frill. Available here

Mamenchisaurus (Wild Safari)

plesiosauria — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 15:06:44 +0000

The dinosaur with the longest neck, this Mamenchisaurus is one third of a three-part series on the dinosaurs of China. The others in the series are Therizinosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus. Available here

Stegosaurus (Papo)

plesiosauria — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 15:14:15 +0000

The diamond-plated Stegosaurus from Papo in one of the most accurate replicas of this spikey species. This, and all the others in the Papo series, seem to have been based on the dinosaurus in the movie, Jurassic Park: The Lost World. Available here

Dilophosaurus (Carnegie Collection)

plesiosauria — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 15:22:50 +0000

A pair of Dilophosaurus from from Safari's Carnegie Collection. One is rearing up, the other is crouched with her tail in the air, supporting herself with one hand. Available here

Spinosaurus (Papo)

plesiosauria — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 15:31:31 +0000

This page is old, read the FULL REVIEW HERE This super detailed sail-backed Spinosaurus is the newest addition to this series! Just like the T.rex in the Papo series, this spinosaurus has a movable lower jaw. This figure balances accurately on two feet without needing any support from the tail, and closely resembles the star of Jurassic Park 3: it appears to be based on the Jurassic Park reconstruction. Available here ($)

Dimetrodon (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

plesiosauria — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 13:34:39 +0000

The weird and iconic sail-backed reptile Dimetrodon, this replica has a realistic colour pattern, but the paint details are sometimes a bit messy in the smaller Safari replicas. Full review of this figure here: http://dinosaurcollector.wordpress.com/2008/04/18/dimetrodon-carnegie-collection-by-safari-ltd/ Available here

Styracosaurus (Favorite)

plesiosauria — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 13:48:07 +0000

Sytracosaurus is a close relative of Triceratops, but sports a more ornate head crest with long spines. Also, the nose horn is much longer in Styracosaurus. The dinosaur replicas in this 'Favorite' collection are particularly accurate. Available here

Velociraptor ('Great Dinosaurs' collection, Safari Lt)

plesiosauria — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 14:14:21 +0000

This lightly feathered Velociraptor has a tuft on its head and 'wings' on its arms. The tail bends downwards so that the tip supports the figure. Far more accurate (but less detailed) than the Papo Velociraptor. At 32cm long this figure is very large, but due to this large size it has had to be molded in two separate pieces which are joined together - the joint is faintly visible running through the belly region. Safari has produced a number of other Velociraptor toys, including one for the Carnegie Collection, and a special (see blog entry)for the Dinosaurs of China Collection. Available here

About this Blog

plesiosauria — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 14:25:26 +0000

This blog represents a virtual collection of dinosaur models, figures and replicas. Each entry concerns a different dinosaur toy and includes a review and photographs. The blog has many regular authors and guest reviews are always welcome too. We want to share our thoughts, opinions and recommendations on the figures in our collections. Where possible, we provide links to help you find these items for your own collections. Despite the name, strictly speaking we cover all prehistoric animal toys - thats why we have a catergory 'non-dinosaur': click on this category to see pterosaurs, marine reptiles, and other prehistoric beasties. Other categories identify the type of dinosaur (e.g. theropod) or the company who produced the toy (e.g Papo) so that you can quickly find what you are looking for. If we have made any mistakes, if you have additional information, or if you would like to request us to review a particular toy, please do comment or contact us. Also, we are always delighted to accept contributions from our readers and appreciate every one! If you think you can help, please send your figure review together with at least one photograph of the figure to plesiosauria@gmail.com. All accepted authors will be credited. Don’t forget to check through the archives to see if your figure has already been reviewed. Thanks and hope you enjoy the blog! The Dinosaur Toy Blog team

Corythosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

plesiosauria — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:20:10 +0000

The first ornithopod to be added to my virtual collection of dinosaur replicas! Corythosaurus is a distinctive hadrosaur with a rounded crest on its head. The animal could walk on two legs, but predominantly stood on all fours, like in this colourful green model. Available here

Caudipteryx (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

plesiosauria — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:28:38 +0000

This amazing Chinese dino-bird Caudipteryx is one of the newly released figures in the Carnegie Collection. This is super-detailed with a blue tail fan and wings. The figure stands on two legs and is rearing up so that the tail acts as a support. Because the actual animal is so small, this figure has been produced at a different scale to most of the other Carnegie figures. Available here

Brachiosaurus (Invicta colour)

plesiosauria — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:20:54 +0000

The invicta plastics collection of replicas is the official line of the British Museum of Natural History (now the Natural History Misuem, London). They can still be found now but they were especially popular in the 1990s (thats when I aquired my collection - my first and only complete set of any dinosaur line). Each figure came in two vesions, a plain colour version, and a painted version, like this Brachiosaurus, the largest model in the collection. For such a huge chunk of plastic, this model is very majestic! The largest Brachiosaurus individuals found to date were probably over 14 metres tall! Available here

Baryonyx (Invicta colour)

plesiosauria — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:36:18 +0000

Another favourite from the Invicta colout collection. The Baryonx comes complete with a fish in hand. This replica portrays this piscivorous theropod, a close relative of Spinosaurus, in a quadrupedal stance with the tail high up in the air. Available here

Plateosaurus (Bullyland)

plesiosauria — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 20:49:00 +0000

This rearing Plateosaurus from Bullyland represents a prosauropod, these dinosaurs are very rarely portrayed as dinosaur figures. This one is a little cartoony, with very fat looking legs, but at least it looks happy ;) Bullyland, like Schleich, is a German based company. Available here

Velociraptor skull (Kinto)

plesiosauria — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:50:59 +0000

For serious collectors only, the Kinto range includes super-detailed replicas of scale fossil skulls, skeletons, and restorations of the living organisms. They all come complete with a fancy display base with a plaque. The toothy Velociraptor skull is life size (1/1), much smaller than the oversized versions made famous by Jurassic Park. Available here

Pteranodon (Papo)

plesiosauria — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:05:36 +0000

The flying reptiles (not dinosaurs) make great additions to any collection, not least because you can hang them up! This Pteranodon by Papo has the added bonus that its clawed feet act as a grip so it can be hung upsidedown. It is a very dynamic looking model in mid-flight. It looks like it is based on the pterosaurs in Jurassic Park 3; by the shape of the crest, the species is Pteranodon longiceps. Another species of Pteranodon with a distinctly shaped crest is sometimes available as a toy (P. sternbergi). A more detailed review of this figure can be found here: http://dinosaurcollector.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/pteranodon-papo-2/ Available here

Apatosaurus ('Great Dinosaurs' Galaxy/Safari)

plesiosauria — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:48:58 +0000

Apatosaurus, formerly known as Brontosaurus is a giant sauropod from the Jurassic Period. This 'Great Dinosaurs' Safari version accurately portrays the tail in the air, not dragging along the ground as in traditional replicas and dinosaur toys. The gray colouring seems to have been based on large mammals of today. As is the case for most figures in the 'Great Dinosaurs' collection, the figure is very large an cosists of two separate pieces joined in the middle. Available here Edit - October 2008 - A more detailed review of this figure can now be found here: http://dinosaurcollector.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/apatosaurus-galaxysafari-great-dinos-collection

Stegosaurus (baby) (Schleich)

plesiosauria — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:57:21 +0000

In addition to a line of fully grown dinosaurs, schleich contains a line of baby dinosaurs. These are nice because they are small and cute, and as a bonus they are not so expensive. The Stegosaurus shows typical baby features: a stubby tail and poorly develoved armour plates. Available here

Triceratops (Kinto)

plesiosauria — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 12:04:04 +0000

A flesh restoration of the three-horned Triceratops by Kinto. The model represents an accurate 1/35 scaled version of the mighty ceratopsian. Another one for serious collectors only. Photos of other views of this replica are available here. Available here

Tyrannosaurus (Toysmith)

plesiosauria — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 12:14:45 +0000

The Toysmith range includes colourful reflicas with multiposable joints and bendable tails. This makes the dinosaur models great play toys for kids, but also gives great flexibility for display poses. They also come with a display stand, in this case a large T. rex footprint. Each dinosaur in this range is also larger than typical toys. Available here.

Brachiosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

plesiosauria — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:34:22 +0000

A tiny head on top of a very long neck! The Brachiosaurs in the Carnegie collection. This model is even larger than the Invicta Brachiosaurus, but not quite as gracile and fluid in appearance. The animal is not dragging its tail on the ground and looks quite dynamic for a 50 ton sauropod! Available here

Protoceratops (Toysmith)

plesiosauria — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:04:52 +0000

Protoceratops, the 'Cretaeous sheep', might be considered one of the more boring dinosaurs - no spines, spikes, horns, long neck or sharp teeth. Consequently, despite being one of the best known dinosaurs, Protoceratops are quite rare as toys - perhaps they just dont sell. This chunky Protoceratops by Toysmith is one of the exceptions to the rule. There is a ball-and-socket joint between the head and neck so the head can be tilted in various positions, the jaw is jointed and each of the legs is jointed in two places. At less than $15 the toys in this range are great value - also comes with a display base! Available here

Iguanodon (Toyway, BMNH Collection)

plesiosauria — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:26:16 +0000

Toyway, (the company who also produced the Walking with dinosaurs toys), created this new collection of dinosaur toys for the Natural History Museum, London. Although they are nicely packaged and generally more accurate in posture and anatomy than the old invicta plastics line they replace, they simply don't hold a candle to their predecessors. They don't have the same quality of moulding (the details are crude) nor the fluid realism of the invicta line - very disappointing in most aspects. The Iguanodon is in an accurate quadrapedal pose, but I'd rather have the outdated kangaroo-like original any day. Available here

Iguanodon (Invicta)

plesiosauria — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:34:39 +0000

For comparison with the new Iggy from Toyway, this is the original Iguanodon from the Invicta line. This is the plain colour one. The thumbs up position and the heavy tail dragging along the ground are outdted but nicely nostalgic. Available here

Tanystropheus (Carnegie Collection, Safari)

plesiosauria — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:18:17 +0000

This extremely long-necked reptile isn't often found as toy - I know of only one other (in the Jurassic Park series, let me know if you know of any others?). The neck of the Carnegie Tanystropheus is very flexible and contains wire so that once put into position, it stays in place. The feet are webbed - this was a semi-aquating animal. Available here

Therizinosaurus (The Great Dinosaurs Collection, Galaxy Toys/Safari)

plesiosauria — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:38:23 +0000

The feathered Therizinosaurus from 'The Great Dinosaurs' collection (produced by Galaxy toys, distributed by Safari Ltd) is quite spectacular. Well, its a spectacular dinosaur. The feathers differentiate this figure from the 'Dinosaurs of China' Therizinosaurus figure (also by Safari, available here), which, in contrast, is smooth and green! The figure stands on two legs leaving the huge cawed and winged arms free - however, I dont see this beast flying. The tail also has a tuft of feathers. The brown and black striped pattern is a bit dull though. Available here

Archaeopteryx (Bullyland)

plesiosauria — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:06:19 +0000

The first bird Archaeopteryx from Bullyland - it is produced at a relatively large scale (about 8 cm high). Two-legged figures are notoriously difficult to balance, which is why this figure has a built-in base to support it, also allowing the tail to be held out horizontally. The clawed wings in this figure are spread out. Although the mouth is closed, the rows of sharp teeth are visible. Available here (€) For native Bullyland fans: Der erste Vogel, Archaeopteryx, von Bullyland - wird in einem verhältnismäßig großen Masstab produziert (ungefähr 8 Zentimeter hoch). Zweibeinige Abbildungen sind oft schwierig aufzustellen, deshalb hat diese Abbildung eine eingebaute Stuetze. Dadurch wird auch der Schwanz horizontal gehalten. Die Krallenbewehrten Flügel sind ausgebreitet. Obwohl das Maul geschlossen ist, sind die Reihen der scharfen Zähne sichtbar. Vorhanden (€)

Spinosaurus (Skeleton) (Kinto)

plesiosauria — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:21:19 +0000

Another dinosaur replica for the serious collector - the Spinosaurus skeletal reconstruction by Kinto. Spinosaurus is a very poorly known dinosaur - all of the original fossil material was destroyed during World War 2 - and even those remains were incomplete. Therefore, despite its huge popularity in recent years, the anatomy of Spinosaurus is largely based on its close relatives, Baryonyx, Irritator and Suchomimus, and much of the skeleton in this magnificent reconstruction is speculative. However, it is very accurate in all known aspects - the blade like spines, long thin jaws, and large clawed hands, are very distinctive. This sleek and dynamically posed statue is at a 1/20 scale - at full size this dinosaur rivalled or exceeded T. rex in length. Available here ($)

Velociraptor (Papo)

plesiosauria — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:46:02 +0000

The Papo series are super! They combine very high details with affordability - last time I checked, this Velociraptor was just $8.95 at Amazon.com, which is real good for a toy of this quality! However, as far as current knowledge on Velociraptor and its close relatives goes, the Papo Velociraptor is not terribly accurate, its hands are all wrong, and the scaley body should be covered with feathers. But lets not allow this to detract from its beauty! - I rather consider this type of toy as 'retro'. It's clearly based on the Jurassic Park Velociraptors, and like many of the Papo figures, the lower jow is jointed. here ($)

Saltasaurus (Schleich)

plesiosauria — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:45:54 +0000

The unusual armoured sauropod, Saltasaurus, by Schleich. The colour in this dinosaur model is on the boring side, and it's a small toy by sauropod standards, around 15 cm high. Available here ($) and here (€)

Anhanguera (Schleich)

plesiosauria — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:11:14 +0000

Most pterosaur toys are modeled in a flying pose - in many ways this probably reflects the fact that to model these oddly proportioned and straggly built animals in any other way would be difficult and time consuming, and therefore expensive. It makes a nice change then, to see a pterosaur toy in a perching pose. There are a few others, for example in the Bullyland series. This Anhanguera toy is also small (part of the 'baby' series or Schleich 'Junior' series). The tiny size of this model makes the legs and details a little thicker and more clumsy-looking than they would be in reality, but otherwise this is a nice model. The beak has the unusual crest typical for this genus, and the head is bald inlike many other pterosaurs. Available here ($) and here (€)

Pachycephalosaurus (Favorite)

plesiosauria — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:57:46 +0000

The bone-headed Pachycephalosaurus. These two-legged dinosaurs have a dome of bone on their head surrounded by a number of lumps and bumps. This figure from the Favorite Collection is posed mid-stridee witth its tail held out straight, and their is an appealing zig-zag pattern running along the back: certainly one of the best models of this genus. Available here ($)

Parasaurolophus (Carnegie Collection, Safari)

plesiosauria — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:09:37 +0000

Sticking with the theme of 'unusual heads', Parasaurolophus takes the trend to its extreme. As if the horn is not already conspicious enough, this feature in the Safari model is colored bright red. I find the figures in the Carnegie collection to be a little awkward and this one is no exception, especially in the case of the arms. This dinosaur is now known to predominantly walk on four legs, but this figure shows the animal rearing up on its hind legs. Available here ($)

Triceratops (skeleton) (Kinto)

plesiosauria — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:34:32 +0000

1/20 scale replica of Triceratops from Kinto. One to keep out of the reach of children! Available here

Ankylosaurus (Favorite)

plesiosauria — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:06:01 +0000

With its bony armour and boney tail club, the heavily built Ankylosaurus was even a match for T. rex. Available here

Deinonychus (Statue, Kinto)

plesiosauria — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 13:21:35 +0000

Twenty years ago, dromeosaurid toys were almost non-existent. Then came Jurassic park and 'raptors' became symbolic dinosaurs, but all of the toys, like the movie monsters, were scaley. Dromeosaurs are now known to have had feathers. This 1/10 scale of Deinonychus ('terrible claw') is an accurate representation of a real (rather than a movie) 'raptor'. The arms are tucked into the body like wings and the body surface is covered in feathers. Available here

Pleo dinosaur - A Ugobe Life Form (Senario)

plesiosauria — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:59:32 +0000

Dinosaur toys don't get much more high-tech (or cuter!) than this electronic baby sauropod, the so-called 'Pleo dinosaur - A Ugobe Life Form' from 'Senario'. The Pleo dinosaur has more special features than you can shake a palm frond at and it's sure to be a christmas hit this winter! It represents a baby Camarasaurus, and as Ugobe Life forms go, its very acurate. There are even some videos of this little guy in action on the following link: Available here($) . Also available in the UK here (£) EDIT: According to the comments on this blog, some people are having trouble locating this item, it is also available from Argos in the UK Argos.co.uk and Ireland Argos.ie

Tyrannosaurus rex (Walking with Dinosaurs collection, by Toyway)

plesiosauria — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:04:18 +0000

Eleven dinosaur figures were produced by the company Toyway, to accompany the TV series 'Walking with Dinosaurs'. I recall my eyes bulging out of their sockets when I first came across these little gems in a local toy shop in Bath. I was visiting the town with a group of fellow palaeontology students: presumably the shop owners had no idea why their entire stock of Utahraptors was wiped out in the space of 5 minutes by a bunch of grinning young adults, but presumably they didn't care either! I later completed my collection in the Natural History Musuem, London, getting my hands on the rare Liopleurodon. (see here). These are really great figures, with plenty of colour and character, the species in the collection represent some of the major players in the TV series. The Tyrannosaurus is the only figure in the collection with a 'rock' moulded onto the foot for support. The WWD figures are no longer in production so they are difficult to find. They were predominantly released in the UK so they most frequently can be found on Ebay UK, but sometimes on Ebay US Are you a dinosaur collector? Come and join in the discussions at the Dinosaur Toy Forum! photo by 'Sbell', used with kind permission.

New Carnegie Diplodocus (released 2008)

plesiosauria — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:13:28 +0000

In 2008 a new Diplodocus will be added to the list of excellent Carnegie collection dinosaurs. The tail and neck are held in a biomechanically stable and anatomically correct way (in the old one the neck was in a vertical position and the tail almost touched the ground). It is a beautiful and detailled model - it also nicely shows that 'Dippy' was a much lighter animal than, say, Apatosaurus. Diplodocus only weighed about 12-15 t, while Apatosaurus weighed over 22 t. Available here

diplodocus_2008

plesiosauria — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:37:23 +0000

diplodocus_new_2008

plesiosauria — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:43:05 +0000

diplodocus_2008

plesiosauria — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:43:42 +0000

Tanystropheus (new 2007 colour scheme) (Carnegie collection)

plesiosauria — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:43:07 +0000

The actual figure is identical to the previous Tanystropheus released as part of the Carnegie Collection by Safari (see original), the only difference is the colour scheme. The 2007 version is much more natural. The 2007 version is available here

Giganotosaurus (Toysmith)

plesiosauria — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:59:13 +0000

Giganotosaurus (not 'Gigantosaurus', as often mistakenly called) rivalled T.rex in size as one of the largest predators of all time. The Toysmith version, like all of the figures in this series, containd many joints. Some of these have a bit too much flexibility, for example, the heel joints bend backwards - this was impossible. The figure comes complete with a Giganotosaurus foot-shaped display stand. The colour scheme is very exotic. Available here (image from dino-saw-us.co.uk)

Allosaurus (Favorite/Safari)

plesiosauria — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:12:49 +0000

The predadory Allosaurus is on the prowl. This is a nice figure, the horns above the eyes are very distinctive and the tail is held high in the air so that the figure balances on two feet. Allosaurus grew to about 8 metres in length, but individual animals may have reached a total bodylength of over 10 metres. Some of these 'Allosaurus' specimens have been given new genus names. Available here

Pterosaur (unspecified) (Safari)

plesiosauria — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:23:17 +0000

This is one of the newer figures by Wild Safari. The pterosaur toy is clearly based on some specific species, so I'm not sure why Safari are so unspecific in their taxonomic diagnosis. The crest on this specimen is at the tip of the beak, just like the Ornithocheirus in Walking with Dinosaurs, so its a good bet that this toy is supposed to be Ornithocheirus . Available here

Lost World Thrasher T.rex (Kenner)

plesiosauria — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:25:14 +0000

One of the best T.rex replicas out there - the Thrasher comes with capture gear and looks like it came straight out of Stan Winston's studio. This T.rex has a beautiful green/white colour and, although without any electronic features, beats the Jurassic Park T.rex in terms of detail (especially the head). It's quite difficult to get hold of the Trasher, but try www.ebay.com Image from www.ingenops.com

Spinosaurus (Great Dinosaurs) (Safari)

plesiosauria — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:11:45 +0000

The yellow-orange Spinosaurus in the Great Dinosaurs Colection would have been perfectly camouflged in a sandy environment. The tail bends down to help support the figure (two-footed dinosaurs are often frustratingly unstable), and it is in quite a static pose. but it is very accurate, with the long narrow snout for catching fish, enlarged hand claw, and tall dorsal spine (from which it gets its name). Available here $.

Megalosaurus (Invicta)

plesiosauria — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:52:20 +0000

Each of the original invicta dinosaurs was produced in a separate colour, the Megalosaurus happens to be a dark green shade. The tail drags along the ground but this does not detract from the excellent life-like sculpture. The mouth is closed so that no teeth are visible - this megalosaurus has lips - and the head has the slight look of a Komodo dragon about it. Due to limitations in the production process, the fingers have not been sculpted separately. Available here.

Utahraptor (Battat) (Boston Museum of Science Collection)

plesiosauria — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:26:21 +0000

Good dromaeosaurid replicas are hard to come by. I completely abhor feathered renditions, so I was pretty excited when I finally got the Battat Utahraptor, a huge relative of the Deinonychus. Its skin is still pretty reptilic. The colours (which would be cloned later for the Safari Baby Utahraptor) are bold, but acceptable: yellow, milky white and black (which is distributed in spots and a large splotch on the head). The sculpt is very slender, incluiding thin extremities and a long tail. The head is accurate, although the teeth are almost non-existent. What really stands out are the extremely well done claws, they really give the illusion of being sharp. The position is kind of awkward, the Utah must be positioned on all fours. No longer in production, but sometimes become available from www.ebay.com Review and photo by Tomhet

Tyrannosaurus rex (Battat) (Boston Museum of Science Collection)

plesiosauria — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:33:59 +0000

T. rex is without a doubt the most popular dinosaur ever. Therefore to make a replica that really stands out turns out to be quite a challenge. Battat achieved that and more. The Battat Rex is yellow and green, the mouth is purple, just like that of the Acrocanthosaurus. The body is correctly in a horizontal pose. The Rex appears to be in movement; the head (which by the way has a little red crest) is looking down to the right, so you can actually see and feel the wrinkles on the neck. I didn't particularly like the tiny red spot at the juncture of the jaws, but what the heck. Due to some problems in the production, there were 3 versions of the T. rex. I have right here with me 2nd and 3rd versions, 3rd version has no trouble standing on its own (the tail is rigidly pointing downwards, though) but I prefer the second version (even if they put two horrible 'skates' to supposedly balance the figure and even if it cannot stand on its own) 2nd version differs from the 3rd not only in the feet pads, but it's more robust, the snout is shorter and the expression meaner. 2nd version's body is perhaps a little too heavy forward, but that demerit is nothing compared with the overall quality. On the other hand 3rd version's pose is far more stable, but the more slender neck and snout are not as attractive as 2nd version's firmly built upper body. The latter has a more dynamic tail, too. No longer in production, but sometimes become available on www.ebay.com Review and photos by Tomhet Above - Version 2 Above - Version 3

Dunkleosteus (Safari)

plesiosauria — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:44:03 +0000

As of late, Safari's newcomers really have become something to look forward to, even more so if one of those newcomers is a late Devonian Placoderm (Placodermi are an exotic but fertile terrain only Kaiyodo, Prehistoric Panorama and Starlux had dared to explore) The Dunkleosteus is a fresh idea from Safari, and as such, it's had a warm welcome among collectors. The Dunkie's main colour is shiny golden yellow (incluiding the bulging, ferociuos eyes), although the armour itself is a little bit darker. The posterior section of the body has a pattern of black spots. The plates of the armour (which are very detailed) are smooth, while the parts that aren't covered by the plates have a grainier feel. The teeth plates are marbled grey; this contrasts nicely with the weak shade of pink inside the mouth. The whole sculpt is awesome, but I specially love the flat tail (the most common assumption, since only the fossil armour of this giant has been preserved) If we consider the meticulous colour blending, the delicate sculpting and the accuracy, we would be tempted to say that this is the best Safari replica so far. The top dinosaur companies should already know that 'unpopular' prehistoric creatures are in fact very popular: the Dunkleosteus has been one of the best-selling replicas of 2007. Available here $ Review by Tomhet Edit - New photographs added 28th October, 2008

Ouranosaurus (Battat) (Boston Museum of Science Collection)

plesiosauria — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:50:04 +0000

Paradoxically this unorthodox iguanodontid doesn't usually raise the interest of almost any major toy company, except for Starlux, Schleich and the defunct Battat. The most obvious feature of this dinosaur is the back sail, found in the 2 known skeletons. The enigma deepens if we consider that both the Ouranosaurus and the Spinosaurus lived during the Cretaceous (although in different periods) in what is Africa today. They both had sails. Nobody seems to know for certain why two different organisms developed such sails. The Battat Ouranosaurus displays a very nice sail, colourful and prominent. It's yellow with a red stripe and dots, like most of the body. The underdurface, however, is pale green. The bill (which correctly resembles the bill of a hadrosaurid) is clearly delineated with grey. The body is positioned on four legs (a very plausible position, since the fore legs were strong enough) Nevertheless, the hind legs are more robust, and so is the tail. The neck on the other hand is elegant. I think this replica surpasses any other Ouranosaurus in beauty. The head, the sail and the paws (incluiding the spikes instead of thumbs) are incredibly detailed. No longer in production but sometimes available on www.ebay.com Review and photo by Tomhet

Acrocanthosaurus (Battat) (Boston Museum of Science Collection)

plesiosauria — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:54:29 +0000

The Battat Acrocanthosaurus is almost impossible to find nowadays. But there's a good reason for that: it's a beautiful replica that puts to shame almost any other version. Chronologically speaking, the Acrocanthosaurus is an appropiate choice for Battat. In 1996, the first reconstructed skeleton of this early Cretaceous theropod (known as 'Fran') was unveiled. The Battat version, dated 1996 too, is clearly based on that reconstruction. The Acrocanthosaurus' solid body is mostly dark green, with a black pattern on its back. The arms are completely black, too. The claws have a discreet tone of grey, while the eyes are fiery red. The mouth, however, has a very curious shade of purple. Whether the Acrocanthosaurus was an Allosaurid or a Spinosaurid, nobody knows for sure, the debate rages still. But the Battat version does resemble a Spinosaurid because of its long snout. The teeth are delicate, just like the tongue and facial expression. The skin has the trademark Battat wrinkles, which makes it very realistic. I think the strange sail is the notorious feature of this theropod. Battat's version has its sail well hidden beneath the skin, which makes this replica unique (unlike Carnegie's, whose sail is rather crude) Perhaps the only bad thing about it is that the front part of the body is too massive, so it seems a bit disproportionate and it always falls on its snout without proper support. Even so, 'Fran' ranks high among my favourites. I really hope some other company re-releases the whole Battat set. No longer in production, but sometimes become available from www.ebay.com Review and photo by Tomhet

Tyrannosaurus rex (Kaiyodo) (Dinomania Series 1)

plesiosauria — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:59:18 +0000

The Dinomania series by Kaiyodo includes a number of small but very detailed and accurate snap-together figures. The figures come packaged in a box so that the species you get remains a surprise. In this series , there is a limited number of an unknown mystery dinosaur, not so much of a mystery however, seeing that the 'mystery' dinosaur is featured on every single box. It is the Tyrannosaurus rex (sorry if this spoils the surprise), sculpted in a rearing posture. The details are nice but obviously hand-painted, the arms are tiny and tucked into the body, and the tail is extermely long (too long) and helps support the figure. I grabbed this, my first and only Dinomania figure, In the New York Museum of Natural History - I was actually hoping for a plesiosaur but was disappointed to discover that I was lucky enough to have the rare green T.rex! I didn't dare to splash out on a second box, partly becasue sods law dictates that I would probably get the same figure again, and partly because I'm not sure I could resist the addiction once a small collection was initiated (oh go then, just _one_ more). This is quite a nice set, it was originally also released as the UHA Chocolasaur DinoTales Series 3.

Baryonyx (Schleich)

Tomhet — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 05:46:12 +0000

Schleich has produced a considerable quantity of dinosaur replicas throughout the years (the line has grown steadily for more than a decade). Unfortunately, the Schleich guys have a tendency to discontinue many of their models (last year was probably the worst so far, since half their catalogue just vanished) The Baryonyx sculpt went south years ago; too bad, this guy was a keeper. Other than the Desmatosuchus, Schleich has never produced exotic prehistoric creatures, and although the Baryonyx is not your usual theropod, it stil is an orthodox choice for a dinosaur: even though only some claws, part of the forearm and a partial cranium have been found, this guy is famous, many replicas testify that. This Low Cretaceous piscivorous dinosaur cannot be reconstructed with full certainty, but after reviewing the fossil evidence (specially the strong, large fore limbs), one of the most traditional renditions is positioned on all fours. Schleich sticks to this interpretation. Except for the tail, which bends to one side, the sculpt is overall static. I've got to say that this Bary resembles strongly the illustration that appears in the archfamous Encyclopedia by Dougal Dixon. Like many Schleich carnivores, the needle-like teeth (which in this case are correctly so) are visible through the barely open mouth, which gives it a goofy look, as if it were grinning. Perhaps the worst flaw is the head: the skull seems flattened, and the upper jaw lacks the obligatory crease (a feature necessary for fish-eaters) With all these flaws behind us, the model is nice. The colouring is largely brown with almost invisible grey stripes on the back. The crest on the snout and the elongated jaws are there, the skin has decent detail but the claws could have been larger. No matter how simple and wooden the sculpt may look, the result is very convincing and works perfectly as a good replica and as a sturdy toy.

Sphenacodon (Marx)

Tomhet — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:30:19 +0000

This curious replica is worthwhile because of two reasons: one, Marx was perhaps the most influential dinosaur line of the 20th century, and two, although Sphenacodontidae are rather (in)famous because of the incredible quantity of Dimetrodon replicas, the Marx version is virtually the only Sphenacodon sculpt (Randall Knoll, the guy behind the dinosaurcollector site, lists two more, but they are almost impossible to find) The Marx line needs no introduction. We are talking about little toys with no paint at all; nonetheless, they were not without interest, as formidable variants occurred in the plastic out of which they were made. Collecting Marx is complex and value depends on colour, date or marbling. I was fortunate enough to find the Sphenacodon in 2 different versions: uniform light green and light grey with red marbling (of the latter variation I had never heard before, if someone has some info about this, please contact us) Even though quality control was not, say, excellent (some toes are a little bit misshapen) the plastic is quite superior compared to that of modern, stridently coloured bin dinosaurs. The sculpt is a beauty. The Sphenacodon had no sail, but the vertebral spines were remarkably long, and that must have produced a noticeable hump along its back. The Marx replica handled this well, you can even see the spines on the raised hump. The Marx figures are not exactly detailed (this figure resembles a piece of clay that has just been molded with rudimentary tools) but the overall effect works fine: you can see skin, teeth, eyes, nostrils, some wrinkles and whatnot. Unfortunately, some parts of this replica are too rudimentary. The hind limbs are extremely massive, and they seem fused with the tail. The skull is not accurate at all (the postcranium seems too pronounced, while the upper jaw ends in a narrow snout) Strangely enough, only the teeth of the lower jaw were sculpted. All in all, I think this toy aged gracefully, it deserves a spot in any collection. EDIT: One fellow reviewer (http://dinofigs.tripod.com/id18.html) correctly points out that this is obviously based on Sphenacodon ferocior, not on Sphenacodon ferox, because the neural spines are remarkably pronounced. This guy was truly more ferocious.

Cynognathus (Marx)

Tomhet — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:37:47 +0000

This is yet another good choice for a toy. Although Marx made it famous, no other big line has taken interest in this little fellow (Starlux made one, but it's not one of their best, and the MPC version looks undernourished). I have a green Cynognathus ('forest green', according to the seller, in my opinion a perfect shade for a Triassic mammal-like reptile) but I have seen light green, grey and brown versions. It's commonly assumed that the Cynognathus resembled mammals so much that it already had hair (there are some marks on the snout, which are common among mammals with whiskers) but this is not so with the Marx Cynognathus, it's clearly depicted as a reptile. No wonder Marx dinosaurs are legendary: through elemental sculpting they tried to convey the most noteworthy physiological characteristics of this critter: the enlarged skull (well, perhaps Marx did it a little bit too gibbous), the slender body and the menacing fangs. I'm glad they didn't cover the Cynognathus with fur because I like the surface detail, not only the reptilic skin pattern (particularly on the head), but muscles and skeleton. The skull, however, is not entirely accurate. Both eyes are facing forward (instead of being at the sides of the skull) and the snout should have been a little bit longer. On the other hand, the face is priceless: sinister, attentive eyes, protuding fangs, even if the mouth is closed.

Dimetrodon (Invicta)

Tomhet — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:21:15 +0000

The Invicta dinosaurs ceased to exist a few years ago, but fortunately most of them can still be found online. This was not only an awesome, coveted set for collectors, but much more educational than many modern dinosaurs supposedly aimed for kids (Imaginext comes to my mind) Nevertheless, it's not hard to imagine why this is so: overestimulated children will always want a shiny blob of plastic instead of a sober, dully coloured Invicta replica. Although many Invictas show their age (for instance, the T-Rex is still vertically positioned) many have managed to stay up to date, and the Dimetrodon, included among the last pieces Invicta produced (it's incredibly late, actually: it's dated 1993), is one of those. This tiny replica has the exquisite detail of a well done miniature. The Dimetrodon needs no introduction, its shape is well embedded in the collective psyche, perhaps due to the fascination caused by the pronounced sail. This Permian predecessor of the mammals was huge compared with the contemporary fauna on which it predated (in fact, it measured up to 3.5 metres long, around 8 cm in the 1/45 scale, no wonder it's so small) Perhaps to avoid production troubles, all Invictas have their mouths closed, but the dentition is still noticeable in many. Well, even if minuscule, one can see some teeth through the 'lips' of the Dimetrodon. So the detail is superb. The neural spines are clearly visible, just like some muscles running along the back. The best part, though, is the skull: the eyes are correctly positioned and the jaws have the classic form of a Pelycosaur (not to mention the mischievious expression) The skin has no scales, but is wrinkled according to the position of the body: a few folds between the head and the sail and a lot (OK, maybe too many) on the right side of the body. The only 'but' I find in this gem is the way the fingers are kind of pressed together, not separated; the bipedal theropods (T-Rex and Megalosaurus) suffer from the same.

Hallucigenia (Kaiyodo) (DinoTales Series 3)

Tomhet — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:50:47 +0000

Kaiyodo is probably the most audacious dinosaur company ever. These Japanese guys have put many 'serious' replica makers to shame; I don't doubt Kaiyodo and Papo, practically unknown until recent years, made other well established companies realize how outdated their models looked. Kaiyodo produces tiny figures with astonishing detail (this one is approx. 10 cm long), each series is very comprehensive, from the earliest forms of life to the most advanced mammals, so I'm glad they included some of the fascinating (albeit problematic) fauna of the Burgess Shale. The fossil remains of these invertebrate animals are seldom found. A serendipitious event (a mudslide that preserved these Cambrian monsters) allowed scientists to study MANY specimens. Little did they imagine that some would pose practically insoluble mysteries. Which brings us to the Hallucigenia. Over the years, the physiology of this creature has been endlessly debated. The first big problem is the locomotion: did it walk on the rigid spines or on the tentacle-like tubes? The latter theory was at first discarded because the tubes didn't seem to be paired; later findings might indicate that they were after all. Kaiyodo sticks to this interpretation, so the tubes point downwards (although the spines don't seem to be that rigid).The second problem is just as complex. Which end is the head? Which one the rear? Evidence is not conclusive. One end is thicker than the other, and it's a common assumption to see this end as the head, so it's no surprise that this guy is presented so. What really comes as a surprise (and could be a wrong assumption) is that it has eyes, big, beautiful, green eyes (!) Some paleontologists argue that this enigmatic animal belonged to the Onychophora (a phylum that includes the now extinct Aysheaia, another dweller of the Burgess Shale, and the modern Peripatus, the velvet worm) but (surprise!) this is not definite (if you ask me, this interpretation is completely far-fetched). As an Onychophore, the Hallucigenia would look a little chubbier, and the legs would be much shorter, but this is not the case with the Kaiyodo replica. Each section of this model is amazing. The body has a wrinkled surface, while the head, the tubes and the spines are smooth. The colours are kind of exotic: from the green, translucid eyes, to the iridiscent pink that covers most of the body (with the exception of some brown lines and the presence of black at the end of the spines) I have heard that there's another Hallucigenia made by Prehistoric Panorama (another miniature puzzle), but I somehow doubt it surpasses this magnificent piece of work. We cordially invite you to discuss this figure at the Dinosaur Toy Forum:

Velociraptor (Dinosaurs of China Collection, by Safari)

plesiosauria — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 14:56:07 +0000

This large figure was produced by Safari as a one off special limited edition piece.. The colour scheme is impressive - reminiscent of a tiger - in this version dark orange stripes stand out on a yellow background and there are added details in grey (claws, ornaments on the skull, along the spine), pink (mouth and tongue) and white/light yellow (teeth, eyes). The skull ornamentation is open to artistic licence: there are boney projections around they eyes. Other versions of this figure have different colour schemes. The model is sculpted in a dynamic pose, it is striding on two feet but is supported by the left arm, the mouth is open with the tongue slightly raised.The skull has the slightly upturned snout typical of Velociraptor and the tail is long and slender. The model was produced in 1993 when the skin of dromaeosaurids was thought to be scaly. Over the last 10 years, an increasing number of fossils of the closest relatives of Velociraptor have been discovered preserving direct evidence of feathers. On this basis, the vast majority of palaeontologists agreed that Velociraptor, as a dromaeosaurid, probably had feathers, even though there was no direct fossil evidence. In support of this, earlier this year 'quill knobs' (structures indicative of feathers) were identified in the fossil forearm bone of a Velociraptor, lending extra weigth to the concept of feathered Velociraptors. Available here $

Ankylosaurus (Walking with Dinosaurs Collection) (Toyway)

plesiosauria — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:48:43 +0000

The Walking with Dinosaurs collection by Toyway includes some of the most detailed and scientifically accurate dinosaur figures out there. The figures tie directly into the TV series 'Walking with Dinosaurs' and represent some of the major dinosaurs seen in the show and they therefore appear identical to the on screen portrayals. They were packaged in a plastic bubble attached to a packing card, the figures are solid and the robust ones are therefore heavy. The Ankylosaurus is one of those robust models - the type when you really feel like you are getting value for money. The colours are true to the onscreen versions, the Ankylosaurus is grey/green in colour with yellow armour. The face has quite a grumpy-looking expression! The only negative aspect of these figures (there are not many!) is their static pose: the head always looks straight forward, the tail straight back, and there is no dynamicity, none of the figures are striding or walking, only standing.

Entelodont (AAA)

Tomhet — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 05:23:23 +0000

If we are to be honest, this guy made it to the AAA ranks just because it made an appearance in the BBC special Walking with Prehistoric Creatures. AAA is an anonymous Chinese company; not many retailers in America carry their products, but a group of prehistoric mammals, the best they've done so far, has set new standards for high quality replicas of this kind. This set includes the Entelodont, which has not been very popular among toy makers. As far as I remember, the only other Entelodont was made by Tyco for the DinoRiders line, but even that's arguable, because it was enigmatically called 'Killer Warthog'. The Entelodont was a monstrous ancient relative of the pigs (actually an artiodactyl, a mammal with even hooves) whose fossil record ranges from the Eocene to the Oligocene. Perhaps the most notorious feature is the deform skull covered with prominent bony knobs (one pair on each side), a set of varied, giant teeth, tiny eyes and ample forehead. The AAA sculpt did a good job copying the features of the BBC critter. Perhaps the vault of the cranium is too pronounced, but other than that, it's accurate alright. The body resembles that of a boar: it was a quadruped with a big hump on the back, but Entelodontids had stronger fore limbs. All in all the AAA Entelodont is not only accurate, but possesses great realistic detail: fur, bulging muscles, very complex skin patterns and excellent colour blending (pink, grey and black). The one I am reviewing is solid, but I have heard that there's a larger hollow version. There are rumours that AAA will discontinue their prehistoric mammals, so they're not that easy to acquire. This guy proves that another toy line should substitute Toyway to produce more BBC creatures.

Spinosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

Tomhet — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:34:46 +0000

This is a heavy duty toy by Carnegie, perhaps the first Spinosaurus replica, and even though it's terribly dated and not very accurate, it's a classic re-released by Safari this year (I suppose this has to do with the huge success the Papo Spinosaurus, a superior replica) I wonder what the hell were they thinking when they sculpted that blunt skull, because some evidence (although scarce) has been available for more than 50 years. Spinosaurus may have had a mostly piscivorous diet, so it had elongated, narrow jaws, similar to those of Baryonyx and Suchomimus. That's not the end of it. The eyes of this replica are also unusually big. Carnegie chose to ignore that, so their retro version seems taken out of an old low budget sci-fi film. Carnegie deserves a lot of credit, since they spotted this curious theropod even before it became (in)famous in Jurassic Park III, but truth be told, this guy cannot stand on its own, as always, the dragging tail serves as a support. The body has tonificated, healthy muscles but the position (leaning forward) is rather awkward. The tail itself seems muscular but when examined more carefully, it turns thin rather abruptly. The previous version (the one I have) had a tan & dark brown paint scheme, of which the best part is the sail, here the paint seems somewhat marbled (clearly a mixture of tan shades) The new version is greyish with vivid red lines.

Styracosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

Tomhet — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:36:10 +0000

I'm not a big fan of ceratopsians and yet this fellow won my heart. The Carnegie line has produced a number of horned dinosaurs and most of them are more or less clumsy attempts (the Triceratops comes to my mind as an example) The Styracosaurus on the contrary is a fine looking replica. The colouring is very particular: the classic Carnegie shade of grey is to be found but this time it blends perfectly with a purple tone (which deepens and forms a stripe along the back). The horns and the spikes are delineated with black, but the frill itself has an exotic (if a little bit sloppy) pattern (mainly pink, red, grey and pale orange) The golden eyes show some alarm. The pose is not radical, but acceptable. The figure has a nice set of muscles (incluiding a strong back), it's robust but not fat, the legs are not skinny. The details include some saggy skin folds (most noticeable behind the frill) a tongue and 'fingers' (no teeth). Fortunately they had no major symmetry issues. The head segment appears dettaches easily from the body (at least that happens with mine) but it's amazingly accurate: you've got spikes, bone knobs, a short frill with two holes covered with skin, all placed correctly. All in all, why did they decide to retire this guy?

Acrocanthosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

Tomhet — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:37:24 +0000

I bought this Acro gladly because it's actually my favourite dinosaur and Carnegie has a great reputation. To my surprise, all this wasn't enough, it displays great, it's a durable, non-expensive toy but not exactly what one would expect from a famous company. Many pieces of the Carnegie line are not precisely about the details, they're rough, but many are accurate in their simplicity. Nonetheless in this case they didn't concentrate on interpreting the fossil evidence correctly, which is inexcusable; if Battat was able to make an exceptional Acrocanthosaurus more than 10 years ago, why not Carnegie? The head is the first thing I find problematic. The real Acrocanthosaurus had long jaws, but this replica's are just too short. On top of that, there's an inexplicable lump on the snout. The result is a bland, generic looking theropod head. There is another bothersome problem. Symmetry is absent in several parts: nostrils, legs, eyes, even belly. They didn't interpret the vertebral spines according to the most accepted theory (a hump covered with muscle instead of a sail) but the sail is not raised enough. The spines may not have been as high as the Spinosaurus, but they were quite pronounced, starting just where the skull ends. None of this is reflected on the end product. Even if it does stand on its own (I know at least mine does) the tail is just too close to the ground. Carnegie dinosaurs often have strange limbs that aren't naturally attached to the torso. This is no exception. The extremities are not massive enough; the hips are flattened (even sunken). This is specially frustrating, because there should be plenty of muscle. Mind you, this lack of muscle detail is generalized, except for the tail. Nonetheless, it's an eye-pleaser, I won't deny that. Teeth and tongue look great, the fingers are finely sculpted, there's a huge amount of skin detail, the colours and blending are nice as always (in this case, mostly grey and black, while the mouth is pink), the paint itself is quite resistent. I just hope in the future these guys will be more careful.

Hydrotherosaurus (Procon)

plesiosauria — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:46:37 +0000

The long-necked elasmosaurs are one of the most unusual of all prehistoric animals. Most elasmosaurid toys and figures are allocated to the genus Elasmosaurus, the most famous of the very long-necked plesiosaurs, however, in reality Elasmosaurus platyurus is quite a poorly known species, and much of the original skeleton has been lost. Therefore much of the anatomy of Elasmosaurus remains speculative. Toy companies are basically 'playing it safe'. On the other hand, there are plenty of better known elasmosaurid species, which due to their general unfamiliarity with the general public, have slipped by or been ignored by toy companies. For this reason, I was delighted to see Procon produce the first ever replica of Hydrotherosaurus, an elasmosaurid from the Cretaceous of California. At 19cm long (9cm of that neck), the Hydrotherosaurus replica is quite small (compared with length of the Elasmosaurus by Schleich [31cm] Carnegie [29cm] and Bullyland [28cm]) but it retains plenty of detail. The neck and head are outstretched directly in front of the body, and slightly bent to the right, so no impossible swan or snake-like pose as seen in other plesiosaur toys. The neck is notable in that it is flat underneath so that it is 'D' shaped in cross section and almost snake-like; the necks of other plesiosaurs are sculpted as circular tubes. The detail of the head is limited by its small size, but it is obvious that the cranium has been based on actual fossils or accurate illustrations of Hydrotherosaurus - the snout has a distinctive squared-off tip. The needle-like teeth are highlighted in white and the eyes are evil orange, but they are in the correct position and face outwards and upwards as they should. Many heads of many plesiosaur toys are complete monstrosities, the Procon Hydrotherosaurus makes a nice change. The body is barrel-shaped, a little too deep and too rounded on the tummy, it should be wider than tall but the figure is opposite. The limbs are quite nicely shaped, however they are not robust enough where they meet the body (this region was full of muscle in life for propelling the animal forwards) and the expanded portion near the base of the flippers should be facing backwards rather than forwards, the limbs therefore almost look like they are on backwards. The tail is short and stubby. The figure is textured with coarse scaley skin on top and is smooth below (it is not known whether plesiosaurs had scales or not), the colour very nice, stippled green and black on top with a lighter grey tone below. The figure is printed with the company name, but not with the genus name.

Allosaurus (Papo) (new for 2008)

plesiosauria — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:56:54 +0000

EDIT - October 2008- The Papo Allosaurus is now available here. And full review of this figure is featured here The latest in Papo's line of detailed prehistoric creature figures was unveiled today in their 2008 Catalogue. The new addition is a super-cool Allosaurus and it is remarkable for plenty of reasons. The new Allosaurus is similar to the existing Papo sculpts in a number of aspects: the detail is immense, the colouring is vivid but natural, the pose is fluid and dynamic, and the lower jaw is poseable. However, the Allosaurus also stands out from all of the other dinosaurs in the series because it is not been based on the dinosaurs portrayed in the Jurassic Park movies. This figure on the other hand, represents a dinosaur not even portrayed in Jurassic Park and is a original sculpt strongly reminiscent of the work of palaeoartist Todd Marshall. There are some speculative details in this sculpt, notable are the protruding scales (not feathers) on the top of the neck and on parts of the back. I personally like this sort of detail, dinosaur figures are always open to a degree of artistic licence but this touches are usually beneficial in terms of the aesthetics of the model and in this case add a realistic feel to the animal; many dinosaur figures are often quite conservative in this regard. The legs and arms are muscular (perhaps a little too strongly developed in the feet) and the animal is taking a long stride, the tail is long and held high so that the figure balances perfectly on two feet. I do not yet know the length of the figure and will update this blog when I find out - I believe it is around 25cm long or so. The claws are black and the teeth are white, while the skinn is covered in a mottled pattern of greys and greens with some orange highlights. The eye ridges are typical of this genus. In all honesty, this is probably the best mass-produced dinosaur figure currently available (possibly ever) and redeems Papo for all of the erroneous details in some of their other figures. Papo is raising the standard in museum quality dinosaur toys, lets hope that the other companies such as Schleich, Bullyland and Safari will keep up... Available here. The full review or this figure is here Image from Papo Catalogue, 2008

About the Dinosaur Toy Forum

plesiosauria — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:40:18 +0000

The Dinosaur Toy Forum- the official forum of The Dinosaur Toy Blog - was launched recently as a place for dinosaur toy collectors and enthusiasts to share and discuss their collections and to talk about dinosaur toys in general. Please feel free to browse the posts and we look forward to you joining in the discussions.

Announcement - Dinosaur Toy Forum

plesiosauria — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:00:04 +0000

The Dinosaur Toy Forum- the official forum of The Dinosaur Toy Blog - was launched this month as a place for dinosaur toy collectors and enthusiasts to share and discuss their collections and to talk about dinosaur toys in general. Please feel free to browse the posts and we look forward to you joining in the discussions! -the Dinosaur Toy Bloggers

Apatosaurus (Invicta)

plesiosauria — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:33:51 +0000

"All brontosauruses are thin at one end; much, much thicker in the middle and then thin again at the far end." - a theory by Anne Elk (Miss) The Apatosaurus (formerly known as Brontosaurus) by Invicta provides strong evidence for Miss Anne Elk's theory; this figure is indeed much thicker in the middle, and thinner at either end. I like the Invicta set because, despite increasing anatomical (mostly posture related) errors, they are all so finely sculpted and stunningly natural in posture. The Invicta Apatosaurus has its tail dragging along the ground and the head raised high, contrasting with modern reconstructions which portray the tail and neck held roughly horizontally. The nostrils are positioned quite far back, recent evidence suggests that the nostrils in all dinosaurs were positioned more anteriorly in the narial cavity, and the teeth would probably have been visible too. The back is strongly arched and forms a beautiful natural curve, and the tail has been sculpted with a slight undulation, adding to the naturalistic pose. The details are very fine (see some close up details of the head and rear right foot, pictured below), the shape and distribution of claws is very true to the fossils bones. The figure is posed in mid-stride, so although it is old fashioned in general appearance, it does not appear sluggish, this Apatosaurus is on a mission to find food! The majority of the Invicta line were produced at a standard scale (1:45) and as such, the sauropod figures are the largest (and most expensive) in the collection. The Apatosaurus is about 45cm long. I have figured the plain colour version here (a pale white gray), but a softer plastic colour version was also produced. Still occasionally available in some British Museums, and sometimes available on Ebay. Discuss this figure in the Dinosaur Toy Forum I also recommend this video, the origin for my opening quote: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tZ14RSCesE&rel=1]

Suchomimus (Chap Mei)

plesiosauria — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:05:13 +0000

Cheap and cheerful. I think these two word pretty much sum up the dinosaur figures produced by Chap Mei. They are quite unusual, like a cross between Hasbro Jurassic Park toys and, umm, I'm not sure - something else. Barney the Dinosaur? Chap Mei dinosaurs come in plenty of different packages - this Suchomimus came in 'Dinosaur Safari' packaging, as parts of a play set, as far as I am aware unique to the Early Learning Centre. The set includes a cameraman. The dinosaurs also come in different versions, for example, in addition to the blue figure featured here (Dinosaur Safari, Dinovalley 2), there is also a red version (DinoValley). The figure itself has plenty of details, and although the long snout and pronounced spines on the back clearly identify this figure as a spinosaurid, there a many general problems. One problem is the lack of shape to the body, look at the figure from above and you will notice that the left and right sides of the body run almost parallel from the neck to the tail. There is no expansion of the body around the gut region, or narrowing of the neck. I think this goes to show that the sculptors base their models on images and photographs taken from the side, but lack information on the other aspects of the animals. I think this also explains why many Spinosaurus reconstructions have two ridges on the skull, instead of the single ridge on the middle, as is also the case with the Chap Mei Suchomimus (see detail of head below). The tail is ridiculously short and this is pronounced even more by a coil at the tip of the tail, nevertheless, the figure still manages to stand unsupported on two feet even though it looks completely off balance. There is an inbuilt mechanism so that the jaws open and shut when the arms are moved. The left arm rotates in one direction and the right arm in the other. It's cheaply done and rattles in mine, but it works fine. The spectacular colours are interesting and make a nice change from dull grays and greens seen in older models. I suppose these figures are intended to appear a bit cartoony, and they are intended for play rather than display, so overall, we can't complain too much... Available as part of a large DinoValley 2 playset here $ Discuss this figure at the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Hyaenodon (AAA)

Tomhet — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:04:09 +0000

This is another miracle made by AAA, a somewhat anonymous Chinese company, which all of a sudden produced high quality prehistoric mammals. The inspiration was clearly BBC's Walking with Prehistoric Beasts. The Hyaenodon (literally 'hyena tooth') lived from the Late Eocene to the end of the Oligocene and must have been a fearsome animal. It is not clear whether the Hyaenodon was a scavanger or an active predator, (that close is its similarity to modern hyenas) but their dentition was formidable. Hyaenodontids belonged to the Creodonta, a group of giant carnivorous mammals with long narrow skulls and sharp teeth that fit together like scissors. I think the BBC interpretation (which is the fundament of the AAA version) is very accurate. Not so with the toy, unfortunately. The upper teeth are far more pronounced and do not fit with the lower ones. In fact, the upper set is so big that it resembles that of a saber-toothed cat, and, while the mouth is eternally open, one supposes that the fangs would stay outside at the sides of the jaw. The overall shape of the head is wrong, too. The eyes are too raised because right where the jaws end, the skull begins to widen (it looks like a bear, actually). This is a mistaken conception as far as I'm concerned because the skull of this carnivore was uniformly elongated (not as pronounced as that of the Andrewsarchus, but close enough) Even so, the sculpt has great detail, I loved the fur and the black stripes (the predominating shade is tan) and we must not forget that this is the first Hyenodon to come along. There was a hollow version, and a smaller, more solid one. I'm basing this review on the latter, but the hollow one seems to be much more accurate.

Postosuchus (Walking with Dinosaurs by Toyway)

Tomhet — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:01:21 +0000

"What seems more likely is that creatures like Postosuchus were an example of parallel evolution, the same kind of creature evolving to fill the same ecological role; a morphogenetic preview of the large theropod archetype of the great dinosaurian carnivores of the later Mesozoic."

Source:http://www.palaeos.com/Vertebrates/Units/270Archosauromorpha/270.700.html

Ain't that one of the coolest bits of info ever? Something Plato or Borges would be proud of. Anyway, I decided to blog on this piece of art called Postosuchus, it's one of my all-time favourites, and early Archosauria are very significant, biologically speaking (Alas! Not so for toy makers!) This large predator measured up to 6 mts (quite possibly an apex predator), it was a member of the interesting Rauisuchian family (cousins of modern crocs) which prospered at first, but then became extinct at the end of the Triassic period. Largely based on the Postosuchus created for the BBC production Walking with Dinosaurs (mind you, this was an officially licensed product) the Toyway Postosuchus holds many of the characteristicsof its digital counterpart. Even so, the detail of the replica, while more than satisfying, is nowhere near as exceptional as that of the CGI; you must keep in mind that this was supposed to be a mass-produced toy, so many of the delicate features were kind of lost in translation (most noticeable are the poorly sculpted teeth and the eyes, which seemed to be forever turned upwards) but this is still a high quality reproduction of a relatively obscure reptile, so it's still much coveted by collectors. The BBC guys accomplished their mission, for the original Postosuchus is accurate (skin plates, 5 digits on each paw, obligatory T-Rex-like head and straight legs correctly positioned) and managed to give it a very fearsome look. Fortunately, the replica retains all this (well, maybe the skull insinuated beneath the skin is a little bit off, but I think that's about it), the body is muscular but not thick, there are several hints of the rest of the bone structure and they look great. The fossil evidence suggests that at least some of the Rauisuchians were able to rear up on its hind legs (I vaguely remember seeing the Postosuchus doing that in the series, but I could be wrong) but the replica appears to be quadrupedal. It's a rigid position, I know, but I like the neutrality of it. The crocodilian skin is delightfuly scaly and wrinkled, but the belly is smooth. The colouring is vivid (mostly red, black, grey and pale yellow). Some of the paint, however, seems to have been crudely spread (many figures of the WwD set have black smudges, to add their own 'feel', I suppose) but nothing too scandalous. Photos by forum member Piltdown Chickenraptors

Dino Horizons: Earliest Life Set (Prehistoric Panorama, by COG)

Tomhet — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:30:25 +0000

Prehistoric Panorama is a recent collection that tries to emulate the format of the Kaiyodo sets (no candy or soft drinks included). They all are miniatures (measuring around 10 cm). Each of the PP sets contains six toys and is more or less thematic. The dinosaurs they made are no match for Kaiyodo's highly stylized products, but the rest of the critters (be it fish or arthropod) are passable. For me, the best set is the erroneously called 'Earliest Life' set (apparently they have no knowledge of the Precambrian life forms; what's more, it's stated in the booklet that the Palaeozoic was the first geological era... [sigh] go figure...). Included are 6 creatures that lived during the Cambrian era, invertebrate life forms whose fossils have only been found in the Burgess Shale in Canada and in some parts of Asia, so this is a quite cool set, maybe not as bold as Kaiyodo (the position is rather static, the paint jobs are simple), maybe not entirely accurate (they seem to be based on typical book illustrations from ten years ago, but you don't find toys solely based on this kind of fauna everyday). Each figure is contained inside a little case (a tag is attached to it) a booklet (unfortunately the information is not very useful) the necessary instructions to put the puzzle together and a key chain of sorts. The puzzles are not too complex (usually four pieces) The plastic is some kind of smooth vinyl. The set includes: HALLUCIGENIA: This and the Kaiyodo version are the only Hallucigenia replicas out there. Although Kaiyodo's version is probably more beautiful due to the artistic liberties, I love the efficient simplicity of the traditional.looking PP rendering. It has no eyes, no orifices, the undefinable blob represents the head, while the tail is a little bit more worm-like. The number of spines and tentacle-like tubes is correct (14 pairs in all), although the 'feet' end in two claws, whereas it's been established that there was one claw only. The tiny appendages where the... tail?... begins are present, too. The colouring is rather dull (blue sprayed on white) but then again, who knows? Maybe this is accurate after all. I'm glad they didn't envisioned it as an onychophoran (velvet worm-like) which is currently the most accepted theory for some reason. AYSHEAIA: I really liked this fella, it's chubby and resembles strikingly an evil mutant catterpillar. The Aysheaia is supposedly related to the modern onychophora (such as the modern Peripatus, a worm-like creature that has arthropod qualities). It must have fed on primitive sponges. The colour pattern is quite simple, but the texture is interesting (kind of rough). I find two major flaws in it. One, there's a pair of legs missing and two, I don't know where they got the idea from, but the legs themselves should have the same kind of spines found on the two big posterior appendages. PIKAIA: Interesting animal, it is supposed to be one of the first vertebrates ever. PP did a good job reconstructing the body (very much like an eel) but they put big eyes on it, which is rather doubtful, since it's not an advanced chordate, if at all (it was thought at first that it was a polychaete worm). It must have been easy prey for the big Cambrian hunters like the Anomalocaris. On top of its head there are two protuberances (nobody know why, maybe they were antennae) Underneath the first segment one can see several minuscule appendages (their function remains unknown as well, they probably were vestigial). OTTOIA: This is a Cambrian priapulid worm, so it's the first replica of its kind. It was supposed to feed onlarge things (scientists think that they've found traces of other Ottoia worms inside the digestive tract of one of the Burgess Shale specimens, so that would make it a cannibal) but it's possible that they just filtered things through the feeding tube. This worm would bury its body in the sand and from there catch its prey. The PP Ottoia is a nice life-like reproduction, they even positioned it as if it were buried. The feeding tube and the... head?... have some tiny markings, I guess those are the spines that are characteristic of this kind of worms; the rest of the body has a ringed pattern. The colouring ranges from dark red to clear orange. OPABINIA: I suppose this monster and the Hallucigenia are the most impressive toys of the set; in this case, the colour is more uniform (a rusty orange tone). The detail is superior, too (particularly on the lobes that conform the body) There are very few scientific certainties about this creature, but they are mostly there (five mushroom-like eyes, proboscis with a serrated tip, the 3 lobular portions with which the tail ends) There are however several questionable features. The body had 15 body segments, whereas the PP replica has only 10. The proboscis did not function as a mouth, the latter was located at the lower part of the head, but unfortunately there is none on this toy. The designers added an extra set of paired eyes (not of the mushroom type, mind you, but little ones embedded in sockets located on the top of the head). Recent dossil findings suggest that the Opabinia may have had jointed legs (which would make it an arthropod after all) and we don't see legs on this toy. Some experts believe that the serrated opening located at the tip of the proboscis should be transversally positioned (opposed to the medial representation, a common assumption found on the PP toy, too). TRILOBITES: Too modest to be identified, this is an obvious case of Olenoides Serratus, another interesting creature of the Burgess Shale playground. Trilobites proliferated for a very long time, and their physiology is very complex, so it's no wonder that they couldn't pull it off. The top view of the body seems to be perfectly accurate, the broad lobes are clearly defined, the antennae are well proportioned, but the ventral side is completely wrong, the legs were supposed to spring from the center of the body: On the PP there's an enigmatic plate covering the legs and a mouth that should not be there at all (it should be on the Opabinia instead) The colours are not exactly exotic, but I have no problems at all with the conservativeness of the black & grey pattern. All in all, if you like unconventional prehistoric creatures, or if you would like to give your children an educational set of toys, this is perfect for you. Discuss this and thousands of other figures at the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Ceratosaurus (Battat)

Tomhet — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:31:18 +0000

This guy is an interesting variation of your everyday theropod: it was medium-sized, possessed horn-like protuberances on its head and a fourth finger, which is odd for a Late Jurassic dinosaur. They don't even know exactly how to classify this member of the Ceratosauridae (it's been said that it could be a basal tetanuran). I don't know why this guy is so popular, there must be dozens of Ceratosaur replicas in circulation, but I feel special fondness for the Battat and the 4-D Fame Master versions (Safari version is passable and I'm pretty sure there's an AAA Ceratosaurus clearly based on the Battat) The Ceratosaurus was not as large as the contemporary Allosaurus, but it was menacing alright. A slender hunter, it must have preyed on Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus. The 'horn' was very thin, so it probably served to attract the opposite sex, (not to fight with it, for pete's sake) The Battat Ceratosaurus includes the name of the species on which they based the toy (in this case, Ceratosaurus nasicornis, it appears that there are other five species). It was an excellent choice, Dan Lorusso did a good job; paradoxically it has an innocent look in its eyes; this is the only Battat theropod with its mouth closed, so only the upper teeth are visible and just barely. The 'crests' and the horn are in the correct places, the skull itself is well proportioned. Ribcage and limbs are muscular. The skin is lovely, the creasing and sagging of it is marvelous (specially at the neck), some very cool osteoderms were added; on top of that, several ornamental spikes run along the back. The claw detail is superb. The colours are arrayed in an intrincate mixture of green, bony yellow and some brown stripes. While this is a remarkable mass market figure (the retail price was very low) we cannot help but notice that Battat had a lot of production problems: the paint job is messy on certain spots (the teeth aren't properly painted), the left forelimb is a little bit malformed, the toy cannot stand on its own (the pose is quite dynamic, but it leans forward a little bit too much)

Saichania (Dinomania Series 1, by Kaiyodo)

plesiosauria — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:58:40 +0000

Kaiyodo is known for making excellent dinosaur sculpts with awesome coloring, for but many a fan’s grief, they’re sold only in Japan. from 2004 onward, some of these could be found in specialty stores across America, but the quantity was minimal and they were always gone very quickly. Series 1 was the only series released in America, under the name Dinomania, and it was comprised of several dinosaurs, reptiles, fish, and fossil replicas. One of these was the Saichania. Saichania means “beautiful” in Mongolian dialects. It isn’t necessarily called beautiful due to the dinosaur’s aesthetics, but due to the great condition in which Saichania’s fossilized skeleton was found. Saichania was an ankylosaur unlike any other. It was covered in large, triangular plates across its back, sides and towards its belly (which was previously unknown for ankylosaurs), covered with smaller plates like chainmail on its softer sides, and it was a low slung animal due to its short limbs. Like all ankylosauridae, it had a club on the end of its tail. The mold Kaiyodo made is simply the most accurate Saichania figure ever (Kinto was making one, but decided to leave it as a skeleton. THAT would be the most accurate one). The figure displays its triangular spikes perfectly, and armor everywhere on its body. The head sculpt look just like the fossil. The animal is posed as if it were ready to strike an enemy tarbosaur. The coloring is mostly tan, with a flesh colored underbelly, dark plates, and the only complaint I have with this color scheme is that its beak is covered with a hideous white, making it look as if Saichania had been drinking too much milk. But all in all, the sculp is extremely detailed, and so is its color. At around just 6 cm long, you’d have to hold one in your hands to completely appreciate it. All in all, Saichania is simply “beautiful”. Accurate mold, good pose, good colors, and an easy build (All Kaiyodos come with candy and need to be built). It’s one of my favorite molds of any dinosaur line, and every thyreophoran lover should have one in his or her pocket for good luck. I was very lucky to have found one Saichania within the five Kaiyodo boxes I found in that store two years ago. Available here Discuss this figure at the Dinosaur Toy Forum Review by Emperordinobot

Liopleurodon (DinoValley Series 2) (Chap Mei)

plesiosauria — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:48:05 +0000

As recently featured on the Plesiosaur Directory toys page, there is a new Liopleurodon toy on the scene. Considering the rarity of Liopleurodon toys, and coupled with the huge popularity of this pliosaur, this Liopleurodon figure is sure to be a collector's item. It's part of the second series of Dinovalley, produced by Chap Mei. The Dinovalley series is similar to the 1990s Jurassic Park line by Kenner, in that it includes all manner of human figures and vehicles. The Liopleurodon is accompanied by a boat, two human figures, a floating cage, and all sorts of accessories - in fact, the pliosaur is a small part of the set - but it's the only reason I bought it ;) The flippers are not posable (the only joint on the whole figure is the jaw joint), and both fore and hind limbs are orientated downwards, the forelimbs slightly more so. The tail also points downwards so that at rest, the figure is supported by the two forelimbs and the tail, with the hind-limbs hovering. The colour is nice, partly based on Walking with Dinosaurs, but there are unique areas too - rows of raised light blue scutes along the animals back, there is plenty of detail on the head (teeth, eyes, a lovely long pink tongue!) but in contrast, the tail and hind limbs have no paint at all and appear as if they were stuck on as an afterthought. This seems to be common amongst Chap Mei figures. The figure is a substantial size at 26cm long. The jaws have a snapping action, activated by a button on the back. The figure is rather cartoony but as cartoon pliosaurs go, it is pretty accurate. So where do you get it? I found mine in a local Tesco, and I spotted it in the UK in the ELC. So far I have failed to find it on the web - as soon as I do, I will link to it from here. If anybody can help, please let me know... Overall, a nice figure, but with a number of typical Chap Mei caveats. Available here Discuss this figure at the Dinosaur Toy Forum This blog entry was updated on the 06/02/08, original post date: 21/11/07

Carnegie Diplodocus 2008, now Available!

plesiosauria — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:39:32 +0000

This month a new Diplodocus has been added to the list of excellent Carnegie collection dinosaurs. The tail and neck are held in a biomechanically stable and anatomically correct way (in the old one the neck was in a vertical position and the tail almost touched the ground). It is a beautiful and detailled model - it also nicely shows that 'Dippy' was a much lighter animal than, say, Apatosaurus. Diplodocus only weighed about 12-15 t, while Apatosaurus weighed over 22 t. Available here and currently available from Ebay here

Pteranodon sternbergi (Bullyland)

plesiosauria — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:43:48 +0000

Pterosaurs are delicate gangly creatures, so it is not surprising that for the most part, toy companies have tended to create simple 'in flight' postures for their pterosaur figures with the wings outstretched - easier to make. Bullyland broke the mold when they produced two pterosaurs, a typical in flight version (I will call this version 1), and this standing version (version 2), with wings partially folded up. Some companies have since followed suit e.g. Safari. Both versions represent the same species of Pteranodon, Pteranodon sternbegi. The crest of P. sternbergi has a distinct convex forward facing margin and is more greatly expanded, which distinguishing it from the other species of Pteranodon. P. longiceps, for example, is typically produced by toy companies, the crest in this species is a more simple 'spike', so it is good to se Bullyland breaking the mold in this regard too (Bullyland also has a P. longiceps of course). The shape of the beak is also different, it apparently curves upwards in P. sternbergi. The Version 2 Pteranodon sternbergi is nicely detailed, it occupies a quadrupedal posture with the hands supporting the front part of the body, the wing-supporting fingers pointing backwards, and the feet firmly on the ground. The partially folded wings show creases and wrinckles and the body has a fine sculpture of hair; there is even a pteroid bone sculpted in the wing, a fine detail often overlooked or deemed unimportant by toy comapnies. The stubby legs splay out slightly but the feet and hands are both accurate, considering the small size of these elements, Bullyland has done an excellent job. The head and neck lurch forwards, in this standing position it becomes apparent just how large the head of Pteranodon is in relation to the body. The colour scheme is identical in both versions, although version one also has a fish in the jaws. The wings are red, the body grey, and the beak is yellow, but all of these shades merge naturally into each other, and there are blue highlights on the head: the colour scheme is therefore very impressive. The striking beady yellow eye in the darkened socket adds the finishing touch to this super-cool collectors item. The figure is about 13 cm long. Available here (€) Discuss this figure at the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Albertosaurus (Prehistoric Masterpiece Collection)

itstwentybelow — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:33:35 +0000

Albertosaurus is the smaller cousin of T. rex and is rarely found in the form of a dinosaur toy. The Prehistoric Masterpiece Collection is produced by Japanese sculptors Araki and Shinzen; the figures are hand-painted and also included in this series is a Styracosaurus. This figure was discontinued a few years ago, and I'm not sure how much longer they'll be available, so you should probably order this right now! Simply put, this is a fantastic reproduction of Albertosaurus. It's undoubtedly the best figure of this dinosaur that money can buy, and probably one of the most accurate theropods I have ever seen for such an affordable price ($15). At about 20" long, it's a sizable piece too, probably one of the largest in my collection, (not including JP T.rexes) and makes a fantastic shelf topper. It may look like a solid plastic figure but it is actually a hollow vinyl construction, like the Galaxy Toys Great Dinosaurs line. As such, it is very lightweight (I'm glad it got here in one piece!) and there are a couple of seams showing, most notably around the tail and midsection, but take a few steps back and they melt into the extreme detailing on this figure. There are only a couple minor problems that I should point out. First off, there is simply no way this figure could stand without the base, it's too front-heavy. The figure is meant as a display piece only and luckily I don't really mind the stand. The only other problem I had was that the right leg in my figure is a little too warped for the foot to fit into the peg on the base, but luckily it comes with a little metal rod to aid in support. Review and photographs by 'Itstwentybelow' Available here ($). Discuss this figure at the Dinosaur Toy Forum Original review posted 04/11/07, updaded review by 'Itstwentybelow' posted 26/02/2008

Maiasaura (Battat)

plesiosauria — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:38:24 +0000

The Battat Maiasaura is certainly one of the better replicas of this genus, next to the newest Carnegie Maiasaura. It’s accurate down to the crest above the eyes, and there probably won’t be a better one for the time being. It’s a simple mold, with excellent detailing of its skin, with a nice color choice of dark burgundy, and some yellow/orange running down its back. One of his better features is that, like all Battat, they are in scale with the Carnegie dinosaurs, and this Maiasaura’s length is the same as both Carnegie Maiasaura so he can be welcomed into the herd quite easily. My only complaint is some of the coloring pattern. There’s a hideous yellow wavy line on both sides of the tail, and it looks quite strange. Another complaint is that he can’t stand well as it's legs are bent a bit, so he will need support or it’ll fall to its side, but that may just be mine. The Battat Maiasaura is not that rare and can still be found on Ebay. Itis definitely a worthwhile addition to any dinosaur collection, and for those Hadrosaur lovers, this is a must. Review and Photos by Emperordinobot Discuss this figure at the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Opabinia (Kaiyodo Dino-Tales Series 1)

Tomhet — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:43:22 +0000

You probably think by now that I'm a supporter of marginal creatures and you're probably right. But they're universally fascinating. Ever since the Burgess Shale fauna became famous after being revisited in the late 70's, these animals have been variously depicted by numerous artists. Even Clive Barker mentions the Hallucigenia in his novel The Great and Secret Show. But replicas came later. I'm pretty sure Kaiyodo was the first company to ever make a Burgess Shale toy (first the Opabinia, then the Anomalocaris and the Hallucigenia) So this was the first replica of its kind (and please bear in mind that this is part of the first installment in the Dino-Tales series) Prehistoric Panorama only followed. The Opabinia (there is only known species, Opabinia regalis) belongs to that kind of fauna that is unclassifiable because the evidence is very scarce (the Burgess Shale is one of the very few locations where well preserved Cambrian fossils of invertebrata have been found) and because almost none of them has living relatives. Scientists believed that the Opabinia only resembled an arthropod without being one (there are no jointed legs) but recent findings from Greenland suggest that opabinids may have had legs after all. This would mean that the Opabinia actually lived in the benthic region and crawled on the sea floor. There is still much to be discovered, so these replicas actually age faster than others: the Kaiyodo Opabinia has no legs, it's based on early renditions, it's positioned as if it were swimming, but does this make it necessarily a bad replica? Of course not. The 15 lobulated body segments, the serrated proboscis (which is NOT in a transveral position, a more plausible supposition for Dinocarida like the Opabinia or the Anomalocaris), the 5 mushroom-like eyes and the curious tail with 3 blades are de rigueur, they're present (amazingly detailed by the way; there is no mouth though), but that's not entirely what makes it so wonderful. The resin is transparent (which is a plus for me) on top of it, the paint job is inextricably complicated (mainly a nacre-like silvery tone on underside and proboscis, a coat of orange on the lobes, some green spots, incluiding the eyes) The 'exo-skeleton' is smooth, while the proboscis has an irregular feel. Most of the Kaiyodo figures seem to have surpassed other companies' products, even more so if we consider that they're all miniatures (this piece measures 9 cm, so the scale is almost 100:100) The only downside is that the resin seems fragile. Unfortunately the Opabinia only surfaces once in a while and it can be moderately expensive. Discuss this and thousands of figures at the forum.

Diplocaulus (Kaiyodo Dino-Tales Series 1)

Tomhet — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:36:06 +0000

A good looking amphibian, the Diplocaulus has won a warm spot in all our hearts. This unorthodox critter has even been a subject of interest for that circus called 'cryptozoology' (the supposed Diplocaulus was a fake, of course). I've seen at least one anonymous Chinese Diplocaulus toy, but not many companies have come up with a decent replica. Only the Kaiyodo Dino-Tales series cover as many bases as possible and I'm pleased to say that this is yet another winner. The Diplocaulus was a Permian lepospondyl (a type of amphibian with very curious vertebrae) of the family of the Keraterpetontidae (name provided by another cool member, the Keraterpeton). The Diplocaulus measured up to 1 meter and lived in swamps and rivers; it probably didn't venture outside its aquatic enviroment because its limbs were relatively weak and primitive. It probably preyed on fishes and insects. The order Nectridea (to which the Diplocaulus belongs) were very similar to modern newts; their tails were flat (no caudal fin). Perhaps the most notorious thing is its head. The cranial projections are practically unique and have been subjected to debates for decades (the topics range from growth to locomotion, you name it). They were so big that they probably didn't fit inside the jaws of bigger predators. There are two known species, D. magnicornis and D. salamandroides (curiously they were both found by Cope). I think this toy is based on the latter, which is the holotype, but I could be wrong. Advanced Nectridea members were supposed to have four fingers on the fore paws, and five on the hind ones, but the Kaiyodo Diplocaulus has 5 fingers on each. All in all, the detail and the paint job are not as revolutionary as the ones from Series 3, but they're still awesome. I particularly liked the feel of the skin (almost smooth but not quite), the big mouth (which is closed, so no visible dentition) and the bulging eyes. The squashed body is not as fat as in most of the artistic renditions. The belly is white, while the rest of the body is green with yellow and orange patterns (the yellow one seems a little bt clumsy). The nostrils are inexlicably absent. As with many Kaiyodos, the resin seems fragile; that's not all, sometimes the pieces of the puzzle (in this case, the two pieces, the body and the head, require minimum assembly) do not fit perfectly due to production problems. I guess it has to do with its being a miniature (the toy measures aprox. 9cm). Discuss this and thousands of other figures in The Dinosaur Toy Forum

Acanthostega (Kaiyodo Dino-Tales Series 2)

Tomhet — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:31:47 +0000

This is a very special guest. The Acanthostega has been heralded as one of the earliest amphibians known to man, the sole member of the Acanthostegidae family, a late Devonian tetrapod that raised doubts about the evolutionary process that mediates between fish and amphibians. This is one of the emblematic animals (the Tiktaalik and the Ichthyostega come to my mind) that make visible the tenous link. Acanthostega gunnari (the only known species) still bears a great resemblance with fishes. Measuring around 1 meter, it still had gills (there's even fossil evidence of them) and lungs. It had a tail fin composed by very thin fin rays. Its 'labyrinthodont' dentition (incluiding a set of fish-like fangs) is another primitive feature (so it would have been interesting if this Kaiyodo had its mouth open). Decades ago scientists were pretty sure that fishes like the Eusthenopteron came out of the water and only then developed limbs. This and other animals proved that the limbs actually appeared before they could actually use them for crawling or walking, that is, they may have needed limbs for some other reason. Acanthostega's limbs were too fish-like to support the body on land (it didn't even have wrists). But that's not all. Acanthostega had eight fingers on the front limbs and seven on the hind ones; this probably meant that the digit number was not a stable factor when limbs first appeared. The Kaiyodo Acanthostega manages all this quite well. They didn't get the digits completely right (it seems as if they tried to do them all, but in the end they only did 7 and 6 respectively) but that's the only 'fault'. The plastic is dark purple, almost black but at some points it's translucid, and it's covered by white and yellow dots, so the effect is pretty amazing. The caudal fin is extremely well done. The pattern of the skin is meticulous beyond measure. This is a very attractive piece, but keep in mind that it only measures around 10 cm. It's rarely seen on Ebay nowadays, but it's worth every penny. Discuss this and thousands of other figures in The Dinosaur Toy Forum

Pleurocystites (Kaiyodo Series 3: Dinomania)

Tomhet — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:11:03 +0000

Very few times I have come across with a replica so outlandish that it deserves praise. It's happened to me repeatedly with Kaiyodo and I think this is the case with the Pleurocystites. I mean, who else has had the patience to sculpt an exctinct echinoderm, let alone so exquisitely detailed? The history of the cystoids (these echinodermata are called so because they resemble a bladder) is very curious. All echinoderms evolved from primitive Cambrian ancestors, but it was not until the Silurian that they reached an enormous diversity. The cystoids, although very well known (just look at the beautiful fossils) still pose mysteries to scientists, for we don't even know how they breathed or how they moved (if at all). They have no living equivalent; their body (called theca) was asymmetrical, the plates were irregular rhomboids. These animals had one flagellum and a pair of arms called brachioles. Apparently they didn't live in big communities, as many echinoderms do. The Kaiyodo Pleurocystites is tiny (barely 10 cm) but the colouring is festive and complex: translucid dark blue, silver, pink, yellow, brown and two different shades of orange for the body. As for the details, I'd say that the highlights are the well positioned openings, the obligatory rhomboidal pattern of the body, the ringed texture of arms and flagellum and some minuscule markings on the arms. The Pleurocystited may have used the long flagellum to attach itself to something solid, in which case the rest of the body would float horizontally. More recently another theory has been suggested: it is far more likely that it remained lying on the sea floor and sometimes dragged its body using the arms. This seems to be the case of the Kaiyodo replica, it can even be correctly positioned, lying with its two major openings facing upwards. There's one simple flaw: the 'ventral' side, the one that remains underneath, should have a different texture, as it was covered with a set of smaller plates; we find the same rhomboids instead. I must confess that the authoritative Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology helped me during this research. It's a very interesting book. The Kaiyodo Pleurocystites has only 2 pieces, so no difficult assembly is needed. It's out of production, but surfaces now and then. Discuss this and thousands of other figures in The Dinosaur Toy Forum

Diplodocus (Battat)

Tomhet — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 05:13:53 +0000

The Battat Diplodocus is what sauropod toys aspire to be. This imposing monster is the ultimate collector piece, and even if it still shows some typical (i.e. now questionable) conceptions of the 90's, I'm tempted to say that this is the most spectacular replica ever released by a mainstream line (not that there's anything wrong with the new Carnegie Diplodocus, it's a very respectable effort) The way I see it, the Battat line was the rightful heir of the classic Invicta set. The Bostom Museum of Science series (not Carnegie, mind you) really strove to offer an affordable modern collection that would result both highly detailed and accurate. The Diplodocus should be a shining example of what you can do with simple molds, competent sculpting and regular manufacturing. As we already know, the Battat Diplodocus includes the name of the species, in this case, it's the Diplodocus longus, the holotype named by none other than Marsh in 1878. Needless to say, the Dippy has become increasingly famous, evolving into one of the more emblematic dinosaur genus. It's been studied over and over again, so it's no surprise that even today many anatomical uncertainties still remain. One debated issue has always been the positioning of the nostrils. For decades the consensus was that they were on top of the head, where the actual nasal openings are located. Now it's been suggested that they were located at the sides of the snout after all. The Battat version still has the nostrils located at the top of the head, but the issue has not yet been solved as far as I know, so this could go either way. I still frown at the position though. As dinamic and attractive as it may be, I don't think it would be easy for such a large animal to rear up like that. The tail is here used as a support and is in complete contact with the surface on which it rests. The front legs were shorter than the hind ones; the neck and the extremely long tail represent two thirds of the body (the tail alone had 80 vertebrae). The Battat toy reflects all this perfectly (the tail had to be done in two different segments) and the scale itself is right (the Battat scale was 1:40, if we consider that the average length of the Diplodocus is 26 mts, the body measures roughly 70 cm, incluiding the coil of the tail) Although this is supposed to be a light weight sauropod, the toy is quite massive and heavy. The colouring is nothing otherwordly, it's efficient tan becomingly mixed with brown but in this case, details are everything. The beautiful teeth, the vivacious eyes, the infinite skin pattern, the bulging musculature, the claws, I cannot begin to describe the sheer beauty of it all. Dan LoRusso must be really proud of this baby. I won't lie to you, this replica is almost impossible to find nowadays, but I still hope some other company decides to revive this set. Currently Avaiable here Discuss this and other figures in the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Amargasaurus (Battat)

plesiosauria — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:19:50 +0000

This was my first Battat. Back then, 10 years ago, I wasn’t aware they made dinosaurs this detailed, and I didn’t know of an Amargasaurus. When I crossed with my mum into that little specialty shop so long ago, I knew I had hit the jackpot. Not only was it the first time I had ever seen Battat, but I was immediately mesmerized by their amount of detail. I was looking for Carnegie but I became a Battat fan, too. I was looking for rare dinosaurs I hadn’t come across before (And if not, I’d simply buy a Carnegie Euplocephalus, which I did). Amargasaurus fit the bill (I could have gone for the others…heck I just wanted to buy them all, especially the Diplodocus…) Back then, Battats came in little boxes. I went to great efforts to keep the box, but, I lost it recently. It gave these dinosaur a sort of…superiority that Carnegies just didn’t have then. Battats are also in scale with Carnegie dinosaurs, which makes it more fitting. Amargasaurus itself is detailed beyond belief. For the time it was made in, this is what you would call top notch. The texturing is perfect, and it breathes a sense of realism into each dinosaur. The shades of grey over the animal are perfect. This Amargasaurus is depicted as having a sail supported by its tall spines (which is now a cause of debate, and new figures are depicted as having naked spines that don’t support a sail). Now, I don’t know whether this is a production error, or just mine, but, the right side of the spines that lay on its neck are a little shorter than the left side spines. It…creates a visual annoyance. At 20cm long, this figure is quite small for a sauropod. As for Amargasaurus itself, this was a quirky looking dicraeosaurid from Argentina that was described rather recently. Gondwanian sauropods like these further prove that both South America and Africa were together at some point in the past. Review by Emperordinobot Sometimes avaiable here Discuss this and other figures in the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Microraptor (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:46:08 +0000

The recently discovered and described Microraptor is known from a number of specimens from China. Not surprisingly, given the short scientific history of this feathered dinosaur, there are very few models or toys of Microraptor. The Carnegie Collection introduced a bunch of feathered dinosaurs in 2005, including this Microraptor, to reflect the recent surge in the number of fossil feathered dinosaurs discovered over the last decade. Because the actual animal is so tiny, the Carnegie Collection Microraptor is produced at a 1:3 scale (most other Carnegie's are scaled at 1:40), and the figure is 19cm long. The most striking feature of this figure are the colours of the plumage - bright orange with red, yellow and black highlights. The wings of the arms and legs are spread out and the animal is twisting to look to the right, as if the animal is mid-jump between two trees. The underside of the wings is much paler in colour and the claws are grey. Only the tips of the enlarged sickle-shaped claws are painted, so they look a lot smaller at first glance than they really are. The mouth is open and a big juicy tongue can bee seen protruding. The sculpded details on the surface of the body are very impressive, the entire surface is feathered, the wings have distinctive layers of feathers. There is a tuft of feathers on the head too. When the figure stands, its right leg rests on the feathers, but this is because the animal is in a leaping rather than a standing position. It makes a change to see a really delicately built animal become a part of the Carnegie collection. While many toy companies continue to ignore skinny dinosaurs, and overlook the scientific evidence for feathers on theropod dinosaurs, (probably because they are much more dificult to sculpt than smooth scaley skin), Safari have endeavored to embrace these new animals in all their glory, and they haven't skimped on the details! This toy review was sponsored by, and is available from Atomic Elephant

Stegosaurus ('Great Dinosaurs' collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:27:27 +0000

The Great Dinosaurs collection is a series of large hollow figures produced by Safari Ltd. They are cheap for their size and overall the sculpting is of a high standard, in fact, most of the figures are superior in terms of posture to their more expensive Carnegie Collection museum range counterparts (also by Safari Ltd), at least the older Carnigie moulds anyway. The 29cm long Stegosaurus presents many nice features. The mouth is wide open, as if the animal is roaring, and a tongue can be seen prodruding from deep inside the gullet. Stegosaur heads ae very small, which is perhaps the reason why most Stegosaurus figures have a simple sculpt with the mouth closed. The surface detail is nice: there is a row of bumps on each side of the back running from head to tail. The skin is generally very wrinkled, and there is no indication of scales as there should be. The lower surface of the neck is covered by a packed array of ossicles, a detail frequently overlooked in other Stegosaurus toys. The colour scheme is vivid, mostly yellow with a deep red back and plates with more yellow decoration. The toe claws are highlighted in grey, the eyes in black. There are only 13 plates (Stegosaurus actually has 17), but their shape is accurate - all of the plates are completely vertical so they do not form a 'V' shape when seen from the front. The posture is dynamic, the animal is facing to the right and the tail is swinging to the left - the forelegs are striding but the hind legs are not so the creature looks a bit uncomfortable, like it is defending itself rather than taking a stroll. All of the figures in the Great Dinosaurs Collection have an unsightly join where the two hollow segments have been joined together. Despite the very wrinkled surface, this is still visible in the Stegosaurus. These figures are light and cheap, making them perfect for kids play, but they also present enough detail and accuracy to warrant shelf-space in any serious collection too. This toy review was sponsored by, and is available from Atomic Elephant Discuss this and other figures in the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Kaiyodo Pterygotus

Tomhet — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:10:40 +0000

Pterygotus (Kaiyodo DinoTales Series 7)

Tomhet — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:20:34 +0000

The Pterygotus was for a while the largest eurypterid ever (a while ago some paleontologists found the remains of a particularly large Jaekelopterus) Still, and although other sea scorpions measured 20 cm, the Pterygotus was obscenely large (measuring up to 2.3m!) It lived during the Silurian and the Devonian. There are several known species, but this one reminded me of P. rhenaniae due to the girth of the body. This must have been a notorious predator, so the medium fishes were no match for this horror with big claws (although maybe larger fishes like the Dunkleosteus did prey on them). We don't know for sure whether these entirely aquatic animals had poison or not on their tails (called 'telson') but the large pincers were a very efficient weapon (modern scorpions that possess big pincers do NOT possess a powerful venom, so this could be an indicator) This is an stunningly accurate replica. The number of extremities is accurate (4 pairs of legs, one pair of beautifully done paddles and a pair of segmented pincers, one of which seems to be about to grab something), and so is the number of body segments (14). It amazed me beyond measure to discover that the tiny pair of eyes that should be located at the top of the head is in fact there. At first I totally missed them, but after careful examination, I saw that they were there! The enormous purple compound eyes are also noteworthy. I'm not entirely pleased with the rest of the paint job, though. I'd expect an eurypterid to have a more uniform colouring, but guess what, as always, this Kaiyodo piece has many different shades (green, purple, gray, white, yellow). The underside is a little bit more conservative. If I had had my way, I'd have liked it to be black or gray. Kaiyodo did another good job on this one, it's a well done piece that shows that they did some research. It's smallish, true (11 cm approx.) but it's still one damn fine toy. Visit our forum and discuss toys like this one!

Dimetrodon (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:01:46 +0000

The distinctive sail-back 'mammal-like reptile' or basal synapsid, has always been a favorite for dinosaur toy companies, even though its certainly no dino. I wrote a very brief blog on this figure back in July 2007 but I have since managed to acquire a figure for myself and can thus indulge you in some of the details. This 18cm long model is one of the best Dimetrodon figures. Like most of the Carnegie collection figures, the head suffers from a little deformation and a scruffy paint job, but the. overall shape is good: the deep short skull, highly situated eyes, and premaxilla notch, all contribute to the accuracy of this figure. The mouth is open and there has been some attempt to sculpt some of the larger teeth separately. The lips on the left hand side or contracted into a sort of grimace, but whether this is intentional or accidental is not clear. There is a dangly pouch, or perhaps it should be called a wattle or a dewlap on the neck, which I think is a nice touch; too often sculptors stretch the skin around the skeleton with little though or the flippy-flappy soft anatomy typically present in living organisms. The tail is held off of the ground, I'm not sure how accurate this is - I would have thought that the tail dragged in this species, and the creature is striding forwards with purpose. The overall colour scheme is pleasing, being made up of natural shades of tan and yellow but the painters have done a messy job with some of the highlight, which are quite obviously crude brush strokes. Maybe my figure was produced at the end of a long working day :) ? The eyes on the other hand are a work of art - extremely precise. The claws are not painted separately. This toy review was sponsored by Dinosaurs at Atomic Elephant It is available here Discuss this and other figures in the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Amargasaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

emperordinobot — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:30:58 +0000

Carnegie has to keep up with the dinosaur market, which was gotten really competitive lately, with near-perfect accurate sculpts, and amazing paintjobs, from lines like Kaiyodo, Kinto, and so on. For the last 4 years, Carnegie has been making some nice new molds. In 2006, they released a new Amargasaurus sculpt, along with an updated feathered Oviraptor. The Amargasaurus itself is simply one of the best Amargasaurus sculpts since Battat’s Amargasaurus. It’s done in the Carnegie style, of course, with the wrinkly skin. He’s colored in an apple green, with the sail being yellow and red. This Amargasaurus, unlike the Battat version, follows a more modern reconstruction, with the spines not supporting a full sail, having the naked spines near the top. At about 22 cm long, this is one of the best sauropods you can buy, but it’s a rather small one, since he is in scale with the others. Amargasaurus was a 9 meter long sauropod, which is considerably smaller than other sauropods. One drawback to this particular dinosaur figure is that he is rare. I don’t know whether this is just my case, but I had to buy mine online, after hunting for it for almost two years in stores. Another problem with it is that the spines may be bent in some specimens. Available here

bullyland-chalicotherium2

Tomhet — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:47:11 +0000

Chalicotherium (Bullyland)

Tomhet — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:00:30 +0000

The Prehistoric World by Bullyland produced many remarkable pieces, not only classics like the woolly rhino or the mammoth, but truly unique choices like Andrewsarchus, Gompotherium, Deinotherium and Chalicotherium. Most of them were rapidly retired, so some fetch outrageous prices on Ebay. The choice is not gratuitous, as Bullyland sometimes produces animals found specifically in Germany (good for them!); that is the case of the type species, C. goldfussi, discovered almost two hundred years ago (although it's been found in other parts of Europe and Asia). Despite its strange yet charming appearance, the now extinct family of the Chalicotheriidae (that lived from the Eocene all the way to the Late Pliocene) has remained almost unknown in popular culture, so the genus itself is quite obscure. Its description matches that of a chimaera: the gentle head of a horse, the body of a gorilla, a short stubb-like tail, a pair of extremely large forelimbs and big claws. Chalicotheriidae were odd-toed ungulates (that means that the hooves are irregular, in this case, they had 3 toes) and they probably had to walk on all fours (due to the masiveness of the arms) and to support their weight on their knuckles (no wonder it's always portrayed like that). The colouring is not something you would call amazing (in my opinion that's not what Bullyland does best) it's kind of pale bony yellow with some dark highlights (I'd have added some different paint on the claws and the ears). The sculpt is very respectable, simple pose but great detail (I particularly liked the fur, the long fingers on the forelimbs and the barely visible ribcage). The head is finely sculpted, although the ears seem roundish (classic Bullyland feature); the expression is calm, as if it were about to chew something (I mean, just look at that slightly crooked mouth! He's sure up to something!) It's not very big (barely 14cm from head to tail) but it belongs to that unusual kind of figures that we love around here. Make sure to visit our young forum!

kaiyodo-acrocanthosaurus

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:01:56 +0000

playvisions-elasmosaurus

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:02:10 +0000

playvisions-henodus

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:02:24 +0000

playvisions-metriorhyncus

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:02:35 +0000

playvisions-mixosaurus

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:02:47 +0000

playvisions-mosasaurus

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:02:58 +0000

playvisions-nothosaurus

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:03:10 +0000

playvisions-placodus

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:03:22 +0000

playvisions-shonisaurus

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:03:35 +0000

wwd-ophthalmosaurus

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:03:45 +0000

wwd-ophthalmosaurus2

Tomhet — Thu, 01 May 2008 03:03:56 +0000

schleich-smilodon

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:58:44 +0000

schleich-smilodon2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:58:48 +0000

carnegie-dilong

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:58:51 +0000

carnegie-dilong2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:58:55 +0000

carnegie-dilong3

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:58:59 +0000

carnegie-parasaurolophus

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:03 +0000

carnegie-parasaurolophus2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:08 +0000

carnegie-parasaurolophus3

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:13 +0000

carnegie-pteranodon

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:17 +0000

carnegie-pteranodon2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:22 +0000

carnegie-t-rex

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:27 +0000

carnegie-t-rex2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:32 +0000

great-dinosaurs-triceratops

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:36 +0000

great-dinosaurs-triceratops2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:41 +0000

safari-baryonyx

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:45 +0000

safari-baryonyx2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:50 +0000

safari-pteranodon

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 01:59:55 +0000

schleich-cave-bear

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:00:00 +0000

schleich-glyptodon

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:00:06 +0000

schleich-glyptodon2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:00:10 +0000

schleich-macrauchenia

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:00:16 +0000

schleich-macrauchenia2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:00:21 +0000

schleich-mammoth

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:00:29 +0000

schleich-mammoth2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:00:35 +0000

schleich-megatherium

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:00:39 +0000

schleich-megatherium2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:00:44 +0000

Tyrannosaurus Rex (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

Tomhet — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:44:05 +0000

Talk about improvements. I mean, I have nothing against the old green Carnegie Rexy, it may not be a beauty but it was a solid combat replica, apparently aimed for the kids... and geared toward outdoor use. Fortunately Carnegie has seen more potential in the collector market than before, so their more recent offerings are not only very affordable but very attractive. I am pleased to say that Carnegie did justice to the King with this replica (and no, I don't mean Elvis). It was about time, because this arch-famous monster is the first dinosaur a young one wants (believe me, I've seen it) and it's good to know that they're getting a quality product instead of your everyday Chinasaur. Besides, it was somewhat ironic that Carnegie couldn't produce a decent sculpt, since they keep several of the most interesting T-Rex fossils. What I first admired is the flawless balance of the figure, I don't know if it's only mine, but it stands beautifully on its both legs (not the classic tripod deal we always end up with). The tail is curved (as an emergency support, I suppose) The pose, on the other hand, is not entirely likeable (the wild staring Rex seems to be roaring and its body leans forward striding, as if it were about to strike) but acceptable. The scale is correct, it measures approx. 30 cm from nose tip to the bend of the tail and 18 cm from head to toe. The figure has other advantages. The legs are much more robust than most of the Carnegie theropods. The limbs by the way seem naturally fused to the torso. The head is definitely realistic (just look at those correctly proportioned teeth!). The skin is delightfully wrinkled and scaly (true, not as good as in more recent Carnegie products, but good enough). The paint scheme is much better than the dull green of the previous T-Rex, as it features a blend of alarming red and some black. The belly is whitish; the mouth (which is very detailed) shows a pink tongue. Since it belongs to the 1998 generation, its eyes are golden. This review was sponsored by Atomic Elephant, a great online store! And don't forget to visit our forum!

Utahraptor (Walking With Dinosaurs Collection by Toyway)

plesiosauria — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:35:54 +0000

The spectacular Utahraptor by Toyway based on the BBC Walking with Dinosaurs series, is a sleek, slender, rather mean looking figure. The anatomy is accurate, this is one of the first 'raptor' figures to break away from the trendy but erroneous vision put forward in Jurassic Park. Notably the hands in the Utahraptor are true to the fossils, the wrist joint directs the hands backwards and the palms face each other. The tail is extremely long and slender and held stiff, the arms and legs are lean (skinny seems to harsh a term), but the sculpture is easy on the eye and quite believable. Feathers were not included on this figure or in the dinosaur as seen in the series. Although there is no direct evidence for feathers in this species, it is probable based on our knowledge of it's very close relatives, that Utahraptor sported a covering of feathers. The colour of the skin is true to the series, quite like a large predatory cat with yellow skin and black stripes. The belly is paler and he extremities are grey with the claws highlighted in black. The mouth is closed so that no teeth are visible and the eyes are evil-looking red. The posture is static and not particularly dynamic - the tail is held out directly behind, the head faces forwards, there is no lateral 'motion' in the figure at all. Time seems to take it's toll on the hard plastic used to make WWD figures, this is only a problem in the two legged figures because the plastic deforms/bends over time and the figures struggle to stand unassisted. The figure is long (about 25cm) but due to the diminutive amount of plastic used on the figure, the figure came accompanied by an additional figure - a Laellynasaura - but that is a topic for a future blog entry. The WWD figures are no longer in production so they are difficult to find. They were predominantly released in the UK so they most frequently can be found on Ebay UK, but sometimes on Ebay US Are you a dinosaur collector? Come and join in the discussions at the Dinosaur Toy Forum!

Giganotosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

emperordinobot — Thu, 15 May 2008 06:51:54 +0000

At last the Carnegie Giganotosaurus is available to the world. This is one of the finest dinosaur pieces of its generation, due to its high level quality. This is simply one of the best dinosaurs Carnegie has ever released, not because it’s an impressive dinosaur, but because it’s very accurate, and very detailed.

At a little more than 30 cm long, he’s slightly longer than the Carnegie Tyrannosaurus (as he is in scale with the rest of the line). Giganotosaurus harbored a lot of attention by the media recently, because it appears to be the longest theropod found yet. Carnegie has done an excellent job producing Giganotosaurus carolini in all its glory.

The figure is colored in a beautiful mix of cerulean blue, creamy white for the underbelly, and darker cerulean blue all over its back, with some light green stripes running along. The Giganotosaurus is posed in a sort of “I’m king of the world” pose, with an open mouth, and a classic “roar” stance. It towers over most Carnegie dinosaurs. It’s certainly one of the most impressive dinosaur molds as of late, with its awesome color, size, detail, and above all, accuracy. It definitely deserves all the hype it’s getting among dinosaur collectors. This is a must buy for all dinosaur lovers. And he’s certainly not that expensive, either. It can be found anywhere you look. On all major dino shops, museums, specialty stores, and so on.

Giganotosaurus is carnosaur found in Argentina. It lived along some of the biggest animals to ever walk the land.

Available here for example. Join in the dinosaur discussion at the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Agustinia (Procon)

emperordinobot — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:36:44 +0000

Once upon a while, companies decide to make some very obscure dinosaur genera. Procon is one of those companies, releasing this year a number of dinosaurs not many have heard of, such as Becklespinax, Rebbachisaurus, and so on. Agustinia is one such dinosaur.

Agustinia ligabuei isn’t a well known sauropod that hails from Argentina. It appears to be a titanosauriform that bore strange plates all along its neck, splitting into longer double rows of spines towards its back. It is known from such spines, and some vertebrae. Some researches think it might be allied with little known, high spined diplodocids known as rebbachisaurids.

The figure itself is very nice for a sauropod figure, painted in an olive green with darker green highlights all over. The spines and osteoderms around its neck are painted in olive green. The model itself is very smooth compared to other scaly dinosaurs. The reason why this dinosaur is so attractive is because of its rarity, and its obscurity. Agustinia isn’t very big, barely measuring 20 cm long. Apparently, a bigger replica is due for release soon, with different colors, at almost twice the length.

If you like obscure dinosaurs, this one is for you.

Triceratops ('Great Dinosaurs' Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:19:45 +0000

This most famous of ceratopsids has been reincarnated in toy form on many occasions; Triceratops is after all a household favorite. Once again, the Great Dinosaurs collection impresses us with a pretty good figure, far exceeding our expectations for a $6 bargain and offering an embarrassing comparison for Safari's other attempt at this dinosaur (the Carnegie Collection Triceratops is simply appalling). This figure feels a little like a stamping bull getting ready to chase down a squealing matador. The right foot is scraping along the ground and the huge head is lowered and tilted to the side - its making a show of things. The colour is basically bland and grey with a little brown details. There are no painted details on the claws, horns, spikes, tongue or beak (it would have been easy to and would have improved the figure significantly), but at least the eyes have been highlighted in black and surrounded by pale eyelids. As with the rest of the figures in this series this is a large figure - 26cm long and not to scale with the rest of the series. This toy review was sponsored by Dinosaurs at Atomic Elephant Join in the dinosaur discussion at the Dinosaur Toy Forum

batrachotomus

Tomhet — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:36:45 +0000

giganotosaurus-sauropod

Tomhet — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:37:08 +0000

ouranosaurus-deltadromeusdefinite

Tomhet — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:38:52 +0000

Velociraptor (Wild Safari Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:04:57 +0000

It looks as though Papo finally has some competition. This Velociraptor by Wild Safari is great, and it can be found pretty cheap too. I bought mine for $7.99. It has to be the best Safari velociraptor ever (All of the other safari velociraptors are ugly in my opinion!). Previous attempts by Safari at this dinosaur include those in the Carnegie Collection, Dinosaurs of China Collection (see blog entry), and the great dinosaurs collection (see blog entry) This raptor looks as though it is just about to jump on a unsuspecting Protoceratops. It's right foot is pushing off the ground, it's left foot is up and ready for attack, the jaws are wide open showing many yellow teeth and a pink tongue, and the arms are (somewhat) ready for grabbing any unsuspecting prey. It is mostly just a mixture of browns, which would have been very good camouflage in a desert environment. The eyes are yellow with vertical pupils (suggesting this was a nocturnal creature), the claws are black, and the inside of the mouth is a mixture of pink and purple. The detail on this figure is amazing; you can see every little bump and wrinkly on it's skin, you can see the small scales on it's hands and feet, and you can even see the muscles rippling beneath it's skin. This Velociraptor is not very big: This guy is only about 8 inches (20 cm) long, and more then half of that is tail. If you don't have this figure, you must buy it ASAP! This is one of the best Velociraptors out there, and despite the minor flaws (lack of feathers, wrong positioning of the hands), it still makes a great display figure and deserves 11/10 stars. Review by Geckofan Available here for example ($4.99).

Join in the dinosaur discussion at the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Pteranodon (Papo) (Review 2)

plesiosauria — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:05:52 +0000

A short review of this figure appeared way back in 2007, but now I have the opportunity to present some detailed photos and provide a more detailed review. As previously mentioned, the figure is obviously based on the pterosaurs in Jurassic park 3, but what I didn't mention is that this figure has teeth (as kindly pointed out by Tomhet). Interestingly, and pertinent to the very nature of this blog, there is an interesting story relevant to this figure. Many cheap dinosaurs (known as 'Chinasaurs' in the dinotoy community because they are typically manufactured there) have a habit of adding vicious teeth to each and every species of prehistoric creature, predatory stegosaurs and triceratops abound for example, and Pteranodons; the name means 'winged and (ironically) toothless', with a ferocious maw. And how us palaeontologists scoffed, for no large crested pterosaurs have teeth! Then a pterosaur was described in 2003 and named Ludodactylus. The name means 'play finger' as a tribute to the toothy rubber chinasaurs - this is a large crested pterosaur with a mouth full of teeth - a species 'predicted' by toy companies years in advance. In light of this discovery, apologists for the Papo line comfort themselves by pretending that the figure is in fact a Ludodactylus. With the Exception of the teeth the Papo Pteranodon is pretty accurate and detailed. The only other major error I noticed is the lack of a pteroid bone in the wrist, otherwise the arms are really good - the number of digits and finger bones is spot on and you can even differentiate between the radius and ulna in the forearm - I suppose it makes sense for a large flying animal to be as skinny as possible. The wing membranes are narrow and join the body at the knee (I'm not sure what the consensus is at the moment - did the wings join at the body, knee, or ankle?), and there is a small tail supporting a membrane. The wings are concave below and curve towards the tip as if they are catching the wind - very dynamic pose. The sunken eyes are bright yellow and convincing and there is a long pink tongue in the mouth, but the figure is overall dull and brown, which is a let down. Unlike some of the other papo figures, the lower jaw is not mobile so the jaws cannot be shut. Available here for example ($7.95).

Join in the dinosaur discussion at the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Kronosaurus (Schleich)

plesiosauria — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:09:02 +0000

Big nasty pliosaurs are the order of the day - and there are plenty more to come - this review represents the first in a series of pliosaur blog entries I'm working on. A compare and contrast deal; battle of the pliosaur toys so to speak! We have already looked in detail at the popular Chap Mei Liopleurodon here so I will continue this series with another popular figure, the Kronosaurus by Schleich. The Schleich marine reptiles are quite celebrated in the dinosaur toy community, so I hope I do not dampen spirits too much with my critical eye. We'll start with the business end, there are good and bad aspects about the head. Starting with the good, the nostrils are accurately retracted close to the eyes (nicely sculpted narrow slits) and the eyes are in the right position facing upwards and outwards. There is large bulbous bump at the back of the skull which corresponds to a high crest and temporal opening in the actual skull of Kronosaurus (The 'Harvard specimen' anyway, whether the skeleton is accurate is a different story I'll tell in time). This bulge represents the muscular mass housed within this fenestra which is quite a nice touch, unfortunately it extends too far back. In fact, to correspond with cranium as sculpted, the lower jaw must extend all the way to the front flippers - this toy therefore has almost no neck, true, Kronosaurus has a short neck, but in this figure it should be a bit longer. There are other problems with the skull, particularly the shape of the snout and teeth. The teeth in large pliosaurs such as Kronosaurus interlock and protrude slightly, they also vary considerably in shape - they become large and caniniform (fang-like) midway along the jaws. The Schliech Kronosaurus on the other hand has a dull generalised dentition, the teeth in the lower jaw are OK but the teeth in the upper jaw face inwards rather than protruding outwards. And there is no sign of those fang-like teeth typical of pliosaurs. The shape of the snout is down-turned in the toy whereas it should actually curve upwards and expanded at the tip. The snout extends beyond the teeth, which is also not the case in pliosaur fossils. These errors all add up, the general outcome is an animal that look more wimpy than ferocious. There are some nice speculative additions to the mouth - a gullet and tongue are visible in the open mouth. Moving onto the body, I find myself struggling to find compliments. The spine curves around to the left, but due to the way they swam, curvature in the spine of plesiosaurs was extremely limited: the midriff of plesiosaurs was reinforced by large plates of bone and tightly backs belly ribs. This formed a sturdy base for the wing-like limbs - the curved body in the Schleich pliosaur is therefore very unlikely. The flippers are rather generic tapering triangular shapes, there is no distinction between the humerus/femur and the rest of the flipper as there should be, plesiosaur flippers were slightly expanded mid-length or slightly diamond shaped is a good description). All held out at the same angle so the sculptors do not commit to any specific locomotory repertoire. I also note that the flippers are too thin where they meet the body, there is hardly enough depth for the humerus/femur head, let alone the strong muscles associated with the propulsory flippers. The tail tapers to a narrow tip. The colour scheme is a chocolate brown with lovely subtle patches of darker brown, the underside is counter-shaded with a pale grey. The eyes are black (no pupils), and the eyelids are highlighted in lighter brown. In conclusion, at a glance the figure appears nice and at 27cm long is quite a stunning figure, but there are far too many mistakes to make this figure worthy of idolizing. In my next pliosaur review, we will see how this Schleich figure compares with another very popular Kronosaurus figure... Do you collect dinosaur toys? Then join in the discussion - we can't wait to see your collection! Dinosaur Toy Forum

Allosaurus (Papo) (Review)

plesiosauria — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:09:55 +0000

Back in January, the Dinosaur Toy Blog announced the unveiling of Papo's latest addition to their dinosaur line (here). Well, it's finally for sale so I've had the opportunity to review the figure in more detail and provide some detailed photographs. Long story short - the figure is amazing - I can't take my eyes off it. The new Allosaurus is similar to the existing Papo sculpts in a number of aspects: the detail is immense, the colouring is vivid but natural, the pose is fluid and dynamic, and the lower jaw is poseable. However, the Allosaurus also stands out from all of the other dinosaurs in the series because it is not been based on the dinosaurs portrayed in the Jurassic Park movies. This figure on the other hand, represents a dinosaur not even portrayed in Jurassic Park and is an original sculpt strongly reminiscent of the work of palaeoartist Todd Marshall. The jaws don't open amazingly wide but the detail inside the mouth is stunning. Here is the head in side view, open and closed: There are some speculative details in this sculpt, notable are the protruding scales (not feathers) on the top of the neck and on parts of the back. In addition, all of the scales on the back are large and raised so the Allosaurus has a bumpy and decorative hide - this toughened appearance gives way to smoother skin on the sides and underside. I personally like this sort of detail, dinosaur figures are always open to a degree of artistic licence but such touches are usually beneficial in terms of the aesthetics of the model and in this case add a realistic feel to the animal; many dinosaur figures are often quite conservative in this regard. There are further such details as pronounced knuckles in the fingers, clear protrusions corresponding to the pubis and ilium, stretched skin where the leg meets the body, muscular ridges corresponding to the hips and shoulder blades, individually sculpted teeth, the claw on the first finger is enlarged as it should be (most Allosaurus figures overlook this feature), a finely sculpted hallux toe, the list just oes on. The legs and arms are muscular (perhaps a little too strongly developed in the feet) and the animal is taking a long stride, the tail is long and held high so that the figure balances perfectly on two feet. However, in my figure is prone to falling over unless the surface is perfectly horizontal. The arms are pulled back towards the body - the left hand almost touches the left knee. The figure is 26cm long so it is smaller than the Papo Spinosaurus - it is roughly to scale with the other papo theropods. The claws are black and the teeth are white, while the skin is covered in a mottled pattern of greys and greens with some orange highlights. The eye ridges are typical of this genus and are beautifully highlighted with orange and capped with ornamental scales. The eyes are yellow with black pupils. In all honesty, this is probably the best mass-produced dinosaur figure currently available (possibly ever) and redeems Papo for all of the erroneous details in some of their other figures. Papo is raising the standard in museum quality dinosaur toys, lets hope that the other companies such as Schleich, Bullyland and Safari will keep up... Now available on Ebay here (seller has more in stock) and available on Amazon here.

Ophthalmosaurus (Walking with Dinosaurs by Toyway)

Tomhet — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:09:13 +0000

Every time I see the new tacky Toyway dinosaurs and compare them with the original WwD series, I feel like screaming. Are the Toyway guys out of their mind? Do they really want to go bankrupt? They've not only disgraced the line for the British Museum of Natural History, but they've refused to produce figures for the rest of the BBC creations, a line that could have been the best collection of prehistorical figures ever. Which brings us to the issue of the day. The Ophthalmosaurus really shows the potential of the creatures spawned by the BBC, which makes it very sought after. It's perhaps the greatest thunnosaurian replica so far (other than the Ichthyosaurus, companies do not produce many of them) Many prehistoric marine reptiles (but particularly ichthyosaurids) always make simple one-piece molds. This has been a rule ever since the first important plastic ichthyosaurid, the Invicta Ichthyosaurus, appeared. The skin is significantly smooth; OK, no certainty about that, no ichthyosaur skin impression has ever been found as far as I'm concerned, but it makes for a fluent, dynamic design. The union between the body and the fins is hardly noticeable (just a few wrinkles). The eyes are perhaps the most awe-inspiring, most famous feature of the Ophthalmosaurus. With an amazing diameter of almost 5 inches, those are the largest eyes of a vertebrate in relation to its body (the body measured around 6 meters and the toy measures 25cm; I'd read that the eyes of the Temnodontosaurus were even larger). The eyes of this replica might be a little overdone (not much I suspect) so it has a spooky look on its face. The black round pupil covers most of the surface, with just a little yellow ream. With a little bit of artistic license, they positioned the nostrils backwards and made the body look a little bit fatter than it should (I'm pretty sure the BBC CGI was slimmer). They added a beautiful little pouch on the gullet, as if you could almost see the fish it had eaten. As for the paint, a very fresh, very convincing watery design: deep blue but also yellow and greenish tones. If we compare it with the WwD Cruel Seas sequence, we perceive that the paint scheme differs a little: while the CGI showed some brownish tones, the yellow tends to be clear. Also the pattern on the snout is different. The figure is made of solid plastic (the weight is considerable), the body is in a straight position. This review was inspired by Atomic Elephant, a very nice online store where you can find many prehistoric critters and many other science-related toys. The WWD figures are no longer in production so they are difficult to find. They were predominantly released in the UK so they most frequently can be found on Ebay UK, but sometimes on Ebay US

Parasaurolophus (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

Tomhet — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:23:47 +0000

Safari has set out to redo many of the 1988 Carnegie releases. Whereas the new Spinosaurus has no justification at all (they need a new sculpt, period) the new Parasaurolophus comes as a welcome addition and proves to be an interesting variant of the classic Para (maybe because Schleich's new version is a big improvement). Without a question, this late Cretaceous hadrosaur is recognizable among the non-initiated, so it deserves a good sculpt (Battat's was exceptional without a doubt, but it still had that strange piece of flesh behind the crest). It's a good-sized replica (21 cm). The paint is the first thing I noticed when I compared it to the previous one. The older figures had a shiny kind of paint, but the new lovely paint is more opaque. The blending is also more efficient and complex and believe me, that's something because there are at least nine shades of colour used on this toy. I found the contrast between the overall dark tone, the yellow spots on the torso and the flaring red on the crest very pleasant. The anatomy of the new one is infinitely better. The joints seem natural and in the right place (a big problem with the Carnegies) The folds of skin at the juncture between the head and the back are great. What I loved the most is that they made the projections of the vertebrae larger, so that there is a noticeable ridge along the back. They even tried to to portray the irregularity of the neural spines found in a sole specimen of P. walkeri. Still, the pose is a litte bit awkward, it is odd that it's not quadrupedal (like most representations) so the result is that kangaroo pose we've all come to hate. The head was almost completely remodeled and it looks great (particularly the cheeks and the bill); the hands were redone to some extent, but not enough. It looks as if they didn't know what to do with them because they look rather ridiculous. The ugly curve of the tail seems as if it would prevent the model from falling. You can find this beautiful model on (and this review was inspired by) Atomic Elephant, a great online store for your science-related needs. This figure is available here for $7.95 Picture of the older version of this figure with a yellow crest.

Kronosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:08:52 +0000

We now return to our series of pliosaur reviews. We have already looked in detail at the popular Chap Mei Liopleurodon here and more recently the Kronosaurus by Schleich. Let take a look now at Safari's offering, another popular figure, the Carnegie Collection Kronosaurus. Once again, we are not in a very good state of affairs, there are far more problems with the sculpt than there are commendable points. However, Safari may be forgiven for some of the errors they make as their figure is clearly based on a fossil mount now known to be inaccurate, as I will discuss later. But first, lets take the figure at face value. The main body is a perfectly cylindrical tube, more like a miserable fat sausage than a pliosaur body. The distance between the flippers is far too long. The body is also made of a harder plastic than the head - the two materials are quite crudely joined together just in front of the fore flipper and the join is visible. safari" /> The head is widely gaping and quite fearsome looking. The nostrils are accurately retracted close to the eyes (nicely sculpted narrow slits as in the Schleich Kronosaurus) but the eyes are way too far back, situated in the temporal fenestrae. This figure is unusual for plesiosaur figures as it is the only one with ears - at the back of the skull there are two small distinct external openings. Whether such a feature would be present in derived aquatic reptiles is unclear. Where the lower jaws meet the upper jaws the cheek extends very far back - this region would have been more muscular. safari" /> The dentition suffers from some of the same problems as the Schleich figure - the teeth are all equally sized whereas there should be a lot of variation. Worse, there is an inexplicable gap in the dentition at the very front of the jaws, as if some teeth have fallen out. The tooth rows do not therefore meet up, but form separated rows in each of the jaws, and the snout extends beyond the teeth like: all very un-pliosaur-like. The shape of the lower jaw is very nice though, it is narrow and triangular but expands near the tip forming a spatulate symphysis, a character typical of pliosaurs. Again, there are some nice speculative additions to the mouth - a gullet and a big bulbous tongue are visible in the open mouth. The spine is perfectly straight, and this figure has a distinct neck, two improvements over the Schleich version. The flippers are incredibly weedy, they look like they might be ripped off in choppy waters. The hind flippers are tiny and impossibly curved backwards. In fact, the hind-flippers in pliosaurs are larger than the fore-flippers and all four limbs had an active role in propulsion. The limbs are possibly the worst and most inaccurate aspect of this figure. In my version the limbs are all horizontal, but in other versions the forelimbs are angled down proppping the animal up a bit. Just liek the Schleich Kronosaurus, the flippers are too thin where they meet the body, there is hardly enough depth for the humerus/femur head, let alone the strong muscles associated with the flippers. The tail tapers to a narrow tip and is just about the right size. The colour scheme is grey and light grey, the underside is counter-shaded with a pale grey. The eyes are black (no pupils). The figure is 33cm long making it the longest pliosaur replica currently available. is quite a stunning figure, but there are far too many mistakes. I mentioned near the start of my review that Safari might be forgiven for some of their errors, perhaps they have an excuse? Well in some cases yes, because their reconstruction clearly stems from the most famous skeletal mount of Kronosaurus, the 'Harvard Specimen'. To cut a long story short, the specimen was badly damaged and much of it had to be reconstructed in plaster, earning the mounted skeleton the nickname of 'Plasterosaurus'. The number of vertebrae has been overestimated - there are 10 or so vertebrae too many in the backbone - at least Safari can fall back on this to explain their ridiculously long-bodied Kronosaurus toy. In my next pliosaur review, we will meet the Walking With Dinosaurs Liopleurodon! This figure is available here for $15 Do you collect dinosaur toys? Then join in the discussion at Dinosaur Toy Forum

dilong_skull

Tomhet — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 02:47:09 +0000

dilong-1

Tomhet — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 02:49:24 +0000

Dilong (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

Tomhet — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:15:21 +0000

This dinosaur was once considered a basal tyrannosauroid, but now it's been suggested that it's another kind of coelurosaur; even if we were to accept that it was feathered, this animal has no direct relationship with the Rex, so one wonders why the hell did Safari do a feathered young Rex, since it's not been unanimously accepted that tyrannosauroids had feathers at some point of their lives, (only Xu Xing and his crew speculate that) and yet popular culture eagerly swallows nearly everything it's given (the Schweitzer fiasco comes to mind). Dilong is a good example of how people sometimes see just what they want to see. The Dilong was a famous dino for a while, but the Carnegie version is the only one available. It's recent (the date on the belly is 2005, one year after its description). As you may know, Carnegie has raised the bar of museum-line sculpting in recent times, so this is a delicate product. The detail is not as great as Papo, true, and it's still irritatingly thin (which is even more annoying on big theropods and sauropods) but these fresh batches are unquestionably superior to the first ugly sculpts. I do support Carnegie's attempt of producing medium-sized carnivores, they've nailed the trick, but not always: the Deltadromeus (whose build is somewhat similar to that of this Dilong) is a personal favourite, but I still consider the Carnotaurus a big failure; I certainly hope they release a Ceratosaurus. Some parts of the Dilong are awesome: the extremities, for instance, are smallish but they are remarkably well done. The muscles are decent, although the head could have been a lot better, compare the actual skull, a very good illustration (can't remember where I found it) and our subject: SKULL (image found here, the American Museum of Natural History) COOL DRAWING (taken from here, a BBC link) As you can see, the head needs some reshaping. The generic teeth only make it worse. I dislike feathered dinosaur replicas, first and foremost because they look ugly to me (although I'm still suspicious about those miraculous Liaoning findings) and this one is completely covered either with 'protofeathers' or simple feathers; several scientists have said that these fossil markings could be explained due to collagen remainders; nonetheless, people tend to dismiss these scientists as lunatics. I would have preferred to see a scaly Dilong but on Carnegie's behalf I will say that these hair-like structures are well-reproduced and will be fairly appreciated by those who favour them. They even went as far as to put a tuft of multicoloured feathers on the tail and a mass of red fuzz on the head (!) The colouring is not really exceptional, it's not bad, but it's rather simple. I like the gradual blending from white to grey, from grey to black. The latter covers the four extremities, which produces a nice effect, although I'd like to see a different colour on the claws. The head and the tail however are another story. The turkey-like representations of feathered dinosaurs seem to me like a cheap shot, and this one features the official turkey triad: red, yellow and black. Fortunately they are hardly noticeable on this one. It measures approx. 5.5" You can find it on Atomic Elephant, a great store for your science-craving inner self :) The discussion and trading take place in our mysterous forum, so go and visit us :P Last picture submitted by forum member therizinosaurus. You can see the miniature Carnegie Dilong from one of the toobs.

kaiyodo-polyptychoceras

Tomhet — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:27:34 +0000

Polyptychoceras (Kaiyodo DinoTales Series 6)

Tomhet — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:22:14 +0000

Of all the great Kaiyodo figures, this one stands out as one of the most exceptional. This was for a while the only heteromorph cephalopod replica (not that the market has expanded a lot, the only other one is the Kaiyodo Nipponites, hopefully soon to be reviewed here) The prehistoric cephalopods are an almost infinite source of interesting replicas, specially heteromorph ones (exclusively Mesozoic forms, particularly from the superfamilies Spirocerataceae, Ancylocerataceae and Turrilitaceae). If the other ammonoids can be very hard to classify and identify, the heteromorph shells are hard to miss and differ wildly from each other. I would love to see a Sciponoceras or an Heteroceras. Take for instance the beautiful Polyptychoceras, of which several species have been found in late Cretaceous stones from Japan (no wonder Kaiyodo did it) and Canada. It's one of the 'paper clip' ammonites (it's been noted that it resembles a trombone and a candy cane). Much has been discussed about its locomotion and way of life. It must have been primarily benthic, although it was capable of swimming slowly for a short while. The soft part of it should have been massive enough to counterbalance the actual shell, not to mention that, due to the weight contained inside the shell, the entire body could only be positioned in two ways: either with the opening of the shaft pointing upwards or in the angle necessary for the soft body to reach the oceanic floor with its tentacles (the case of the Kaiyodo Polyptychoceras). Its life was just as interesting. Their food was diverse: from ostracods to crinoids and plancton, incluiding crustaceans and even other ammonites. It's been supposed that these animals lived in schools, because they have been found lumped together and there's no evidence to support post mortem transportation. In fact, there's unique evidence about the way they established their home, one of those rare fossilizations that englobes two or more organisms: the empty shell of a dead Eupachydiscus became a shelter for at least 10 Polyptychoceras especimens. Apparently they were looking for a safe place to live and, possibly, to nest, but died mysteriously. But reality is no place for wonders. This fossil is (or at least used to be) a turistic attraction in a Japanese restaurant *sigh* Anyway, this beautiful replica is accurate enough (correct shape of the shell, although it might be a little too short). It's tiny (less than 10 cm long) but extremely detailed and it comes with a base, a pretty rock :) The reconstruction of the soft parts is almost pure speculation, as almost no evidence has been found so far (interestingly enough, we can still see the markings left by their muscles inside the shells), but it is consistent with recent renditions (I remember seeing several Japanese illustrations that are very similar). The ridges of the shell are beautifully done. I like the paint job: mostly grey with pink and yellow highlights (this is the dark version, there's a yellow one too) The soft body appears to be made out of a different kind of resin, it looks semi-transparent and the color is interesting (a kind of smoky purple that is almost grey). The paint of the eyes is golden. It took me a while to get it but it's definitely worth it. For those who want something else other than a T-Rex replica. If you want to see stranger creatures, visit our forum :D This review was endorsed by Atomic Elephant, a great online store :D

Pic and diorama made by Tomhet.

dilong1

Tomhet — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:49:19 +0000

Spinosaurus (Famemaster)

plesiosauria — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:37:27 +0000

Since the release of Jurassic Park 3, Spinosaurus has become one of the most popular and famous dinosaurs. However, there are still relatively few figures of Spinosaurus and even fewer good ones. The Famemaster 4D puzzle is one of the more reasonable ones. The Famemaster Spinosaurus has the long snout and tall spine typical for this species but there are various features absent in the figure – there is no hallux (innermost digit on the foot), one of the hand claws should be larger, and the snout and teeth (the mouth is open) are rather generic in shape. These errors may be attributed to the small size of the figure (although kaiyodo manage). The overall pose is very nice with the tail held high and swaying slightly. The arms are held out in front, rather reminiscent of the Jurassic Park figure. The colours in this paint version are spectacular orange with black-rimmed white spots like some sort or big cat. The Famemaster puzzles are quite small, this one is13 cm long, but they have plenty of detail (which is apparently what the fourth ‘D’ stands for). They are larger than Kaiyodo but smaller than museum lines. They are made up of many small pieces which slot together, I can see them being pretty challenging for very young children, but they form a sturdy display piece when completed. No wobbly joints or loose pieces - the Spinosaurus for example, balances perfectly on two feet. The number of figures and the taxonomic diversity in the line has been growing rapidly in recent years and I think given their small size they will become increasingly collectible. This figure is available here as a set of four for $23.99 Do you collect dinosaur toys? Then join in the discussion at Dinosaur Toy Forum

Dinosaur figures for 2008 - a review

plesiosauria — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:57:57 +0000

It's not the end of the year yet, but all of the major releases this year have been and gone. The only other line we were (especially!) looking forward to, the Sea Monsters figures, have been cancelled - to everyone's dismay. But not wishing to dwell on our losses, Dinosaur Toy Forum member Bokisaurus had kindly provided a round up of all this years newbies. Let us review the Class of 2008... - Dinotoyblog "Well, with the release of Schleich's Brachiosaurus, Allosaurus, and Spinosaurus, the big 2008 dinosaur toy releases are finally complete (I'm still bitter about those sea monsters :( I just got my Schleichs a few days ago, so I wanted to put together a photo of the class of 2008. Now I only included the big names in dinosaur figures. Well, let's hope that 2009 will be as exciting as this year. Let's all pray that no more figures will be discontinued the last minute like this years sea monster set. So here they are, the Class of 2008! Procon: Gave us such obscure and diverse species of dinosaurs to choose from; many species made as toys for the very first time. They also released the most figures with 11 small ones and 6 deluxe figures! Not an easy thing to accomplish in this days toy market. From what I hear, next year's will be as exciting! Safari: The leader of the pack! They just get better and better every year! The Carnegie line gave us Giga and Diplo,easily the best figures of their kind. Only Battat's diplo rival this years Safari star. The Wild Safari line gave us new versions of old time favorites :Three horn, Stego, Allo, and Velociraptor. The oviraptor is in his (her?) own category. Schleich: Gave us three big ones this year. New versions of Allo, Brachi, and Spino, all big heavy guys! This years figures have lot's of details and skin textures. The color is still a bit bland. A big improvement from Schleich. Papo: Gave us just one figure, Big Al, but he is just a beauty! Love him or hate him, no denying that he has the best detail job of all the figures. Lets hope that Papo will release more that just one figure a year. Bullyland: Ah, hmm, I don't really know what to say about this lone figure, a feathered viloceraptor. Looks like Bully got left behind and made a desperate attempt to release a figure. :-/ That's it! Happy hunting ;)" Thanks to Bokisaurus for the text and amazing photos! Many of these figures are available here Do you collect dinosaur toys? Then join in the discussion at Dinosaur Toy Forum

Spinosaurus (2008 version, Schleich)

plesiosauria — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:41:41 +0000

It seems as though Schleich has seen the latest attempts by companies such as Papo and Safari Ltd and are now trying to get away from retro-style dinosaurs and on to new, more modern versions. This is clearly evident in the new Schliech Spinosaurus, which can be considered one of the best spinosaurs out there. It is easy to be critical of this figure, but given the huge improvement over Schleich's previous attempt at this species, together with the fragmentary nature of the fossil material, many of these points can be taken with a piece of salt. The head appears partially based on 'Jurassic Park 3', just look at the two crests before the eyes, Spinosaurus should only have one on the mid-line. The mouth is closed, and there are 39 visible teeth from the upper jaw. The nostrils are situated too far down the snout but overall the shape of the head is about right. The eyes are yellow with black pupils. As for the body, the neck might look better with more curve, but they probably based its straight neck on the spinosaur Baryonyx. There are no ribs visible and the arms and legs are muscled up, but not too much. The hands don't look quite right; the fingers should maybe be a little shorter and a larger thumb claw should be present (like Baryonyx has). The arms are very long, perhaps a little too long - this may have been done on purpose because the right hand touches the floor supporting the figure and allowing the tail to be held high. The feet are a little too large and the claws are a brown-red. The body is also covered with beautiful brown crocodilian-like scutes, which gives it a 'lizardy' look. The sail has no scutes and is coloured red and yellow. The tail is really nothing special, it is just the same brown with some red along the top. This figure is massive, it is 13 1/2 inches long (about 34cm), which when scaled up to Schleich standard, would make is 45 feet long in life. A very nice Spinosaurus figure that isn't all that expensive either. This figure is available here for only $16.95. A worthy piece for any collection! 8.5/ 10 stars. Review by 'Cordylus (AKA geckofan)' and 'Dinotoyblog', photographs by "Cordylus (AKA geckofan)" Do you collect dinosaur toys? Then check into the Dinosaur Toy Forum

Liopleurodon (Walking with Dinosaurs by Toyway)

plesiosauria — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:22:31 +0000

It's time to continue our review of pliosaur figures - this time we will look at the Walking with Dinosaurs Liopleurodon by Toyway. The line has been out of production for some years and was only available locally for a short period of time so this line, and this rare figure in particular is quickly becoming a 'holy grail' for dinosaur collectors. It is a spectacular figure and is by far the most accurate pliosaur toy reviewed so far. All of the Walking with Dinosaurs figures are almost perfectly symmetrical, which is a let down in most of the figures which are just 'standing around' - this is not so much of an issue the aquatic Liopleurodon. The figure is 24cm long. The triangular-shaped head is good - the eyes are in the correct place (so often in plesiosaurs they are positioned too far back) and the little external nares are retracted close to the eyes as they should be. There are other accurate details - the mandibular symphysis and tip of the rostrum is slightly expanded and the teeth are enlarged and slightly procumbent, there is even a short diastema (gap) in the tooth row where the premaxilla meets the maxilla. The mouth is slightly open but there is no detail in the mouth, no gullet or obvious tongue for example. The eyes are yellow and inexplicably framed above by what appears to be a delicate eyebrow - perhaps this is supposed to be a beautiful female? I'm sure I don't need to explain that pliosaurs almost certainly never had eyebrows ;) I guess it is supposed to be a ridge. The neck is short but distinct and the body is long and quite narrow (rather too narrow actually) with four long broad flippers. The body region is actually deeper than wide, the opposite should be the case. There is a ridge running along the spine. The limbs are beautiful with a rounded anterior edge and a sharp crenulated trailing edge, perfect for producing lift. The hind limbs are noticeably larger as is typical among pliosaurs. The limbs are expanded where they meet the body accommodating all that strong musculature associated with swimming. The tail is short and laterally compressed slightly. The texture is quite rough which contrasts with the smooth skinned pliosaurs previously reviewed here. The flippers appear cracked and the tummy area is covered in irregular large scales, all nice details. The colouration is taken directly from the Walking with Dinosaurs TV series - is is speckled deep blue and white on the back and all over the flippers, the tummy is countershaded in white. It is a stunning and distinctive colour scheme - one that has shamelessly been duplicated by the new Procon Liopleurodon (review coming soon...). The WWD Liopleurodon is an amazing figure and one of my favourites. It is rare but sometimes available here Do you collect dinosaur toys? Then join Dinosaur Toy Forum now!

kaiyodo-archelon

Tomhet — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:38:39 +0000

kaiyodo-beetle

Tomhet — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:38:44 +0000

kaiyodo-ibis

Tomhet — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:38:52 +0000

kaiyodo-nipponites

Tomhet — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:39:00 +0000

kaiyodo-nipponites2

Tomhet — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:39:10 +0000

yujin-acanthostega

Tomhet — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:39:16 +0000

im000322

Tomhet — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:35:06 +0000

im000321

Tomhet — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:36:58 +0000

postosuchus1

Tomhet — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:41:41 +0000

Apatosaurus (Galaxy/Safari, 'Great Dinos' Collection)

plesiosauria — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:53:32 +0000

We reviewed this figure briefly before (here) but thanks to Atomic Elephant who sent us a review sample, we can now give this hefty figure a little more attention. There are two versions with differing paint schemes, a blue design and the grey/blue design, which we present here (although it look blue in our photos because of the lighting!). As I have said before, I am rather keen on the Great Dinos collection because they combine large size and quality sculpting with very reasonable prices. At about 40cm long, the Apatosaurus is one of the largest in the 8-part set, but the hollow lightweight nature reduces the impact of high shipping costs often associated with sauropod figures. The tail curves at the tip so the figure is not as long is it could have been but the twist at the tail tip adds to the fluidity of the pose. All four feet are in contact with the ground but the front left foot is in the process of being lifted creating a dynamic pose. The neck is positioned quite high forming an 's' shape and the tail is raised above the ground. There is some nice attention to detail, the claws are distinct with the thumb claw enlarged, the hip bones and spine jut out and there are wrinkles and muscle blocks running along the length of the animal, especially the neck. However, these details are often lost, or their impact is reduced by the rather crude paint job. The claws are sprayed in light green tones, as is the belly, the back is sprayed with darker grey in wide bands on the neck and tail. The head is quite nicely sculpted but unusually coloured - the eyes are blotchy and bloodshot and for some reason the teeth in my figure have been neatly painted onto the right side of the mouth, but omitted completely from the left side. Perhaps this reflects poor quality control, which again links to the cheaper tag price. Overall, this is a nice figure, just don't get too close - the details don't stand up to scrutiny. This review was sponsored by Atomic Elephant who kindly provided us with the review figure.

Baryonyx (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:18:59 +0000

Baryonyx figures have a tendency to be produced in a quadropedal posture, this is most notable in the Schleich version (reviewed here) and the Invicta version (reviewed here), and almost the case in this, the Carnegie Collection version by Safari Ltd. I say 'almost' because one hand contacts the floor but the other one is marginally lifted. This is a lean, almost malnourished version of Baryonyx - clearly this individual has gone for a number of days without a fish supper. The animal is leaning forwards with the tail high in the air and the legs spread wide, it makes a nice fishing pose for those interested in dioramas. The neck is raised but straight (not 'S'-shaped as in other theropods) and the mouth is wide open with a tongue flicking up. The enlarged thumb claw, the 'heavy claw' from which the name Baryonyx derives, is clear in this sculpt. The sculptor should also be commended for the head which although quite roughly done, is accurately narrow and bears a single crest on the midline in front of the eyes. Many figures of spinosaurids get this area wrong because they only see pictures of the skull in side view and presume there are two crests, one above each eye. This mistake is present in the Papo and new Schleich Spinosaurus figures (reviewed here). There are openings for the ears and the eyes are big and deathly black. The colour is quite a stunning green with chocolate brown bands on the flanks. The claws are white, the eyes black (with no pupils) and the mouth is pink and the teeth are highlighted in white. The figure is smallish at about 18 cm long. This review was sponsored by Atomic Elephant who kindly provided us with the review figure. Collect dinosaurs? Join like-minded folk at the official forum of the Dinosaur Toy Blog: it's free!

Liopleurodon (Procon)

plesiosauria — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:18:34 +0000

Pliosaurs again! This time we will sample Procon's offering which is a Liopleurodon. This is the second plesiosaur produced by Procon, the first one being the elasmosaurid Hydrotherosaurus (reviewed here), but this is their first pliosaur. Procon are tending to divide collectors with their new lines. On the pro side they are particularly diverse and cover a wide range of often overlooked species. They are also all pretty small (they are not to scale to each other), which makes them cheap. These factors combine to make them highly collectible. On the other hand, many (in my opinion, most) of the Procon sculpts just don't push the right buttons, they are often cartoony in appearance and quite crudely made. Procon seems to straddle the boundary between rubber Chinasaurs on one hand and museum quality replicas on the other, not really fitting into either category comfortably, but extending into both from figure to figure. In balance though, I look at Procon in a very positive light and I hope they succeed and produce more figures in the future. Having preempted that procon figures include hits and misses, you will be pleased to hear that the Liopleurodon is one of the hits. At 18 cm long it is the smallest pliosaur we have reviewed so far. The proportions are accurate: there is a distinct but short neck and the body is short. The only major anatomical details I can fault are the position of the flippers - the front limbs are pulled downwards and forwards pushing the boundaries of what was physically possible, similarly the hind limbs are pulled back rather far. But the shape of the flippers is well done. The head is nicely detailed - obviously influenced by the Liopleurodon in Walking with Dinosaurs and therefore similar to the Toyway Liopleurodon (reviewed here). It differs in that the mouth is closed and so the teeth (which are individually sculpted) interlock in a neat mesh - this is the only pliosaur figure with the teeth occluded in this way and it is very impressively done. The nostrils are retracted near to the eyes which are red with black pupils facing upwards - it looks a little subdued! There is a fold of skin extending along the side of the neck and hanging down on the side of the body between the flippers. There is no reason to think pliosaurs had this feature but it is subtly done. The backbone is raised so the back is arched. The colour scheme is beautifully done with deep blue and contrasting white patches on the back and sides and a white belly. This, too, is obviously based on WWD, presumably a conscious decision to help punters recognise and identify with the beasty. Although it looks nice, I would have rather seen Procon do something more original. To their credit though, they at least added a unique peachy hue on the underside of the jaws and on the sides of the body, these work very well. Overall, I'm very happy with this figure and I am very sure that it will be one of Procon's bestsellers, if not the best. Available here for just $4.95 Like this toy? Tell like-minded folks what you think at the Dinosaur Toy Forum.

schleich-baryonyx

Tomhet — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:21:25 +0000

schleich-baryonyx2

Tomhet — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:21:43 +0000

schleich-baryonyx3

Tomhet — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:24:13 +0000

schleich-baryonyx4

Tomhet — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:24:39 +0000

Nipponites (Kaiyodo)

Tomhet — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:12:20 +0000

So here at last is the promised second installment of the strange cephalopods brought back to life by the dino companies we love so much (the first installment was the Polyptychoceras). In time I will probably feature many other ammonites and even belemnites. Now we have here the amazing Kaiyodo Nipponites, based on a Late Cretaceous heteromorph ammonite found mainly in Japan (the name is not gratuitious, although it has been found also in North America), arguably the most bizarre-looking shell of all times: like many other heteromorphs, lots of fossils have been found, but not many complete specimens exist, which also makes it difficult for us to envision them. I read somewhere that paleontologists thought at first that such pattern must have been of pathological origin; not so long ago some even believed that the strange shape originated when the animal had died, leaving a weak shell which had collapsed, but it's been proven that the growth of the shell and the design itself, a tridimensional labyrinth of well-formed U's, were quite regular, despite the grotesque appearance. Actually every healthy ammonite displayed regular whorls and its coiling patterns can even be projected into perfectly stable mathematical models. In reality, despite the impressive fossil record (one of the most reliable), we know very little of these animals: Were they related to octopus? Were the shells external or internal? Were they benthic creatures or were they able to float in the water column? We are used to see the traditional renditions of ammonoids, but we could still be wrong about practically everything. Therefore a little 'poetic' license can be forgiven: the head of the Nipponites seems to be based on the nautilus' head (one can see a pic of it here for reference), but the more orthodox reconstructions make it look octopus-like. This is so because some paleontologists think that the ammonoids were more related to the octopus. Since practically no soft tissues have been found so far, we don't know for sure. We had already seen this reconstruction on another prehistoric cephalopod, the Kaiyodo Rayonnoceras (soon to be reviewed). Indeed, the head of the Nipponites looks like a smaller version of the nautilus-like head of the Rayonnoceras. It is remarkable because the soft part of the Kaiyodo Polyptychoceras was reconstructed like an octopus (perhaps different artists?). Exquisite detail graces the head, and so does a delicate paint scheme of silver dots and streaks over a pink background. The tiny tentacles seem grouped together, as if the animal were propelling itself. Like usual, the shell on this reconstruction is external, not internal (i.e. no skin covers it). They were able to translate every detail of the warped body into plastic, including the regular rectiradiate ribs (found everywhere) and the more pronounced ones (found only near the aperture). The red paint is splashed almost parallelly to the ribbing, making irregular lines on the small ribs and a netted pattern on the bigger ones. The background color is bone-yellowish. This collection was produced exclusively for the National Museum of Nature and Science from Japan. These figures can only be found today at the museum (although I've been told that they were sold on Ebay years ago). The figure comes in a plastic bubble (a truly bad way to market them, these critters rattle around a lot, the material is very brittle and some of the figures break quite easily) it includes a sheet with facts. The Nipponites comes already assembled but you still need to put it on the rock and then on the base. The figure is close to the 100:100 scale, since it measures less than 15 cm from top to bottom, although the base makes it look bulkier. Visit our forum to discuss more figures! :D Pics and diorama by Tomhet

kaiyodo-xenacanthus

Tomhet — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:43:58 +0000

First Dinosaur Toy Forum Diorama Contest - Winners!

plesiosauria — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:08:39 +0000

I'm delighted to announce the winners of the recent First Dinosaur Toy Forum Diorama Contest. Thanks to everyone who entered and voted! We had a total of seven unique entries and seventeen members cast their votes to decide the winners. All of the entries can still be seen here on the Dinosaur Toy Forum, the companion forum to this very blog. Each winner will be awarded with a 'medal' in the form of a banner :) And without further ado, the winners are as follows. In first place and picking up the gold banner was Bokisaurus with a spectacular diorama featuring a herd of Sauropods. In second place was Crazycrowman whose feathered dinosaur theme diorama won the silver banner. Third place is shared by two winners, Tyrannax and Tomhet are both awarded a bronze banner. Tomhet produced the only underwater theme diorama in the contest while Tyrannax produced a diorama with T. rex. Congratulations to all of the winners! Don't forget to look out for the second contest coming in 2009!

Xenacanthus (DinoTales series 6 by Kaiyodo)

Tomhet — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:48:26 +0000

Parallel to the 'cephalopod' series, I now inagurate the 'fish' series, which hopefully will be as extensive as the other one. The Xenacanthus was a Permian shark that lived mainly in the swamps where the Dimetrodon roamed (Bakker has speculated that Dimetrodon actually fed on this freshwater fish; there is no direct evidence but to me it makes sense, since Dimetrodon was huge). From what I've heard though, it could also live in the sea. This shark appeared during the Carboniferous and became extinct during the Triassic (a long time when you think of it!). So although this shark may not have been at the top of the foodchain, it must have been a well-adapted predator (it was a fearsome creature, some specimens were 4 meters long). Its most distinct characteristic is the long spine protruding from its head (some say that this spiny projection could have been poisonous, which would make it a nice defense, but we don't really know why it was there). The toy doesn't require assembly (it's one single piece, no base). The material is as always very brittle, so one must be careful with that spine. For those not familiar with the Kaiyodo line, this is rather smallish (10 cm approx.) but would go perfectly with a Dimetrodon like the Carnegie one. The paint job is lively: two shades of shiny green paint (at parts almost metallic) with black and yellow stripes on top, belly completely white. What really caught my attention was the almost geometric feel of the head, something not seen on other figures from the same series. The rendition is very faithful: good proportions, all the fins in the correct places; also notice the caudal fin, different from the forked tails of other sharks, which is called heterocercal; the caudal fin of this shark was straight and most likely there was membranous tissue on it, which is reflected on our replica of today, since the elegantly undulating tail has transparent brownish ridges. The spine is also transparent. The head is close enough to the fossil remains to be considered accurate (maybe just small details, like the position of the eyes and the spine, but nothing significant). On the other hand, the designers chose to cover with skin the curious leaf-like structure of the pectoral fins (you can see a good illustration of what the radiated fin should have looked like here; we see a smooth fin on the Kaiyodo Xenacanthus instead). It is also curious that they put the 2 appendages near the genital aperture (which is also nicely sculpted by the way!) not paired but in a row. Perhaps paired appendages would be more useful during mating? This one is out of production but most Kaiyodos can still be found on Ebay. The only caveat is that sellers can be very abusive when it comes to pricing the Kaiyodos. We invite you cordially to our forum! Dinosaur Toy Forum

Utahraptor (Kenner, Jurassic Park series 2)

plesiosauria — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:40:15 +0000

Reviewed by Cordylus If you you are looking for an up-to-date, scientifically accurate dinosaur, this guy isn't for you. However, if you like cool, vicious-looking, fun to play with dinosaurs, this figure is perfect. If you want to look at the Kenner Utahraptor with a scientist's eye, there are very many problems; The short and bendy tail, the wrong positioning of the hands, the huge feet, the lack of feathers, and the over-sized claws. Regardless, I like to think of it as a mutated "park" animal, that would be stalking in the jungles of Isla Sorna (Jurassic park site B). There are many things I like about this "raptor". The big teeth, the huge claws, the tiger-like paint scheme. The sculpt has very nice detail, I especially like the little scales on the fingers and toes. It is about 15 inches long, and made of a very soft rubber. There is a button underneath his tail "skin", when you press it his legs kick forward, his mouth opens up a bit, and he lets out a terrifying "scream" (it sounds like a halloween doormat). When Jurassic Park was being made, they made the "velociraptors" about the size of utahraptors, although utahraptors hadn't been discovered yet. Not long after Jurassic Park was made, utahraptor was discovered, and it fit almost perfectly to the body shape of the Jurassic Park velociraptors. In kenner's toyline, there were already Utahraptor-sized velociraptors in scale with the humans, so when they did make a toy utahraptor, it was way oversized compared to the humans. In real life, the "raptor" would have been about thirteen feet tall, and about 25-26 feet long- much larger than a normal Utahraptor. All in all, this is a pretty nice toy- Although it is unsatisfactory when it comes to accuracy. This toy is out of production and therefore pretty hard to find and expensive nowadays, I was lucky to get mine for $20. MIB (mint in box) samples of this toy have gone as high as $80 - it is occasionally available on Ebay with other vintage Jurassic Park figures. Join the Dinosaur Toy Forum! Images from JPToys.com (used with permission) - a great site for Jurassic park merchandise information!

Edaphosaurus (Bullyland)

libraraptor — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:33:41 +0000

Review by Stefan Schröder ('Libraraptor') This figure is not a dinosaur but a very felicitous reconstruction of a plant-eating pelycosaur from the Lower Permian period. Once again Bullyland proved they are able to create realistic and authentic figures of extinct animals. I said felicitous because the Bullyland Edaphosaurus is very authentic in many aspects. The skin pattern is very detailed and its colouring is credible, yet perhaps a little bit boring. The shape of the head is realistic; the brim of the sail on the back is red with two red dots in the middle, maybe for intimidation of competitors, maybe for courtship, maybe for physiological reasons. There is another aspect I appreciate: the reconstruction does not look like it is made of rubber but because of the colouring and skin pattern like a resin version of a higher quality. Altogether I recommend this figure to every collector who is not only fixed on dinosaurs but wants to extend his collecting passion on other extinct animals. A great contribution to every collection! The figure can occasionally be found on Ebay Collect dinosaurs? Why haven't you joined in the talk at the Dinosaur Toy Forum Picture by 'Sbell', used with permission

Tyrannosaurus rex (baby) (Jurassic Park: 'Dinosaurs 2', Kenner)

plesiosauria — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:40:19 +0000

Review by Cordylus This little guy is one of my favorite Jurassic Park repaints, the original baby rex was released as part of the first wave of Jurassic Park: The Lost World figures (Series 1). The repaint was released later under the 'Dinosaurs 2' line - the figure comes with a human and some accessories, but this review will just look at the dinosaur itself. Any inaccuracies that one can find can be easily dismissed- this is, after all, a baby, so of course proportions and things like that would be open to debate. This little baby is very cute, he is pretty chubby and has fat little arms. His feet and legs are very long and oversized, adding to the cute baby look. He has little needle teeth, and large eyes. He is scaly, no downy feathers (as some paleontologists now suppose) and he looks quite good this way. His tail sways to the right and then the left. He has five points of articulation - Legs, arms, and jaw. He is hard plastic, not rubbery like some other jurassic park dinosaurs and he stands perfectly fine on two feet. His color scheme is very nice too- the original figure was purple and brown but the repaint is a nice dark blue-gray on the back, which fades into a periwinkle color. He has nice light blue stripes running down is body, some of which are outlined in black. He has a white "JP" symbol on his leg, maybe he was captive-bred? His eyes are red with black slit pupils- this contradicts the movie, as the animals in Jurassic Park had circular pupils. Maybe this is a different subspecies, or a genetic mutation! His teeth are very curiously painted, the bottoms of the teeth are painted white, while the sides are painted black - Maybe he has tooth rot? This little guy is great for any collection- and he is quite common and cheap. If you are lucky, he can still be found at some KB toy stores, and it is quite common if you search for Jurassic Park toys on Ebay. Images from JPToys, used with kind permission - a great site for Jurassic Park toy information!

Stenonychosaurus / Troodon (Invicta)

libraraptor — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:42:00 +0000

Review by Stefan Schröder (alias Libraraptor) This Invicta Stenonychosaurus/ Troodon is already 21 years old and still one of the best coelurosaur reconstructions that have ever been made. I really like this very credible sculpture for it has many details which are not obvious at first sight. Since the scale is larger than the typical Invicta scale they could afford giving it real eyeballs. The shape of the snout has been carved out accurately and has distinct nostrils. The tail hits the eye immediately – the figure is very balanced and portrays the presumed agility of these small dinosaurs. The posture is good but it is the only Invicta dinosaur to need a supporting base (a different colour to the rest of the figure), to which the feet attach in sockets, but it pays off. The dinosaur looks like pausing after a quick sprint, watching out either for prey or for predators, always ready to continue its sprint. 20 years ago there was no “feathered dinosaur” discussion and, to be honest, I could not imagine this kind of model wearing feathers, although the real Troodon probably had feathers. But who cares? This clearly is not an everyday dinosaur figure, it is an outstanding ambassador for the already outstanding Invicta line! The figure can occasionally be found on Ebay Non-stop dinosaur toy talk at the Dinosaur Toy Forum photos by 'Webdragon', used with kind permission

Micromachines dinosaurs (National Geographic Collection/ Micromachines)

plesiosauria — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:14:31 +0000

Micromachines, a brand noted for their wide range of miniature automobiles, stepped outside the box when they produced a series of dinosaurs in association with National Geographic. Obviously they are all tiny, a bit smaller than the figures in Kaiyodo's dinotales range, but they are quite nice and very collectible. Also like Kaiyodo, they are not to scale to each other. Detail from the back of the card of a showing the six different sets available. Six sets were produced, one including a set of skeletons (and tiny palaeontologists) (set 1), two sets of Jurassic dinosaurs (sets 2 and 3), and three sets of Cretaceous dinosaurs (sets 4-6) . Each set contained three dinosaur figures, nicely packaged on a card. Set 4 (pictured loose below) contained Brachiosaurus, Euoplocephalus and Pachycephalosaurus. The figures are jointed in places, the Brachiosaurus neck, the Euoplocephalus tail, the Pachycephalosaurus legs and arms, but otherwise they are static. The figures are nicely detailed but quite dull, and all quite similar in colour. The quadropedal figures in the line are freestanding but the bipedal ones are attached to a simple grey supporting base. Set 1 (pictured below, mint in box), contains Protoceratops, Ceratosaurus and a pterosaur. The skeletons are white with speckled dark bits. The pterosaur is interesting because transparent plastic indicates the outlines of the wing membranes. The details are general very fine and pretty accurate in the series, although there are some notable figures which are out of date (Spinosaurus and Deinonychus for example). Although they are out of production, they are often available for very little money, if you search for Micromachines dinosaurs on Ebay. Don't forget to join our free Dinosaur Toy Forum!

Tsintaosaurus (No company, exclusive to the Museum Of Natural History in Basel, Switzerland)

libraraptor — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:05:53 +0000

Review and photos by Stefan Schröder (alias Libraraptor) Tsintaosaurus is a dinosaur that has not been reconstructed as a figure very often. To be honest, I do not even know of one company that has produced it, maybe our readers know more? However, the Tsintaosaurus of this review was not produced by a special company but is an exclusive version apparently produced for the Museum Of Natural History in Basel, Switzerland. I originally stumbled across it last summer in a cabinet at the school where my best friend teaches biology. I fell in love immediately and detected its strong resemblance to the Invicta line. After a period of research and help from members of the dinosaur toy forum, I discovered that the Museum Of Natural History in Basel had this model made more than 15 years ago on the occasion of a special exhibition "Dinosaurs from China", after an example manufactured by their chief preparator. I still do not know if these models have been manufactured by Invicta, hence the strong resemblance, or another plastic factory. These plain black models did not sell well in their shop - "Those black models did not sell well in our shop - too big was the competition with the colourfully, if not very correctly manufactured ones", says Renate Müller from the museum shop. I can't really understand this because In my opinion the Tsintaosaurus figure is really nice. It is 20cm long and 8cm tall. If not of the great quality typified by the Invicta line, it is still one of the better hadrosaur reconstructions out there. The upright posture can surely be discussed, as well as the posture of its arms. But the skin pattern is very detailed and so is the head. The duckbill, the spine and the supposed “sail” between it and the rest of the skull are of great detail, and so are the eyeballs and the nostrils. Together with the special story that connects me to this animal, this figure will always be a very special one for me. For all the other collectors, especially the ones with an Invicta bias, it could become a strange addition to their collection. As far as I know they don´t have that many anymore in Basel, but you can try to get one at nmb@bs.ch Interested in this figure - check out the relevant thread at the Dinosaur Toy Forum.

Procynosuchus (Bullyland)

libraraptor — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:01:54 +0000

Review and photos by Stefan Schröder (alias Libraraptor) Today I want to introduce to you an extraordinary Bullyland figure that is not available that easily: The Procynosuchus from the “Korbacher Spalte” in Germany (“cleft of Korbach”). Also called the “Korbach dachshund”, this 'mammal-like reptile' has been found in a cleft where Permian layers outcrop, about 256 million years old. The cleft is now canopied, being a popular place for tourists interested in the history of life. Procynosuchus (“Pre – Dog – Crocodile”) was about 60 cm long; not much is known about his mode of life. Some scientists suppose it had an otter-like lifestyle while others think it lived like a modern wolf. So be it –Procynosuchus has become a hallmark and a mascot of the town Korbach in Hessen, Germany, who dedicated this animal a small museum that´s really been arranged quite lovely. You can find a big diorama, cabinets on fossilisation and much more. As far as I know, the museum in Korbach has been dedicated the Bullyland version of the animal exclusively, so it can only be bought there, which I find is very enthralling. A German animal reconstructed by a German company, only available in one museum shop. That´s fascinating, isn’t it? The reconstruction itself is very detailed. It is 10 cm long, 4 cm tall, a light brown colour with darker stripes for camouflage, a somewhat doleful mien, the legs erect and the tail lift off the floor - everything has been made quite correctly and authentically. I especially love the topview because it shows the animal is being depicted in an elegant forward movement, maybe fleeing an predator or even predating itself. The skin pattern does not show any scales but mammal – like folds, it's a pity that the supposed whiskers cannot be reconstructed in a rubber model of this size. I recommend you to try to order this rare figure at the Korbach Museum in Hessen, Germany. You may wish to contact them, I am sure you will be welcomed!

About the authors

plesiosauria — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:49:40 +0000

There are several regular reviewers for the Dinosaur Toy Blog. Dr Adam Stuart Smith (aka 'Plesiosauria' on the blog and 'Dinotoyblog' on the forum) Adam launched the Dinosaur Toy Blog in July 2007 and followed up with the Dinosaur Toy Forum in January 2008. In terms of figures he is primarily interested in marine reptile figures, especially plesiosaurs. Adam also runs The Plesiosaur Directory website and has published several popular and technical papers on fossil marine reptiles. Tomhetleere Tomhet's mainly interested in prehistoric fishes and amphibians, but he also likes extinct invertebrates and marine reptiles. He has devoted a number of years to literature and language studies although prehistoric animals have been a big part of his life for years now. As some may have noticed by now, he prefers to review obscure animals. Stefan Schröder (aka 'Libraraptor') 31-year-old social worker Stefan Schröder is a dinosaur enthusiast since he was seven years old. Being a dinosaur figure collector since he met the Invicta Diplodocus at a bookstore, his fever never stopped. He usually reviews books and records, and now dinosaur figures. He lives with his wife and daughter in Ostentrop, Germany. Libraraptor was intended to mean "book robber", connecting his passion for both books and dinosaurs. Unfourtunately after looking it up in a dictionary, Stefan found out that "Libraraptor" does not mean "book robber" but "scale rubber". He now regards his nickname as an allusion to his overweight ;-) Itstwentybelow My name is Adam Frugé. I go by itstwentybelow on the forums. I have been fascinated by paleontology since I was three years old and have visited numerous fossil sites across North America, including Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada and Dinosaur National Monument in Utah, USA. I have displayed part of my collection in a state fair. In addition to dinosaur figures I also collect fossils. I currently live in Pullman, Washington where I am studying Anthropology at Washington State University, with special interest in human evolution and archaeology. Alex Fortes (aka "ÇórÐÿlû§ TrøþÏÐÔ§tèrÑüm™") Cordylus is mostly interested in theropod dinosaur figures (although all dinosaur figures will do), along with shark figures. He likes to review well-known prehistoric animals as opposed to more obscure ones. He also likes to make dioramas with his figures; he even arranged the First Official DTF Diorama contest. Along with dioramas, he very much enjoys drawing several species of dinosaurs. His forum name came from the scientific name of one of his pet lizards, Java, who is a forest armadillo lizard Cordylus Tropidosternum. Bokisaurus My forum name is Bokisaurus or "Boki" for short. My real name is Ashley. I started collecting dinosaur figures 13 years ago. When I started, I collected only figures from my favorite groups of dinosaurs: sauropods, ceratopsians, and duckbills. It's only within the last 8 years that I started adding figures from all the different groups. Besides collecting dinosaur toy figures, my other passion in life is Art and the outdoors. I take every opportunity I have to go out to the coast or the forest, taking some dino figures with me to make dioramas as an added bonus! I live in Seattle, Washington where it's always sunny :o) Chris DiPiazza (aka Griffin8891) Chris has worked with exotic animals for seven years now and has been a wildlife exhibitor, bringing live animals to camps and schools to educate children, for almost four years. In addition to living animals, he has an equally, if not stronger affinity for prehistoric ones as well. He also loves drawing, sculpting and painting and has recently illustrated a series of illustrations of dinosaurs to be used in lecture slides at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ (which can be found under his thread in the art section of the forums). As far as dinosaur models go, he does not consider himself a true collector, but one who buys only what truly interests him. He loves all species of dinosaurs and other manner of prehistoric creatures but ultimately, he considers the Ceratopsians his favorites. Marc Vincent (aka 'Horridus') My name's Marc Vincent although I go by 'Horridus' on the forums. As a journalism student at a lesser university in the UK my interests include current affairs, dinosaurs (naturally!) and drinking myself to an early grave. Being a shameless populist my favourite extinct dinosaur is Tyrannosaurus; out of those extant it is surely the European magpie, Pica pica. I collect figures in a vain attempt to fill the awful, aching void in my soul and also because, you know, they're cool to look at, and I find extinct animals fascinating - dinosaurs in particular Emperordinobot under construction Tyrannax under construction Dan Liebman under construction Do you want to be a reviewer for The Dinosaur Toy Blog? We are always delighted to accept contributions from our readers and appreciate every one! If you think you can help, please send your figure review together with at least one photograph of the figure to plesiosauria@gmail.com. All accepted authors will be credited and invited to appear in the above list of authors. Don't forget to check through the archives to see if your figure has already been reviewed.

Andrewsarchus (Prehistoric Life Collection by Safari Ltd)

itstwentybelow — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:07:44 +0000

Review and photos by 'Itstwentybelow' Andrewsarchus was a large basal mesonychid which existed roughly 45 million years ago during the Eocene epoch. It is known only from a large skull measuring more than three feet long and a few bone fragments, so most reconstructions of the animal’s postcranial anatomy are based on its smaller and more well known mesonychid relative Mesonyx. If the proportions of Andrewsarchus were similar to Mesonyx in life, then this animal may be the largest terrestrial predatory mammal known to science. The name means “Andrew’s ruler” and was named for the famous American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, whose team discovered the skull during an expedition to Mongolia in 1923. Andrewsarchus is rarely depicted in toy lines and this model is the only currently widely available version. Luckily it is also the best. The figure is about 4.5 in. long and is in roughly 1:40 scale which is always nice to see, just like Hans there in the photos. The animal is in a striding position, snarling with its ears pulled back as if sizing up prey or a rival Andrewsarchus. The predominant color is a yellowish tan which is darker on the back and lighter on the belly. The figure is detailed to look like it is covered in fur, which I think works fine here. The cranium and snout are a chocolate brown color. Faint brown stripes are present on the sides and legs, with some spots on the “cheeks”. In terms of accuracy, it resembles a typical mesonychid. It’s anyone’s guess as to what it really looked like but I’m sure it wasn’t too far from this and the sculptors did a great job. Mesonychids, unlike modern Carnivora, had hooves instead of claws on their feet and it was nice to see these not only present on this figure but also a different color from the rest of the foot. It was, however, odd to see paw pads on the bottom of each foot but hey, who knows I guess. They add nice detail. This is the first reproduction of this animal I’ve seen with the tassel of fur on the end of the tail, but more details are fine. The eyes have individual pupils. The canines are large and prominent. The entire skull for that matter is very faithful to the holotype. Overall I think this is a great figure and one that anybody interested in prehistoric mammals, or paleontology for that matter, should have. This is like the mammal T.rex here! It is cheap, accurate (as accurate as it can get!), dynamic, and 1:40 scale. What more could a collector ask for? Available here for just $4.99

Doedicurus (Prehistoric Life Collection by Safari Ltd)

itstwentybelow — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:28:03 +0000

Review and photos by ‘Itstwentybelow’ Doedicurus was a large genus of glyptodont sporting a bony carapace and a tail ending in a spiked club. These adaptations may have been for defense from Smilodon, which coexisted with Doedicurus, but the club may also have been used during confrontations with other Doedicurus. These animals could reach 12 feet in length and weigh as much as a Volkswagen Beetle. Doedicurus fossils have been discovered in North and South America where it flourished during the Pleistocene, becoming extinct at the end of the Pleistocene Glaciation roughly 10,000 years ago. It is one of the more well known Pleistocene megafauna and it is possible that early paleoindians utilized the animal as a source of food, though no evidence for this has been found. It is always nice to see a new genus introduced in replica form. I think it’s great that Safari chose to give us a new animal when they could have easily gotten away with dropping the tried and true Glyptodon on us. The figure is 4 inches long and is in roughly 1:40 scale, which I think is a big bonus with a figure. The armor is painted with a metallic silver color, as are the claws. Some of this color is splashed on each foot as well, but I’m not sure if it is intentional or just sloppy painting. The fur is a rusty brown, and this color also shows between the individual scutes on the carapace. The spikes on the club are dark yellow. The bottoms of the feet have a cool fleshy look. The animal is posed in such a way that it appears to be swinging that massive club. The figure is leaning to the right, putting its full weight behind the swing. I think this was a brilliant way for Safari to give what would otherwise have been a boring figure a touch of life. As far as glyptodonts go this figure is superb. Safari could have modeled it based off of Glyptodon and been fine, but they appear to have done a little research. The hump at the front of the carapace is characteristic of Doedicurus as opposed to Glyptodon (which had an egg-shaped carapace) and is faithfully reproduced here. The tail club and spikes are also not present in Glyptodon, and end up making for a more exciting figure, which is why I think Safari chose to produce Doedicurus instead. The head is typical of the glytodontidae with its boxy shape and large cheeks, as well as a patch of armor on the cranium. The ears may be a bit big but they’re passable. All in all, this figure is a very faithful reproduction of a prehistoric mammal which is quite well known from the fossil record. If you like expanding the genera in your collection or are a mammal enthusiast, this is for you. Available here for just $3.49 join the Dinosaur Toy forum!

Tyrannosaurus rex (Deluxe version, Procon/CollectA)

plesiosauria — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:14:42 +0000

Review and photograph by 'Tyrannax' What a great improvement! So far, we’ve seen countless common and unheard of dinosaur names released by Procon (Now called CollectA), but due to the large amount of toys sold each year from this company, some will claim this affected the sculpt quality. Regardless of sculpts quality, Procon has added flesh to the bone of many uncommon dinosaurs which have never been released before. Tyrannosaurus rex, undoubtedly the most popular prehistoric animal, has been released time and time again by almost every dinosaur toy company in existence. Procon, like all the other companies, has given this dinosaur a go and released two sculpts a standard version and a 'Deluxe' version (The Deluxe version comes in two sizes, normal and 'Giant', this review is concerned with the normal sized one). The deluxe is without a doubt “more bang for your buck”. Unlike its smaller counterpart, this tyrant stands 6 inches high, and over 11 inches long, putting it at a pretty impressive size. (Base not included) The colors of this deluxe figure are green, with a tint of blue overlapping yellow. Running down the length of the body are gray/dark blue stripes. The belly of this figure is pale with a tint of yellow added to it. The eyes are yellow with a black pupil dotted in the middle. The teeth are white (too white when painting a creature that ate other organisms all its life and didn’t keep up with its hygiene). The head of this creature has a dark, black tint to it, distinguishing itself from the rest of the body. The entire mouth including tongue, gums, and jaw connecting tissue is pink. The sculpt itself is quite nice. The skin, unlike most figures, is extraordinarily bumpy and rough. This feature of the Deluxe Tyrannosaurus adds a lot of detail when observing it. Although “Paleontologist Approved” as the tag says, this figure has a few anatomical errors. For one, the feet are a tad too large, and flat, the legs themselves are a bit too “stubby”, the arms are too large in comparison to its body, the neck isn’t bulky or muscled enough, and the head has a massive, Jurassic Park like crest over the eyes (it is now thought that Tyrannosaurus had little to no crest over its eyes) just to name a few. But aside from the inaccuracies it is one of the best figures for its size. The pose is one of the most conversed among hobbyists for its “Raul Martin” illustration posture - it looks as if it is a female Tyrannosaurus, hunched over during the mating process. It stands nicely on its two flat feet. Unlike most figures, it usually stands with no problem at all. Like we have seen with WwD Toyway and Battat, bipedal theropod toys that cannot stand are common. All in all, this figure is worth the purchase, and is widely available at many online stores. The size, added with the overall details makes it one of the best and attractive tyrannosaurs on the market.

Stegosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 12:20:37 +0000

Review and photographs by 'Tetonbabydoll' The first impression one might get when they see this Stegosaurus figure is its small size. The figure measures 6 inches long and 3.5 inches high at the tip of the highest plate. It is roughly the size of the original Carnegie and Battat stegosaurs. It was released in 2008 as part of Safari Ltd's 'Wild Safari' line, which is ever-growing in quantity and quality. Even though it is not large, it is still quite striking, at first glance this is due to the coloration chosen. The main body is painted a red along the top half, and a tan on the bottom. The two main colors divide the body about in half. They are separated with a dark brown line going down the body in a waving pattern. The tan belly is dry brushed with a lighter sandy color, and the red fades into a dark brown on the top. This brown color bleeds directly up into the bottom part of the plates, which in turn fade back into red, and then tan at the tips, thus mirroring the body's coloring. This is also done with the tail spikes, though the red is left out. The head is red, accented and shaded with dark brown. The mouth interior is bright pink, the eyes bright yellow with round black pupils. The toes are picked out in dark brown. This color pattern seems garish and bright at first glance, yet somehow it all works. As for the sculpt itself, this has to be my favorite Stegosaurus toy ever. It is nearly perfectly proportioned, and the animal is posed mid-stride, with its left front foot raised up off the ground. The tail is held high up and straight, with only a slight side to side s-shape. I personally feel that the tail may be just a bit on the short side. The plates number 25 and are arranged in an alternating double row. They are nice and large in proportion to the body. The tail spikes are long and project up and outwards in a 'v' shape. There is a great deal of muscle detailing visible in the legs and body, and the faint impression of the ribs can be seen.There are some nice folds of skin on the belly and joints. The main skin texture is comprised of many finely engraved criss- crossing wrinkles. A similar texture is also used on the plates. The details are crisp and well defined. The head of this figure is one of its most astounding features. It is tiny. And I mean really, really tiny. This is one of the only mass produced toys I know of that correctly portrays just how small this animal's head really was. It is perched at the end of a long, slender neck that is slightly raised. The mouth is open as if the animal is bellowing. Despite its tiny size, there is a fairly good amount of detail engraved into the head, and again it is crisp and well executed. There are cheeks, jaw muscles and orbital bones visible. It is all well shaded and detailed. The tiny eyes are perfectly painted. The beak is well defined and detailed, down to the little nostrils. Many companies may well have skimped on detail and quality on a head this small, but not Wild Safari. Every aspect of this toy is incredibly well done. Many members of the Dinosaur Toy Forum know me as the guy who repaints everything, even Battats, so i guess the best praise I can offer about this figure is that it is one of only three figures, out a collection of 140, that has not, and will not be, repainted. There is really no need. I could change the color, make it different, but I could not make it look better. And, with that wonderful head, I truly doubt I could even match what Wild Safari has accomplished. My rating would have to be a 10/10. The WS Stegosaurus is available here for just $4.64

img_0946

itstwentybelow — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:40:52 +0000

Arsinoitherium (Prehistoric Life Collection by Safari Ltd)

itstwentybelow — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:55:28 +0000

Arsinoitherium was a large paenungulate mammal which lived roughly 30 million years ago during the late Eocene and early Oligocene epochs in Northeastern Africa. These animals would have superficially resembled modern rhinoceroses but were in fact more closely related to elephants. Unlike those of a rhinoceros, the massive horns of Arsinoitherium were comprised of solid bone. Arsinoitherium could reach over 10 feet in length and adults would have been largely immune to predation. The name means “Arsinoe Beast”, for the Egyptian queen whose palace was located near where the holotype was discovered. Safari has produced some of the most accurate and some of the more obscure prehistoric genera in recent years and their Arsinoitherium, released in 2005, is no exception. There are no other versions to compare it to, as this is the only Arsinoitherium replica released by any company that I’m aware of, but it does a good job of setting the bar. The figure is a little under 5 inches long and is within reason to be considered 1:40 scale, which is always good to see. The figure is predominantly gray, the same shade all over. However, the skin is highlighted with pinkish red, especially around the head, in such a way that it gives the skin a sort of raw, lifelike look, almost like a hippopotamus. It gives the figure a very unique and natural feel, and I have never seen this level of detail in a mammal figure. Another detail I noticed is that the pink paint inside the nostrils has a glossy look to simulate moisture (snot) inside, and it looks great. The skin is coarse and very wrinkly with a lot of detail. No part of this figure is smooth. The animal is posed dynamically in mid-charge with its mouth open in a bellow. This figure is very accurate and the skull is almost flawless. It is perfectly shaped and the sculptors remembered to include the two smaller ossicles behind the horns. The main horns are correctly proportioned to the rest of the skull and slightly curve up as they should. The elephantine feet each have the correct number of five digits, but I think the feet themselves are a little bit too wide and chunky. The limbs are a little short but they work fine. I should point out that the info on the tag states that the horns were hollow and were used as resonating chambers, but this is absolutely wrong because they were NOT hollow. To conclude, this is another cheap yet high quality, accurate reproduction by Safari of a genus few people besides paleontologists would recognize. I highly recommend it. Just don’t take the tag seriously.

Second Dinosaur Toy Forum Diorama Contest

plesiosauria — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:35:28 +0000

We are happy to announce that the Second Dinosaur Toy Forum Diorama Contest, sponsored by Fauna Casts, is now open! And this year there are prizes too! last year's winning diorama by Bokisaurus basic guidelines: -Entry is free. -All member of the Dinosaur Toy Forum, including staff, are invited to participate. Non-members wishing to participate are invited to register to the forum, this is free. -There are no categories. Your diorama has to be about prehistoric organisms (chalicotheres, stethacanthids, Triceratops, whatever-- as long as it is prehistoric!). -Each entry should be submitted as a jpg file and must be accompanied by a creative title. -The deadline is June 15th 2009! (entries received after 00.00 hours GMT June 16th will be invalid) (That gives you plenty of time to make either a jungle-y diorama or a ice age diorama.) -One diorama entry per member. -Your diorama entry should be sent to Cordylus via PM (private message) on the Dinosaur Toy Forum. -If you have entered a diorama, you can't send another to replace the first one! -Dioramas have to be new (never made before). -You have to be the maker of the diorama. Stealing somebody else's diorama will result in disqualification. -Photoshop is allowed, but the original photograph(s) must be your own. -Winners will be decided by a poll open to all forum members, entries will remain anonymous until the winners are announced. Prizes! This year there will be prizes for first, second and third place winners, courtesy of our kind sponsor Fauna Casts (by Dinonikes). There will be a Tyrannosaurus, a Dilophosaurus (see photos below), and a yet to be announced third figure! First place winner will get first choice, second place will get second choice and third place will get third choice. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Dinonikes. All three winners and the three runners up will also be featured in a special 'Winning Dioramas' blog entry. The prizes... The relevant discussion thread for comments and questions about the contest can be found here. Good luck and we look forward to seeing your dioramas!

kaiyodo-pteraspis

Tomhet — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:51:03 +0000

kaiyodo-pteraspis2

Tomhet — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:51:08 +0000

Pteraspis (Dino Tales Series 2 by Kaiyodo)

Tomhet — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:53:50 +0000

The Pteraspis was an Early Devonian fish and it's quite representative among heterostracans (primitive armoured fishes with no lateral fins as we know them and with no internal bone) as it defines the group of pteraspids. These had a more dynamic body plan, other early fishes, (like Sacabambaspis) are less fish-like. Pteraspids have already a forked tail that must have made them quite hydrodynamic, while the large chunks of armour protected them from the attack of predators (there were limits though, one must have in mind that there were really big threats back then, I have in mind the Sibbick image where a Pterygotus is chasing a group of Pteraspis). Undoubtedly this guys was a peaceful algae and plankton grazer, the mouth was barely large enough for the fish to filter properly. It's been speculated that it lived near the surface in the midst of clouds of food. But all good things have to end, after the first big radiation, agnathans stopped being succesful and were rapidly outmanoeuvered by other fishes. As a huge fan of prehistoric fishes, I truly treasure this unusual figure. There are not many heterostracan figures out there (the Starlux Drepanaspis comes to mind). It took me a while to find it, so if you see it, catch it, it's obviously an uncommon choice and it's marvelously detailed. The most representative things about Pteraspis: one, the large spiny projection growing on the back, and two, the large rostrum with also a long projection. Both are present on this representation, although perhaps both are larger than a conservative estimate would suggest. The rostrum is a little pointier than it should be. The main colour is brown orange, which is the color of the resin it's made out of. The bone plaques are covered with a pearl-like iridescence and have a pattern of spots and stripes. The spine and the rostrum become clearer (the base is semiopaque). The posterior part of the body, covered in beautifully detailed scales, is delineated by a black stripe and is decorated by tiny black and yellowish spots. The entry of the mouth is represented by a pinkish zone where the rostrum spine begins. Kaiyodo did an amazing job and there are more details if one looks closely. The shape of the tail (the lower lobe being more prominent than the upper one), the smaller spines, the bony protuberances of the dorsal shield and the tiny (albeit unpainted, which makes them almost invisible) eyes are there but what astonishes me is that on both shields we can see the rings that represent the growth stages of the animal (these markings are very typical on pteraspid fossils). As always, the details put to shame many larger series (sadly, that includes other Kaiyodo lines, such as Dinoland). It's very small (roughly 8 cm) but I can't think of a better figure.

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Tomhet — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:04:41 +0000

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Tomhet — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:08:13 +0000

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Tomhet — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:10:25 +0000

Tyrannosaurus Rex (DinoTales series 7 by Kaiyodo)

Tomhet — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:18:39 +0000

Tyrannosaurus Rex was a large theropod dinosaur that lived in north america from 68 to 65 million years ago. "Rex" is commonly called the "king of the dinosaurs", so it surprises me how many models do not do justice to the "king". This piece by Kaiyodo does it justice, and more. The sculpt is very nice. It is adorned with wrinkles and bulging muscles; they make it look very real and natural. The arms are very tiny and are tucked under the body, unlike many versions inspired by Jurassic Park. It has no giant pyramidal osteoderms above the eyes, instead it has a smooth "brow" and a light bump in front of each eye, just like there should be. One thing that surprised me was how they managed to get the tooth number correct, while companies like safari and battat couldn't. The teeth, also, aren't oversized. Thick muscles sit at the back of the jaws, making it look crocodile-like. The head, body and neck are curved into an "S" shape, with one foot off of the ground, as it appears to be sprinting and roaring at some unseen dinosaur. The base is also very nice; where the right foot of the tyrannosaur lifts off, there is raised mud patches-- very realistic. It's probably the best T-Rex of all the Kaiyodo miniatures (they also released a T-Rex for series 1 and series 5 but are rather bland). The color scheme is vibrant without being too neon. It is mostly blue and cream, with a light purple belly. The eyes are superb and are painted yellow with black pupils. The scales on the feet are highlighted in the same cream as the body, and there are lovely dark blue stripes on the tail. The tongue is dark pink. The paint is shinier than in other DinoTales series. All in all, this sculpt is very great and is recommended for any collection. If you are hesitant about paying (relatively) a lot of money for such a small figure (after all, it's less than 10 cm long), don't be. I was hesitant about this guy too, but I am very pleased that I bought him. He can be very easy to find on ebay (and he is cheap too!), so get him while you can! It also comes in a light yellow version. Review kindly submitted by forum member Cordylus

dilofight

Tomhet — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:27:37 +0000

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Tomhet — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:27:57 +0000

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Tomhet — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:28:15 +0000

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Tomhet — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:28:30 +0000

Dilophosaurus (Wild Safari)

Tomhet — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:34:38 +0000

Wow. Where do I start? This is one fantabulous replica, and it is new for 2009. It doesn't surprise me that Safari ltd. decided to make a Dilophosaurus for 2009-- After all, the only other dilophosaurs they made were the peculiar Carnegie pair from over a decade ago. This model is very nice. It's main colorings are red, cream, bluegreen, and dark brown. The eyes and the inside of the mouth appear to have a "glaze" on them, giving a "wet" look to them. The teeth are white with a brown wash over them, it makes them look nice and rotten. The sculpt, just like the colors, is very nice too. I love the detailing on the crests, the individually sculpted teeth(!), and the ear holes. His legs are long and thin; very bird-like. Like many birds, he also has large scales on his feet. The head seems rather odd is some spots though; The shape of the fenestra and the position of the nostrils could use some tweaking. He stands just fine on two feet, however, to accomplish that, you have to stand him on the edge of a table or desk--- The tip of his tail extends below the bottoms of his feet, so when he stands on a flat surface, he is in the hated "tripod" or "kangaroo" pose. Overall, this is a very fine replica, and it will look great in any collection. However, since this sculpt was released only a few days ago, it may be wise to wait a while so that any production problems can fix themselves. [gallery] Review, photos and diorama by forum member cordylus Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Plesiosaur (Dinocrats)

plesiosauria — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:34:05 +0000

Photographs by Peter Smith A full review of this figure will be added at a later date. Feel free to send your reviews to plesiosauria@gmail.com

Lambeosaurus (Collecta/Procon)

libraraptor — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:51:47 +0000

Review and photos by Stefan Schröder (alias Libraraptor) This Collecta Lambeosaurus is indeed a strange reconstruction of this upper Cretaceous hadrosaur. In this review I would like to explain why. But basics first: The Lambeosaurus measures 14, 5 centimetres in length and is 6, 5 centimetres tall. This corresponds to a 1:40 scale. Funnily its highest point is its very end, but more about that later. First of all there is its colouring. Except of the Invicta Iguanodon, few other dinosaur reconstructions have such a glaring colouring. It is yellow blended with cream tones. Especially the head is very nice, the crest and the snout being lovely coloured in red, light blue and green, while the bill and the cheeks are brown. The skin pattern isn´t scaly but shows many small knobs who probably are meant to hint at knuckles. Another aspect that makes the Collecta Lambeosaurus rather an unusual reconstruction is its posture. Other figures, for example the Invicta or the great Kayodo Dinoland Series one show it quadruped too, but with a much more bended spine, while this one here looks more mammal like. Besides, I have never seen such a fat Lambeosaurus figure. The neck isn´t S-shaped but straight so one can say that scientifically this reconstruction is probably not correct. As said above, the highest point is its very end. Another critical aspect are its hind feet who look very clumsy, looking more like the foot of a horse than that of a reptile. But in its whole appearance it is lovely, neat to look at and credible in its appearance. Collecta chose an approach to reconstructing a dinosaur deriving from a different way to interpret its skeleton. Maybe because of this unusualness I love this figure very much.

Edmontosaurus (Schleich)

libraraptor — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:56:29 +0000

Review and photos by Stefan Schröder (alias Libraraptor) It is time to pay tribute to a real classic: Schleich 1997 Edmontosaurus! Being a huge figure indeed, its size hits the eye immediately. It can compete with the 12 years younger Spinosaurus effortless: 26 centimetres long and 17 centimetres tall, it definitely is one of the larger hadrosaur reconstructions out there. The whole posture is consequentially bipedal, the skin pattern very detailed. The neck flesh is highly detailed. The head proves why these dinosaurs are called duckbills: The snout is very flat, with detailed nostrils and, well, somehow “sadly” looking eyes. Schleich usually does not pay much attention to colouring, and the Edmontosaurus is no exception. Its dull overall brown colouring is a bit boring on the one hand but stresses its monumental appearance on the other hand. I don´t know if this figure is really as rare as they say, sometimes it shows up on ebay.

Scelidosaurus (Invicta)

plesiosauria — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:02:19 +0000

A full review of this figure will be added at a later date. Feel free to send your reviews to plesiosauria@gmail.com

Elasmosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari)

plesiosauria — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:07:41 +0000

A full review of this figure will be added at a later date. Feel free to send your reviews to plesiosauria@gmail.com

Iguanodon (Walking with Dinosaurs Collection by Toyway)

plesiosauria — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:17:40 +0000

Although a full review will be added in time, I just had to highlight the hind feet on this figure. As you can see below, they look more like alien feet than dinosaur feet; the four pedestal-like toes seem out of place on an Iguanodon sculpt that is otherwise very accurate. A full review of this figure will be added at a later date. Feel free to send your reviews to plesiosauria@gmail.com

Pteranodon longiceps (Bullyland)

plesiosauria — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:29:19 +0000

One of several Pteranodon figures from Bullyland. This figure appears to represent P. longiceps and contrasts with Bully's smaller P. sternbergi figures (one reviewed previously: here) Notice the metal ring attached to the back so you can hang this figure for display. A full review of this figure will be added at a later date. Feel free to send your reviews to plesiosauria@gmail.com

Pteranodon (Invicta)

plesiosauria — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:35:54 +0000

A full review of this figure will be added at a later date. Feel free to send your reviews to plesiosauria@gmail.com

Huayangosaurus (Dinotales series 7 by Kaiyodo)

plesiosauria — Sat, 09 May 2009 09:20:57 +0000

This spikey Chinese stegosaur is hugely detailed for such a tiny figure (about 8 cm long). Kaiyodo has this down to an art and their figures are often tiny but very detailed and highly accurate. The Huayangosaurus figure is part of Kayodo's Dinotales line, specifically from Series 7, the most recent release. Accordingly it is one of the easier to find Kaiyodo figures. The bright lime green colour goes well with the chocolate brown plates and spines - the shoulder spines are especially huge. There are red highlights on the body and head. Like most Dinotales figures it arrives in a small number of pieces that snap together - but no glue is required. The posture is not as dynamic as other Kaiyodos, it's just standing there with its head down, browsing through Jurassic vegetation perhaps. The tail is raised and bears four spikes like its North American cousin Stegosaurus. The plates along the back form pairs of spikes, unlike Stegosaurus in which the plates are larger and staggered. It is usually available herefor no more than a few dollars.

Spinosaurus (2009) (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:32:13 +0000

Review by Dan Liebman of Dan's Dinosaurs In 2009, Safari released what they are hoping will be the definitive replacement of their original Carnegie Spinosaurus figure. The original, which bears the classic "Sail-backed Allosaurus" appearance, has seen two variants in color. This latest model seems to have adopted a decidedly natural set of hues, looking rather appropriate for a large predatory dinosaur. Casual observers might be quick to point out the similarities between this highly anticipated Spinosaurus and the one manufactured by Papo. While Papo remains a true giant when it comes to detail, their Spinosaur is known to have several issues with scientific accuracy (after all, it is based upon the model seen in the third Jurassic Park film). Carnegie's 2009 Spinosaurus is all about scientific accuracy; it is well known that the manufacturer collaborates closely with paleontologists when sculpting their figures. This figure looks lean and quick, not overly muscular and lumbering, but a fit carnivore which one can easily envision lingering near the edge of Egyptian waters, waiting for an ideal moment to strike like lightning. The body is primarily vanilla-toned, with a charcoal dorsal division. The prehistoric eyes are golden, and the mouth interior glistens nicely. A bit more definition in the fenestrae would have been nice, but it's scarcely missed. Most of the wrinkles in the body are running vertically, and the neutral coloring helps to make this texturing visible. Some may complain that the figure looks too plainly textured given its size, but I'd say it's about appropriate for a Carnegie. The flanks are lightly armored with attractive scutes, which might offer a bit too much friction under heavy child's play. Still, the rows of scutes make the Spinosaurus a pleasantly tactile figure to handle. The infamous dorsal sail is rounded nicely, though perhaps a bit too symmetrical. Like the Giganotosaurus, this Carnegie therapod relies on its curled tail to act as a third leg for support. Much like the slightly shorter Giganotosaurus, the tail tip can be easily balanced against other objects to give the Spinosaurus a more natural posture. Otherwise, the animal is impressively accurate. The forearms bear claws of proper proprtion, the slender skull has the distinctive nasal crest, and the jaws are properly lined with conical teeth suited to stabbing and holding fast to slippery prehistoric fishies. The figure even has the well-defined kink in the jaw, a distinguishing characteristic for the Spinosaurus and its relatives. In terms of size, this is easily the largest carnivorous dinosaur in the entire Carnegie Collection. It is less than an inch shorter than the Papo Spinosaurus, but otherwise comparable in size. You'd be hard pressed to find a high quality, accurate sculpt of this species for a similar price point. This figure does a great job of reflecting the primeaval, otherworldy quality of the dinosaur kingdom - it looks familiar, but alien at the same time. Perhaps it is so fascinating and terrifying for that very reason; it is something not of our world, something we were not meant to look upon. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

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cordylus — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:14:58 +0000

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cordylus — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:15:37 +0000

Cladoselache (Kaiyodo series 1)

cordylus — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:17:24 +0000

Ah, Caldoselache. The first shark! How exciting. Up for review today is the first rendition of the first shark, made by Kaiyodo. Cladoselache was believed to be a very agile and swift predator- This is very well represented in this replica. The smooth (and scaleless) skin, the large keels, and the thick caudal fin are all features of this replica that point to it being a swift predator. [gallery] Everything in this replica is relatively okay—The colors are nice (brown fading into grey with the flanks adorned with white spots), the pose is nice (the tail is slightly pushed off to the right), and the accuracy is very nice. The paint work on the gills is slightly sloppy, but it doesn’t really matter, as the figure is so small you really have to look at it closely to see anything out of the ordinary (it is about 2 inches long). The anal fins are joined together in kind of a “speed bump”—they are not separated and resin fills the place where a space is supposed to be. The lower jaw is also a little too pointed, I would have like it to be a bit rounder. There is one spine in front of each dorsal fin, just as there should be. All in all, this is a very sound replica—And if you like your prehistorical fishies, this guy is definitely for you. I think prehistoric sharks are sorely underrepresented in figure form. Currently this is the only Cladoselache out there, hopefully other companies will start making renditions of this guy! (I’m looking at you safari!) 9/10 stars

Tylosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:02:56 +0000

The second new addition for the Carnegie Collection in 2009 is a mosasaur - the ferocious Tylosaurus. Mosasaurs are a real rarity in toy form so this is an exciting release! The figure might be considered a replacement for the now retired Carnegie Collection Mosasaurus. I'll say from the start that the new Tylosaurus is a simply stunning replica - it blows poor old Mosasaurus out of the water. This is a sizeable piece, just short of 30 cm. The sinuous sculpt is full of energy and the mouth is wide open as if snapping at some unfortunate Cretaceous creature. The fins form rounded paddles and the individual digits are even visible supporting the webbed fins, the number of digits and their orientation is accurate. Mosasaurs used their long flattened tails for propulsion and the Carnegie Tylosaurus tail rightly has a gentle undulating appearance. One of the most impressive aspects of this figure is the huge attention to detail in and around the mouth. In overall shape the head is pointed and the slit-like nostrils are retracted. The teeth are individually sculpted, there are palatine teeth on the roof of the mouth and the tongue and gullet are sculpted in great detail too. The very front part of the mouth forms a pointed tip, which extends beyond the teeth - this is an accurate characteristic for Tylosaurus. The species name Tylosaurus proriger even means 'prow-bearing knob lizard' in reference to this anatomical feature. Safari have clearly been doing their homework, consulting with mosasaur specialist Mike Everhart has given this model a scientific edge. Although mosasaur skin is known to have been scaly, the individual scales were small and so they are not apparent at this 1/40 scale. The skin is therefore smooth and has a beautiful and fitting watery sheen. The animal is countershaded with dark green on the top and paler green and white on the underside. A striking series of deep green stripes run along the length of the body and down the tail. Sculptor Forest Rogers should be congratulated on this piece, which I highly recommend. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

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itstwentybelow — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:54:40 +0000

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itstwentybelow — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:54:54 +0000

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itstwentybelow — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:55:09 +0000

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itstwentybelow — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:47:59 +0000

Amebelodon (Prehistoric Life Collection by Safari Ltd.)

itstwentybelow — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:03:41 +0000

Amebelodon was a genus of prehistoric proboscidean which evolved along the Gulf Coast of North America roughly 10 million years ago during the late Miocene, eventually migrating to Asia via the Bering Land Bridge which would have connected Alaska and Russia. The animal became extinct on the North American continent about 6 million years ago but survived in Asia and Africa up until around 5 million. It belonged to a group called the gomphotheres, more commonly known as “shovel tuskers” due to the prominent, bizarre tusks of their lower jaws. Aside from its head, Amebelodon largely resembled a modern Asian elephant. It’s always great to see a new genus introduced in figure form, and Safari has recently been a leader in this obscure genus crusade. Although other notable gomphothere figures have been produced, such as the now-retired Bullyland Gomphotherium, this is the first iteration of Amebelodon that I am aware of. At a little over 5 1/2 inches long and 3 inches tall, it is the largest of Safari’s 2005 prehistoric mammal wave. If you like to see figures in scale with each other as I do, this fits the bill for 1/40 if you consider it to be of the species Amebelodon floridanus, which was generally smaller than an Asian elephant, while Amebelodon britti was among the largest proboscideans ever to have lived. The figure is mostly gray, the same color it was molded in, but there are details. The skin is wrinkly and elephantine, the tuft at the end of the tail is black, and the nails are painted a tan/yellow color. The tusks are yellowed and the lower pair show deep grooves, giving them a more lifelike appearance. The tongue inside its bellowing mouth is pink and the nostrils at the end of the trunk are as well. Lastly, there are the orange eyes, which are painted somewhat sloppily on mine, but I don’t know if they are all like that. This Amebelodon is in a walking, bellowing pose with the trunk raised. This is a very accurate figure, and Safari should be applauded. The skull is very true to life. The two deep recesses on top of the skull are represented well here, as are the position of the tusks. It is thought that gomphotheres had smaller ears, like an Asian elephant, and this Amebelodon exhibits this characteristic. The trunk reflects popular gompothere reconstructions, but as trunks do not readily fossilize, their appearance in gomphotheres is still the subject of speculation. The postcranial anatomy is very elephantine, as it should be. Kind of hard to mess that part up to any noticeable degree, as elephants are still with us. Curiously, the animal’s name is misspelled “Ambelodon” on the tag but is correctly printed Amebelodon on the figure’s belly. I dunno who was in charge of that one. I like this figure. I really do. Safari was really on the ball with mammals in 2005 and I wish they still regularly introduced new prehistoric mammal genera, but this guy is still available so get ‘em while they’re hot! This figure is very affordable at under $6 and you know you’ll be adding something new to your collection if you get it!

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itstwentybelow — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:01:39 +0000

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itstwentybelow — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:01:58 +0000

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itstwentybelow — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:02:15 +0000

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itstwentybelow — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:02:31 +0000

Sauropelta (Replica-Saurus by Schleich)

itstwentybelow — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:16:38 +0000

Sauropelta was a basal nodosaurid from the Early Cretaceous of North America, dating to around 115 million years ago. The name means “lizard shield”, pertaining to its intricate body armor. Compared to later, larger armored dinosaurs like Ankylosaurus, Sauropelta was a relatively small animal at roughly 16.5 feet long. The holotype specimen was discovered by Barnum Brown in Montana during the 1930s, but the genus Sauropelta was not formally described until 1970, by paleontologist John Ostrom, whose team unearthed additional remains in the same area. This unique figure was produced by Schleich during their glory days (2002-2005) and reflects the lovely diversity they were introducing to the Replica-Saurus line at this time. This is the only scale model reproduction of Sauropelta you’ll find from any major company. One of the first things you’ll notice is that this figure is small, at 5 inches long, and I think it is second only to the Desmatosuchus for being Schleich’s smallest. A full 2.5 inches of that is just tail! However, as I said before this was a small dinosaur and it is correctly scaled at 1:40. This figure is very green. The armor is a dark evergreen color, while the underside and legs are more of a lime green. The muzzle is tan, as are the spikes, the nails, and the top of each osteoderm. The skin is good and wrinkly for such a small figure, and the armor is nice and bumpy. The eyes are beady and black, but I think they give the figure kind of a dead appearance. The pose is a bit stationary but acceptable, and the mouth is open. Unfortunately, this Sauropelta is plagued by Schleich’s continuing trend of producing rather hit-or-miss sculpts. This one is mostly a miss. Sauropelta is an exceptionally well-known nodosaurid, so it baffles me that Schleich managed to screw this one up as much as they did. The biggest problem is certainly the figure’s spikes. The large shoulder spikes are completely absent, and the figure instead has spikes of uniform length running along the neck down to its rump on either side. In reality, Sauropelta’s spike rows were only present along the neck and they stop at the aforementioned prominent shoulder spikes, with none along its sides. The spike arrangement on this figure makes it resemble the closely related Pawpawsaurus more than Sauropelta. However, there are good things to say here. The head is not too goofy looking, and works fine for the figure’s size. Also, the tail is exceptionally long compared to the body, and this is characteristic of Sauropelta, although why Schleich remembered this trait and not the spikes is another head-scratcher. The rest of the armor is accurate enough for Sauropelta as well. Given its inaccuracies, I still like this figure. It’s unique, the coloration is great and it is a good generic reproduction of a nodosaurid if nothing else. If you like thyreophorans or Schleich, you may want to hunt this one down, but it may be a bit tough because this guy’s been retired for a few years and older Schleichs tend to go up quickly in price. I was lucky enough to find it in a store years ago, but now ebay is probably your best bet.

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itstwentybelow — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:41:51 +0000

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itstwentybelow — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:42:33 +0000

Carnotaurus (Boston Museum of Science Collection by Battat)

itstwentybelow — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:53:54 +0000

The abelisaurid Carnotaurus was a peculiar theropod from Late Cretaceous Patagonia which survived up until the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. At 30 feet long, Carnotaurus was likely a top predator in its ecosystem. The name means “flesh bull” and refers to the two wing-like brow horns protruding above the eyes and the animal’s characteristically short, deep skull. The holotype specimen was formally described by its discoverer, the famous South American paleontologist José Bonaparte, in 1985. The 2000 Disney movie “Dinosaur” helped moved the formerly obscure Carnotaurus into the public spotlight, albeit with a fancifully beefed up reproduction of the animal that approached T. rex in size, but also with the added bonus of more toy lines introducing their own version of Carnotaurus. The incredibly awesome Battat Carnotaurus, however, was not a product of movie hype. This figure was released in 1998 as part of the last wave of the Boston Museum of Science Collection, which was probably one of the best and most short-lived lines of dinosaur figures ever produced. It’s about 6.5 inches long, about 3.25 inches tall, and scaled at 1:40 (always a plus!). The color of this figure is just fantastic. Its back and stripes are jet black, while the underside and legs are blood red. In my opinion, this is one of the best theropod paint schemes ever produced, and it doesn’t suffer heavily from sloppy painting, which is a problem on other Battat figures like the Ceratosaurus. I might add that it somewhat echoes the coloration of the Jurassic Park Series II Carnotaurus, but is much more natural. The skin is very detailed, with folds in the neck skin reflecting the way the animal’s head is turned, and nice, accurate bumps running laterally in rows along the back and sides. The claws and horns are tan/yellow, the teeth are white and the inside of its open mouth is purple. The teeth are small but are individually sculpted. The eyes are yellow with black pupils and are ringed in red. The amount of detailing of the musculature, particularly in the legs, is astounding. Battat was definitely the name of the game in the 90s. The animal is taking a long stride, possibly hunting, with its mouth open in a growl. The pose is a tripod stance, but the tail is not dragging, with just the tip touching the ground, and this also saved the feet from needing “snowshoes” or being way too oversized like in the 2008 Schleich Allosaurus. The figures produced by Battat were and still are some of the most accurate out there, and this Carnotaurus is certainly no exception. Everything is proportioned beautifully. I am very critical of Carnotaurus sculpts because it is easily my favorite theropod. The skull is pretty much a flawless work of art, which is much more than can be said for Schleich’s Carnotaurus. The neck, which was unusually long for a theropod, looks great. The miniscule little arms are very accurate, if a little chunky, but I suspect that is from the molding process and to keep them from easily breaking off. The plastic used in some Battats was substantially more brittle than Safari or Schleich. I like how they are held underneath the body, whereas the Carnegie Carnotaurus looks like it wants to hug you. Carnotaurus is one of few theropods which we have great skin impressions of, and they show that the animal’s back and sides were covered in rows of “bumps”, which Battat has faithfully reproduced here. In short, this is the best museum line Carnotaurus ever produced. This is one of my absolute favorite dinosaur figures. I highly recommend it. Unfortunately it has been retired for over ten years now, so you’d be hard-pressed to find one at a decent price, but if you can, get it. I found mine in the gift shop at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, WA in the late 90s. It came in a window gift box that displayed information about the animal on the back. Someone needs to revive the Battat line because they were truly fantastic, and are yet to be matched.

Ankylosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sat, 23 May 2009 13:26:19 +0000

I'm pleased to announce that the Dinosaur Toy Blog recently received a number of review samples representing the entire Carnegie Collection, courtesy of Safari Ltd. So, prepare yourself for a Carnegie Collection bonanza of reviews over the next few weeks! We've already reviewed the two exciting 2009 additions to the Carnegie collection, the Spinosaurus and Tylosaurus, so now it's time to look at some of the other existing models in the line. Let's continue with the tank-like Ankylosaurus! The 19 cm long Carnegie Collection Ankylosaurus is a relatively new addition to the line, released in 2004. As far as ankylosaurs go the sculpt is quite active - the legs are striding and the head is raised with the mouth open. The heavy-duty tail club is hovering over the ground ready to swipe at any T.rex foolish enough to venture too close. The overall colour scheme is pale lime green with white armour, but there are some nice additonal details - a blue ring around each eye and two blue spots on the tail club. The inside of the open mouth is pink there is a little tongue just visible. The most distinctive aspect of the ankylosaurs is their armour, which consists of an array or studs, scutes and spines. In many ankylosaur toys the arrangement of these bony elements in rather generic, but the Carnegie Ankylosaurus presents a very particular distribution, which appears to be based on a recent restoration by Kenneth Carpenter published in 2004 (the same year this figure was produced). This indicates Safari's dedication to providing up-to-date and accurate figures. The four triangular horns on the head are highlighted in white, the detailed bony surface of the skull is the same colour as the skin and consists of numerous bumps. It matches the fossil skull perfectly. The number of digits is correct - there are three toes on each hind leg and four on each front leg. Number of toes and fingers is another detail overlooked in other ankylosaur figures. The shape and form of the tail matches the fossil remains exceedingly well, as does the figure in general, making this a definite keeper for fans of these spectacular dinosaurs! Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

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cordylus — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:03:51 +0000

Spinosaurus (Papo)

cordylus — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:15:51 +0000

Today we will be thoroughly looking over the Papo Spinosaurus-- He is quite well loved in the dinosaur and Jurassic park communities, so I hope I don't dampen spirits too much with my somewhat critical review As for Spinosaurus itself, it was an extremely large theropod dinosaur that lived in northern africa about 100 million years ago. It probably dined on fish and water living tetrapods. Let's start off with the head or this figure. To put it bluntly, basically everything is wrong, minus the long jaws. The lack of a "fish trap" at the end of the jaws, the relatively robustness of the skull, the large and backwards pointing teeth, the nostrils low on the snout, and the two crests are all extremely un-spinosaurid like. The inside of the mouth and the tongue are beautifully detailed, and the lower jaw is poseable (great for display purposes...). The eyes are green with slit pupils, suggesting a nocturnal lifestyle. Now let's focus on the body. Most everything is nice here. Great details and the claws are superb. I love the little spine/scute like projections on the back. The colors are very boring, only shades of grey (Also of note-- The paint is very tacky when it gets warm[or at least with mine]). The arms could be a little more muscley, but that is really personal preference (No spinosaurus arms have been found to date). The sail is also very thin-- Most likely it should be thicker, because the spines of the sail were very thick and buffalo like, so there was probably muscle and fat coating the sail, making it noticeably thick (There was probably NOT a "hump" like a camel though!). The feet seem a little large; but again, no spinosaurid limbs are known, so that is really personal taste. The body is very robust; perhaps too much-- But it still looks nice. The detailing is exquisite. It also stands well, but since the plastic is relatively soft, when it becomes warm the legs can bend and the whole thing can fall flat on it's face, and due to the delicate paint job, paint wear is just around the corner. The joints are extremely visible and distract away from the detail. This is a very large figure-- Fourteen inches long! He towers over most 1/40th scale dinosaurs. Overall, I give this guy an 8/10. I do think this figure is a little overrated, but people love good details and the likeliness to Jurassic Park, so of course he flies off store shelves. Available from Amazon.com (here) Photo generously supplied by Bokisaurus

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itstwentybelow — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:26:29 +0000

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itstwentybelow — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:26:51 +0000

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itstwentybelow — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:27:12 +0000

Edmontonia (Replica-Saurus by Schleich)

itstwentybelow — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:40:40 +0000

The burly, heavily armored, herbivorous nodosaur Edmontonia inhabited North America during the Late Cretaceous period some 70 million years ago. The name simply means “from Edmonton”, as the type specimen was discovered in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation near the city of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada by George Paterson in 1924. At roughly 22 feet in length, Edmontonia was a relatively large nodosaur which could reach a weight of 3 tons. The large spikes on its shoulders may have been used in dominance disputes between rival males, and would almost certainly have been a deterrent to predators such as Albertosaurus, which lived alongside Edmontonia. Schleich’s Edmontonia was released in 2004 during a time when the company regularly added new and diverse prehistoric genera to its Replica-Saurus line, something which Schleich sadly has not done for many years. It is a good choice for a figure because thyreophorans are often overlooked by companies and Edmontonia’s rather unique armor and spines just look really cool. Also, the only other Edmontonia figure I know of is the Battat. This figure measures a little less than 6 inches in length and is about 2.25 inches tall, and is scaled at 1:40 along with Schleich Man for an accurate size comparison. The colors are a bit drab, with the tan plastic being highlighted with light brown paint around the joints and on its armor and head. Schleich has never been notable for producing exciting paint jobs, but in this Edmontonia’s case it is understandable because the figure is clearly based on the life-sized model of Edmontonia which is on display at the Royal Tyrell Musuem in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, and which has a similar pose and color scheme (that model is part of a larger diorama which also includes life-size reproductions of Albertosaurus, Struthiomimus, and Stegoceras, and I do recommend visiting it if you have the chance!). Unfortunately, its nails are not painted a different color and almost look like part of the feet as a result. The only other paint is the black used on its eyes. The skin is wrinkly and folded around joints. The forelimbs both have five digits, which is one too many, but it’s excusable as the model the figure is based on does as well. The armor is exquisitely detailed and exhibits some of Schleich’s best, most accurate work, but more on that in a little bit. The head is great and exhibits well the animal’s broad, flat snout, but it is a bit crooked and the sculptors perhaps went a little overboard with the “jowls” and these, along with the expressionless black eyes, give the figure a decidedly sad, dopey expression. Now on to the armor and spines! Schleich really did their homework on this figure and it’s a winner. They have almost perfectly reproduced the armor of the very accurate full-scale model, except perhaps on the large forward-facing shoulder spines which are split into two subspines in the full scale, but this trait is not present in all specimens of Edmontonia so their omission in the figure is excusable. The rest of the spines are placed accordingly with fossil remains. The three nuchal rings on the neck and shoulders are accurately reproduced on the figure (although there is a big gap in the largest), as are the rows of smaller osteoderms which start on the back behind the forelimbs and continue down to the end of its clubless tail. Unlike Schleich’s Sauropelta, this figure really looks like what it’s supposed to be. I think this figure is better even than Battat’s Edmontonia (GASP!) which has a disproportionately long body and an almost squashed appearance by contrast. This fantastic figure is one of Schleich’s best and one of my favorite tyreophoran models. Aside from the drab paint scheme and rather static pose (what more can you expect from Edmontonia as far as an exciting pose anyway?), it’s an awesome piece of plastic. It’s been retired a few years now but I recently bought mine from H&H Winner’s Circle for eleven bucks, and as far as I know they still have some left, so head on over there ASAP if you’re interested.

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cordylus — Sun, 24 May 2009 15:14:54 +0000

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cordylus — Sun, 24 May 2009 15:15:44 +0000

Yangchuanosaurus (Dinosaurs of China by Safari Ltd)

cordylus — Sun, 24 May 2009 15:19:54 +0000

Up for review today is the great Yangchuanosaurus by safari. Yangchuanosaurus is sorely underrepresented in dinosaur toy lines, so I'm glad safari decided to make one (and make it good!) Yangchuanosaurus was a large theropod that was like the t-rex of it's time. It lived alongside other dinosaurs like Sinraptor and the behemoth sauropod Mamenchisaurus. Now back to the replica. The sculpt is very nice, it is obvious that some attention has been given to giving this guy scales all over his body. His legs aren't deathly thin like some of Carnegie's replicas, and they look beautiful. The head is very nice, I love the nostrils and the thick ridges going down the snout. It also has noticeable external ears. Unlike many other safari dinosaurs, this Yangchuanosaurus isn't covered in wrinkles; The only wrinkles that are noticeable are right behind the right side of the head. The pose is fantastic. It is actually in a natural pose, not looking like "RAWR look at me I'm a dinosaur roooaar!!!". It looks like it is wiping it's mouth off after taking a drink from a nice prehistoric stream. This is one of the handful of safari theropods that actually has it's mouth closed, and it looks great. At first glance, the arms seem to be of two different lengths, but when you measure them out, they are equal in length. But as with any dinosaur sculpt; this replica does have it's faults: The left side of the head has more teeth than the right side does, the tail is very thin, and there is the absence of a dew claw on each foot. This figure is about 8 inches long. The paint job on this figure is very nice too, and it fits the sculpt well. It is mostly a (slightly greenish) brown all over, and it is slightly more green on the head than other places on the body. The eyes are a fierce forest green with circular black pupils, and to give the illusion of sunlight hitting the eyes, there is a little white dot above each pupil. Fading black bands adorn this beast's flanks. The ribcages are highlighted in a bright orange yellow color. The claws, unfortunately, are unpainted, and at first glance they look like part of the digits themselves. Oddly, the line of the mouth is highlighted in black-- This is the only safari theropod figure that I can think of that has this feature. Overall, this figure is a 9/10. However, since he has a very non-hunting pose with a closed mouth and docile look, he probably didn't go over well with children too much, and thus he was discontinued. If you can find him you better get him soon, as soon I wouldn't be surprised if he became highly sought after.

Postosuchus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:54:12 +0000

Review by Dan Liebman of Dan's Dinosaurs Ever since their bizarre rebirth, Safari's growing "Wild Safari" line has seen the release of many quality dinosaur figures. The most recent addition to this line is the American archosaur Postosuchus, which featured heavily in the BBC's Walking With Dinosaurs. Its appearance in the documentary has seemingly triggered the release of several figures from various companies. None yet compare to this release from Wild Safari, however. While the Postosuchus may seem unimpressive compared to the theropod giants of the Cretaceous, it is worth noting that this species was considered a superpredator in its day. It didn't need to be the size of a Tyrannosaur; it was already one of the biggest carnivores roaming the land at that time. This depiction offers an upright posture, alert and agile. Though the resemblance to early reptilians is uncanny (and appropriate), this Postosuchus is not easily mistaken for an oversized lizard. This is not some prehistoric crocodile - the golden eyes appear very much alive, and the details of the fenestrae and teeth are outstanding (even for a new Wild Safari figure). The body is tangibly familiar with reptilian scales and scutes cascading across the flanks. The tail is held parallel to the ground, further amplifying its defiant "I am not a croc" image. The wonderous amagalm of primeval yet novel qualities has been reinforced by the figure's charming coloration. Cast in a very natural pair of hues, the Wild Safari Postosuchus strolls through the Triassic Texan landscape in dark brown and canary colors, somewhat reminiscient of a yellowjacket. These colors provide a very natural contrast that is striking enough to look dangerous, yet simple enough to lend visual credibility. The instant impression one receives at first glance is that the animal is alive, on the prowl, and definitely not something you'd want to approach in the wild. It is indeed difficult to find significant flaws on the Wild Safari Postosuchus. His forelimbs are appropriately leaner than his hind limbs, and he ambles along in the conservative, quadrupedal posture (the species is thought to have been capable of some bipedal travel, as the aforementioned discrepancy in limb size suggests). When viewed from a rear angle, the elevation of the tail becomes even more prominent, giving a great sense of dynamic action. In short, this Postosuchus conveys everything it should. It is primitive, tough, and maybe even just a touch arrogant. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Dinosaur Diorama Contest 2009 Deadline

plesiosauria — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:39:30 +0000

Just a short announcement to remind everyone that the deadline for the Official Dinosaur Toy Forum Diorama Contest 2009, sponsored by Fauna Casts, is fast approaching. But there is still time to submit your 'dino-rama'! The deadline is this coming Monday (June 15th 2009), entries received after 00.00 hours GMT June 16th will be invalid. Entry is free and the prizes include some stunning replicas from the Dinosaur Toy Forum line by Fauna Casts, including the mighty T. rex (pictured below). The rules and details of the submission process can be found here. Also, even if you are not submitting a diorama, feel free to join the Dinosaur Toy Forum to take part in the public voting process and help decide the winners.

Sinraptor (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:58:46 +0000

Sinraptor is a small theropod from the Late Jurassic of China, named and described in 1994. Despite the name, it is not a member of raptor family (Dromaeosauridae) and it is actually related to the allosaurs, it is considered to be close to their ancestral form. A particularly pleasing aspect of this figure is the raised tail - the body is held horizontally and stands on two feet without requiring support from the tail. This shows that it is possible to do, so it is a shame that many recent Carnegie Collection sculpts have been seemingly restricted by a 'tripod' pose, in which the tip of the tail descends to contact the ground - the Carnegie Spinosaurus (both versions), Giganotosaurus, Deltadrmoeus, Velociraptor, Carnotaurus, T. rex, and it looks like the upccoming Cryolophosaurus, are all guilty as charged. But the Sinraptor (and also the Albertosaurus, to be reviewed soon), show that it should be possible to buck this trend and reconstruct theropods in a more natural pose. This small Sinraptor figure is 17 cm long and quite slender with a long swiping tail. The staggered legs and arms and open mouth give the figure a modest energetic feel, as if it's wandering the Jurassic landscape, on the prowl. The teeth and tongue are neatly done and the surface of the skin is rough. The colouration is quite conservative merging from dark shades of brown above to paler sandy shades and white below. There are some nice dark spots on the sides of the torso. It's nice to see a more obscure species available and because of its small size it is also very affordable. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Allosaurus (Desktop model by Dinostoreus)

plesiosauria — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:14:18 +0000

Review and photos by Dan Liebman of Dan's Dinosaurs The Dinostoreus "Desktop" Allosaurus model has a generous heft to it, both in physical weight and price - as of the time this review was written, she typically sells for at least $70 before shipping. Given the price tag, it would only be fair to ask: is it worth it? As far as polyresin prehistoric predators go, the Dinostoreus Allosaurus is pretty impressive. The earthy base keeps the body sturdily postured on two feet, tail balanced nicely in the air, head shifted slightly to the side. The one adjective I would use to describe this sculpt would be "mature". This is clearly not some child's plaything. You won't find it in a cereal box; in fact, you'll be lucky to even find one in a museum gift shop. Instead of the ubiquitous roaring pose with gaping jaws so often seen in theropod media, this Allosaurus keeps her jaws tightly shut. Thought clearly in mid-stride, she is not sprinting. Though she looks very much alive, she does not appear to be hunting. She simply... is. And really, why is that such a bad thing? As a friend of mine once pointed out, the poor fellows "need to close their mouths sometimes". The simple truth is that these animals probably did have their jaws shut most of the time. If you strolled up to one in its natural environment, this is exactly how you would expect it to look. Strolling along, in a relatively neutral stance. Some people may find this turns them off, given the considerable price. Others may feel she makes for an outstanding collector's piece, easily elegant enough for display in the office. The foot-long body is extremely hard, and it stands firmly upon the separate wooden base. The base also enhances the tasteful qualities of the sculpture, having an attractive color and golden identification tag on its display side. Viewed at a glance, it looks less like a replica and more like a miniature Allosaurus. The relatively relaxed posture, unhurried gait, and glossy eyes all contribute to a very pleasant piece that is both striking and soothing at the same time. The body appears to be dry brushed in many areas, by hand, which brings out the pebbled surface of the animal's skin. The lacrimal crests above the eyes have also been highlighted in crimson, following the conventional "display" hypothesis. While forelimb posture in theropods is regularly debated among paleontologists, the black-clawed arms of this Allosaurus are impressively sharp. Naturally, handling the piece should be done with care, particularly when young children are around. The only real problem with this sculpture is that the dry brushing appears rather rough in some spots. The natural hues are very conservative and fitting for an ambush predator, yet it seems like the original sculpture was given far more attention than the paint job. This discrepancy becomes problematic when one considers the cost of the item. Few people would consider this Allosaur to be four times as impressive as the Papo Allosaurus, despite being four times the cost. Even so, the paint problems become less noticeable if the sculpture is kept a few feet away from the viewer. It remains one of the most pleasing pieces available for the refined theropod enthusiast.

Parasaurolophus (Kleinwelka)

libraraptor — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:00:47 +0000

Review and photos by Stefan Schröder (alias Libraraptor) Up for review today is Kleinwelka Parasaurolophus which dates back to the 70s or 80s, when the owners of the Kleinwelka dinosaur park decided to bring out some souvenir toys looking like small versions of the dinosaurs arranged in the park. Kleinwelka is a small village in the state of Sachsen in Eastern Germany. Here you can see life-size dinosaurs made of concrete, placed in a natural prehistoric surrounding. This Parasaurolophus is therefore quite an unusual and interesting animal to review. It looks like a monument. And not just the symbolized animal but also the model itself is part of a very interesting history. We all know about Parasaurolophus, the upper Cretaceaus North American hadrosaur with its strange skull. It's one of the more famous dinosaurs, somewhere behind T.rex, Apatosaurus, Triceratops and, nowadays, the raptors. So it’s not necessary to spend more words on the animal itself. What is interesting is its overall look and the fact it is a product from communism. The overall look can be described quickly: the Kleinwelka Parasaurolophus measures 24.5 centimetres in length and 16 cm in height. It is bipedal and of a bright brown colour. Except from the eyes, nostrils and the front of its neck, it lacks any skin pattern or further details. The material it is made from feels strange somehow. It is not as heavy as Invicta models of the same size and similar in style, but it is not made from rubber or resin either. So I can only presume the material is “Plaste”, a plastic the cars in the German Democratic Republic were made from, too. It has a strange feel, is solid yet light and probably unbreakable, although I do not want to test this. And yes, the Kleinwelka Parasaurolophus has a history not every dinosaur toy can tell. It was produced in the German Democratic Republic, the form of government there was communism. Many people could not afford more than the things necessary for everyday life in those times. So I suppose this toy must have been a luxury then. The Kleinwelka dinosaurs, to a certain extent, and especially this Parasaurolophus, can by all means be regarded as the eastern analogues to the Sinclair Brontosaurus. In his book “The Last Dinosaur Book” W.J.D. Mitchell argues that dinosaur pictures or figures were also always a sign for their zeitgeist, the political climate and the general public feeling, the histories of man and dinosaurs are connected in many interesting ways. Like communism, this Parasaurolophus figure is bulky and not flexible, not taken in any movement but very static. And so was capitalism back in the Sinclair times – just take a quick look at its mascot. This figure stands as a proof for Mitchells thesis and thus is very fascinating. So you can even excuse its four fingered hands with webs. I love figures like these. And I love the multi-dimensional approach they afford. They are not just souvenirs or toys but also hint at other facings of life, thus linking categories as different as dinosaurs, collecting, politics and history to each other.

Deltadromeus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:41:13 +0000

Fossil remains of this slenderly built and long-legged theropod are known from Late Cretaceous deposits of northern Africa. It is another quite obscure species as far as dinosaur toys go, maybe Safari picked it out to demonstrate that they are keeping up with palaeontological research, Deltadromeus was named and described in detail in 1996; the Carnegie figure was produced the following year. Most of the body is covered with contrasting shades of grey, while the throat blushes with a deep red hue and the sides of the head look, well, it looks like it's had an unfortunate run in with some tippex - bold and quite gaudy streaks of white run from above the eye down to the tooth row. The tail has the aforementioned downturn frequently seen in Carnegie Collection theropods to support the critter in a tripod pose. In this instance it has also allowed the right foot to be posed mid-stride so just the tips of the toes contact the ground. This makes a nice change to the usual flat footed stance in most figures, and in this case adds movement to the figure and justifies the tripod pose in my opinion. Fossils of Deltadromeus indicate that it exceeded 13 meters in length, so even though Deltadromeus agilis may have been one or the longest theropod dinosaurs ever, this figure is confusingly one of the smallest dinosaurs in the Carnegie Collection, measuring just 13 cm long. Given the 1:40 scale of this figure one can only presume that it represents a young individual. Overall it is a nice little figure. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Nigersaurus (Wild Safari collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:12:51 +0000

As coincidence would have it, two separate companies (Procon and Safari) released a Nigersaurus figure this year. The current review will concentrate on the offering from Safari's rapidly maturing and increasingly impressive Wild Safari line. I won't be comparing the two figures directly, but it is worth noting in passing that Procon's rival pales in comparison to this superior Safari replica. Nigersaurus is an unusual sauropod from the Cretaceous of (it will come as no surprise) Niger, Africa. It was originally named and described in 1999, but many of the details of its anatomy were not fully understood until 2005. As sauropods go, Nigersaurus has a very short neck, but the most striking feature of this creature is its goofy looking head with its wide mouth- Nigersaurus was unflatteringly dubbed in 'vacuum-cleaner mouth' by the popular press. The 21 cm long Safari Nigersaurus is depicted striding along, tail aloft, with the neck and head lowered, mouth open ready to do what sauropods did best. The unusual anatomy of the head, including the broad flat rows of teeth is very wellre produced; there is fine detailing indicating the separate teeth. Gentle black doe-like eyes even lend towards this figure appearing rather cute. There are several lovely details In this figure. There is a 'frill' of tightly packed tiny spines running along the neck, back, and tail, their orientation is irregular in places and the spacing varies slightly - this feature adds lots of character to this piece. On the flanks of the torso are faint impressions of the ribs - but not at the expense of making the animal appear emaciated, in contrast it looks well nourished. The narroewtip of the tail whips around to the left. A peep inside the mouth reveals a round little tongue and the overall skin texture is moderately wrinkled; cross-hatching in the sculpt also gives the convincing impression of scales. The feet are incorrect anatomically speaking, the hands are missing distinct thumb claws for example, which is a shame. The colour is predominantly made up of healthy shades of deep green and golden highlights, the underside of the body is pale and there is a sharp boundary running along the side of thee body. Overall this is a high quality and generally very accurate figure of an intriguing critter - combined with the reasonable price tag this should become a popular item for collectors and for creative play alike. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Dinosaur Diorama Contest 2009 - Winners!

plesiosauria — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:56:19 +0000

I’m pleased to announce the winners of the recent Dinosaur Toy Forum Diorama Contest - 2009, sponsored by Faunacasts. Thanks to everyone who entered and voted! 17 unique dioramas were entered this year and 43 members took part in the voting process. All of the entries and the results of the voting poll can still be seen here on the Dinosaur Toy Forum. But without further ado, the winners are as follows. First place was a three way tie - but each wins first prize - a Tyrannosaurus rex by sculpted by Malcolm Mlodoch (Dinonikes) of Faunacasts. There are also banners for all the winners to parade around on the forum if they wish! The three first place winners are: Radman with his entry titled "Diorama in early Cretaceous Africa - Jobaria versus Afrovenators" Pilkington with his diorama titled "Hunting Party" and Tomhet with his diorama titled "Cretaceous Hunt" In second place, winning a Dilophosaurus by Faunacasts, is Pangolinmoth with his diorama titled "Lonely Stego" In third place, winning an Ophthalmosaurus by Faunacasts, is Bokisaurus with his diorama titled "Just another day at the beach" Congratulation to all prize winners! There are also three close runners up, who receive an honorable mention here: "Cornered!" by Tetonbabydoll "The Permo-Triassic" by Hyneria "On the lookout" by Bjeast Thanks to everyone who took part in the contest this year, and to everyone who voted. Hopefully the contest next year will be just as popular! A final 'thank you' goes to our kind sponsor Faunacasts for providing such amazing prizes.

Tyrannosaurus rex (10th Anniversary) (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd) (Review 2)

plesiosauria — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:30:19 +0000

The 10th Anniversary Carnegie Collection T. rex was previously reviewed on the blog here by Tomhet, but we are now able to provide a full photographic walkaround of this figure. I'm also reproducing the original review here, although I include an additional comment (*) from my own personal observation. Talk about improvements. I mean, I have nothing against the old green Carnegie Rexy, it may not be a beauty but it was a solid combat replica, apparently aimed for the kids… and geared toward outdoor use. Fortunately Carnegie has seen more potential in the collector market than before, so their more recent offerings are not only very affordable but very attractive. I am pleased to say that Carnegie did justice to the King with this replica (and no, I don’t mean Elvis). It was about time, because this arch-famous monster is the first dinosaur a young one wants (believe me, I’ve seen it) and it’s good to know that they’re getting a quality product instead of your everyday Chinasaur.Besides, it was somewhat ironic that Carnegie couldn’t produce a decent sculpt, since they keep several of the most interesting T-Rex fossils. What I first admired is the flawless balance of the figure, I don’t know if it’s only mine, but it stands beautifully on its both legs (not the classic tripod deal we always end up with). The tail is curved (as an emergency support, I suppose) The pose, on the other hand, is not entirely likeable (the wild staring Rex seems to be roaring and its body leans forward striding, as if it were about to strike) but acceptable. The scale is correct, it measures approx. 30 cm from nose tip to the bend of the tail and 18 cm from head to toe. (*) One negative aspect of this figure is the asymmetry of the head - this is particularly noticeable when you look at the head from the front as seen in the above image. One eye is above the other giving the animal a rather goofy look. This malformation seems to be restricted to recent generations of the figure so it is possible that this is an artefact of the aging molds from which the toy is cast. The figure has other advantages. The legs are much more robust than most of the Carnegie theropods. The limbs by the way seem naturally fused to the torso. The head is definitely realistic (just look at those correctly proportioned teeth!). The skin is delightfully wrinkled and scaly (true, not as good as in more recent Carnegie products, but good enough). The paint scheme is much better than the dull green of the previous T-Rex, as it features a blend of alarming red and some black. The belly is whitish; the mouth (which is very detailed) shows a pink tongue. Since it belongs to the 1998 generation, its eyes are golden. The original review was sponsored by Atomic Elephant, Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

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Tyrannosaurus rex vs Triceratops diorama (Sideshow Collectibles)

Tomhet — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:40:59 +0000

Sideshow Collectibles, having released a very popular piece based on their newly acquired Jurassic Park license, has discovered something: Dinosaurs rock. Sure, they make interesting subject matter in art, but if there’s one thing that consistently performs well in sales, it’s dinosaurs. New movies and shows might enhance public interest from time to time, but I believe this is merely a reflection of the public’s ongoing and eternal fascination with dinosauria. To that end, Sideshow gathered up some of the finest paleoartists in the world to develop statues for their latest product line, Dinosauria. Their first release is a show-stopping “diorama” statue, constructed of polystone and measuring a full foot in height. Like many products from Sideshow, this statue depicts an intense action scene, a moment frozen in time, much like the fossilized animals themselves. The classic battle between Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops is portrayed with such ferocious intensity, it is unlike any other reconstruction I have seen. The slick outer packaging on the box for this diorama offers not only some detailed photographs, but an exciting backstory to explain the events leading up to the scene depicted. Apparently, the Triceratops is a grizzled bull that has been ambushed by a juvenile Tyrannosaurus. It becomes badly injured in the ensuing struggle, and this is plainly visible by the gaping wounds on the bull. A massive chunk of flesh appears to have been ripped straight out of its tail, just the sort of wound one would expect to be inflicted from the specialized jaws of a Tyrannosaur. Deep lacerations run down its flank, possibly resulting from a fearsome kick or two from the theropod. Additionally, there are rows of deep puncture wounds along its back, indicating a fresh bite from the Rex’s famous jaws. These wounds not only add life and character to the diorama, they awaken the imagination to the possible scenes that played out just before this moment. Sideshow has promised lots of unique character to be injected into each statue, and the older scars running across the Rex’s face seem to highlight the history of this animal. He led a colorful life before this moment, while his fate now seems uncertain. At first glance, the carnivore appears to be unscathed. Rotating the diorama toward the anterior end of the animals reveals a much different story. The Triceratops, apparently using a time-tested tactic in predator defense, shifts its weight and drives one of its facial lances straight into the belly of its attacker. This crucial injury is captured in such raw and unapologetic detail, it is almost difficult to study for long periods of time. The skin is visibly ripped and torn, letting loose hot blood from the exposed tissue beneath. The product description suggests that this is a mortal blow, and if the Rex has indeed ruptured vital organs from this wound, his position in this diorama instantly becomes more sympathetic. The gaping jaws of the Tyrannosaurus sub-adult, presently stained with the blood of his prey, suggest he is roaring in some combination of unrestrained rage and incomprehensible agony. Rotating the statue further reveals that the both of the predator’s feet are in the air, his body pressed painfully against the weaponized skull of the ceratopsian. This carnivore has not merely been impaled, but battered. His body lingers briefly in midair before completing what will no doubt be a grievous fall to the earth, from which he may never stand again. The full weight of the Triceratops has been slammed right into the Tyrannosaur, likely crushing ribs and lungs during the course of this monstrously blunt trauma to his flank. There is no cautious aggression to be found between them; this is a life and death struggle between predator and prey, and the prey has no qualm about killing the predator in order to survive. The full fury of the animal has been unleashed on the careless Rex, and the result is nothing short of explosive. For such a massive predator to have been gored and shoved so violently is a true testament to the often understated power of the Triceratops. Despite the fearsome jaws and magma-colored eyes, this Rex has tremendous pathos in the diorama. Having let his instinctual rage get the better of him, he has become overly aggressive in pursuit of this veteran Triceratops, and will likely pay for the mistake with his life. The base of the statue shows densely layered rocks centered around the herbivore’s footing, suggesting the earth is literally crumbling in the wake of this epic struggle. Both animals appear likely to lose their footing, but when the dust settles, it seems inevitable that the bipedal attacker will have more difficulty recovering than the stout four-footed defender. If he stumbles and lands on the ground, he could be helpless to defend against a second, lethal charge from the Triceratops or a brutal trampling of his body. This is clearly not his day, and quite possibly his last. Despite their scale, the animals are very intricately detailed. Most of this detail appears to have been focused in certain areas of the bodies, namely the heads of the animals. This is not very noticeable when viewed from a distance, but the discrepancy between the amazing ceratopsian’s sheathed beak and the relatively bland foot is a bit disappointing, particularly when one considers the hefty price tag. Still, the paint is outstanding. The bottoms of the animals’ feet are appropriately grimy, and the fresh wounds glisten realistically. Even the teeth of the Triceratops are visible deep within the jaws, a detail most admirable given how few audiences would even think to look there. The posterior of the animals reveals their tails nearly intertwined in an eternal embrace, a charming yet subtle artistic touch as the two characters complete their dance of death. The bodies themselves are powerfully muscled and adorned with rows of scutes, just as one would expect a living dinosaur to look. The Tyrannosaurus is very naturally colored in deep amber, rich bronze and dark browns. This looks to be an outstanding camouflage for an ambush predator, lurking in the shadows of a Cretaceous forest until the perfect moment to strike reveals itself. The Triceratops appears to be too large and well-armed to be concerned with camouflage. His massive body is mostly red with a pale ventral coloration, possibly due to his advanced age or an indicator of sexual maturity. If the Rex’s colors are intended to say “I don’t exist, you don’t see me”, the crimson colored Triceratops seems to say “I bloody well do exist, and you don’t want me to prove it to you.” This overt display of tremendous strength and nearly boastful color serves to remind the audience that herbivores in the Cretaceous were not wimpy; in fact, they could be fearsome bullies. The aforementioned discrepancy in detail across the bodies of the animals remains the only true complaint I can muster with regard to this piece. I feel it is appropriate to mention this because of the triple-digit price of the item, not because it detracts significantly from the sheer awe of the sculpture. It is certainly an impressive piece, and this ten pound statue should be given a secure location in any household where children are running about. Otherwise, I would say this is a beautiful collector’s item and striking centerpiece to any location – you could even use it as a table centerpiece for a unique conversation starter or spouse eradicator. Sideshow’s Tyrannosaurus vs. Triceratops diorama is sure to become a highlight of any collection. If this premier sculpture is any indicator of things to come from Sideshow’s Dinosauria line in the future, I believe we are all in for a real treat. Review and pictures by Dan Liebman

Diplodocus (2008) (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:07:30 +0000

Although the 2008 Diplodocus has been featured several times on this blog already, it has never been reviewed, so it's time to make amends with a photographic walkaround and short review. This is Safari's second attempt at a Diplodocus and this version is a much improved affair. The overall appearance of the model is elegant and gracile, the slender neck and tail are held more or less horizontally (the tail suspended above the ground) and the legs are positioned so the animal is striding along with intent. At 55 cm (21.5 inches) the figure is very long, even with the head and neck turned at almost 90 degrees to the body and the tip of the extremely long tail coiled up at the end. There is a single thumb claw on each front foot and three claws on each hind foot, this makes a refreshing change to the generic five-clawed feet often portrayed in sauropods. The surface of the skin is rather bumpy and wrinkled. A sagging line of skin runs along each side of the body between the front and rear leg; this flabby feature is often present in Carnegie Collection sculptures although I as far as I'm aware it is speculative. Perhaps it is the sculptor's calling card. There are several warty bumps on the back and base of the tail adding character and texture to piece, these are highlighted in deep green. Similar bumps or scutes are present in the recent Carnegie Spinosaurus but those are not highlighted as in the Dippy- cutbacks perhaps? The head is nicely sculpted with the mouth slightly open. The nostrils are positioned near the front of the skull in line with the current scientific consensus - older restorations of sauropods had the nostrils on the top of the head. The back is green-blue and there is a sinuous grey line extending along the entire length of the animal. The colour is paler below the line. In addition to the aforementioned bumps, there are some additional highlights. The throat is picked out in dashing blue and parts of the head too. The curled tip of the tail is striped in blue and green, perhaps the tail is being used as a communication devise as speculated in 'Walking With Dinosaurs'. In conclusion, this figure is both impressive and charming due to its combination of large size and attention to detail/ personal touches. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Reviews updated with new photographs

plesiosauria — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:16:20 +0000

This is a quick announcement to inform everyone that several reviews have now been updated with new walkaround photographs, these are: Amargasaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd) Giganotosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd) Dilong (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd) Parasaurolophus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

Beipiaosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:54:24 +0000

Beipiaosaurus is a therizinosauroid although it is not included within the family Therizinosauridae because it is more 'primitive'. Fossils of therizinosaurs confused palaeontologists for many years. Their fragmentary remains were originally allied with prosauropods because of their long necks, backwards facing hips, peg-like teeth suited for a herbivorous lifestyle, and other anatomical features. But new and more complete discoveries later revealed them to be unusual theropods - some fossils, including those of Beipiaosaurus, preserve filamentous structures that have been interpreted as feathery integument. The Carnegie Collection Beipiaosaurus figure is moderately sized at about 20 cm long. Beipiaosaurus is actually a very small animal a little over 2m long so the Carnegie model has been produced at a larger scale (1:10) than most of the others in the series. This has allowed plenty of detail to be incorporated in the sculpt. For example, with the exception of the feet and tummy, the entire surface of the figure is covered in a finely detailed plumage of filamentous feathers. These are especially developed on the arms and also form tufts at the back of the head and at the tip of the tail. This reflect the current consensus on the appearance of these animals and contrasts with Safari's older smooth-skinned therizinosaur, Therizinosaurus, previously released as part of the 'Dinosaurs of China' line. Safai's 'Great Dinos' Therizinosaurus is also feathered. The beak-like mouth is open showing neat rows of teeth and a small tongue. The arms with their three massive claws are large and long enough so that the left arm support the figure in a tripod pose allowing the tail to be raised. It is unclear what their spectacular long hand claws were used for but the palms correctly face each other and the wrist joint is angled as it would have been in life. The colour is mellow and quite fitting for such a scraggly creature. There are some white highlights on the neck and side of the head but most of the plumage is grey. The eyes are particularly nice and birdlike, they are red with a gold iris and round black pupil. In my opinion this is the best Therizinosaur figure available. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here) Feel free to join in the dino-discussions at the Dinosaur Toy Forum

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Batrachotomus (The World of Dinosaurs by Bullyland)

itstwentybelow — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:34:09 +0000

Batrachotomus was a primitive basal rauisuchian, which were a group of crocodile-like archosaurs adapted to a strictly terrestrial lifestyle, and were the dominant predators of the Triassic. Batrachotomus existed around 235 million years ago during the Ladinian Age of the Middle Triassic, and is considered by many paleontologists to be an early form of the more widely recognized rauisuchian genus Postosuchus. Its name means “frog slicer”, since it is believed to have preyed upon the large labyrinthodont amphibians which shared its habitat. Batrachotomus was discovered at Kupferzell in southern Germany in 1977. Rauisuchians evolved an erect limb posture which enabled them to more efficiently chase down prey on land, and this trait would appear again in the Dinosauria through convergent evolution. There is no debate that dinosaur figures make up the vast majority of prehistoric toys produced, so it is quite refreshing when more obscure groups of animals are represented in figure form. The Bullyland Batrachotomus, released in 2007, is the only replica of this rauischian genus to be produced by any company to date. The figure is roughly 10.5 inches long, 3 inches tall (at the hips) and scaled at 1:20. The prehistoric Homo sapiens figure is from Bullyland’s Evolution of Man line and is also scaled at 1:20, to show the size of Batrachotomus in relation to a human. This figure is clearly meant to be a smaller reproduction of the full-scale Batrachotomus model on display at the Stuttgart Museum in Germany (which sponsors Bullyland’s museum line), sharing a near identical pose, although the coloration of the full-scale is a different dark green shade. The toy figure was produced in two color schemes, one of which resembles more the full-scale with a solid gray-green back and tan belly. This paint scheme seems to be rarer and may even be out of production. The other color scheme, pictured here, is mostly blue-ish gray with red markings and highlights throughout. The figure is made out of a much more rubbery vinyl than other manufacturers such as Safari or Schleich use, but it is high quality and means there is next to no risk of cracked or broken off limbs from a fall off the shelf. The belly is tan and the claws are left unpainted. There is a black double row of scutes with red highlights running along the animal’s spine, and smaller individual scutes running laterally along its sides. The teeth are rather generic and, while individually sculpted, look a bit goofy and are only painted white on their outer-facing side. There are no teeth at the very front of the jaws. The inside of the mouth is pretty plain, with not even a well-defined tongue, and is painted red. Its eyes are yellow with black slit pupils. I feel that Bullyland did a great job sculpting this prehistoric beast. They managed to make everything quite well proportioned, although I have a few qualms about the skull. The upper jaw seems to curve up a bit much, the whole skull is too short, and the teeth just don’t look right. However the skull is well detailed, with two crests above the eyes and good definition of the underlying bone structure. As land crocodiles, rauisuchians also sported bony scutes all over their body, much as their semi-aquatic cousins do today, and these are faithfully reproduced in this Batrachotomus figure. The feet each have the correct number of digits, which is always a plus and I think it shows attention to detail by the manufacturer, though with the full-scale museum model as their guide, Bullyland really couldn’t have screwed up too much. I highly recommend this figure both because rauisuchians are an important fossil group which is poorly represented in toy collections and because it is just an impressive piece. As of this review being published, it is still in production and is widely available from a number of online retailers.

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Arizonasaurus (The World of Dinosaurs by Bullyland)

itstwentybelow — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:25:55 +0000

Arizonasaurus was a 12 foot long, predatory, long legged Rauisuchian related to modern crocodilians, and it was a top predator in the lower Triassic ecosystem of yep, you guessed it, Arizona roughly 240 million years ago. The name translates simply to “Arizona reptile”. Although to a layperson Arizonsaurus and other Rauisuchians may resemble dinosaurs, they were not. In fact, Arizonasaurus lived before the first dinosaurs had even evolved, though later Rauisuchians would coexist with early dinosaurs for millions of years. Arizonasaurus exhibited a large sail on its back formed from the elongated neural spines of its vertebrae, similar to the older, unrelated Early Permian pelycosaur Dimetrodon. The function of sails like these in fossil saurians has been the subject of much debate, with theories ranging from thermoregulation, to brightly colored mating displays, or just simply to make the animal appear larger. The genus Arizonasaurus was established by paleontologist Samuel P. Welles in 1947 and a mostly complete skeleton was recovered by Sterling Nesbitt in 2002. The figure is mostly based on this 2002 specimen. In 2007 the German company Bullyland introduced several figures representing obscure Triassic genera to its World of Dinosaurs museum line, including the Arizonasaurus, which is the only the figure of its kind. It almost seems as if these were released to promote the displays in Germany’s Stuttgart Museum because the poses of the figures are nearly identical to those of their life-size counterparts in the museum. The Arizonasaurus is even the same exact color. The figure is about 8.5 inches long and 3.5 inches tall at the top of its sail. It is scaled at 1:20 (so is the human, for a relative size comparison) along with Bullyland’s Triassic Batrachotomus and Paratypothorax figures. The skin is scaly, wrinkly, and just well detailed all around. The figure is molded in a plastic much more rubbery than is used by most manufacturers, but it’s solid. The paint scheme is quite fantastic and like I said, it matches the Arizonasaurus in the Stuttgart Museum. It is predominantly bright red on its sail and sides, with three horizontal blue-gray stripes wrapping around the sail, gray spots on its sides and limbs, a gray banded tail, and gray markings on the skull. There is a single row of scutes along the neck, top of the sail, and down to the tip of its tail. The belly and inside of the limbs are a rusty brown color with tan, the teeth are painted white on their outer sides only, there is a bright red tongue in the mouth, and the eyes are yellow with black slit pupils. The claws are painted dark gray. It seems to be in a walking pose with the left forelimb raised. This model is another fantastic entry by Bullyland, with very few anatomical errors. The feet are particularly good, with the 5^th outermost digit of each “paw” curved outwards as it should be. The skull is also highly detailed and almost resembles that of an early theropod dinosaur, although theropods are unrelated to animals like Arizonasaurus and it is merely the result of convergent evolution. Large theropod dinosaurs occupied the same ecological niche as the Rauisuchians had before them. While overall I’d say this is a great figure, there are a few problems. The body of the animal is too short; there should be more distance between the hind and forelimbs. This almost makes the figure look too chunky, but it isn’t a huge problem. The legs are noticeably a bit chunky. The skull is also a bit misshapen, with the snout tapering to too much of a point, the maxillae not being deep enough in places, and the teeth, while not bad looking, are rather generic in shape and size. This is a great model and it has a very unique and eye-catching color pattern. It definitely didn’t disappoint when it arrived in the mail. It’s still in production and is relatively easy to find online. Rauisuchian fans, this one’s for you!

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Tyrannosaurus by Linde

libraraptor — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:39:19 +0000

It is time for the „King“. Today I would like to review the Tyrannosaurus by Linde. Linde produced a coffee substitute herbal tea back in the 50´s and casually added little plastic toys as premiums to the packages. There was a lot of eight prehistoric animals among them. Linde T.rex is of olive-coloured, marbled plastic with a waxy feel. It is 6,2 cm tall and 7,5 cm long, one of the smaller T.rex collectibles out there, similar in size to Marx or the Bullyland minis. It is very old fashioned in posture, broad and bulky. A dinosaur adept immediately recognizes that the sculptors clinged to the Tyrannosaurus from the Great Dinosaur Mural at the Peabody Museum of Natural History from the Yale University in New Haven while sculpting this model. The unequalled fresco was painted to the wall of the great dinosaur hall by Rudolph Zallinger in 1944 and is still highly esteemed by palaeoartists around the world. The mural shows early reptiles as behemoths of a long lost time and represents the common sense on dinosaurs those days. They were regarded as sluggish, dim – witted animals leading towards extinction cluelessly. The Linde Tyrannosaurus is a three dimensional version of the T.rex on the fresco. The sculptors assigned all the details accurately: Nostrils, ears, the very small arms, the eyes and the teeth. They even noted the crest on the back, making it look like made of skin. It runs down to the end of the tail as a small, jagged ridge. I also love the highly detailed plaits on the neck. The waxy surface makes these plaits look like leathery skin. Overall, Linde T.rex is a gem in every collection. Not just because of its overall look, but also because its connection to the Yale mural and the fact it is probably the only Austrian T.rex out there. This is a figure that affords a multidimensional approach, and that is just of my taste. Unspectacular at first sight it reveals its secrets little by little. Sometimes Linde prehistoric animals show up on ebay. Their Rhamphorhynchus is supposed to be highly sought after.

Diatryma by Bullyland

libraraptor — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:40:23 +0000

Bullyland Diatryma is a well done replica of an athletic, robust bird. Bullyland scores with a credible posture, nice colouring and some neat details. On the other hand one can say Bullyland perhaps interpreted Diatryma a little bit too clumsy. Diatryma, nowadays better known under the name Gastornis, is an extinct genus of large flightless bird that lived during the late Paleocene and Eocene periods of the Cenozoic. Fossils were found in Texas, USA, as well as in Messel, Germany. Some scientists think Diatrymas were top - predators of the rainforests in those times, preying on early horses and other little mammals. Some others think the beak was perfectly adapted to cracking seeds and tearing off twigs and branches from trees. Debate goes on. Diatryma measured about 1,90 m in height. The Bullyland version has a 1:24 scale and thus is 8 cm tall and about 9 cm long. Its overall colour goes from bright grey on the belly to dark blue or even black for the plumage. This plumage is worked out well. It allows perfectly for the fact that Diatryma´s feathers were not the ones one knows from flying birds but rather thick, long and hairlike keratin structures. The head exhibits a yellow beak with black forefronts and an orange eye area. One can well imagine this Diatryma as a male in courtship, trying to attract females by displaying its strong head, shaking it from one side to the other maybe. The beak also reveals an orange tongue. Let´s look at the legs and feet. The shins and feet show scales, the theropod origin of birds comes to mind. The toes run out in powerful, groundrunners´ claws. We can conclude that Bullyland did a very good job. The terror bird figure circle of friends is growing, and Bullyland Diatryma contributes to this discovery for sure!

Sphenacodon (Linde)

libraraptor — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:01:16 +0000

Here we have Linde Sphenacodon. In May Tomhet wrote an excellent recension of Marx´ classic Sphenacodon, also writing that "the two others were almost impossible to find". Well, almost. Austrian company Linde added plastic toys to their coffee packages. Eight of those were prehistoric beasts, not all to scale but well sculptured and highly detailed. Made of marbled olive-coloured plastic sometimes nerved by black or red, with a waxy feel, Linde reptiles are highly collectible. Their Sphenacodon is no exception. It is 7,6 cm long and 1,9 cm tall. The reconstruction shows the animal in a crawling posture, muzzle opened wide. As for detailedness in relation to size, the Sphenacodon catches up to Invicta Dimetrodon. The skin pattern is worked out very well, so are the feet with their claws and the ridge on the back. The head requires extra attention. Eyes, ears and nostrils are caringly machined. The mouth lacks teeth for some reason, the cleft in the upper jaw, typical for pelycosaurs is present. Funnily, from above the nose of the animal looks like the nose of an elephant seal. Regarding this animal and the way it has been reconstructed, I can hardly understand that the cool Sphenacodons are neglected so much in comparison to the Dimetrodons. Probably it is because they lack the spectacular sail, so one can say Sphenacodons stand in the shadow of Dimetrodons´ sails and can thus be easily overlooked. Unfourtunately they do not deserve this fate. An interesting fact about Linde reptiles: two of their animals´ names bear misspellings: The Tyranosaurus and the Spenacodon. As a bonus to this review you can see an encounter of Linde and Marx Sphenacodon on the picture above. It´s up to your fantasy what these rarities tell each other... Size comparison

Plateosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:39:42 +0000

With "1994" stamped on its tummy the Plateosaurus is fast becoming one of the older figures in the Carnegie Collection. Plateosaurus is from the Triassic of Germany and is classified as a prosauropod dinosaur, that is a close relative of the later large long-necked sauropods. Plateosaurus was once thought to have been completely bipedal and was usually depicted striding boldly around on two hind legs. Today Plateosaurus is regarded as primarily quadrupedal with the possibility of rearing or running on two legs on occasion (the scientific term is 'facultative biped'). The Carnegie figure is standing proud on two feet so it is out of date in this regard, although it retains a certain nostalgic charm. The pose is also quite static so it looks like it is just standing there looking straight ahead. The hands have five uniform stubby little fingers, that's the correct number of digits but doesn't accurately reflect the variation in claw and finger size seen in the actual animal, there is no large thumb claw for example. Similarly there is something funny going on with the feet - the right number of toes are present but the 5th toe (on the outside of the leg) is positioned rather high. The head is well done for such a small piece and it quite 'boxy' with a blunt snout. The nostrils are particularly large, in fact is has been suggested that prosauropods such as Plateosaurus had an excellent sense of smell. The colour is very nice with chocolate brown on the back and striking black and white streaks on its flanks. There are also some spots on the neck. Prosauropod figures are not frequently produced as toys so this figure is nice addition to any collection, although it would be interesting to see weather a new version is introduced as a replacement if this aging figure is ever retired. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here) Join in the dino-discussions at the Dinosaur Toy Forum

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Paratypothorax (The World of Dinosaurs by Bullyland)

itstwentybelow — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:35:40 +0000

The hognosed Paratypothorax was, at up to 3 meters in length, one of the largest of the aetosaurs. Aetosaurs were a clade of quadrupedal armored archosaurs (“ruling reptiles”) which existed during the Late Triassic. Paratypothorax lived some 210 million years ago in Europe. The name translates to “near pitted armor”. Although its bony armor causes it to resemble a primitive form of armored dinosaur, Paratypothorax and its relatives such as Desmatosuchus were not dinosaurs, and the similarities are due to convergent evolution causing these two groups to adapt to predators along similar lines, though independently of each other. Although most aetosaurs were strictly herbivorous, it has been suggested that some may have been omnivorous, subsisting on roots which would have been dug up with their pig-like snouts as well as small invertebrates. Interestingly, bowlike nests which have since been linked to aetosaurs were unearthed in Arizona’s Petrified Forest in 1996, providing some of the earliest evidence of such nests in the fossil record. The single largely complete skeleton of Paratypothorax is on display at the Natural History Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. This Paratypothorax figure was released alongside Bullyland’s two other Triassic reptiles (Arizonasaurus and Batrachotomus) in 2007. It is largely based on the aforementioned skeletal reconstruction on display in the Stuttgart Musuem. The figure is 7.5 inches long and about 1.5 inches tall, and is scaled at 1:20 along with the human to show size comparison. The armor scutes have a smooth texture, while the head is scaly and the underside and limbs are wrinkly. The armor is divided into segments which start at the back of the skull and continue down to the tip of the clubless tail. The middle section of armor along the spine is an orange-brown color while the right and left halves are colored dark red and decorated with dark brown spots. The spiked edges of the armor are this same dark brown. The belly and underside of the tail are also protected by armor scutes and are the same orange-brown coloration found along the spine and head of the animal. The orange-brown tail is banded with dark brown, and the wrinkles on the underside are detailed with dark brown. The limbs are wrinkly and decorated with dark brown patterns. The small head with its upturned snout has a large closed mouth that almost seems to be smiling, and large, almost comical black eyes that also erroneously display sclera (whites). The pose is in mid-stride and gives you an idea of the shuffling gait the animal probably had in life. Paratypothorax is only the second genus of aetosaur to be produced by a museum line (the other is the beautiful and rare Schleich Desmatosuchus, which someone here should review!) and it is a very accurate entry. The larger 1:20 scale (Schleichs’ Desmato is 1:40 scale and therefore very small) allowed for much more detail to be worked into the figure. The body and armor are much wider and flatter in Paratypothorax than in Desmatosuchus, and this has been represented well by the sculptors. Paratypothorax also lacked the large shoulder spikes exhibited by Desmatosuchus, and so does this figure. The armor is spot-on and fabulous, and the characteristic upturned, pig-like aetosaur snout is reproduced well. The skull is very small in relation to the rest of the body as it should be in aetosaurs. The limbs were held closer to the body and slightly erect, similar to rauisuchians, and this is reflected here. Each limb has the correct number of five digits. Considering only one relatively intact specimen of Paratypothorax has been described to date, this figure is probably one of Bullyland’s best. This piece combines an earthy and realistic coloration and a good sculpt which makes it one of my favorite non-dinosaur prehistoric figures. Even though it isn’t a dinosaur, I don’t think thyreophoran fans should miss out on this one. You’d better hurry up though because this figure was not featured in Bullyland’s 2009 catalog, which leads me to suspect that it has recently been retired!

Paraceratherium (Collecta)

libraraptor — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:50:26 +0000

Paraceratherium, also commonly known as Indricotherium or Baluchitherium, was a genus of gigantic hornless rhinoceros-like mammals, belonging to the family of the Hyracodontidae. Their fossils have been found in many parts of Asia, including Kazakhstan, Pakistan, India, Mongolia, and China. It lived from the middle Oligocene to the early Miocene, roughly from 30 to 20 million years ago, when this region of Asia was covered in lush subtropical forests and woodlands. This is Collecta Paraceratherium, a heavy beauty of a prehistoric creature figure! It is 15,5 cm tall and 18 cm long. All painted in tan with some darker, amlost lavender stripes outlining the main muscle strands and ribcage, it has been sculpted in an authentic, posture. Maybe it looks out for the rest of the herd, pausing for a while, or chews up some food. The head is held in an almost right ankle to the forceful neck. The lips show up neatly detailed folds. It looks as if this animal is smiling like a comic figure when you watch it from the right perspective. The auricles face backwards, which makes the head look quite vividly. The next move of the auricles could be forward, fawning annoying flies away. The eyes look forward, staring directly at the reviewer and making him laugh. On the one hand it´s a very credible and natural mien, on the other hand this looks somewhat dull. But have you ever watched a giraffe chewing? Collecta sculptors did well transferring the heavy build of the original, yet the legs seem to be a little too slender. One would expect thicker limbs for an animal this size - Paraceratherium after all was 5,5 metres high and 7-8 metres long and weighed 11-15 tons. Nonetheless the legs are not too thin, they are only a distractive detail and it could as well be I´m wrong with my hypothesis. The sixteen toes reveal grey tips, affectionally painted in one of the only four colours Collecta got by with for this model. I recommend this model of the biggest landliving mammal of all times to every collector. It´s authentic, affordable and a welcome alternation to the dominant dinosaur figure zoo. As far as heaviness and power are concerned, this Paraceratherium catches up with Triceratops kin or even smaller sauropods.

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Iguanodon (Replica-Saurus by Schleich)

itstwentybelow — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:47:53 +0000

The primitive ornithopod dinosaur Iguanodon lived during the Early Cretaceous period in Europe, approximately 125 million years ago. Animals like Iguanodon eventually gave rise to the hadrosaurs of the Late Cretaceous. In the past, numerous remains from all over the globe have been attributed to this genus, spanning from the Late Jurassic all the way until the end of the Cretaceous period, but current research suggests that the only valid species of Iguanodon (I. bernissartensis) lived in Early Cretaceous Europe. Iguanodon was the second dinosaur to be formally described (the first being Megalosaurus) and was first discovered in Sussex, England in 1822 by physician-turned-fossil enthusiast Gideon Mantell. Schleich released this Iguanodon way back in 2002, but it’s still one of their better figures. Despite it being a relatively well-known dinosaur to the general public, Iguanodon has lately been absent from major toy lines, excepting Carnegie’s bipedal figure, which has been around since the early 90’s. Bullyland and Invicta have both long since retired their retro Iguanodon figures, the short-lived but well done Toyway Walking with Dinosaurs Iguanodon quickly became difficult to acquire in the early 2000s, and the Schleich version reviewed here has also been retired for years by now. This figure is 5.5 inches long and roughly 2.25 inches tall, which in 1:40 scale (which Schleich tries to adhere to with its Replica-Saurus line) equates to roughly 16 or 17 feet in life, making this guy far too small. It should be almost twice this size to fit in 1:40 but I’ve always just considered it to be a juvenile. There are distinct folds of skin around the neck and limbs, and the figure is overall very wrinkly. This figure also sports what is undoubtedly one of Schleich’s best prehistoric paint jobs. Along the animal’s spine it is painted a dark green that could almost be black, while on its sides and limbs this lightens to more of an olive color. The underside is painted striking mustard yellow which contrasts nicely with the green. Each foot is lightly painted tan, but the hooves are unfortunately not painted a different color. The muzzle is also tan, and the eyes are painted orange with black pupils. This Iguanodon figure is unusual in that it is the one of the few to be posed in a quadrupedal stance (the Toyway is as well), but fossil evidence supports this as the primary means of locomotion for Iguanodon. This sculpt is definitely one of Schleich’s hits. It is the most accurate Iguanodon ever produced by a major company for a few reasons. All other attempts by Bullyland, Invicta, and Safari are posed bipedally with the tail reaching the ground for support (this is exaggerated to a HILARIOUS degree in the Invicta), while the quadrupedal stance of the Schleich looks much more fluid and natural. The sculptors also sculpted its hands to look more like hooves for walking, with the middle three digits fused together, an idea which is also widely supported by paleontologists. Unfortunately, the thumb spikes are quite small and don’t look much bigger than the figure’s “pinky” fingers, but you could also consider this to be a juvenile trait. Other than that the animal is proportioned beautifully, and the skull is quite accurate. I should mention the Toyway WWD Iguanodon here as it is also in a quadrupedal pose, but it was never widely available, the front limbs show no fusion of the middle digits, and its hind feet are just absolutely bizarre. In short this Iguanodon is simply fantastic, and I’d recommend it to any dinosaur enthusiast. The hard part these days is finding one because, like I said, it’s been retired for a few years now, so your best bet would be Ebay and the like.

Corythosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari ltd)

griffin8891 — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:15:17 +0000

Review by Griffin8891 Corythosaurus was a lambiosaurine hadrosaur that lived during the Campanian in the Late Cretaceous about 75 million years ago. Its bones were discovered in Canada and the USA. It belongs to the same general group of dinosaurs as its slightly more popular cousin, Parasaurolophus. This particular dinosaur is also known for supplying skin imprints which can be seen at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. This has always been one of my all time favorite models that Carnegie released. It is one of its older models yet it still remains to be strikingly accurate. The first thing I would like to point out about this guy’s posture. It’s on all fours, which is what is believed to be the way most duck-billed dinosaurs travelled, only rising on two legs to run quickly or reach higher vegetation while feeding. The exact pose itself is as if the animal is getting ready to rise up and bolt away from some unseen Albertosaurus or Daspletosaurus. This effect is strengthened by the fact that its head is turned slightly to the side as if to keep an eye on its pursuer while it makes its escape. Another more obvious plus about the pose is the fact that the tail is held out above the ground like it should be. Unfortunately Carnegie’s version of the related Parasaurolophus is in a bipedal pose and fall’s victim to the dreaded “tripod” look with its tail inaccurately supporting it against the ground. The second thing I love about this model is the beautiful coloration. It has a base color of a neat greenish yellow with dark green pattern on top. The underbelly is a soft teal. The bill and finger/toenails are greenish brown. The crest itself is bluish teal with the dark green bars going down the sides. It manages to be beautiful enough to not be too dull, yet it’s not too flashy or unrealistic looking at the same time. When this guy is standing up on the display mountain with all the other Carnegie dinosaurs, its unique color catches the eye fairly quickly. Sometimes Carnegie puts less than pleasurable patterns on their dinosaurs but this one manages to pull the look of very nicely. The detail is good. The skin is more pebbly than wrinkly which matches what the fossilized skin imprints discovered are like. As you get towards the underside it becomes smooth. The detail on the head itself is accurate. It has the small beak in front of a long horse-like muzzle (which has cheeks of course) which leads to the base of the jaw itself which is rather round and prominent. The front feet could use some more detail with regards to texture and paint but all other things considered, its fine. All in all I think this is one of the best hadrosaur models out there. As far as Corythosaurus models go specifically, I have not seen one better than this. It’s accurate, beautifully painted, and it’s relatively cheap/available on the market. Great model. The figure is 21 cm long. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

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cordylus — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:46:17 +0000

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cordylus — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:51:04 +0000

Suchomimus (Wild Safari)

cordylus — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:56:12 +0000

Suchomimus is believed to have been a large piscivorous theropod, related to the extremely large Spinosaurus. Despite Suchomimus being relatively well known to dinosaur enthusiasts, it is usually not made in PVC form, in favor of Baryonyx. So, even though this toy has some flaws, it is still nice to see one in plastic. To the toy. At first glance, and by the stock photo, this guy looks very "doofy" looking. I had never planned on picking him up until I saw him in a craft store and saw how neat he was. The figure is pretty nice. The arms are thick, and the hands are large with sharp claws, perfect for snatching up unwary fish. There is actually only one crest instead of two (many companies use two crests on various spinosaurids, thanks to Jurassic Park 3). The characteristic ridge down the back is large and pronounced, with neat little spines on it. There's a nice bony ridge over each eye. The eyes themselves are yellow with slit pupils; suggesting that this was a nocturnal beast that hunted fish at night. There's decent detailing along the body, and a nice "pelican-like" deflated pouch underneath the neck, maybe such a structure could have been used for bringing fish home to the nest. This Suchomimus is all green, save the pink mouth and yellow eyes. The underbelly is a darkish lime gree, which fades into a "classic" green color, with very dark green stripes that start at the top of every other spine on the figure's back. It is roughly four inches tall and eight inches long from nose to tail. And now for the faults... Unfortunately, the makers of this toy didn't focus too much on scientific accuracy. The nostrils are way down at the end of the snout; which is definitely a no-no. The teeth on the lower jaw are actually bigger than the ones in the upper jaw; it is thought to be the opposite in real life. Speaking of the teeth, they are all about the same size and are thickly covered with white paint, so they have that "blob" look to them that nobody likes. The muscles in the back of the jaws are the same green as the body is; While there is no evidence saying that these muscles had to be a pinkish color in life, I think it would have looked a lot better had they been painted pink or red. The large scales on the hands and feet aren't painted either, and it really would have looked better had they been. To top it all off-- It is in the oh-so-dreaded kangaroo pose. All in all, this guy is pretty neat- And he'll probably bring a smile to your face too. While most online pictures make this guy look very bad, in real life he's really a neat little fellow. All in all, I give him a 7.5 out of 10. He's pretty neat, and for about $7, he can be yours (of course, if you love spinosaurids in general, he's definitely one to get!). :)

Deinonychus (AAA)

libraraptor — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:55:59 +0000

Once there was a time when Theropods simply were divided into „Carnosaurs“ (the big ones such as Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus) and „Coelurosaurs“ (the smaller ones such as Coelophysis or Compsognathus). Then along came Deinonychus, an irritating new predator who did not really fit into this concept. When it was discovered in 1969, no one could guess it was the herald of a radically different approach to looking at dinosaurs, eventually leading to a new theory of bird ancestry. AAA dinosaurs are rough vinyl figures. This Deinonychus is no exception. On its belly it says “Dromaeosaurids”, not going closer into a certain species. The figure can nevertheless be identified as a Deinonychus easily in my eyes. It is 14, 5 cm high and 19, 5 cm long. The detailed scaled skin is of a brown / tan colouring, only the eyelids are blue while the eyes are yellow. A fleshy lappet reaches from the lower jaw down to the breast. The overall look of the figure is somehow clumsy, yet I like it. It is the perfect opposite of how Dromaeosaurs are seen today, a different and old-fashioned interpretation of the skeletons of the “running lizards”. Compared to the highly popular, agile and quick raptor interpretations of nowadays, nearly everything is wrong with this figure: The posture showing it leaned on its broken tail, the “we do not know where else to put them” – position of the arms and the overemphasized claw. The skull is more frog style, not really respecting the way the skull bones were attached to each other. Yet I refuse to regard this figure a complete failure. As mentioned above, it perfectly represents both an obsolete approach to Dromaeosaur build and the confusion about the Dromaeosaurs after their discovery.

Saltasaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:30:17 +0000

Titanosaurians are a quite poorly known group of sauropod dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period. Saltasaurus, from Argentina, is one of the better known representatives of this group and it provided the first conclusive evidence for osteoderms (bony armour) in a sauropod; many titanosaurians are now known to have been armoured. The Carnegie Collection Saltasaurus was released in 1996 and is one of the smallest sauropod figures in the collection (the baby Apatosaurus perhaps shouldn't count, but the tiny Amargasaurus figure is slightly smaller that the 28 cm long Saltasaurus). The pose is quite simple and elegant, the neck points straight forward and the raised tail points straight backwards. The legs look a little uncomfortable because both the left 'arm' and left leg are sculpted in mid-step so only their claws contact the ground. This Saltasaurus looks like it could be in for a nasty fall. The surface of the back is covered with those distinctive bony osteoderms which form rounded bumps. The texture of the skin between these large osteoderms is sculpted as rough closely packed scales or ossicles. This covering of osteoderms and ossicles seems to be the only character in the figure indicative of its titanosaurian identity. The hips in titanosaurs were very wide and their rear legs were widely spaced, corroborated from fossil bones and fossilised trackways. However, this Saltosaurus figure is very narrow when looked at from above, it's a generic sauropod shape. The neck is thin and the head itself is tiny. The skull of Saltsaurus is unknown except for parts of the jaws so maybe this explains the nondescript head in this figure. With it's huge wide black eyes and tiny mouth agape, it looks almost shocked and rather cute, as far as dinosaur figures go that is. There are some black spots on the sides of the head and these are also present on the flanks of the body and add character to the piece. The figure is coloured in shades of brown, grey, and lighter teal on the legs and tummy. The osteoderms are highlighted in white and also give a lot of texture to the sculpture. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Psittacosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

griffin8891 — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:18:05 +0000

Review by Griffin8891 Psittacosaurus, the “parrot lizard” is a very early member of the broad dinosaur group Marginocephothelia which includes the horned dinosaurs such as Triceratops and also the distantly related dome-headed dinosaurs such as Pachycephalosaurus. It lived in Asia during the early Cretacious about 130 million years ago and was relatively small for a dinosaur, only about 6 feet in length. It’s also one of the best known dinosaur species due to the sheer number of fossils that have been discovered throughout Asia. Amongst these fossils, there is a very wide range of ages of the individuals, including tiny hatchlings all the way up to full grown adult specimens, a number of which are full skeletons. Some more recently discovered skeletons of this dinosaur also possess a mass of quill structures along the tail that may have given the animal a slight mammalian appearance in life. The model itself happens to be one of my favorites by Carnegie. It’s beautifully sculpted and the paint detail is superb. Sometimes Carnegie tends to be sloppy with their paint jobs especially around the eyes and mouth area but not with this guy. Every line is perfectly placed right down to the dark rings around the eyes and the pink tongue inside the mouth. The color of the paint itself is also very nice. Not too flashy but not super boring either. Its base color is a pale straw color that darkens to a chocolate brown along the spine. It also has tiger stripes going down the back, each one consisting of darker brown bordered by a brighter yellow color. The parrot beak itself is dark brown and matches the narrow rings around the eyes. The pose itself is okay. Its standing on its back limbs which is fine. Unlike its later ceratopsian cousins who were stuck on all fours because of their heavy skulls, Psittacosaurus was fully capable of walking on its hind legs if it needed to. The only problem is the fact that the tip of its tail is awkwardly touching the ground like so many of Carnegie’s other bipedal models. Its front legs seem to be flailing out in front of it as if to say “stop!” This look is supported even more by the worried look it seems to have in its eyes. I kind of would have preferred a different pose. As far as accuracy is concerned, this model is almost perfect. The head is the right shape and size. I love how you can see the beginnings of what will later evolve into the impressive frills of the larger Ceratopsians sprouting out of the back of its skull. All four limbs are also perfectly in proportion with each other, and the rest of the body. The most impressive cater to detail I think, however, is the fact that Carnegie even made a point to make the individual fingers the right lengths with proportion to each other on the hands. The only thing it’s missing is the quills on the tail. This is not Carnegie’s fault, however, since the model was made before that particular fossil was discovered. In addition to this, not all specific species of Psittacosaurs (yes there were different species) show signs of having these quills. So all things said this model can be considered totally accurate for the time being. Unlike a lot of Carnegie’s dinosaurs, the Psittacosaurus is not in 1:40 scale. The model itself is much larger than that. Personally, I wish Carnegie came out with a second tinier model of this species but to some people this does not matter at all. All in all, I think this is a nice piece. The ceratopsians are my personal favorite kind of dinosaur so this guy is a valuable member of my modest collection, even if he is too big when standing next to the others. Unfortunately this model is on the older side so getting your hands on it may be difficult. This figure is now out of production. Photos by Dan of 'Dans Dinosaurs'

Jurassic Park "When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth" T-Rex vs. Velociraptors Diorama (by Sideshow Collectibles)

plesiosauria — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:22:55 +0000

Review and photos by Dan Liebman of Dans Dinosaurs. It is hard to believe that Crichton’s bestselling novel first appeared two decades ago. Since that time, the franchise has reintroduced audiences to dinosaurs like never before. Gone were the bulky, sluggish monsters of yesteryear, and in their place were lighting-fast predators with frightening levels of intellect. Granted, popular media depictions of dinosaurs are rarely known for their adherence to well-established scientific research, but that scarcely mattered. Jurassic Park is often credited with reenergizing the field and funding of paleontological studies around the world. To no one’s great surprise, Sideshow Collectibles - which has a reputation for closely collaborating with popular film studios - gained considerable attention after announcing the acquisition of one the Jurassic Park license. Their first piece, a polystone diorama statue, was released in 2008. This model depicts the climactic final battle of the first film, in which the human characters find themselves caught between two fearsome Velociraptors, only to be saved at the last second by the intervention of a hungry Tyrannosaurus rex. This jaw-dropping scene elicited countless screams and cheers from audiences around the globe, and is arguably one of the most memorable moments in cinematic history. This diorama has been appropriately titled “When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth”, based on the famous banner that drops in the final shot of the Tyrannosaurus shown in Jurassic Park. The extended version of this product’s title may also include “Tyrannosaurus vs. Velociraptors”. This is a slightly humorous label, given the rather low probability of victory that exists for the smaller carnivores in the scene. Several editions of this statue have been released, including one in faux bronze, and another that includes a miniature version of the aforementioned banner. Knowing that dinosaurs always manage to steal the show anyway, the artists at Sideshow did not bother to include any human figures in their recreation. The entire scene is built upon a heavy base bearing the tropical “Jurassic Park” logo, staged on the smooth flooring of the visitor center’s main lobby. Shattered replicas of dinosaur bones are scattered across the scene, realistically damaged just as they were during the film’s final battle. Even the large block of “fossil matrix” contains the familiar array of skeletons, such as a Brachiosaurus skull. The model requires only a few bits of assembly. Aside from attaching the Tyrannosaurus to the base, the large carnivore’s lower jaw locks into place magnetically, with a screaming Velociraptor already attached. The second raptor completes the image, with its pegged foot sliding into place on the Rex’s left flank. The final result is a scene frozen in time, which although chronologically awkward, reveals a titanic predator with a fearsome creature caught in its jaws, and a second scrambling up its exposed side. Given the popularity of these animals, it is a bit disappointing that the final paint job seems to deviate substantially from the film version. During the final scene in the film, these animals are generously illuminated and often appear just a few meters away from the camera. These predators are not reproduced in their original lustrous browns and rich ambers; instead, both species appear predominantly grey. Some might contend that this natural color scheme is acceptable and realistic when compared to some of the more “progressive” colorations seen in modern dinosaur reconstructions. From an aesthetic standpoint, the somewhat monochromatic “old film” quality draws special attention to the bloodied jaws and neon logo at the display base. Even so, this simple paint scheme came as a surprise to me, particularly when one considers the cost of the item. The Tyrannosaur’s dorsal coloration is predictably darker than its ventral side, but the only detailed painting appears in the form of black spots framing the head. This also appears on the raptors, as if the painters decided to go with an entirely new makeup artist for the film’s stars. This choice of paint application may deter Jurassic Park purists, but it is the only significant fault I can find with this statue. As a sculpture, this piece is quite impressive. It appears to around the 1:20 scale (perhaps less, given how large the JP Rex was) and displays quite nicely alongside other dinosaurs models of this scale. Sculptural details are still very strong, from the wrinkles and muscles of the powerful bodies to the tiny teeth lining the jaws of the raptors. The Tyrannosaur’s tail is dynamically curled, an organic way of framing the scene and drawing the eye to the central action. This is, like many aspects of the scene, not considered to be scientifically accurate by today’s standards. However, it would not be fair to assess a Jurassic Park statue on the merits of modern paleontological findings; this statue is, above all else, a recreation of a famous film scene. In the mighty jaws of the Rex, the first raptor struggles vainly. Here is the first instance I can recall in which this animal was depicted in a sympathetic manner, its limbs flailing wildly with the jaws widened to their maximum capability (perhaps even beyond), likely emitting that famously shrill “dolphin” scream. The trunk of the raptor’s body is visibly crushed, its flesh smashed painfully as vibrant blood pours from its doomed husk. This is perhaps a more graphic depiction than shown in the film, although not excessively so. The second raptor appears to have only recently leapt onto the larger carnivore, inflicting shallow lacerations that would likely serve only to irritate the super predator. The recent timing of the attack is also conveyed in the stance of the Tyrannosaur; she either has yet to acknowledge to the harassing raptor, or simply does not care. Moreover, there is an almost boastful quality to her stance, as if reasserting her position in the food chain millions of years after her passing. For the typical spectator, the scene is instantly recognizable. Despite its flaws, there is little doubt that this piece reawakens past memories of the film. For a truly cinematic presentation, I suggest playing the Jurassic Park theme music as guests enter the exhibition room. This statue successfully projects the wonder and awe of the original film. It should be noted that, due to its size and fragility, this piece should not displayed where children are running about. Additionally, there are several sharp and pointed areas of the statue that might pose a threat to rambunctious juveniles, primarily in the claws and pointed tails of the raptors. A year following the release of this statue, Sideshow began offering an original product line known as Dinosauria. Because these newer figures are not based on any film, and are the product of careful collaboration with paleoartists, I do not believe it would be fair to compare them with this first attempt by Sideshow to capture the majesty of the prehistoric world. It may not possess the scientific authenticity and aesthetic detail of the Dinosauria statues, but Sideshow’s “When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth” diorama is certainly guaranteed to turn heads. Available from Amazon.com (here)

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Scutosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd)

itstwentybelow — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:44:22 +0000

The bear-sized pareiasaur Scutosaurus inhabited the semi-arid Late Permian landscape of Russia, likely being common on floodplains and in similar environs which would have supported in relative abundance what plant life could be found in that region 250 million years ago. Scutosaurus was an extremely robust animal reaching up to 8.5 feet in length and its skin was studded with bony scutes (hence the name, which means “shield reptile”) that would have helped to protect it from predators such as the massive Russian gorgonopsid Inostrancevia, with which Scutosaurus coexisted. Though it was not a dinosaur, Scutosaurus evolved a similar, but still primitive, erect limb posture to aid in supporting its heavy mass. Permian figures, when they do get made, are all almost exclusively reproductions of Dimetrodon (to the point that most people these days think that Dimetrodon is a dinosaur), so when I heard that Safari was releasing a Scutosaurus this year it got my attention. The only other mass-produced Scutosaurus figures I know of are the Starlux version from way back when and the more recent green Lost World action figure, which is actually pretty cool, but not the most accurate. Safari’s figure is superior to them both. It is about 3.25 inches long and 1.5 inches tall, so it’s a very small figure, but is scaled correctly to 1:40. The figure is very, very rough and bumpy because its back and sides are almost completely covered by armor scutes. The colors are very earthy, with most of the body being a drab brown. There is dark brown running along the spine as well as a pair of rusty yellow stripes. This yellow color also runs along its sides. The color of the animal’s sides below the yellow stripes has an almost burnt look which is very eye-catching. The skull also has yellow markings on it. The eyes are very small and black. The figure is in a static pose with the mouth closed, but it looks good. This is without a doubt the most accurate Scutosaurus currently available. Everything is proportioned almost exactly right. The shape of the animal’s bulky body, with its massive neck and shoulders, is reproduced beautifully. The skull of any extinct animal is always a test for manufacturing companies to get right but Safari nailed it here. The broad plates on either side of its skull are accurate, the chin spikes are not too long, and it has a small horn on its snout like it should. The general broadness of the skull is captured perfectly. These animals were built like tanks and this guy, decked out in so much armor, is no exception. The short, almost stubby tail and short, massive limbs complete the picture and culminate in one of the best figures ever produced for the Wild Safari line. This is one of my favorite releases of 2009, not only because it’s such a perfect reproduction of Scutosaurus but also for the fact that it can be had for just $4 (US)! I recommend it to any and all collectors! Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

rhamphorhynchusws-cryptomundo2

Tomhet — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:31:16 +0000

kentrosaurusws-cryptomundo2

Tomhet — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:36:22 +0000

coelancanthws-cryptomundo2

Tomhet — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:51:28 +0000

New Safari Releases for 2010!

Tomhet — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:12:48 +0000

Finding out about new Safari prehistoric creatures is exciting and this year wasn't any different. After frustratingly scarce bits of information, our very own member crypto1 (Loren Coleman, the same person that runs the Cryptomundo blog, http://www.cryptomundo.com/) revealed a few hours ago three of the 2010 Wild Safari figures and they certainly look interesting! Plus, we've had glimpses of what Carnegie has in store for us next year. Here's the breakdown of what we know so far: Wild Safari Rhamphorhynchus: This guy doesn't come as a surprise I bet, Safari has released very attractive pterosaurs in the past few years and this doesn't seem to be the exception, rhamphorhyncoidea is a big suborder but none of the major modern companies had made any. So the Safari guys have already under their belt a Pteranodon, a Tapejara, an ornithocheirid and now a Rhampho! Not bad! The crest could probably belong to other species, but I certainly appreciate the fact that they bothered to make pointy teeth. It's defintely in a larger scale (not in 1:40) just like the other pterosaurs. Wild Safari Kentrosaurus: It's actually quite pleasant to see well-made stegosaurs, I suspect this is just as good as Safari's new Stegosaurus. It appears that it's tiny. Perhaps it's in a 1:40 scale? Anyway, that green paint on the plates looks actually good, maybe it's shiny like the blue coats on their 2009 WS Dilopho? It's certainly worthy of notice that the rest of the paintjob is darker than usual. Wild Safari Coelacanth: The WS Dunkleosteus is still one of my favorite PVC replicas, so I was stunned when I saw this impressive figure! Realistic enough to compete with the numerous Japanese coelacanths. The Coelacanth is an extant animal, I bet that's why Safari chose to release one. Luckily for us he's also a Mesozoic creature! I hope this means Safari will consider other prehistoric fishes in the future. We know there was a Brachiosaurus in the works last year, we hope it will finally be released this time. So that leaves only three or four WS figures to be unveiled! Plus, other members have hinted that we might get new prehistoric toobs. We don't know the contents yet but apparently Safari has once again topped itself in the quality department. As for Carnegie, we know that Forest Rogers, the same artist that gave us the Tylosaurus and the Spinosaurus, was sculpting an Ichthyosaurus and a Cryolophosaurus. We haven't actually seen the Ichthyosaurus (we've heard it's excepcional) but we've already looked at the Cryo and it looks good so far. We'll keep you updated when more info is in. Meanwhile, you can discuss the news on our forum, here's the thread.

Tapejara (Wild Safari Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:57:19 +0000

Tapejara is a pterosaur from the Cretaceous deposits of Brazil. Historically, several species have been referred to this genus, each species was differentiated based on the shape and size of their head crests. Safari's offering shows a tall semicircular crest and a long prong protruding from the back of the head, this arrangement is characteristic of the species Tapejara imperator. However, recent studies looking into the anatomical diversity of Tapejara showed that T. imperator is sufficiently distinct from all other forms of Tapejara to warrant status as a new genus - Tupandactylus. So, although Wild Safari label this figure as Tapejara, strictly speaking it should be called Tupandactylus. Although the colour scheme in the Wild Safari figure is reminiscent of the Tapejara featured in Walking with Dinosaurs, those featured in the program had crests characteristic of "Tapejara navigans", another species in need of a new genus name. The true inspiration for this figure was clearly this piece of palaeoartwork featured on the Blog del Paleontologo, the pose and colours are an identical match. The 'in-flight' sculpt is very nice and the pose portrays a lot of movement, the arms are raised and the wings are gently arched as if they are catching the wind. The pectoral region is almost bulging with flight muslculature but the sculpt is otherwise very light. The animal is so lightly built, in fact, that the plastic is mostly thin and flexible. As you can see from the pictures, my figure seems to be inquisitively titling its head to the side, but this is because it was distorted in transport, as far as I'm aware the head would normally be held straight. The figure has a 22cm wingspan. The main wing membrane joins the leg at the knee and there is an additional membrane in front of the arm (the propatagium). Tiny membranes are also sculpted linking the tail to the inside of the legs. There is another membrane too - the striking red membrane on the head between the two long prongs on the crest. This was a stunning creature! The hands and feet are nicely detailed - the three clawed digits in each hand are individually sculpted (the fourth digit in the hand forms the leading edge of the wing) and the five toes are individually sculpted on each foot. The upper surface of the clawed digits have a nicely pronounced row of scales (this row faces downward in the feet because the soles are facing upwards). A similar attention to detail is present all over the figure. A fine covering of fur has been sculpted over main body of the animal, wrinkles on the wings and crest membrane give an impression of taut and slack areas, the bony part of the crest is covered with a delightfully rugose texture, it's all very well done. The colouration is equally well done, the main body consists of browns and yellows, the chest and parts of the furry underside are highlighted in white (somehow reminds me of a the back of a mature male silverback gorilla). The head is a rainbow of colours; blue, lilac, white, red, and black, all merged beautifully into a convincingly realistic scheme. Overall this is a really interesting and accurate figure of an intriguing animal, and an excellent price too. Good choice Safari! Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

IMG_1022

itstwentybelow — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:11:46 +0000

IMG_1020

itstwentybelow — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:14:52 +0000

IMG_1021

itstwentybelow — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:17:41 +0000

Deinosuchus (Replica-Saurus by Schleich)

itstwentybelow — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:31:29 +0000

During the Mesozoic Era, the dinosaurs were the undisputed rulers of the land. However, more watery environments were ruled by other reptilian denizens. The waterways of North America during the Cretaceous period 75 million years ago were stalked by the massive 50 foot alligator Deinosuchus. With a name that fittingly means “terrible crocodile” (although it’s actually a giant primitive alligator), Deinosuchus likely preyed on turtles, fish, and the occasional thirsty dinosaur. Although the initial specimens of this monster, two fossilized teeth, were collected by geologist Ebenezer Emmons in North Carolina in 1858, the genus Deinosuchus was not established until over 50 years later, in 1909. Deinosuchus is not exactly a popular prehistoric animal, but it has been released at least a few times in figure form, notably by Safari for the Carnegie Collection and most recently in the newest Sideshow diorama. The Schleich version was released in 2004. This figure, at a little over 11 inches long, is one of Schleich’s largest non-sauropod figures and is quite impressive. It is scaled at 1:40 so if you were the Schleich guy standing there, I’d be runnin’! Aside from the noticeable scutes running along its back, the figure’s skin has a wrinkly elephant-like texture, which is inaccurate for any crocodilian and it should instead be scaly and covered with scutes all around. The color scheme is a mix of different shades of green with some black. The primary shade is evergreen, with darker green around joints and on the skull. There is also a light yellow-green on the skull. The claws and ear openings are painted black, and the jaws are rimmed with black. Overall I think it is quite a bland coloration when compared to the spectacled patterns of most modern crocodilians, but it is reminiscent of the coloration of a large alligator. The teeth are dark tan and the inside of the mouth and tongue is dark pink. The eyes are yellow with slit pupils. While the pose is somewhat static, I think it’s better than the pose of Carnegie’s Deinosuchus. While it’s a hefty hunk of plastic, Schleich’s Deinosuchus is probably one of the least accurate released. The sculpt is altogether a very sloppy reconstruction. The limbs, particularly the hind limbs, are very crudely sculpted. The patterns of scutes on the animal’s back are likewise very simple and crude, with little detail. The tail is very short and generic and does not resemble a crocodilian’s tail at all. The skull is an inaccurate mess. It looks as though the sculptors tried to emulate the broad snout of an alligator but failed miserably by making it way too fat and rounded and leaving out a lot of detail. It just ends up looking like three lumps squashed together when viewed from above. The teeth are absolutely atrocious and look nothing like the teeth of an alligator or crocodile, being too lumpy and mashed together. With all the modern alligators alive in the world today which could have been used for reference, it almost seems like someone at Schleich simply sketched out their own vague mental image of what an alligator looks like and used it for the model. The severe lack of accuracy in almost all aspects of this figure is inexcusable. The Carnegie figure is better for the sole fact that it actually resembles something that could have been a real live animal and not a cartoon. In the end, it works as a generic giant crocodilian and is quite impressive, but I really only got this Deinosuchus figure to further flesh out my Schleich collection and I like it well enough. Even though it has been retired for a few years there are still a few online stores selling it for the retail price of around $16 or $17 so if you’re interested in big ole prehistoric monsters I’d jump on it now before it’s gone for good.

wsfossil replicas

Tomhet — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:35:46 +0000

wsmosasaurus

Tomhet — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:35:47 +0000

wsbrachiosaurus

Tomhet — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:35:49 +0000

wliopleurodon

Tomhet — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:35:51 +0000

wsapatosaurus

Tomhet — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:35:52 +0000

wsmarine creatures

Tomhet — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:35:53 +0000

New Safari Releases for 2010! Part 2!

Tomhet — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:22:45 +0000

Wow, this was fast! We told you earlier this week that Safari had unofficially announced that they are going to release several figures for 2010 (you can see the original post here). I never imagined that we would be hearing about the rest of the figures till October or November but apparently Safari has decided to make public the info. Let me tell you: I for one am terribly excited! A big thank you to the people that informed me about this, DTF members kuni, TTL and crypto1 (Loren, the person behind Cryptomundo) were specially helpful. Before we share pics of the rest of the Wild Safari prehistoric creatures, a word about the museum line. There are still no pics of the Carnegie Ichthyo (that could change soon though), but both the Cryolophosaurus and the Ichthyosaurus have been already confirmed by several forum members, they've even told us how that they will look (it seems that blue was Safari's choice this year). It's the same formula from 2009, a theropod and a marine reptile. The WS set for 2010 will contain a few surprises. There will be 7 juicy pieces and surpringly enough, none of them is a theropod. Here's the list and the images: -Wild Safari Brachiosaurus: Now we had already heard about this guy, I'm glad it could make it, it's quite nice, I suspect it's even better than its Carnegie counterpart. The realistic look is virtually unparalleled. I think they retired the previous sculpt, and it's clear that this is a step forward. -Wild Safari Apatosaurus: Another retired sauropod that resurrected almost immeadiatly. The WS rearing Apatosaurus was rather interesting but this seems to be based on the latest findings and everything about it looks correct. It also puts the Carnegie Apatosaurus to shame. I'm certainly glad that this guy is not half-starved to death like many sauropod renditions; the WS has a healthy amount of fat and flesh. Just take a look at all those skin folds on the neck! We've heard that it'll be at least partially poseable. Although some might argue that last year's brilliant Nigersaurus represented a refresheningly obscure genus, I do admire the fact that they are updating the more familiar names. -Wild Safari Liopleurodon: At long last, a respectable and affordable pliosaur! Even after the success of Walking with Dinosaurs, the only available pliosaur for a while was the Carnegie Kronosaurus, which is based on a very dated reconstruction. The good pliosaurs were elusive and expensive, until now! This is a state-of-the-art replica, designed with the help of none other than the founder of our blog, Adam Smith. Although the pic is kind of blurry, it appears it's going to be awesome. Judging by the paintjob though, they went for the WwD similarity. I wish they hadn't done it again, several Liops look that way, but it's impressive nonetheless. -Wild Safari Mosasaurus: It's funny that there are no good replicas of genera we know very well (the Colorata Mosasaurus is perhaps the only one that is close to accuracy and although the retired Carnegie is very cool, it's not based on modern reconstructions). Another spectacular marine reptile, it seems that they repeated the "shiny skin" formula of the Carnegie Tylosaurus. If anything, I'd have added some skin detail. Forum member JB4 ventured that this is Mosasaurus conodon. As you can see, the Wild Safari and Carnegie lines promise to deliver the best prehistoric animals next year. But as if this weren't enough, they are going to produce some toobs too. Remember we told you that there were rumours about these babies? Well, they weren't kidding, I suspect at least one of them will surpass any other toob made by Safari. First we have the fossil replicas toob. It's interesting to see such a toob, only Kaiyodo had made quality fossil miniatures. We have a cool sea scorpion, an ammonite and a trilobite, among others. I'm not sure though if this set will be easily marketed, I suppose that perhaps the kids won't like it as much as the fleshed out figures because it has zero playability, it seems to be aimed directly at collectors. There's another thing. Perhaps it's just my imagination but it seems that people are not very attracted to fossil replicas. Hopefully this will work out for Safari though. The other toob, I suspect, will be a tremendous hit. It's a toob filled with marine creatures from the distant past! One can see the inspiration from Playvision, they also had a Nothosaurus, an Elasmosaurus and a Henodus. Unlike the Playvision marine reptiles though, these figures look very sleek and modern, not to mention that we will also get a very well done Basilosaurus and a frilled shark! We will post more pics when they become available. If you want to comment on these guys, don't forget to visit out forum!

Carnotaurus (Sideshow Collectibles "Dinosauria")

plesiosauria — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:27:02 +0000

Review and photos by Dan Liebman Having released their premier piece in the form of the “Tyrannosaurus vs. Triceratops” diorama, Sideshow continues to build on their new Dinosauria product line with this second statue. Choosing the Carnotaurus as a subject matter seems a bit of a surprise, although the species did achieve some level of popular recognition after appearing in Disney’s “Dinosaur” in 2000. Although we know a great deal about the animal’s appearance, the Carnotaurus remains something of a freak among theropod dinosaurs. It possessed a relatively long neck, thin jaw, smallish head, tiny forearms, and forward-facing eyes. The distinctive brow horns are what give the creature its name, which means “flesh-eating bull”. Interestingly, Sideshow has eschewed the potentially pretentious characteristics of a diorama piece. Instead, the Carnotaurus appears by itself, in what the company refers to as a “maquette” statue. Logistically, this is still a very similar piece. The polystone figure has a sturdy metal peg sticking out the bottom of one foot. This is carefully maneuvered into a hole in the base, which provides all the stability necessary to display a deceptively precarious-looking statue. This durable design allows the dynamic qualities of the scene to become instantly apparent. The Carnotaurus is posed in a full run, charging forward with jaws agape, powerful legs and massive feet propelling it across a parched, cracked landscape. Sharp-eyed observers will notice a smaller three-toed trackway moving concurrently with the Carnotaur; whether these prints could be from a prey animal remains open to interpretation. A single stray log decorates the earthen base; it is otherwise a monochromatic foundation that keeps the eye appropriately focused on the action at hand. Naturally, the head of the beast becomes the main focal point, and the artists know this. As such, it is detailed lavishly in knobby osteoderms, bony scutes, and a startling arrangement of genuinely sharp teeth. Both the tongue and the roof of the mouth glisten realistically, while the eyes convey the intangible terror of an ancient predator; something that is not especially intelligent, but doesn’t really need to be. The notoriously tiny arms of the Carnotaurus point directly toward its posterior. It is hard to say if this animal could comfortably hold its arms in such a position, but given the intensity of the scene, it is likely this aspect was intended to convey the animal’s sudden acceleration. The feet appear appropriately avian, from their leathery texture right down to the dewclaws. While Sideshow’s premier Dinosauria statue seemed to possess a relatively smooth appearance in the feet of the animals, this Carnotaurus is lacking no such detail. Even the toes and ventral surfaces of the animal demonstrate excellent texturing. The toe claws have a slight sheen, impressively simulating the horny sheath that would have formed over the claws in life. The Carnotaurus sastrei is also one of the few dinosaurs for which fossilized impressions of skin have been discovered. This pebbly surface is visible in many areas of the Carnotaurus maquette, suggesting the artistic team (which included Steve Riojas) has indeed done their homework. The predominantly sandy hue of the animal is complemented by brown patterns across the dorsal surfaces, imitating the “break up” of color that is often seen in ambush predators. One of the more subtle elements of the creature’s palette includes a set of cool colors. Dark blues run down the feet, while the flanks are deeply tinged in green. This further accentuates the primeval characteristics of the Carnotaurus, a massive predator of reptilian lineage that is both believable and beautiful to gaze upon. Time will tell just how long this reconstruction of the Carnotaurus is considered scientifically accurate. For the time being, there isn’t very much to complain about. It’s the most affordable (and possibly the most impressive) Dinosauria piece Sideshow has to offer so far, and its epic scale lends a total length of 18 inches. Elegant and exciting, this statue will appeal to any serious dinosaur collector willing to shell out the coin for it. From stubby head to spiny tail, this statue is like seeing the Carnotaurus for the very first time. Available from Amazon.com $169.99

Procon Eustreptospondylus2

Tomhet — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:45:19 +0000

Procon Eustreptospondylus

Tomhet — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:45:22 +0000

Eustreptospondylus (Procon)

Tomhet — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:17:04 +0000

Those who know me on the forum have noticed that I dislike Procon very much and I wanted to show everybody why I do. Some had even suggested that I'd like them if I happened to acquire at least one. Let me tell you, not even the gratitude I feel for having received this figure as a donation makes me tolerate it more (I also received the Hydrotherosaurus but unfortunately I found it rather crude too). It's ugly and it's cartoonish. I can't believe this is the stuff that is competing with other companies that have at least tried to improve the quality of their products. I for one would have appreciated a well-done Eustreptospondylus, it was a medium-sized Jurassic theropod very similar to Megalosaurus (the size, less than 5 meters or 15 feet, is debatable though, it appears that the specimen described by none other than Sir Richard Owen was not a fully grown individual). The only specimen available today is not even complete, it was found near Oxford in marine sediments (no wonder a Liopleurodon eats one in Walking with Dinosaurs!). It's rather depressing that we have no passable megalosaur replicas. It would be ridiculous to compare the real skeleton with this parody of a dinosaur. Procon tends to prey on other paleoartists. In this case they took the image from the Dougal Dixon Encyclopaedia (I have seen it and truth be told, it's a painting that doesn't even favor this dinosaur). After getting acquainted with Procon's misshapen 'dinosaurs' I can tell you for sure that the makers don't even bother to check online sources for their reconstructions, let alone serious publications, they just rip off whatever source they see fit. One clear example: the 'Polacanthus' was copied off a illustration in which the perspective hid the hip shield. That's why the Procon 'Polacanthus' has no hip shield. In the case of the Procon 'Eustrepto' the weird (and not very accurate) ornamentations of the head that appear in the original were copied indiscriminately. Every collector knows that practically every company uses paleoart as inspiration, but every company I can think of knows how to copy when it decides to. This thing is an amateurish vulgarity, unprofessional hands have clumsily molded it. Even with the disadvantage of having undergone such a 'creative' process, I will concede that the overall shape is close to that of a megalosaur of some sort (thanks no doubt to the original illustration) but that hardly compensates the enormous flaws that plague poor 'Eustreptospondylus': the legs and the feet are horribly deformed and disproportionate, the hallux is crudely sculpted, the neck is too long and the head doesn't have an ounce of realism. Everybody talks about how cheap Procon figures are, but the way I see it these are just expensive chinasaurs. Unfortunately every year Procon butchers more prehistoric animals, many theropods and sauropods like Shunosaurus or Becklespinax have been ravaged beyond recognition. Taking other companies into account, especially Safari, I can only conclude that this is a retrograde line. Procon should slow down, hire more competitive artists and release fewer figures that are better done. Available from Amazon.com (here)

Scelidosaurus (Collecta Deluxe)

libraraptor — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:51:13 +0000

Scelidosaurus was a Lower Jurassic Tyreophoran from England. Discovered in the middle of the 19th century in Dorset and described by Richard Owen himself, this 4 m long, bird hipped dinosaur is standing at the changeover from small bipedal Ornithopods to quadrupedal Ankylosaurs or Stegosaurs. Collecta Scelidosaurus is a nice figure to have, if it wasn´t for the cost/performance ratio. I payed 19,99 € for it, while some Schleichs of similar size are much cheaper. ("Dollecta?") Maybe it is this expensive because it is declared as a "Deluxe" dinosaur. To be honest, this is a promise Collecta Scelidosaurus can´t really live up to, although it is really neat. Collecta Scelidosaurus is 23 cm long, 7 cm tall and of a really heavy touch. The back and the many shales and spikes of different sizes are all painted tan and beige. The shoulder spines make an exception: These eye-catchers are light red. The belly is grey. The animal has been caught at quick pace, mouth open. It seems as if it´s running away from a predator. The head and neck reveal some cool details: The neck is laced with overlapping scales, the head has horns who face backward, making them look like ears, which is a little annoying, I must admit. Also annoying is the fact that the front legs´ outer toe points backwards. I´m also not sure if the number of toes was really five. All in all I recommend Collecta Scelidosaurus to every collector with a wider span of species and companies. Two questions remain unanswered: Did Collecta exaggerate by providing the animal with so many scales and horns? And isn´t the overall approach too clumsy? Lookig at this figure, one could think Scelidosaurus was 10 or so metres long. But it was much smaller and probably more slender and agile. Bonus: As far as I know, currently there are only two Scelidosaur figures out there: This one and the Invicta, dating back to 1975. You can´t really compare these two to each other. They each represent a different period of regarding dinosaurs generally. The Invicta the "tail-dragging reptile" - time, this one the "erect tail cow - style" time.

Tyrannosaurus rex Maquette (Sideshow Collectibles “Dinosauria”)

libraraptor — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:52:20 +0000

Review by Dan of DansDinosaurs.com Photos by Dan Liebman and Jeremy Killian What can be said of the Tyrannosaurus rex? Easily the most popular of all prehistoric animals, this universally recognized carnivore embodies the might and majesty of the ancient world. In any exhibit or product line, his presence is absolutely mandatory, his regal status beyond question. Since their premiere in 2009, Sideshow Collectibles has already released two interpretations of the species for their “Dinosauria” line. Although undeniably exciting, the “T.rex vs. Triceratops” scene has been depicted many times in the past. The challenge for this maquette is to create something fresh and original, to show the Tyrannosaurus as it has never been seen before. One instantly noticeable aspect of this creature is the presence it commands, without even opening its jaws. The two previous Sideshow Dinosauria statues were extraordinarily dynamic, like snapshots of a violent scene. Instead, this tyrannosaur is plodding along with a relatively casual posture. This naturalistic vision is not commonly seen in mass-produced toys, often reserved for the eyes of mature collectors and resin model enthusiasts. This is indeed how one might expect the animal to appear in life, stalking in a Cretaceous forest, its immediate goal somewhat mysterious. Sideshow has promised to reconstruct its dinosaurs not merely as museum display pieces, but as fully-fleshed out characters. Never before has this vision been executed so prominently or stylishly. This tyrannosaur is not smooth and pristine; he is a grizzled, ancient-looking predator, with old wounds decorating his body like war medals. Each unique laceration is carved into his flesh, a vast history for all to see. The ambiguity of these injuries leaves much to the imagination, and since speculating is half the fun, I will avoid sharing my own interpretations here. Some, such as the broad tears along the tail, appear fresh and young. Others, such as the swollen growth at his ankle, appear more severe and agonizing. This portrait of an old predator is not merely sympathetic, but potentially inspiring. He leers out at the viewer, almost challenging them: “What are your wounds compared to mine?” Among the many talented artists involved in the creation of this piece, fans of paleoart will instantly recognize the signature style of David Krentz. This old bull is somewhat gracile (as the modern male rex is frequently depicted), with an avian build that strongly echoes Krentz’s theropods. The bird-like texturing on the feet, as well as the alert posture, coincides with our modern interpretation of the Tyrannosaurus. Even so, this old male was likely better at ambush than high-speed pursuits. His body is richly muscled, particularly in the powerful legs and neck. The neck is bristled with protruding knobs and wrinkled skin, further enhancing that scraggly, ancient visage. The face itself is where much of the personal character can be seen. It is easy to imagine, yet difficult to fathom, the sheer number of rival predators this Tyrannosaur fought throughout its lifetime. Much of the impressive scarring can be found along the head, which is undoubtedly the business-end of the animal. The eyes and nostrils glisten realistically, with deep gashes running perpendicular to the jawline. The teeth are also notable, as many appear to be short or missing altogether. Tyrannosaurs were known to quickly replace teeth that were lost throughout their career, so this striking irregularity lends great credibility to the reconstruction. The dark coloration of the body brightens into a golden hue before hitting the pale underside. This is somewhat consistent with the other Dinosauria Tyrannosaurus. The head appears to be almost flushed red, possibility as a warning to rivals, or for use in sexual display. It is this standout element that really amplifies the creature’s avian appearance, and even when perceived by a different species, there is no denying the color’s dramatic and striking effect. Although the finer details are somewhat muddled when compared to the original stock photos, this remains an outstanding reconstruction of the Tyrannosaurus rex. It has tremendous power, personality, and attention to detail (even the feet appear to be dusted with moss from the earthen base). The only cause for hesitation is the price tag, which is comparable to a high-end resin kit, but this piece ships fully finished. This might not be the “prettiest” Rex on the market, but it is unquestionably one of the finest.

Leptoceratops (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd)

griffin8891 — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:47:00 +0000

Review and photos by Griffin8891 Leptoceratops was a small ceratopsian from the Maastrichtian period at the very end of the Cretacious in North America. It would have lived alongside it’s much more famous cousins, Triceratops and Torosaurus as well as other dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus and Anatotitan to name a few. Unlike many of its contemporaries, however, this guy was tiny, measuring only about two, maybe three meters in length. Let me start off by saying that originally I had no intention of buying this little fellow but I am sure glad I did. It’s one of those figures that I had to see in person in order to appreciate. With regards to anatomy, I can’t really find anything wrong with it. The legs are the right lengths and the skull seems to be about the right size (maybe it could afford to be a bit smaller but that’s just me being extremely nit-picky. It’s a good figure.) The tail is also good in that it is widened longitudinally. Unlike its larger relatives, the smaller ceratopsians like Lepto and Protoceratops are known for having elongated neural arches on their tails which were most likely covered by flesh in life giving it a tall, flattened appearance. So overall this figure is good with regards to scientific accuracy as far as I can tell. The pose is not too dynamic but not totally boring either. It seems to be quizzically looking up at something. It’s on all fours which is fine. Keep in mind, however, that this kind of dinosaur is believed to have been able to move around on its hind legs as well. The pose that it’s in is good though. It allows the tail to be balanced in the air instead of being used as an extra leg like so many bipedal safari dinosaurs end up doing so I’m not complaining. The detail is also very nice. Previously, I had only seen photos of this figure and was unable to see the great detail that is actually there and wrote it off as something I had no intention of getting. When I finally held it in my hands, I was pleasantly proven wrong. Its skin is wrinkly all over and it has individually sculpted ridges on its back and the top of its tail that give it a really nice touch. The jaw is also something that really stood out to me as being well done. It’s boldly definition gives the impression that this little dino could deliver a powerful bite if need be. Finally, the paint job is good as well. The dinosaur is mostly forest green with dark green stripes and has chain of reddish brown dots going down the length of the body. The head is a warm amber color that brightens towards the beak. The same green base-color is used for the pattern on the frill which is also outlined in reddish brown. Each black eye has a tiny white fleck to give the impression of reflection. The color scheme seems realistic for a small dinosaur that may seek refuge in the underbrush while trying to stay out of the way of its giant contemporaries. I have no complaints about this pleasant little figure. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a cheap and rather cute addition to his or her collection. If you love ceratopsians like I do this little fellow should be a no-brainer. It can be found at any craft store or toy store and shouldn’t cost more than five dollars at the most. Available from Amazon.com (here)

Steppe Mammoth (Papo)

plesiosauria — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:57:54 +0000

Review and photographs by 'Bucketfoot-Al' Papo has produced some excellent prehistoric toy dinosaur figures recently as you undoubtedly know – not always accurate but always 100% high quality, with remarkable detail. But this review is about one of their discontinued figures from our more recent past. I am talking about their running Mammoth figure. It is still available from a few internet shops including Amazon.com (here) and comes up on www.ebay.com fairly frequently. The main knock on this figure for me was that it is done in 1:40 scale, rather than the larger scales of the other Mammoths (Bullyland, Safari, Schleich, Procon). But there are enough 1:40 scale figures around now. Wild Safari and Bullyland, Schleich and even Procon produce many of their larger prehistoric mammals in 1:40 scale, while some smaller animals are rendered in larger scales. So a viable 1:40 prehistoric mammal collection can be assembled (if you happen to care about all the figures being in scale like I do). Having said that, it is still 8.5” long and about 4.5” tall at the shoulder. What makes this sculpt unique is not only the pose; although it has body hair it is fairly closely cropped to the body and one look at the sculpt makes knowledgeable paleofans instantly realize that, unlike the other companies’ Mammoths, this one is not the Woolly Mammoth. Instead, this older Papo version is clearly a Steppe Mammoth (Imperial Mammoth, Columbian Mammoth, Sungari Mammoth were all versions of this species), which was the largest Mammoth ever, some (like Sungari) up to 17 feet tall at the shoulder (!) and weighing anywhere from 10-15 tons, making it one of the 3 largest mammals that ever lived, right after Indricotherium and its distant older cousin, the Deinotheirum, with which it was roughly on par size-wise. One way to tell is the size and shape of the head and tusks vis-à-vis the body. It screams ‘Steppe Mammoth’. So this makes this piece unique in PVC Mammoth annals. Now on to the sculpt itself. Like Steppe Mammoths, which had a variety of tusk shapes (some flared outwards, some straight ahead like in this figure), the model features accurate, fiendishly long tusks of the ‘straight ahead’ variety. (The much smaller Woolly Mammoths generally had more upwards curving tusks, shorter bodies and larger humps and more body hair.) True to most Papo figures (the new Papo Woolly Mammoth sadly excluded) the level of detail and general accuracy of the animal make it, next to the Safari large Wooly Mammoth, one of the two best Mammoth figures out there. But you’d better look quickly as its becoming rare to find – though the prices are still quite low ($9 - $20 range, on ebay and a few Internet shops that still have it). This is my favorite PVC Mammoth, I only recently got one for my 1:40 scale collection, and boy am I glad that I did! (Look at ‘Hans’, the Schleich 1:40 human figure next to it in the photos for an idea of its size.) A few photos from several angles give a far better appreciation of the sculpt than the Papo stock photo . (Have you ever wondered why the stock photos released by all of the Paleo figure companies invariably fail to show the best side of the animals? Ever noticed that? Poor quality control, I would guess!!!) Anyhow, any Mammoth fan needs to have this one as a part of his/her collection. I doubt that we will see another PVC sculpt of a Steppe Mammoth any time soon, and this one earns 5 STARS for both accuracy and detail quality. Currently available from Amazon.com (here)

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itstwentybelow — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:23:37 +0000

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Parasaurolophus (2007 version) (Replica-Saurus by Schleich)

itstwentybelow — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:41:32 +0000

Parasaurolophus is a well known lambeosaurine dinosaur from Late Cretaceous North America, where it lived near the Western Interior Seaway. It sported a large crest on its skull which may have been used for making vocalizations and has caused this genus to be easily recognizable to the public. The name means “near-crested reptile”. Parasaurolophus was a large animal at over 30 feet in length, but was herbivorous. The first fossil remains were discovered in 1920 in Alberta, Canada by an expedition from the University of Toronto. The area is now known as the Dinosaur Park Formation. Parasaurolophus is one of the most ubiquitous dinosaur figures out there because it seems to be as much of a requirement for a toy line as T.rex or Triceratops. However, very few sculpts do justice to the animal. This figure, which was released in 2007, does. Schleich previously released a green Parasaurolophus in a tripod pose for this line, which is a good figure, but this one’s better. Schleich’s 2007 Para is 9 inches long (1/40 scale) and hefty! You’ll notice it’s very solidly built when handled. The figure is incredibly detailed and covered in realistic scales, giving it a rough texture. The colors are very earthy, if a bit drab, but that’s Schleich. The predominant color is a caramel brown, with darker brown spots that almost give it a cow-like pattern. There is a row of these markings along the spine. The figure’s underside is gray and the crest is an interesting lime green, which contrasts with the brown. Its hooves are painted dark brown and its eyes are yellow with black pupils. The animal is in a quadrupedal striding pose. This Parasaurolophus is awesome. It is quite possibly the best figure Schleich has released to date. This one shows that the people at Schleich did a little research. The sculpt is very well proportioned and does not have the “awkward” vibe of a lot of other Schleich sculpts (cough*Ceratosaurus*cough). The scalation all over the body and the wrinkles on its tail make this figure very realistic. There are even very small scales on its head. The limbs show some muscle definition, the 1^st and 5^th digits of the forelimbs are reduced, and the animal is also posed on all fours, which is an idea widely viewed by paleontologists to be its usual posture, although Parasaurolophus could run on two legs. The neck also curves up in a nice S-shape, and there is no purely speculative fleshy sail connecting the crest to the neck. Lastly, there is a notch in the figure’s spine above the shoulders. This was recently thought to perhaps accommodate the animal’s large crest, but it has since been determined that the fossil specimen the anomaly was found in was broken. Still, I like its inclusion because it shows that Schleich was at least paying attention to research, which is something I’m not so sure they always do… Parasaurolophus is my favorite dinosaur, and this figure is one of my favorite ever renditions of it. Pictures make it look good, but it’s a figure you really have to see for yourself. I don’t foresee this guy being retired anytime soon and it is widely available. This figure gets top marks from me.

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Tomhet — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:02:44 +0000

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Paleoart from the Fauna Casts Project!

Tomhet — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:10:46 +0000

For all the readers that haven't entered the forum, I am very proud to announce on this blog the official line of the Dinosaur Toy Forum: the Fauna Casts prehistoric creatures done by the exceptional artist Malcolm Mlodoch (AKA dinonikes). For decades, Malcolm has worked for lots of museums. He has provided beautiful renderings of creatures from practically all the ages: from primitive invertebrates to the more recent mammals (not to mention that he also has sculpted modern fauna). His museum pieces are stunning (which by the way are still available and very affordable). It was already a great honour for us to have him in our midst but that wasn't the end of it. Our obscene needs for dinosaurs made him realize that he could deploy his artistic skills by producing a line of 1:40 figures. This is Malcolm's own description of the creative process: "This line of prehistoric animal figures, has been, and is currently being, developed in a collaboration between myself and the members of the Dinosaur Toy Forum in an ongoing process. The goal with this line of figures is to offer collectors a unique opportunity to participate in the creation of a line of figures. This line will feature unusual naturalistic poses, multiple poses of the same species, and unusual species not usually produced by the major toy companies-in addition to new ways of representing the iconic species more familiar to the collector. Forum members were originally asked which species of prehistoric animals they would like to see developed as figures. A general consensus was reached ragarding sizes, figures should be in 1:40 scale whenever possible. A process developed between myself and the members to create these figures. This collaborative process is simple. I sculpt the figure, using all of the latest references I can find, or am provided by forum members. I post photos of the ‘finished’ clay pattern sculpture for critiquing by members- who then give their feedback, sharing their knowledge and opinions regarding the sculpture’s accuracy, pose and other details. After the critiquing stage, some sculpting revisions, and after a general consensus of final approval has been reached, the figures are ready to mold, cast, and offer up to collectors. I am very pleased with the results thus far- and look forward to future collaboration with everyone that takes the initiative to participate in this interesting process" The result is an exquisite array of figures that are not exactly toys; they are not resin kits either, the consensus is that they are something in-between. The sculptures are not as cheap as a museum toy, the price is a little higher, but I can assure you that it's completely worth it. This isn't a mass marketed product, it's a hand-painted piece of art straight from the artist. Most of the times a base is included, which makes toppling over virtually impossible. I was very eager to finally meet his creations face to face, and after getting acquainted with this line, I can safely say not only that the creative process is unique, but also that his work can match (and in some cases easily surpass) any other 1:40 figure out there (in case there are equivalents, his Muraenosaurus for instance is the only one made so far). This is the list of prehistoric creatures that Malcolm has made so far: -Dilophosaurus -Muraenosaurus -Tyrannosaurus rex -Ophthalmosaurus -Acrocanthosaurus -Parasaurolophus I have heard that the Tylosaurus will be available very soon. So don't be shy, please visit Dinonikes' subforum to participate in this exciting project! These are some pics of the amazing sculptures, including the recently released Acrocanthosaurus:

Tyrannosaurus rex (Papo)

plesiosauria — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:55:11 +0000

Review by megaraptor1000, photos by dinotoyforum Papo has produced some stunning, if inaccurate, toys in their short time in the model dinosaur industry. Today I will be reviewing one of their larger pieces, the Tyrannosaurus rex. I apologize in advance to Jurassic Park worshipers for bashing their little Rex, I don't hate him, I am just a bit critical. No information is needed on the dinosaur itself. It's Tyrannosaurus rex! The villain from the first two Jurassic Park movies, and there lies the inspiration for this toy. As most dinosaur affiliates would recognize, it is clearly based on the Jurassic Park 3 Rex which was unceremoniously killed off in one of the early scenes of the movie. The Papo T. rex is an almost exact replica of the Jurassic Park dinosaur, even down to the overlarge feet, which aren't necessary anyway because the figure is in the dreaded 'tripod' pose. Like all Papos, it has "Papo", the manufacturing date (2005), Made In China, and CE stampted on it somewhere (in this one on the inside of the right thigh). The Papo 'Rex' fits in with most of the other Papos in that it is not to scale. A close-up of the creature's head show the bulbous bases of the lower jaw and the pyramidal 'crests' above the eyes, now considered by some experts to have actually existed. In my opinion, and I am no expert on this sort of thing, the head seems just a bit short to me. Another inaccuracy is the arms. They are too long and the palms face the chest. In a real Tyrannosaurus, it would have had to break it's arms in at least three different places to get them like that. Now we move onto the tail. There is no physical way a tyrannosaur could even contemplate bending it's tail that far around. The tail is also too short, but not so short to be really annoying. My pet hate on this figure is the overlarge feet. They would be OK if they were supporting the body and it was horizontal, but that would be a heresy in an all-JP figure. And even though the movie version had them, they weren't to this extent. Now for the positives (is that a 'hallelujah' I can hear in the background from Jurassic Park toy aficionados?). The skin is wonderfully textured; there are nice wrinkles around the neck. The hind limbs and pelvic region exude power, the teeth are individually sculpted, and it even has the trace of an ear-hole. But, best of all, it is in the ever-famous 'victory roar' pose from the first Jurassic Park movie (even though it is the JP3 Tyrannosaur). All in all, and inaccuracies aside, this is a great and affordable ((currently $18.95 US at Amazon.com) replica that is recommended to anyone who loves Jurassic Park, Tyrannosaurus, or just dinosaurs in general. Thanks to fellow dinosaur toy forum members kevin, horridus, sid and meso-cenozoic for helping me with some of the information. Available from Amazon.com (here)

Indricotherium (Malcolm Mlodoch for Fauna Casts)

Tomhet — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:24:35 +0000

I am quite pleased to be able to finally share pics of this monster sculpture done by my good friend Malcolm Mlodoch. Those addicted to the prehistoric mammals will get a huge (in every sense) fix with this guy. When it comes to Cenozoic fauna, I am even more selective than with dinos, so you may trust me when I tell you that this is a high quality product. I was blown away when I first saw the pics of the finished product, but I couldn't believe my eyes when I held it in my hands for the first time, as it exceeded my expectations completely. I am surprised that there are not many figures of this animal, it's very distinctive (nothing else than the biggest terrestrial mammal: some specimens are 5.5 mts tall and 8 mts long). These creatures were actually related to rhinos (that explains Malcolm's choice of colour) although they had no head ornamentation. They lived from the Eocene to the Oligocene in a span of almost 15 million years, grazing peacefully without many natural foes. Their weight is still a matter of speculation, but it does appear that previous numbers were exaggerations: while they may not have weighed 30 tons, they could have reached the 15 tons mark. In any case, it appears that these critters were more agile than we once thought, I read that some of their bones were actually hollow. They are fairly popular and had had their share of TV guest appearances. The Indricotherium / Baluchitherium is a classic animal that experienced a surge of attention back in the 60's. The most remarkable figures I can think of right now are the very cool Nabisco miniature version and the execrable Procon 'Indricotherium', a slightly smaller version that looks like a cross between a moose and a cartoonish camel. There's also a Starlux version (it's not half bad if you don't mind the primitive look of that company) and the Paleocraft resin kit. Of all the versions I have mentioned, in my opinion only the Paleocraft would be a worthy contester, but even then I would have to say that the Fauna Casts Indri wins because it's so much more affordable. This triumphant version, reminiscent of Charles R. Knight's drawing, is not static at all. A subtly curved torse and the raised paw provide it with a sense of fluidity. The paintjob is also one of my favorites: the grey drybrushing blends nicely with the brownish wash(es). I also liked the way the muzzle was done: the effect of a simple wash makes it look almost wet. As for the structure itself, Malcolm sculpted a very fine set of large muscles, including a set of thick extremities, quite appropiate for this huge animal. Although it's very large (around 25 cm long, I suspect only slightly bigger than the 1:40 premise), it's rather light. I had seen other members express their joy upon receiving this piece and now I know why is that. I look forward to seeing more big mammals made by dinonikes. You can visit Malcolm's subforum here.

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Tomhet — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:31:27 +0000

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Brachiosaurus (unpainted version) (Invicta)

plesiosauria — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:52:04 +0000

Review and photos by Marc Vincent aka Horridus For many collectors of plastic dinosaur merchandise Invicta's green behemoth has long been a firm favourite, often taking pride of place among their sauropod assemblages. It remains an impressive and imposing figure well worth seeking out, as much as time has detracted from its scientific accuracy. (It should probably be also referred to as Giraffatitan, but we'll let that slide for this review...) Dating from 1984, this Brachiosaurus is less archaic in appearance than Invicta's older models of Diplodocus and Apatosaurus with their dragging tails, and has managed to stand the test of time better than their 1988 Mamenchisaurus, with its implausibly erect neck. Nevertheless, it has its flaws by modern standards. The feet are unquestionably incorrect and the neck might just be a little too graceful and upright, although it is still far superior to the later Carnegie Collection Brachiosaurus in this respect. Also, on most modern restorations the nostrils are not placed as high on the skull, and the short mouth seems to indicate that this Brachiosaurus has been given cheeks! Of course, for a figure this old, and one that has weathered so well, this is nitpicking. In its time it was the best Brachiosaurus by a country mile, and even now only the new Wild Safari model seems to have any chance of surpassing it. It is posed very convincingly – not rearing up but striding calmly and purposefully, its neck curved so that its excellently rendered eyes are imperiously surveying the landscape below it. Another positive aspect is the tail, which as with many of the more recent Invictas is held out rigidly straight behind the animal, and is of course clear of the ground. The detailed skin, muscle tone and even veins help convey a massive, powerful creature. This Brachiosaurus may be 1:45 scale (approximately), but it succeeds impressively in portraying an animal that was unimaginably huge. In spite of its aforementioned inaccuracies, I also love the head of this figure. Its drooping eyelids and down-turned, frowning mouth give it the superior air of an old English gent, with its nasal crest standing in for the bowler hat. It gives the figure real charm. This model, although sadly long since discontinued, is still frequently available on eBay UK and eBay US at very reasonable prices, and is a must for any collection.

Muttaburrasaurus (Invicta)

plesiosauria — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:21:03 +0000

Review and photos by Marc Vincent aka Horridus One of the more recent of Invicta's dinosaurs, this Muttaburrasaurus dates from 1989. This model is often overlooked when compared with others in the range, especially the younger Lambeosaurus, but it demonstrates perfectly how far Invicta's dinosaur designs had progressed, making their untimely demise all the more unfortunate. This Muttaburrasaurus is worlds apart from Invicta's earlier rendition of its more famous relative Iguanodon. Whereas Iguanodon was shown in the long-outdated 'kangaroo' posture popularised by Louis Dollo (complete with a dragged tail that would had to have been broken in the real animal), Muttaburrasaurus is portrayed as a quadruped with an extremely straight tail, bending only very slightly and subtly to the right towards the tip. The creature is posed with its left forelimb raised, perhaps to indicate how it could have transferred to a bipedal, but still horizontal, posture. It is also looking to the left and slightly upwards, as if startled by a predator or a rival. The head appears to feature the speculative 'resonating chamber', a popular feature on restorations of this animal as its skull appears to support it (the Walking With Dinosaurs version also had it). Unlike many of the other animals in the series, including Lambeosaurus, Muttaburrasaurus sports non-overlapping scales all over its body. Although skin impressions for this dinosaur have not been found, this certainly makes good sense, as impressions from other large ornithopods show such scales. As is typical of Invictas, especially later ones, detail in terms of muscle definition etc. is superb, while maintaining a bulky herbivorous look. There are of course a few aspects that could do with a tweak (as there always are on models this old) such as the 'fingers', and it could probably do with a more obvious beak. However, this figure is great overall and well ahead of its time. This plain-coloured model might not immediately command your attention but it definitely rewards a closer look. Occasionally available from eBay UK and eBay US at perfectly decent prices.

Brachiosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:01:42 +0000

The Brachiosaurus is one of the few original Carnegie Collection sculpts, as far as I can tell, that has remained unchanged (with the exception of a new paint job) since it was released in 1987. As explained by Randy Knol on the Dinosaur Collector Site, the majority of figures from the original line have been tweaked or retired. The figure I'm reviewing is stamped 1988 so it's important to bear this in mind when assessing the figure for scientific accuracy. The 'Brachio' part of the name on my figure is intriguingly raised relative to the rest of the text on the stamp, seemingly indicating that the figure was previously stamped as something-else-osaurus. Maybe one of our Safari Ltd collecting readers could check an original figure to clarify if this is the case? This is one gargantuan figure and quite a significant hulk of plastic, 'hulk' being the operative word given the incredible green hue to the skin. The head towers above the rest of the figures in the Carnegie Collection - this Brachiosaurus stands 35cm tall. It is a heavy beast too, I don't have any scales on me but I'd estimate it at a little less than a kilogram, worth keeping in mind for effects on shipping costs. The anatomical proportions are good although the animal is a little overweight perhaps, and the posture of the legs is a little uncomfortable looking. The tail is raised (although the very tip touches the floor), the neck is almost vertical and the back slopes towards the hips. A ridge runs along the neck indicating the underlying muscle mass. The skin is covered with large scales and is wrinkled, especially on the flanks between the 'arms' and legs, and at the base of the neck. The 'hands' possess five claws including an enlarged thumb claw. Brachiosaurus is now known to have only the large thumb claw so the figure is outdated in this regard. The cheery-looking small head has the distinctive macronarian 'crest'. The jaws are open revealing a rather gummy looking mouth. The peg-like teeth are quite poorly defined, the sculpt is a bit poorly defined in several places but I think this is probably a result or the old age of the moulds? The current colour scheme for this figure is green, with slightly darker green on the top and a grey wash, which highlights the surface details. The claws are black, the teeth are white, the mouth is pink and the eyes are yellow with neat black pupils. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Feathered Dinos Tube (Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:23:51 +0000

Safari Ltd have produced several tubes ('Toobs') which contain a diverse selection of mini-dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. These tubes are a great choice for the indecisive amongst us - why pick one single large dinosaur when you can get an entire tube of small dinos for the same price!? The American Museum of Natural History feathered dinos tube contains an array of twelve dinosaurs, half of which are feathered and including some recent discoveries. A tube dedicated to feathered dinosaurs is a reflection of recent discoveries that continue to provide evidence for a close relationship between dinosaurs and birds. All of the feathered dinosaurs are theropods and are depicted with plumage to some degree. A four-winged Microraptor a posed mid-flight with its feathered arms, legs and tail outstretched. It is worth noting that these figures are also available individually in the form of keyrings - I should know as a small Microraptor has been following my around as a fashionable backpack accessory for some time! The cumbersome animal Beipiaosaurus is portrayed posed on two legs, supported by one hand, it has yellow and grey plumage. The Dilong has black plumage and is posed on two legs, its tail is expanded into a slight tail fan and also acts as a support. A 'winged' Velociraptor with a long raised tail looks posed for attack with its sickle-shaped claws clearly visible. It also has a plume of feathers on the back of the head and brown stripes on the arm feathers. A brown and white Sinornithosaurus is quite similar to the Velociraptor in overall pose. The final feathered critter of the bunch is Caudipteryx which is positioned raised up on two legs, showing of his red breast and stubby wings. The tip of the tail has a distincive fan of feathers. Pictured: The full set of twelve dinosaurs from the Feathered Dinos Tube by Safari Ltd. Back row, left to right: Caudipteryx, Psittacosaurus, Velociraptor; next row, left to tight: Apatosaurus, Dilong, Pachycephalosaurus; next row, left to right: Beipiaosaurus, Chasmosaurus, Microraptor; front row, left to right: Tyrannosaurus, Protoceratops, Sinornithosaurus. Six non-feathered species have been snuck in amongst the dinobirds. I can't determine any rational for the choice of species, other than the fact that some are contemporaries of one of the feathered dinosaurs. They include some popular names such as T.rex and Apatosaurus, but also some more obscure beasties. There is a Psittacosaurus in an almost quadropedal pose and with yellow/green skin. The distinctive parrot-like beak from which it's name is derived is very clear. There are two frilled ceratopians; a Prococeratops with a stiking blue frill and a deep tail and a deep blue-skinned Chasmosaurus. Finally there is a Pachycephalosaurus posed on two legs and supported by its tail. The bony head is covered in bumps and highlighted in blue. The detailing is nice and although not on a par with similar-sized offerings from Kaiyodo, for example, they are well worth the price tag - presently just $10 on Amazon.com (here). These tubes also offer a great opportunity for play and would make a great gift. I like the diversity in plumage colour on the feathered dinosaurs, similar to modern birds, and the intriguing set of species is a bonus for collectors. Also, the tube itself contains a small rotatable globe set into the lid. All of the figures are about 7cm long and not to scale - after all, only the most active imagination could perceive a swooping Microraptor snatching up an adult Apatosaurus and whisking it up to its nest for dinner. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Muttaburrasaurus (Collecta)

libraraptor — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:00:05 +0000

Muttaburrasaurus was an iguanodontid Ornithopod from the lower cretaceous of Australia. It was 7 metres long and its hallmark was a domed snout. Scientists suggest that Muttaburrasaurus had enlarged nasal caves, some even think that it had inflatable sacs for courtship. There are not many Muttaburrasaurus figures out there. To be honest, I only know of two: The great Invicta one and this one from Collecta. Both are neat little figures, similar in size, scale and posture. While the Invicta Muttaburrasaurus looks puggy, the Collecta version is a little smaller and looks hungry. It has been captured in a dynamic pose, like pausing from quick pace, looking to the left. Its colouring is zebra – like with brown and tan stripes, which I think was a traceable choice. The skin pattern is very bubbly, with many skin folds. As far as Collecta´s look is concerned, there is no in-between. Either their figures are absolutely cool or absolutely ridiculous. This makes Collecta interesting and exciting for the collector. Muttaburrasaurus is one of their better figures, available at a reasonable price everywhere in the internet.

Lambeosaurus (Invicta)

libraraptor — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:47:39 +0000

Well known Lambeosaurus from North America belongs to the classic set of cretaceous dinosaurs being reconstructed as figures. The 1993 Invicta release is probably the best one currently available. It is the last and probably the best ambassador of the highly esteemed Invicta line. It is 19, 5 cm long and 7, 5 cm tall. This means it is a little smaller in scale than most other Invictas. Looking at the Lambeosaurus, one can hardly believe the original animal was 15 metres long. This figure rather resembles a browsing deer in its overall appearance. It is slender, delicate and of high detail. The chary brown colour accompanies with these details very well, every skin fold becomes well visible, and every muscle is at the right place. At the head you see the crest and snout worked out caringly. Nostrils, ears and eyelids deserve a second look, too. The Lambeosaurus is peacefully browsing, slowly walking forward. While other companies still produced bipedal, tail – dragging hadrosaurs, Invicta took the modern choice: Quadrupedal, with a bended spine and an erect tail. Unusual for a hadrosaur figure are the forelimbs: They look like hooves or paws, representing latest research results. This gem should get a place of honour in every serious collection. It shows up on ebay now and then.

Apatosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd)

Marc (Horridus) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:15:21 +0000

Review and photos by Marc Vincent aka Horridus Since Safari are soon to replace their classic sculpt of this most well-known of sauropods, it seems only fitting to take a closer look at this 'retired' figure before it disappears into bargain bins and onto eBay for the next several years. Here depicted with one of its earlier and more lurid paint jobs (it can now be seen in more sober browns, which I must admit I prefer the appearance of – but it was cheap on, yes, eBay), this relatively small Apatosaurus is posed in a rearing posture, its hind legs and the base of its tail forming a tripod. This is reminiscent of everyone's favourite overpriced plastic hulk, the Battat Diplodocus, also known as 'The Holy Grail of Dinosaur Collecting' and 'I've Bought a Car for Less Than That'. Fear not, however, as this figure is of course still available on the cheap and brand new – limbs need not be sold off. With its flailing front limbs this is certainly an unusually dynamic representation of a sauropod. It isn't implausible either – it seems that diplodocids were the sauropods most likely to be able to rear up in this way. Anatomically this figure is a pleasingly accurate restoration for such a cheap toy, looking like a more robust and muscular Diplodocus as it should and not like a podgy, shapeless 'brontosaur'. The head is suitably low and tapering, and it has a long, flexible tail. Its skin has the classic 'wrinkly' look (no matter, you wouldn't see the scales at this, er, scale anyway). There are of course some inaccuracies that are simply a result of the age of the mould (it's dated 1996) – for example the feet, as is very common with sauropod figures, and it has the old-fashioned placement of the nostrils high on the head. Certain parts of the paint job are a little crude on my (rather old) model, including the teeth and eyes, but I understand these have been tidied up for its repaints. Most unfortunate is that this is another toy that's prone to the 'googly-eyes' effect, ie. it has a very asymmetrical head resulting in eyes that aren't level (see also the Carnegie anniversary Tyrannosaurus). Overall, though, it's a nice little figure, and rearing sauropods remain unusual. It's also good to see a nicely modelled Apatosaurus that isn't a bloated 'brontosaur'. It's still widely available and is a pleasing little sauropod to have standing around on your desk. Sometimes available on Ebay here

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cordylus — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:40:23 +0000

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cordylus — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:50:16 +0000

Tyrannosaurus rex (kinto favorite collection)

cordylus — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:01:17 +0000

Ah, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex! One of the coolest dinosaurs ever. However, most replicas of this guy are rather crude and don't do the dinosaur justice - But this one by kinto surely does! Let's start off with the sculpt. Quite simply, it's very good. The detail is insane, it rivals that of the Papo Tyrannosaurus! The legs are very nice and thick, not extremely thin like some of the Carnegie Collection theropods. There are even little scales sculpted on the toes of this beast, like many (if not all?) birds have today. The hallux toes are separately sculpted and point backwards, maybe by just a little too much. There are nicely sculpted traces of muscle and tendons in the legs and feet. The tail is very thick with incividually sculpted scales all over it, with the occasional wrinkle here and there (the wrinkles almost make the tail look fat though), and it is somewhat raised into the air. The arms are an appropriate size, and they aren't pronated! That's always a plus. There's a lot of wrinkles around the chest area. The head and neck are turned to the right. The neck is correctly S-shaped and there are many wrinkles on the right side, just like there should be. The head itself is very nice. It has a very short and blunt skull, and it's very wide. There are no towering pyramidal osteoderms over the eyes, instead there are those little "bumps" that are shown in the Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons. The eyes are appropriately beady, they are yellow with tiny black circular pupils suggesting that this was a diurnal animal. The nostrils are too high up on the snout, however, as it's now thought that most dinosaurs had their nostrils more towards the end of their snouts. It has just about the right number of cream-colored teeth and a tongue is sculpted in the mouth, although it's a little crude. The mouth is a purple-ish brown. The connective tissue at the back of the jaws isn't painted purple or pink or anything, it's just the same color as the rest of the animal-- I find that odd, as most dinosaur reconstructions have them as a different color. The temporal fenestrae are nicely sculpted, but all other fenestrae appear to be missing. This figure stands very well on two feet and the sculpt is in 1/50th scale, making it slightly smaller than most other mass-produced Tyrannosaurus rex figures. The color scheme on this figure is very nice. It's mostly a sandy color all over, with darker brown stripes going down the body. The claws are all painted black. The stomach/underside isn't painted a separate color, I wish it was. There's at least three other color variations of this figure; two are extremely rare versions found only in japan, and the other is just like this figure but in a greenish color scheme. Overall, this is an exceptional figure that belongs in every dinosaur lovers' collection. This has to be my favorite T-rex I own. I give it 5/5. It's available here: http://www.healthstones.com/ (another note- This is oftentimes advertised as a "soft" model, however this is most certainly NOT the case-- It's only soft compared to resin figures, but the plastic it's made from is a little harder than the carnegie dinosaur figures but a little more soft than the unpainted invicta figures)

Brachiosaurus (in egg) ('Dinosauria Collection' by Sideshow Collectibles)

plesiosauria — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:24:41 +0000

Review and photographs by Brandon Back in February during the time of the 2009 Toy Fair, Sideshow Toys revealed that they were going to include in addition to their many lines a series of their own called "Sideshow's Dinosauria." I was extremely pleased with the first two offerings, Tyrannosaurus rex vs. Triceratops Diorama & the Carnotaurus Maquette. This was truly a treat to behold because not only am I a big Sideshow collector but I adore Prehistoric Life and especially the Dinosaurs. If you don't know whom Sideshow is, they are tremendous at sculpting and they specialize in 1/6 scale or 12" figures of Star Wars & G.I. Joe to name a couple and also distribute equally sculpted Hot Toys figures in the same scale. Now, the Brachiosaurus Egg Ornament is different from a maquette and really is unlike anything any company has made previously. It was something that I had to own and in order to obtain it you have two options, one, buy one of their selected items and get it free or actually purchase it for $14.99. I chose the latter. Now, see what My commentary says about it! The baby Sauropod hatchling Christmas and/or Holiday ornament is stuffed in a familiar Sideshow Dinosauria box with the line's name within the logo. The packaged plastic bagged piece is protected nicely in two Styrofoams that are taped with a sticker of Sideshow's customer service number on it. However, it does not indicate what dinosaur is in the box, either this was a rush job or they followed the trend of non-labeled Christmas items? Nevertheless, its an attractive box and protects the hatchling very well! The size of the ornament is about three and a half inches tall and around two pounds. The sculpting of the new born "Arm Lizard" is so top notch, its one of the absolute greatest dinosaur pieces I've seen! As I previously stated, the Brachiosaurus is a baby, just hatching out of its egg trying to emerge onto the Earth and not only does the prehistoric animal have great sculpting but even the egg does! This Macronaria member looks totally accurate as if it really is a tiny Brachiosaur lost in time. Sculpted by Sideshow's Paleoartists, they sure did their homework! This ancient megafauna is almost rolled up in a ball with its long neck & head curled onto its large stomach with its right hind limb & foot showing. The tail is wrapped around its back and located throughout on the body there is many creases and bumps similar like warts. The most fascinating aspect of the entire baby is its head. Its large raised cranium is perfectly visible and the nostrils are placed one on each side and is at a great depth. I completely love that the left eye is closed and the right eye is slightly opened, perhaps for the first time, it adds so much realism! As I've mention previously, the egg itself is also sculpted marvelously. There's many tiny lumps here and there and some cracks around the shell in the back and the right side but especially the left because there are some major breakage present as if the little one actually did it himself. One thing I really like about the egg is its inner section, the skin is perfectly even with the thickness of the hard shell and the effect is pulled off quite effectively! The paint applications on the dinosaur as well as on the egg is applied very carefully with no bleeding, blotches, smears or anything to mess it up. The little creature has several colors to him which are green, tan, orange-yellow, and black. He's got a color scheme mixture of a Micrurus fulvius (Coral Snake) & Panthera tigris (Tiger) going on, of course this is very theoretical that it carries both and its a possibly that this was true because of the theropsid and sauropsid linage split. The egg is colored dark white with dark blue spots almost everywhere on the shell. The inner skin of the egg is of a peachy color depicting a possible correct color from knowing known modern species. The Sideshow's Dinosauria logo is also painted greatly where you can clearly see the name of the line and also see a hint of a massive Brachiosaurid skeleton! Indeed, I'm quite impressed with the painting on this ornament. As for the ornament feature, there is a very small metal loop screwed in on the side or behind the baby if you prefer with a strong silver loop to hang on your Christmas tree. Overall, this is a magnificent piece I'd recommend this to any dinosaur collector and/or lover whether you want it for your collection or for the purpose of hanging it for the holidays or for both reasons. It lightweight, sculpted superbly, painted greatly, appears realistic and its very affordable. To think that all of Sideshow's Dinosauria collectibles that have been released and upcoming are all from the Cretaceous but it took an ornament to unveil a species from the Jurassic. As I speak, you can currently purchase this cute Brachiosaurus baby at Sideshow right now!

Spinosaurus (Kinto Favorite Desktop Model)

libraraptor — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:36:55 +0000

Pachycephalosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

griffin8891 — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:58:32 +0000

Review and photos by Griffin8891 Pachycephalosaurus belongs to the general group of dinosaurs called marginocephalia which encompasses all the dome-headed pachycephalosaurs as well as all of the ceratopsians. Pachycephalosaurus itself was the largest of the dome headed dinosaurs, estimated to have grown to between fifteen or perhaps twenty feet in length. It is widely accepted as being an herbivore but recent studies suggest it may have supplemented its diet with a little animal content as well. It lived at the very end of the Cretacious during the Maastrichtian Age in North America and co-existed with dinosaurs such as Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, Anatotitan, Ankylosaurus and Ornithomimus to name a few. This figure is alright but is certainly not the best pachycephalosaur model out there. For anatomy I feel like the head should be a little bigger and the tail a bit longer. Other than that there isn’t really anything glaringly wrong with it. The dinosaur is caught in the middle of charging, perhaps a rival of the same species, in the iconic battering ram pose so many pachy reconstructions seem to have. This pose is rather dynamic but becomes tiresome quickly. Also, because of the running position, the poor dinosaur is stuck to a stand in order to keep it balanced, which means very limited playability. Some people like stands under their models but I personally don’t. The detail is pretty good. The animal is covered in reptilian scales which widen on the belly and on the front of the legs and feet. The paintjob, however is not superb. Small parts of the feet are painted the same color as the base and the mouth seems to have a pathetic attempt of of front teeth painted on in the form of a white blotch at the tip of the snout. The black claws are also quite sloppily applied. The color scheme of this figure is rather original. It’s a gray with a mix of light blue, lavender and black streaks along the body that become predominantly black towards the tail. The feet are also black. The older version of this model was less brightly colored and more gray. All in all this is not one of Carnegie’s best models but I cut it a lot of slack for also being one of its oldest. That being said, it was considered quite accurate for its time. Frequently available on Ebay here

Pachycephalosaurus (Jurassic Park, Series 2, by Kenner)

griffin8891 — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:20:22 +0000

Following up on the Pachycephalosaurus theme started in the last blog entry, here's a review of a quite different version of this dome-headed dinosaur. Both the review and photos are by Griffin8891 Now before we all start pelting poor Jurassic park toys with “that’s inaccurate!” and “not scientific!” let's make one thing very clear. These toys are not meant to be 100% true to science. The JP franchise has focused on being entertaining and appealing to kids and is leaving this 'scientifically accurate' business to museum line companies like Safari and such (who themselves mess up sometimes anyway). So please, don’t criticize something for not being something it frankly isn’t trying to be! This particular figure is one of my favorites from the JP toy line. Like many of the JP dinosaurs it is articulated. This one’s arms and legs can be moved and its tail can also be twisted. The action feature is super fun too. On the left thigh, there is a button that when pressed, sends the head in a jerky downward motion. The thing I find very interesting about this is how this motion of the head is now viewed to be more plausible than the traditional straight forward ramming behavior that the animal is depicted practicing so often. In a way, this toy is scientifically accurate about this particular action feature entirely by accident. The colors on this guy are perhaps my favorite aspect of all (To some its blasphemy to put such a loud color scheme on a dinosaur but let’s remember this is meant to appeal to kids, not scientists). Its base color is red with a white underbelly. The eyes are bright orange with vertical slit pupils (something that doesn’t seem fitting for this particular animal but let’s move on shall we?) and are surrounded by black patches which gives the face a sinister bandit-mask look. The same black is used for the blotchy almost striped pattern down the back and on the legs. Finally the domed skull is painted yellow as if the rest of the colors weren’t bold enough. This figure would later be released again in The Lost World toyline in an ugly repaint of green blue and red. Being a huge fan of the Jurassic Park toy lines, this pachycephalosaurus is definitely a winner in my book. If you want to take a break from the museum models and are looking for a real dinosaur toy, then Jurassic Park is king. Since it was last available in toy stores during the early to mid nineties, ebay would probably be the best bet for someone looking to obtain one of these monsters. Frequently available in both colour versions on Ebay here

Pachycephalosaurus (Battat)

libraraptor — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:43:50 +0000

North American Marcinocephalian Pachycephalosaurus has been reconstructed as a toy or model quite often. This review as the third in a row is the best example for this thesis. To put it bluntly at the beginning: Battat Pachycephalosaurus ist one of the best Pachys out there, due to its anatomical correctness, the very detailed head, the unusual paintjob and the credible posture. Battat Pachy is one of the smaller Marginocephalian models, 1:40 in scale, which means original Pachycephalosaurus was about 6 metres long. These herbivores had to digest a lot of food per day, so they needed a broad and bulky chest to contain the guts, much like the Ankylosaurus from the same time. Battat Pachycephalosaurus is one of the few replicas out there that pays tribute to this observation. Most other Pachys are rather depicted as specialised ornithopods, which also represents the scientific opinion on the Pachys 20 or so years ago. Little was known back then about their closer relationship to the Ceratopsians. The paintjob gets along with five colours: Lavender (body), light red (head, tail, stripes on body), yellow (eyeballs, toes and claws, tips of the spikes at the head), grey (beak) and black (pupil). This choice is extraordinary, but fits the animal very well. The head defintively deserves being regarded more closely: The figure was given a melancholic, yet alert gaze. The Pachy has cheeks, a beak and many big and small spikes pointing backward. It´s still controversial if Pachycephalosaurus really used their heads for ramming. Many scientists now prefer the courtship point of view. The more extraordinary headdress and colour get, the more chances are there for the mail to conquer the heart of his beloved ;-) I highly recommend this 18 years old figure to every serious collector! Unfourtunately Battat Pachycephalosaurus is said to be rare. Sometimes there is a chance to get it on ebay.

Lycaenops (Jurassic Park, Series 2 by Kenner)

griffin8891 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:10:14 +0000

Review and Photos by Griffin Lycaenops was a three foot long mammal-like reptile, or Therapsid from Southern Africa during the Late Permian. It’s a distant later relative of the much more famous sail-backed, Dimetrodon. Its name means “Wolf Face” rightfully so due to its canine-like fangs on its upper and lower jaws. These would have been used most likely for killing prey. I was really impressed by Kenner for releasing an action figure of such an odd and not widely known animal amongst all of its Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor and Triceratops toys. In fact, during its series two release for the Jurassic Park line of figures, Kenner included several obscure species of non-dinosaur creature figures. It’s good to see some of the lesser known but equally cool Permian age animals available in toy form. As a little kid, it is thanks to these figures actually that sparked my interest in other prehistoric monsters along with my already present obsession with dinosaurs. This figure has a nice sculpt I think. Considering that its one of the few Gorgonopsid toys ever made combined with the fact that it’s made by Jurassic Park, it’s reasonably accurate. Its standing in an upright, mammalian posture, possesses the right number of fingers and toes on each limb (something JP always messes up, whether they care or not…probably not) and has an iconic Gorgonopsid head, complete with menacing sabers and dog-like snout. The only glaring inaccuracy is the fact that it has two upper canines on each side of its skull instead of the actual one. Other than that it’s a pretty dang good representation of the animal in my opinion. The sculpt itself is really cool for an action figure. The animal’s ribcage is clearly showing along with veins, muscles and tendons. It has the grizzled look of an animal that lives under truly harsh conditions. The short tail is lined with rings of what could be muscle which is present in certain modern mammals. The paintjob is one of my favorite things about this figure. It’s a solid tan color with dark markings over its eyes and a striped pattern that starts at the hips and continues down to the tail. This color scheme is obviously inspired by the presumably extinct marsupial, the Thylacine. It fits the creature well. This figure went on to be released two more separate times with two more distinct paintjobs but neither is as good or as inspired as the original’s if you ask me. When the right hind leg of this figure is pulled back, its upper jaw opens WIDE almost to a 180 degree angle. The tongue which is attached by a hinge also swings out when this happens. Probably not something the actual animal would have done in life but hey, it’s JP. (Would you expect anything less?) All I know is that as a seven year old boy, taking this baby out of the package and activating that action feature for the first time blew my little tiny mind. To this day I think it’s pretty freaking cool. All in all I think this is by far one of the most original and coolest toys the Jurassic Park franchise has ever managed to pump out. It’s reasonably accurate, it’s of a little known species, it’s fun, and when all else fails, nobody can deny that it looks just plain awesome. Unfortunately, like most Jurassic park toys, this critter left the shelves a long time ago. I recommend ebay if you want to get your hands on one. Frequently available on Ebay here

Deinonychus (Kabaya)

plesiosauria — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:35:51 +0000

Review and photographs by Brandon In Japan, many figure companies are quite exciting due to their sculpting and selection of lines. For a good example take Bandai's Godzilla Complete Works, Konami's Gamera, Kaiyodo's Dinotales to mention a few and if you know these lines and their respected makers then you know the orient also holds fantastic figures and not just the USA. There is an underrated company over on the other side of the world of the far east called Kabaya. Several years ago Kabaya made a great dinosaur figure set of their own. The Kabaya Dinosaur set includes six dinosaurs and one of them was a featured "build a figure", where you had to collect all five of the regular ones in order to make the bonus figure, a similar gimmick to Hasbro's Marvel Legends & Mattel's DC Universe. The figures included two Tyrannosaurs, (one green the other red but sculpted differently from each other) Deinonychus, Spinosaurus, Triceratops and the bonus dinosaur, the Seisomosaurus (which is now named Diplodocus hallorum)! They range from several inches tall and several inches long but the Seismosaurus is the longest at around seven inches in length. All of these figures are very appealing and sculpted by Kazunari Araki. Here is the Deinonychus! The Deinonychus antirrhopus, is not only one of the most popular dino-birds but also one of the most important discoveries to date. When John Ostrom discovered this maniraptoran it became an important entry in the Archosauria because the species' allowed one to study its evolutionary relationship with modern avian theropods. The Deinonychus is one of my favorites of all of the dromaeosaurs and this species was a great choice to be included in the set. The pose of this large dromaeosaurid figure perfectly captures the aggressive hunting style and behavior it most likely had, and this is one of the best that has ever been produced. The particular look, not just the pose but also the color scheme, seems to be inspired by the illustrations by the great dinosaur illustrator David Peters. The sculpting of this Coelurosauria member is just phenomenal. The sculpt is so good that you can clearly identify that this dinosaur IS a Deinonychus, not a Velcioraptor or any other dromeosaur. Another terrific aspect I just love about this figure is that it shows theropods were not lizards but were actually different ancient birds! Nearly the entire body of Deinonychus is covered with integumentary feathers. The head is arguably the most detailed because of the great set of eyes of determination, narrow snout with the upper section where the nostrils are visible and the lower part of the mouth showing some teeth and tongue. The back of the neck is very feathery but kind of ruffled and these epidermal growths follow on through down the back all the way to the long fan-like tail. This Deinonychosaur is a pure maniraptorid as you can have a perfect visual that the creature has very strong arms, the arms are stretched out allowing the feathers to protrude outward hinting that they can be used to some extant for a possible type of flight. The hands have three fingers which end in three sharp looking claws. The feather appendage ends at the calves of the legs which also appear strong and muscular and like the hands, the feet end with claws but these are the infamous hyper-extensible killer sickle-claws on the second toe. The appearance of them looks deadly and even though this is just a small replica you can clearly tell that these could easily rip open flesh! Underneath the dinosaur the breast bone is far out like this particular part of the body is seen in many modern birds! Again, truly a great sculpt and the running position is just so accurate of the "Terrible Claw"! His stand is somewhat detailed that looks of rock terrain. A clear peg fits into a peg in the stand as well as the the figure's stomach to make the running effect possible. The painting is really good especially the red and black eyes. The overall color that D. antirrhopus has reminds me of the Psittaciformes (parrots). Some of the paint applications are a bit sloppy with a little bleeding and tiny spots missed here and there but its nothing major. I've always loved this figure because it really shows what a "true" dino-bird the Deinonychus was, that it was to be feared, and that he's an important species because he's a close relative of today's avians! I purchased the Kabaya set of five on eBay - it is sometimes available but can be scarce. Sometimes available on Ebay here

Stegosaurus (Kinto)

Marc (Horridus) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:39:31 +0000

Review by Marc Vincent ('Horridus') Stegosaurus is one of the dinosaurs most frequently seen in toy form - although often cursed with any number of anatomical errors. Kinto have made a very decent stab at it with this model from their Favorite collection, which is quite possibly the best Stegosaurus toy currently available. Stegosaurus has an odd status in popular culture. Although one of the best known and most recognised dinosaurs, you won’t catch many people naming it their ‘favourite’. The animal seems to lack the charisma of a certain big, toothy predator or formidable, horned ceratopsian. Often depicted with a drooping tail, ponderous plodding gait and a look of dim-witted disdain on its low-slung, tiny head, it’s had a bit of an image problem over the years - check out the comparative photo with the old Invicta Stegosaurus. Of course, Stegosaurus did have a very tiny head, and Kinto have got this right, or near enough anyway (Stegosaurus toys are plagued with oversized noggins). However, this model looks a lot sharper than your average stegosaur, with a striking striped pattern on its skin and black-edged crimson red plates that have a certain sheen and are obviously meant to look like they have a keratin-horn sheath (quite likely, and very fetching). Unusually, the trademark ‘thagomizer’ spikes at the end of the tail are the same colour, and more horizontal than vertical. Fans of detailed dinosaur toys will love this model. This easily stands up to the much vaunted (but less accurate) Papo line. It’s covered in scales, with some larger raised scales along the flanks, and is complete with skin folds, muscle tone and ridged plates. The creature is posed as if calmly walking along with its mouth closed; it looks very relaxed, which is certainly a pleasant change. Both the head and the tail are suitably held well clear of the ground, and the neck features the well-known but little-replicated ‘throat guard’. The three toes on the feet and five on the ‘hands’ are present and correct, although perhaps only two of the front toes them should have claws. (Mind you, I know a certain person who would probably argue that both bony-cored claws and pure keratin nails could’ve been present…) The bottom of the model reads “Stegosaurus 1/50 Scale”. If you were to stretch out the slightly curved tail it would be about 20cm long, making the real animal 10 metres. That’s definitely on the large side for a Stegosaurus - this toy could easily pass for a 1:45 or even 1:40 scale replica. If you care about that sort of thing. And I know some of you diorama nutters do. You may be able to tell that I hold this model in high regard. Palaeontologists and non-scientist paleo-geeks will no doubt be able to find pedantic anatomical fault with it (only 16 plates!), but overall it’s a very nice sculpt, not too expensive and more dapper than your average Stegosaurus toy.

Desmatosuchus (Schleich)

plesiosauria — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:07:16 +0000

Review and photos by megaraptor1000 The Schleich Desmatosuchus is a figure that has been retired for a while now. I don't know why but it has been theorized that it was retired due to lack of sales or being an obscure genus. Either way, whoever retired it is a fool as it is a great figure. I know of only one other Desmatosuchus in production; the Prehistoric Panorama one. That pales in comparison to Schleich's offering. The body armor is superbly sculpted, apart from the right shoulder spike being longer than the left one. The body doesn't have much muscle contour or wrinkles, the only wrinkles are where the tail curves and on top of the neck where he is looking slghtly upwards. It is a good sculpt, not active while not being stiff like the Toyway's walking with dinosaurs (WWD) or Schleich's Baryonyx. This is a good model from Schleich that was retired quickly. Anyone else have a feeling of deja vu? I reccomend this model to anyone who can find it on eBay for less than a kidney. Rarely available on Ebay here

Iguanodon (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

griffin8891 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:17:05 +0000

Review and photos by Griffin8891 Iguanodon was the second dinosaur ever to be recognized by science. The first fossils of the animal were teeth unearthed in England in 1822. Since then this iconic dinosaur’s image has undergone numerous changes throughout history as more discoveries are made about it. Iguanodon belongs to the extremely large and successful group of dinosaurs called the ornithopods which also encompasses the smaller hypsilophodonts as well as the later hadrosaurs. Iguanodon lived during the early Cretaceous between 140 and 110 million years ago. In addition to Europe, Iguanodon fossils have also been found in the United States. When it was alive, the European Iguanodon would have coexisted with other dinosaurs such as Baryonyx, Hypsilophodon and Hylaeosaurus while in the USA it would have had to put up with dinosaurs like Deinonychus, Utahraptor and Acrocanthosaurus to name a few.This particular model is one of Carnegie’s older pieces from the early 90s. The model I have here is the newer version released with a different paint job. Personally I think is much nicer. As for accuracy, I think its fine. It’s positioned upright on its hind legs. This is totally plausible for when the animal wanted to reach higher vegetation while feeding or if it wanted to run. Normal walking or resting would most likely have happened on all fours though. The body parts all seem to be in the right proportions. The head sports a nice beak as opposed to a reptilian mouth of older outdated reconstructions and each hand sports Iguanodon’s iconic thumb spike which could come in handy (no pun intended, HA!) when dealing with any pesky dromaeosaurs. What I especially like is how this model also exhibits the right number and proportions of its other fingers as well. In addition to the spike, it has the three hoof-like walking fingers and the smaller pinkie jutting out from the side. This is impressive since Carnegie sometimes falls short when it comes to detailing fingers and toes on its other dinosaur models. Its feet are also nice. They really match the look of so many fossilized Iguanodon footprints that have been discovered. The tail being used as a support tripod is slightly irritating of course (one of Carnegie’s few but HUGE faults with its bipeds). As for paintjob and color choice, this newer model is leaps and bounds ahead of the original in my book. The old version was predominantly bluish grey with brown blotches and white dots. The original also had an unsightly yellow line sloppily painted across its mouth for whatever reason. This new version’s paint application, however, seems to have been painted with care and precision unlike a lot of Carnegie’s older models. The color scheme itself is also really pleasing to me. Normally I’m a big supporter of bright colors on dinosaurs but for some reason the nice toned down earthy colors on this dinosaur really speak to me. All in all I think this is a fantastic little model. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in obtaining a little version of this historically iconic creature. It can be easily obtainable at most toy stores and museum gift shops. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Tyrannosaurus rex (Kabaya)

plesiosauria — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:31:19 +0000

We recently reviewed the Kabaya Deinonychus, well, next in line from this series is the Tyrannosaurus rex (Green Version)! Review and photos by Brandon Before the animal was officially known as "T.rex", it was known as Manospondylus gigas and Dynamosaurus imperiosus, but when the animal's true name was revealed along with better finds, this coelurosaurian became one of the most popular dinosaurs ever and most likely the most well known all! Back during a very young twentieth century and to the present day in the twenty-first century, the T. rex has received all kinds of recognition in media and in the collector's market. There are many great Tyrannosaurus figurines that stand out and this is diffinetly one of those that are legit! By looking at the sculpt, there is no guessing as to what this species is, its a Tyrannosaurus rex! This "Tyrant-Lizard King's" position is running, its executed greatly sporting the saurischian stance accurately showing that this theropod not only means business but is also quite muscle-bound. Clearly, its a huge and powerful animal indeed but it also seems to be an older specimen, which is something not seen often in figurines. As you look at the figure, you'll notice there is not one feather on the animal. It's depicted as a usual non-feathered tyrannosaur and while this figure does resemble 'Tyrannosaurus Sue', the body structure differs, which shows me that while this is a T-rex, it is not Sue! The head has the correct definitional shape of the Tyrannosaurus. The eyes are set in front of the face allowing the animal to have binocular vision. Over the eyes is a small eyebrow region that is smaller than many carnosaurs and the nostrils at the end of the snout has a good depth. The teeth in both sections of the mouth are the right size as well as shape and on the neck there is some major wrinkled skin showing that this is creature is a veteran. The body is massive sporting huge muscles throughout the rib cage section and especially the legs! The legs is a particular part of this dinosaur I like and this sculpt brings out the very strong hind quarters that reminds me of how avians curl their feet when they run at good speeds. The arms are quite small as one would expect a real T. rex to have with two small but sharp clawed digits. The tail is very thick and appears to be quite hefty. The figure sports a midsection that has been previously seen on other figures which actually could be close as to what it really was on the animals when it was alive so long ago. Like his counterpart figure, the Deinonychus, he too has a stand with a peg that sticks into the display and into his stomach. The stand looks like a desert ground from the Badlands. The painting is done very well. The creature's overall color is green, dark and light. There is a spaced-stripe design that he has on his upper sides, back and even his head. The paint on his head is applied very well, the eyes are black and orange and looks menacing. There is a small mess of pink around his mouth but the tongue and teeth are applied better. The hand and feet claws are painted black and seemed like they were painted more carefully. This is one of the most intriguing Tyrannosaurus sculpts in my possession and still is one of the most impressive collectibles that I have seen thus far. The fearsome yet modern running pose is one of the key features that makes this figure so grand and to think that like the Deinonychus, this pose is inspired by great dinosaur illustrator David Peters whose fantastic art I have always loved. I purchased the Kabaya set of five on eBay and it is sometimes available but can be scarce. Rarely available on Ebay here

Styracosaurus Maquette by Sideshow Dinosauria

libraraptor — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:31:48 +0000

Styracosaurus Maquette by Sideshow Dinosauria Review by Scar, Photos by Jeremy Killian There are aspects of this piece in creative interpretation which I absolutely adore, and others which I feel could have been improved upon. Overall, I will credit SS for infusing this piece with personality. It's not one individual aspect of the piece which serves this purpose, but the cumulative effort of the various facets, encompassing both sculpt and paint application in a marriage which results in a dinosaur that really comes alive upon close inspection. Regarding the sculpt, the stance of the Styracosaurus was a superb choice. The backstory conveys this animal to be a bull Styracosaur who perhaps worked a bit too much on his mating display as opposed to his ability to fight rival bulls for dominance within the herd. This acts as a double-edged sword - the animal displays vibrant sexually dimorphic traits and puts the energy into engendering such traits, relaying to females of his species that he has favorable genes, capable of producing flamboyant characteristics and still surviving in a predator-rich environment. Despite being displaced by other male Styracosaurs for dominance, he retains the position of herd sentry, a crucial position upon which the entire herd hangs its metaphorical hat for protection. The overall sculpt accentuates his position within the herd; despite this individual organism not being an alpha male, the piece exudes an air of dominance and fearsomeness. This Styracosaur is the archetypal guardian of the herd. Imagine an approaching pack of marauding Troodons intent on sneaking among the herd to steal away with eggs and infants, though before they can attain their goal they happen upon this animal. The Styracosaur stands atop a mound of loosely packed earth, positioning his body sidelong to any encroaching foes, his head held erect; the result is an animal which is making itself appear as large and imposing as possible to any potential threats, while simultaneously surveying the surrounding area with as broad an efficiency as possible. The body itself is studded with protuberances and dermal protrusions both along the flanks and running the length of the spine from the cervical vertebrae to the most posterior caudal vertebrae. The result is a body with a barbed exterior which parallels (although to a much less dramatic extent) the impressive skull with its lance-like horns. This herbivore is no bit less threatening than any of the carnivores we've seen in the line, and although smaller than the Triceratops it evinces just as much raw power, and arguably a much greater sense of regal dominance just by the nature of its posture. Admittedly it's often the subtle nuances, the tiny minutia which artists opt to put into the statues, that I latch onto with fascination and admiration. Case in point - I love that Krentz sculpted the Styracosaurus with its nostrils flared. The thin membranous nares positioned directly behind the beak are wide possibly either in an attempt to take in as much sensory smells in the surrounding environment, or out of agitation regarding an impending threat. The beak as well is impeccably realistic. While designed for foraging, you know if it latched on in a quarrel, that beak could do some damage (speaking as a man who has bitten by numerous herbivorous birds as bears the scars to prove it). I really like the weathering on the beak and the way in which the gnatotheca fits into the rhinotheca. There is also an abundance of folds and creases in the flesh across the body which remind me of two of today's large herbivores in particular - the elephant and the rhinoceros. Neither hesitate to defend themselves aggressively against perceived threats and that's exactly the impression evinced by this Styracosaur. Now that I've told you what I like about the sculpt, I will say I don't like everything about it. The dorsal, lateral, and anterior regions sport a glut of detail, but that seems to slacken off when we reach the feet of the animal. I know Dan mentioned this concern previously on the T.rex VS Triceratops diorama, and although I don't feel it's an overwhelming or apparently obvious aesthetic on that diorama, here it's definitely noticeable. Take a moment, look at the piece, and compare the level of detail across the animal's head and body to the detail on the lower legs and feet. There's no contest. It just seems as if it could have done with some pebbling or creasing to ensure that observers see those extremities as biological extensions of the organism, and not merely anchors to the base. Just a thought, but I feel a bit more time could have been taken there. Another nitpick of mine is on the horns of the Styracosaurus. If you have the flagship VS dio, look at the horns on the Triceratops. The keratin overlaying the horns is weathered and rough. The Styracosaurus horns appear too smooth, almost polished by comparison. From all of the apparent encounters this organism has had, according to its backstory, the horns do look awfully pristine. The keratin on the Triceratops and Carnotaurus horns look the way one would expect - with divots, outgrowth, and evidence of exposure to the elements. Where it's the most apparent for me is on the orbital crests. Bear in mind by alluding to the Triceratops as a comparison this is NOT by any means a critique of David Krentz's style as opposed to Adrian Taboada's; as evidenced by the T.rex maquette, we see that Krentz is easily, EASILY capable of a degree of detail which is either on par with or vastly surpassing most if not all of his peers. The man can most definitely set the standard for lively, realistic dinosaur statues, as we saw in the T.rex maquette and in Krentz's own independent work (his Einiosaurus "Buffalo Bull", "Judith" the Gorgosaurus, and "Rex Mundi" the T.rex come to mind). Just quickly, I would like to touch on the base. here we have an excellent continuation of the trend for what we've seen in Dinosauria bases thus far - an advanced level of natural realism. The earth beneath the Styracosaur's feet seems literally to give way before our eyes, the animal sinking slightly into its defensive position, unconsciously "digging in" for a coming assault. An excellent selection to enhance the story and personality of the animal. What's my favorite aspect of the piece? The paint application. Wow. Simply amazing. Earlier I mentioned all of the protuberances across the central body mass - the dorsal surface of the body and anterior portions of the legs are speckled; this could easily serve as both cryptic coloration (camouflage) and aposematic (warning) coloration. Cryptic coloration is easy enough to deduce, such that this breaks up the body pattern and would prove extremely useful to conceal an animal which shares its territory with Tyrannosaurus rex. Aposematic coloration is a fine likelihood in the sense that the animal is covered with the aforementioned protrutions, as well as that menacing crest of horns. The color could well make the most vulnerable region of the animal (its exposed back) appear as it it is well-defended. Again regarding defense, that frill is astounding! It is quite vibrant, and could well be a sexually dimorphic display to signal virility, but equally plausible is the color pattern being elevated away from organs though still in an armored region to draw the attention of predators and make them uncertain of where they should attack to deal the most lethal blow. Predators are not ignorant of cephalization. Numerous studies have been done to show that predatory species search for the eyes on an organism to locate the head and then subsequently attack; so many sensory organs as well as the brain all located in one region. A sound attack executed well by a predator could quickly kill if not debilitate an herbivore. Utilizing a color for the spots on the frill which parallels the exact coloration of the animal's eyes could confuse and disorient a predator. The attacking animal would think the most vulnerable region also to be situated right within a massive crown of spikes, and consequently be confounded as to the best route of attack. An excellent, excellent choice of color pattern. To say that a lot of thought has gone into this particular color scheme would seem a vast understatement. Lastly I'll just say concerning the exclusive skull that I would highly recommend pairing the skull with this piece for a number of reasons. I know there has been a lot of debate circling recently concerning whether or not to display the exclusive skulls separately from the statues or with the accompanying pieces. Firstly, the statues are not in scale with one another, and the exclusive skulls are to scale with the individual statues. The result is a Styracosaurus skull which quite literally dwarfs the other exclusive skulls. Displaying the skulls together and separate from the statues would skew perspective as to the comparative element between pieces. Some will point out that the T.rex skull exclusive to the maquette comes up short of the maquette's skull in size. Remember, however, that the T.rex depicted in the maquette is a senior alpha male who has succeeded over his long years in staving off assaults from not only individual competitors, but from packs of competing Tyrannosaurs. At his age and status within his ecology, it's apparent that he's an extraordinary organism, and that the skull is likely based on an average adult organism from the species, and evidently not the animal in the statue. In his younger years as an adult it's quite likely the T.rex had a skull very much the size of the exclusive skull. Comparing size between statues aside, it's nice, particularly in the Styracosaurus piece, to see the keratinous outgrowths overlaying the bone, and to have the ability to hold the statue against the skull and see the similarities and disparities concurrently. So there you have it. These are my thoughts on the Styracosaurus maquette - overall an outstanding artistic achievement in bringing our first solo herbivore into the line. Some features could have been improved upon, and others stand out as exquisite examples of the prescience and biological insight poured into the piece.

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cordylus — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:27:13 +0000

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cordylus — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:29:27 +0000

Suchomimus (Dinotales by Kaiyodo)

cordylus — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:35:21 +0000

Suchomimus was a large theropod dinosaur that lived a few million years before one of it's famous cousins, Spinosaurus. Considering how it's closely related to such a famous dinosaur, I'm surprised more replicas of this really cool dinosaur haven't been produced. This Suchomimus by kaiyodo is easily the best on currently available. The sculpt itself is very good. It's very gracile, with ribs slightly showing and muscles slightly bulging. The spinal ridge along the back is very well sculpted, with fine little spines running down the length of it. The claws are separately sculpted which is surprising considering the small size of this model. There's very nice wrinkles behind the limbs and on the neck, with equally as nice smaller wrinkles all over the body, giving this piece a good sense of texture. The head is very nicely sculpted; but it's a little too big. The crest, the teeth, the eyes, and the nostrils are all sculpted wonderfully. There is a problem with the skull though; there isn't a large "fish trap" indentation at the end of it. There is also a base included with the figure, it looks kind of like a dry riverbed. However, the pegs on the figure's feet don't fit very well into the base, so oftentimes it talls out off of it. To fix that problem all you need is some glue, but I like to have the option of taking the figure off of the base. The paint job is extraordinary for such a small figure. It's done all in fiery reds, yellows, and oranges, with very well done black stripes. The claws are an ashy grey, and the spines on the spinal ridge are a creamy white. The eyes are yellow with separately painted black pupils, I'm surprised they managed to pull that off at such a size. There's at least one other paint variation of this figure, it's a more natural tannish color but it isn't nearly as striking as the paint on this version, and this version is usually cheaper too! All in all, this is an extremely well done figure, and easily is the best Suchomimus figure to date. It's great sculpt, striking paint job, and cheap price all make this a figure that is definitely worth owning for any dinosaur collector. Sometimes available on Ebay here

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cordylus — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:21:19 +0000

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cordylus — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:24:39 +0000

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cordylus — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:25:19 +0000

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cordylus — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:26:51 +0000

Liopleurodon (Invicta, painted version)

cordylus — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:29:31 +0000

Ever since Walking with Dinosaurs came out a decade ago, Liopleurodon has been famous. However, this Liopleurodon figure was made a good ten years before walking with dinosaurs, so, luckily for us collectors, it wasn't "inspired" by the WwD version like every other liopleurodon on the market today (I'm looking at you, procon and safari....). (Herbert, here, is about the same size as the schleich "herman" figure) This Liopleurodon is twenty years old. For being such an aged figure, it has stood the test of time very well. The sculpt is fantastic. The eyes and the nostrils are placed far up on the snout, just as they should be. The rear flippers are larger and thicker than the front ones, just as they should be; many companies even today still get that wrong. The flippers are also all pointing backwards, with slight wrinkles behind each one. The teeth are randomly sized and fang like, just like they were on actual pliosaur skulls- I wonder why most companies make them all uniformly sized and placed. The teeth also extend a little bit past the end of the jaws, that's always a plus! The tail is long, straight, and tapering. The body is nice and straight too; it wouldn't have been able to curve itself much in real life. The head has a very gentle expression, partially due to the fact that, just like all other invictas, this figure has a closed mouth. Apparently, the only reason invicta started to paint their dinosaur figures was to compete with other companies producing lesser-quality but very colorful painted figures. For apparently having the paint just thrown on it in order for it to sell better, this Liopleurodon's paint job is surprisingly nice. I've heard that the paint applications on other painted invicta figures have been crude and obscure a lot of skin detail; I guess it's good that there wasn't much skin detail on this one to begin with! The figure does suffer some problems with paint though; the teeth aren't painted very well and the paint flakes off easily ( a few moves around my marine reptile shelf gave him some scuffs on his belly - the paint on painted invicta figures seems nearly as delicate as the paint on bullyland's figures!). The colors, as you can see, are a nice greenish blue on the back with a creamy belly. Where the blue meets the cream, there is a mottled pattern. The eyes are black with a tiny white dot in them to simulate light reflecting off the eye. The paint on the rest of the figure is extremely shiny by itself (no white dots needed!), and it makes it look wet. The teeth are plaint white. As if you didn't already know, this figure was first made in a light green unpainted plastic, while this one is made of a more rubbery transparent plastic. This Liopleurodon has held the title of best pliosaur figure for twenty years- it seems as though it only might (might!) be outcompeted next year by Safari Ltd's new Liopleurodon. Whether this is or not, this figure will always remain a classic that's great in any collection! Sometimes available on Ebay here

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cordylus — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:38:03 +0000

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cordylus — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:39:05 +0000

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cordylus — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:39:45 +0000

Mosasaurus (Carnegie)

cordylus — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:43:29 +0000

If you like retro marine reptiles, this one's for you. The Carnegie Collection Mosasaurus is clearly based on some archaic paleoart, so it really shouldn't be taken too seriously - if you try to focus on every wrong aspect with this figure surely you will give yourself a headache! The sculpt - accuracy aside - is very nice. There's tons of skin detail, and the "frills" are very nicely sculpted too (it's funny though; mosasaurs were depicted long ago with these frills because some tracheal cartilage fossilized oddly and paleontologists at the time decided that what they saw was a frill that would end up running the entire length of the back!). There are larger crocodilian-like scales on the belly. The teeth are nice and individually sculpted. There's a hint of tongue in the mouth. The eyes are very nicely sculpted. The pose is odd; the head is raised up and the tail is raised and curled much like a squirrel's. The limbs are all flipper-shaped; most modern reconstructions have them more rounded. The color scheme is nice, if not a little too bright. It'd done in all greens; light green on the stomach gradually turning into a dark leafy green on top. The mouth is a peachy color and the teeth are all white. The eyes are yellow with black slit pupils, and there is a dark green rim around each eye, making them stand out even more. There are nicely done diagonal stripes on the body and tail. Overall this is a very classic and retro figure. If you are a fan of lines like Marx and Invicta, you will probably like this figure. It's certainly a fun one to put by more recent mosasaur replicas! ;) Sometimes available on Ebay here

Apatosaurus (Schleich 2008)

libraraptor — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:16:38 +0000

Size matters. Apatosaurus is the archetypical dinosaur, probably the most famous icon of palaeontology. Many companies have released it as a figure; Schleich did it for the third time now after their 1997 Apatosaurus, who was a blue, heavy, tail-dragging behemoth with a dull mien and its somewhat better baby. Schleich 2008 Apatosaurus, too, is a massive piece of rubber. It is one of the biggest dinosaur figures ever, longer than Carnegie Brachiosaurus and taller than Carnegie Diplodocus. And despite (or because) the headstrong, a little old school interpretation (although the tail is held upright), it is one of the best Apatosaurus figures out there. The details: Schleich Apatosaurus is 51, 4 cm long, 15, 4 cm tall and 10 cm broad. Its lavender colouring with the bright grey underside fits the figure quite well. For Schleich, lavender is a very unusual choice, the company is known for boring green and brown paintjobs. What makes this figure so special is its heaviness. Both neck and tail were being sculptured very thick and the body is very fleshy and bulky, too, so that the overall look reminds me of the “The Future Is Wild” giant turtle. Skin and flesh folds were accurately sculptured, giving the figure a vivid look. The Apatosaurus has been captured in a slowly walking pose, which makes it not as static and monumental as some other Schleich figures are. The head is neat: Sadly looking deeply black eyes reflect the light, making the mien very lively. The muzzle reveals overlapping upper lips, a plausible idea for the look of the figure. But Apatosaurus was a high browser, pulling off twigs and branches from conifers with fyke – like teeth. So the lips of the figure are probably not very lifelike. The nostrils are probably too far back at the snout. This interpretation has become obsolete, since science now found out that most sauropods had their norstrils on the very front of their heads. Macronarians even are thought to have had fleshy nose sacs over the skull openings nowadays. Whether Apatosaurus as a Diplodocid had those too, will remain unclear. The stem legs are strongly and heavily built. They end in paddling pool feet, each equipped with five toes. The first two toes on each foot are big claws, the other three toes are more like toes of an elephant. Schleich Apatosaurus will always be a controversial figure. Either one loves it or one does not. There is no shrugging "I don´t care" or "Well, quite okay" about this one. I personally love it and recommend it to every Sauropod freak out there who has enough space on his shelves and money left to adopt it. You can get it at any virtual or real toy store. Available from Amazon.com (here)

Tyrannosaurus rex (red version) (by Kabaya)

plesiosauria — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:48:16 +0000

Review and photos by Brandon The red Tyrannosaurus differs greatly compared to the Kabaya green T. rex (reviewed here) for three major reasons. One is that it seems to be paying homage to a classical standing posture. Second is the main color scheme which is red - the overall sculpt resembles Diablo, the red Tyrannosaur of Primal Rage, the great Atari Probe video game of the 1990s. Anyone who knows this character will know what I mean, especially if you compare Playmates' Diablo action figure of over a decade ago to this one. Third, he is searching, looking for a meal rather than running at it like his green counterpart! No doubt, this Tyrannosaurus possesses great sculpting that is most impressive and can rival many in this scale. The head has the familiar structure, big snout with visible nostrils, but the snout is low allowing the eyes to have binocular vision and many teeth are in the mouth with a visible tongue. The body, like the green specimen appears to have aged being of a veteran state because the scaly skin has wrinkles, especially around the neck which is cool. The arms are very small as one would expect with two finger claws and the legs are thick and muscular with very large claws at the end of three-toed beast feet. The tail is long which you can clearly see is for balance; it gets more curled as it goes on down the length. This version also sports a mid section part right below the sternum depicting what could have been there have it if known species' skeleton's were with skin and muscle tissue intact. The red Tyrant includes a display stand that you peg the figure on and the stand appears to be of a rocky terrain of the North. The painting is very good, the body is red with small black dots throughout the side and black lines on the head to the tail. Underneath is a much lighter color similar to tan which is a good choice. The paint application on his head is quite surprising, there is hardly any mess whatsoever with his teeth and mouth and his eyes are fantablous. His claws are painted carefully, there isn't much paint coming toward the skin and the paint chosen is a wise one that actually looks like a claws digit color and not some metallic color or a silver tone that is seen on some figures. This is a very fine looking Tyrannosaurus, the pose and the face makes it look like it some something to be feared and not to mess with. Also you can tell that its a Tyrannosaurus rex and not a Gorgosaurus and surely not an Allosaurid, I love it when a sculpt is that good that it can convince you right away that what it is supposed to be is actually what it is! I purchased the Kabaya set of five on eBay and it is sometimes available but can be scarce. Rarely available on Ebay here

Tenontosaurus (Collecta/Procon)

griffin8891 — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:53:30 +0000

Review and photos by Griffin Tenontosaurus was an Iguanidontid ornithopod dinosaur that lived in the Western United States during the early Cretacious period. In life it would have co-existed with dinosaurs like Iguanodon, Dienonychus, Utahraptor and Acrocanthosaurus. Thanks to a Tenontosaurus skeleton discovered with Dienonychus chew marks on its bones in addition to Dienonychus skeletons nearby, the idea of pack-hunting Dromaeosaurs is now widely accepted. Medullary bone tissue, which is used by modern birds for laying eggs, has also been found on the bones of Tenontosaurus fossils. From what I have seen from Procon, I have never been impressed really. I much rather prefer Wild Safari and Carnegie when it comes to “museum quality” dinosaur models. I happened to have obtained this little fellow for free courtesy of Dan’s Dinosaurs and I must say that despite my previous attitude I have warmed up to the figure. This is one of procon’s models that doesn’t suffer from any glaring inaccuracies nor any serious lack of sculpt quality. The sculpt itself is quite accurate. It has a tail that makes up half of its total body length which is correct. This dinosaur’s defining characteristic is its long tail. It has the right number of fingers and toes and the limbs themselves seem to be the right proportions. The skin has plenty of wrinkles and creases in it as well. The pose is pretty cool. It’s on all fours with its head tilted to the right as if it just noticed a pack of hungry Dromies stalking it. The pose isn’t boring but it’s not too aggressive either. The colors are probably what I noticed first about this model. Before opening the package in my mail that contained this figure, I had only seen the catalog image of it. The colors in person are actually much darker and more natural looking than it is portrayed in the catalog. This is a plus in my book when pertaining to this particular figure. It is a light olive green with very slight darker hues going down the spine and on the outermost parts of its limbs like the thighs, ribs and shoulders. It also has darker patches over its feet, hands, eyes and mouth. It’s underbelly is painted a very light tan. The eyes are orange with black pupils and the inside of the mouth is neatly painted pink. Overall I have to say this is a very neat little figure despite my normal distaste for Procon. It’s also a species of dinosaur that until now, I have never personally seen in toy form. On top of this it is indeed about 1:40 scale which is a huge plus for me and for a lot of others as well. If you want a model of an unusual dinosaur at a low price that is accurate, I highly recommend Procon’s Tenontosaurus.

Allosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd.)

Marc (Horridus) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:12:47 +0000

This little Allosaurus comes from Safari’s 'Wild Safari' line which, although not intended as a museum-quality line (and not set to a certain scale), has seen a huge leap in the quality of its prehistoric creature toys in recent years. Models like this one, the Stegosaurus, Dunkleosteus and Postosuchus have become very popular with collectors as they feature excellent detailing at a very low price. At about 20cm long, it’s around 1:50 scale. (I hope you enjoy the cute little volcano-display thing - a piece of prime eBay tat.)

Yes, this toy is a tripod - it is rearing up slightly and leans on a point near the end of its tail. In this respect it is reminiscent of some of the Carnegie-line theropods, such as Giganotosaurus and Spinosaurus (the Carnegie Allosaurus being more upright), and it could be worse. It is possible, much as with the WS Dilophosaurus, to stand the toy on a shelf on two legs with its tail hanging over the edge, clear of the ground - maybe they share the same sculptor. Said tail is perhaps a little too long, although everything else is quite well proportioned. It’s a little irritating to see that the large Allosaurus thumb has been missed again, but it’s not a big deal. At least the palms are facing each other.

One of the best features of this model is the head, which features sculpted nostrils, ear holes, small horns (highlighted in yellow), fenestrae and tiny, tiny black eyes (complete with eyelids, which make the eyes look larger in the photos). It’s great to see a model in which the externally visible eye doesn’t engulf the whole orbit. The scales are individually sculpted here too. The detail is fantastic, if a little let down by a slightly sloppy paint job - although you can hardly blame the poor souls who probably have to paint scores of these things in a day…

The rest of the body features scales, wrinkles and skin folds. The muscles are well-defined and the legs are very birdlike. All the claws are painted black, including on the hallux toes. Unfortunately the colour scheme on the body is otherwise a bit of a letdown - it’s rather uninspired, featuring only graduating greens. Naturalistic maybe, but a bit bland, especially when compared with the WS Stegosaurus. For those who are so inclined, this would be a prime candidate for a repaint. Overall a great model for the price that really shows up the Carnegie version (scale this up a bit, Carnegie sculptors, and you’re pretty much done!). It's also still readily available from your local Safari seller (or favoured website, if you are unfortunate enough to live in Europe as I do). When will I ever get to write a negative review? One day…

Review & photos by Marc ('Horridus') with apologies for the page layout...

Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Maiasaura (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:54:22 +0000

The discovery and description of fossil hadrosaur nesting grounds in the Cretaceous of North America provided some of the best evidence for parental care in dinosaurs. The association of fossils at the so-called 'egg mountain' site in Montana included eggs, babies and adults of a single species of dinosaur; crushed egg shells indicated that the babies spent time in the nest after hatching and were probably looked after by adults of the same species. This led to the animal being called the 'good mother lizard', Maiasaura. It is popularly depicted as an adult towering over a nest of chirping mini-Maiasaura and the Carnegie collection Maiasaura is entirely consistent with this iconic image. This figure is one of a few Carnegie pieces that comes as a two part set: a single adult is accompanied by a nest including two baby Maiasaura. This set comes in a cardboard package to hold the two pieces together for retail display. I'll review the two pieces separately but they obviously belong together. The adult occupies a solid quadropedal stance with the head bowed down and facing the ground. I should rather say that it is facing the nest of baby Maiasaura. The head is distinctly hadrosaurian with a duckbill-like snout. In contrast to some of the more ornately decorated hadrosaurs, Maiasaura does not possess a head crest but has a protruding ridge above the eyes instead, this feature is nicely realised in the Carnegie sculpt. The premaxilla (tip of the snout) is also more downturned in Maiasaura than in many other hadrosaurs. Again, the Carnegie sculpt captures this subtle difference nicely, incidentally though, this has the anthropomorphic affect of making the figure look a little miserable. A rugged row of blunt spikes runs along the spine of the back and along the tail. Each foot has three large toes (digits 2, 3 and 4) with blunt hooves - digit 1 is lost in all hadrosaurs. Each hand has four fingers. The correct number of digits is therefore present on both the hands and feet. The skin in the figure is wrinkly, not scaly as hadrosaurs are known to have been based on fossil skin impressions. The skin is a nice rusty orange-brown hue with darker brown stripes on the back and brown bands on the arms and legs. The separate nest is one solid sculpt that consists of a crater-like structure containing two juvenile Maiasaura. I say juvenile rather than babies because they are pretty big and healthy-looking. A few splodges of white in the nest represent crushed eggshells indicating the siblings have been moving around. This fits in with the evidence from 'egg mountain'. The juveniles are lying down with their heads raised and for some reason they seem to be holding onto each others tails. one has it's mouth open mid-squeak, perhaps demanding food or attention from mother. The heads are very blunt and the mouths are pointy and beak-like. The nest is green and the little'uns are the same colour as their parent. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

Spinosaurus (Kabaya)

plesiosauria — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:17:18 +0000

Review and photos by Brandon Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, the "Egyptian Spine Lizard" is the largest known theropod that ever existed to be known thus far, surpassing Giganotosaurus at both weight and length! The "Spine Lizard" is one lucky dinosaur, it was once found in 1912 and named three years later by Ernst Stromer Von Reichenbach but its remains were destroyed during bombing in World Ward Two. During this time of its first unearthing was terrific but the finding were slim and the reconstructions were poor depicting the animal like a sailed-backed Tyrannosaurus in classical form and there was no legitimate family entry to place the specie with so it was similar to a misfit and didn't belong anywhere except excerpts, articles and the like unless you'd consider it to be a close relative of the Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus and the Megalosaurus and just place it with these carnosaurs but as time would go people would find out that none of this was true. Like Carcarodontosaurus, The Spinosaurus was lucky because it was rediscovered in 1996 and further on into the new millennium and thanks to these outstanding discoveries of this specie as well as its close cousins like Baryonyx and Suchomimus we know that the Spinosaurus was much different from previously thought that belongs in its own family of the Spinosauridae and most of all was the largest of all the ancient beast! Over the years the Spinosaurus has become one of My all-time favorite dinosaurs of all is presented in Kabaya's Dinosaur set in fantastic modern form depicting the ancient animal in an accurate way and sculpting it greatly. In figure size, the Spinosaurus is slightly thinner than both Tyrannosaurs in the set but mind you that none of these figures are in scale with each other so that is acceptable. The figure has tremendous sculpting depicting a modern appearance and not the upright stature of Von Reichenbach's original reconstruction that is sometimes seen in dinosaurs figures not is it depicted as a quadruped like some companies intend the specie to be. It is clearly a bipedal sauroscian with the unique crocodilian skull and its great, however, the fish trap at the end of the snout seems absent and takes the Jurassic Park /// depiction instead but it does however seem like it wants to be there with the hint of a thinner section near the end of the ball of snout. The teeth in the mouth are conical and a tongue is visible. the eyes are set to each side of the skull and there is a small ridge point in between the eyes on the cranium. The nostrils are located in the middle of the skull over half ways in front of the eyes. The body is large with the huge and tall distinctive sail on the "Spine Lizard's" back and its excellent as you can see many bones hinting themselves through the skin and looks like the height it should. On the sail small points of the spine is poking out front the skin that is like osteoderms and similar spikes are present on the neck as well as the tail. The arms are long, much longer than both figures of the Tyrants and has three fingered hands with big claws. The figure has dangerously awesome thumb claws that are much thicker and longer than the finger claws, this is one of the reasons why the Spinosaurids is one of My favorite dinosaur families and this part is sculpted to quite a decent effect! The legs are muscular with three large toe claws with a dewclaw on each side of the foot. The tail is slender and starts to turn down toward the tip. The skin of the giant beast foot is similar like the Tyrannosaurs, clearly reptilian but also clearly aged and this effect is pulled off quite nicely which I'm impressed about it. The stand is like the other figures, its peggable and rocky. The overall stature of the Spinosaurus is menacing but it makes the creature appear very terrestrial and not aquatic and while most believe that it was a piscivore, I personally believe is it was both, a feared predator on land and in the water and this figure is convincing of that theory. The paint is applied well, the eyes are painted good but the right one isn't painted as carefully as the left. The eyes' pupils are thin oval shaped like a crocodile sporting a possible nocturnal life style. The mouth, like the tongue and teeth seems to be painted with care with no bleeding. From the head to the tail is black and orange where the black is of a line design and the orange is in between the lines. Below this painted section is a tan colored neck, arms, stomach, legs and under the tail. The hand and toe claws are painted a good color that looks like an actual nail not some silvery scheme. Like I said the paint is good and all that is an issue is just the right eye being more lazy than the order. The scale is small yes but even something this small there should be a more careful technique that what is present. The overall of this figure is great, the sculpting is absolutely top notch and clearly shows you that its a Spinosaurus. To someone whom is not familiar with the specie this figure would look very odd to them but to those who is very, very familiar with the animal such as I then the figure is a pure treat to behold because its portrayed almost completely accurate yet it differs from other figure depictions. I purchased the Kabaya set of five on Ebay and it is sometimes available but can be scarce. Rarely available on Ebay here

Parasaurolophus (Papo)

Marc (Horridus) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:14:04 +0000

Until the release of their Allosaurus, Papo’s prehistorics garnered attention mainly for being remarkable facsimiles of their Jurassic Park counterparts. However, even before Papo’s own Big Al hit the scene the company had released a sculpt not obviously based on a JP creature - this often-overlooked Parasaurolophus (dated 2005) at about 1:35 scale. “Parasaurolophus! Lost World! Roundup sequence!” I hear you scream incoherently. Well, take a deep breath, calm down and let me explain myself. Honestly, you are an excitable lot. This Parasaurolophus doesn’t have any quirks that mark it out as a JP clone, such as a corresponding paint job. Admittedly, the animal in the movies was one of the less stylised of Stan Winston Studios’ dinosaurs, but the Papo sculpt has features not obvious in the JP version, most notably the fairly tall and irregular neural spines (disbelieve? Check out this still at JPLegacy). It also has the neural spine ‘notch’ present on the Parasaurolophus walkeri type specimen, similar to Schleich’s effort. Although this was probably just damage unique to that individual, it shows that Papo were looking at fossils rather than Jurassic Park for their inspiration here. Enough of my pet theories, however - what of the toy itself? Well, it’s a decent effort let down by a few niggling details, one of which is rather more niggling than the others, as I will explain shortly. One of the best features of this model is that - hallelujah - it is covered in largely uniform scales, just as skin impressions show, and isn‘t under the Wrinkly Curse. The head is perhaps a little large, but it’s otherwise fairly well proportioned, and there’s a certain amount of creative license with Parasaurolophus walkeri anyway. The animal is posed rearing up on its hind legs, rather like the Carnegie effort. However, unlike the Carnegie line’s aging sculpt, Papo’s Parasaurolophus retains a fairly horizontal posture, which gives the impression of a mostly quadrupedal creature putting real effort into rearing. A disappointment here is the tail, which is used as a prop and curved at improbable angles. More quadruped hadrosaurs with straight tails please, toy makers! Other than that, the limbs have the right number of digits, although perhaps some of those on the hands should have a more clustered, weight-bearing appearance. Hopefully you’ll remember that I was, er, niggled by one particular feature on this toy. Take a look at the head. In profile, there appears to be nothing seriously wrong with it. In fact, it’s a pretty nice sculpt considering this isn’t meant to be a ‘museum-quality’ line of figures. Everything is in its right place; its finely sculpted beady yellow eye and open mouth give it a permanent startled expression, which might also explain why it’s rearing up (about to run away from some unseen tyrannosaur?). However, look inside the mouth and an unpleasant surprise is in store. TEETH inside the beak! What on Earth are they doing there? Papo, you’re just creating unnecessary extra work for your factory employees with this utterly baffling idiosyncrasy. They’re only in the lower half of the beak, they’re accompanied by a nice little tongue and they’re only visible on close inspection, but they’re infuriating just because they’re so bizarre! Still, overall a pretty good Parasaurolophus from Papo. Even if it’s not the best Parasaurolophus toy out there, it still features their renowned extraordinary level of detail and has a colour scheme that I really like - some may see it as a little dull, but I prefer to think of it as 'subtle naturalistic camouflage' (and the creature doesn't always have to have a glowing red tuba on its head). Please do comment to point out where I’ve gone wrong in this review (or even to agree with me!) as I don’t know so much about hadrosaurs. Good thing I didn’t say that at the beginning of the review, eh? Available from Amazon.com (here) Review & photos by Marc ('Horridus')

Brachiosaurus (Wild Safari By Safari Ltd) (2010 Version)

plesiosauria — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:36:23 +0000

Review and Photos by Dan of DansDinosaurs.com Safari Ltd. released their first Brachiosaurus figure in 1989, and it remained the largest prehistoric figure in their entire collection for two decades. Despite the changes in paint application, its mold has been unchanged to this very day. Our image of the Brachiosaurus has changed a bit since that time, and thanks to the animal’s appearance in Jurassic Park, it has become a popular species among casual collectors. For their Wild Safari dinosaur line, Safari created a smaller Brachiosaurus figure, presumably one that held greater playability among children. This figure has been released in both yellow and green paint schemes. For this latest 2010 release of the Brachiosaurus, Safari has echoed some of their earlier color palettes, but updated the figure with an entirely new sculpt. Immediately noticeable is the posture of the new figure’s neck. Previous incarnations of the Brachiosaurus from Safari displayed the animal with a “periscope” neck posture, held straight into the air, perpendicular to the ground. More recently, we’ve come to believe this animal carried its neck like many other sauropods, further in front of its body. This would still allow the animal to graze from dizzying altitudes on leaves that would have been inaccessible to most other herbivores. As such, the 2010 Wild Safari Brachiosaurus carries its neck at a 45 degree angle to the ground. Traditionally seen as pudgy, sloth-like giants, sauropods are now more often depicted as graceful creatures. They were not fast animals certainly, but when you’re the biggest thing on the plains, you’ve got far fewer predators to flee from. This entire figure displays a leaner, cleaner design aesthetic. The legs are powerful and well-proportioned, substantially thicker in the hind limbs, which are also appropriately shorter than the clawed forelimbs. The feet appear to be the dark and sullied, an excellent touch of realism rarely seen in mass produced figures. The body has some great texturing with wrinkles and folds, and natural musculature around the limbs and chest. The tail tapers quite elegantly, though the head is perhaps the most pleasant surprise. The jaws are lined with individually sculpted spatulate teeth, while the ears and tongue and plainly visible. Rarely are sauropod figures lavished with so much attention to their heads. With its neck outstretched and its jaws agape, one can easily envision this animal reaching out for a tasty conifer morsel. The eyes are dark and glossy, which really enhances the animated quality of the figure. Being able to look the animal in the eye makes it that much more believable. The only noticeable problem I had with this figure are the nostrils, which are conspicuously absent from an otherwise tremendously detailed head. It was once thought that Brachiosaurus had its nostrils on its crest, and they are now believed to be positioned further down the snout, yet in neither spot can they be seen on this figure. The figure’s foot has “1109” printed in white on the bottom, the first such inscription to be found on a Wild Safari dinosaur, while the ventral ID stamp includes “2008” in addition the usual information. It is a little known fact that this Brachiosaurus was originally scheduled to be released by Safari before 2010; the cause for this delay is unknown. The 2010 Brachiosaurus is about half the size of the Carnegie Brachiosaurus, but it still towers over all other dinosaurs in the Wild Safari collection. The beautiful sculpt and attractive coloration make it one of the finest reproductions of the species to appear in figure form, and with a surprisingly low price point, there’s really nothing to stop me from recommending it to collectors everywhere. Now available from Ebay here for $19.99 Also available direct from Safari here

Triceratops (Papo)

Marc (Horridus) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:41:01 +0000

In my previous review of Papo’s Parasaurolophus, I pointed out that not all Papo’s pre-Allosaurus dinosaur figures were necessarily Jurassic Park copies - but this Triceratops definitely is. It will therefore be more appealing to JP fans than anyone else, but like all Papo figures it’s quite a nice piece in its own right. If we excuse the colour scheme. The biggest Jurassic Park-giveaway are the horns, which, just as in the movies, are bizarrely covered with spidery cracks to the point where they resemble fossils. The beak has also been rendered this way, and all in a rather unpleasant grey. In life the horns would have had a much smoother appearance, more like the horns on animals alive today and in, well, pretty much every other restoration of Triceratops. Other than this odd little nod to JP, there’s nothing very wrong with the head, which is of course where the eye is drawn to on a beast like this. The structure of the skull is visible under the skin, there are skin folds around the edge of the beak, and its cheeks look quite hollow, which corresponds well with recent research. The skin darkens to black around the eyes, which are white with brown irises, giving them a peculiarly human appearance. One thing I’ve always liked about Papo’s dinosaurs (along with Kinto Favorite) is that they’re covered in scales, with no wrinkly or cross-hatching cop-out, so the details hold up on close inspection. This Triceratops is no exception, with scales of varying sizes all over the body, including rows of larger oval scales that stand out over the back and flanks - another feature probably inspired by JP. Although retaining a characteristically stocky, herbivorous appearance, it’s not all podgy and shapeless by any means - the muscles controlling the powerful forelimbs in particular are very obvious. Another plus is that the feet are not elephantine or like those of sauropods. Ceratopsians did have clearly differentiated digits (by modern accounts) and these are made very obvious on this toy. (I can’t remember if the Jurassic Park version did or not - answers on a postcard! Or in the comment box.) Of course it’s not completely accurate, but it’s another very good effort for a toy line that, as I’ve said before, purports to do nothing more than appeal to Jurassic Park-loving kids and sell by the truckload, and does not have the endorsement of a museum. However, this toy has one serious letdown - the aforementioned colour scheme, which is pretty nasty for a Papo dino. The entire creature is an almost uniform brown that one might charitably describe as, er, ‘chocolate’. There’s also a little grey on its underside, which clashes rather with details on the head. The overall effect is to make the figure very unattractive to look at, which is a real shame given the care and attention that obviously went into the sculpt, and the fact that Triceratops is a favourite dinosaur among many people, as well as being a dinosaur toy staple. I would urge Papo to consider this figure for a repainted re-release as they have done with their Velociraptor, as it’s crying out for a paintjob that isn’t so plain and ugly. Something more like their stock photo would be grand. In all, a fine JP-inspired figure let down by an atrocious colour scheme that makes it look far too much like a giant, um, mound of…mud. Here’s hoping the pachyrhinosaur being released later this year sees Papo giving ceratopsians a little more painterly love. (One final thing: apparently this toy has been painted differently in different countries. I bought mine from a UK stockist operating online; apparently in Spain they have been seen coloured green. Let me know if you have seen it looking more attractive than here!) Available from Amazon.com (here)

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Triceratops (Carnegie Collection by Safari ltd)

griffin8891 — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:53:49 +0000

Review and photos by Griffin Ever since it was discovered in the late 1800s, Triceratops has remained one of the most well known and iconic dinosaurs of all time. By this I mean it’s actually one of those dinosaur names that an average person with no interest in paleontology taken off of the street would know (A true honor only a select few kinds of dinosaurs have ever been able to claim). It was one of the last dinosaurs ever to be alive during the Maastrichtian at the tail end of the Cretaceous as well as being the largest of the Ceratopsian dinosaurs, measuring 26 to 30 feet from beak to tail. This model by Carnegie was part of its original lineup in 1988 but has been released over a few times since then. The one you see here is the latest from 2007. Many of Carnegie’s older dinosaurs have recently been re-released with new paintjobs (Allosaurus, Iguanodon, Stegosaurus to name a few). The funny thing about this one, however, is that it was replaced by a completely different sculpt of Triceratops several years ago that was seemingly more up to date. Then, for some reason the folks at Carnegie decided to bring the old one back for a third time, replacing its replacement (Confusing, I know). Honestly neither sculpt is completely accurate. The most impressive thing about this figure in my opinion is the positioning of the limbs and its pose. For a very long time, ceratopsians were always depicted in a sprawling, lizard-like pose, hinting at the assumption that they were sluggish, clumsy creatures. Carnegie, however, modeled their Trike in a very upright, active pose, very reminiscent of a large modern mammal. This is odd since some of their other models from the same time, like their Apatosaurus for instance, remain very old fashioned. I'm not complaining though. The head is nicely sculpted with a very sharp and angular look. When viewed face to face, a clear triangle can be drawn connecting each of the three horns. Unfortunately the head also seems a tiny bit too small in proportion to the rest of the body when I look at it. In addition, I also think the frill could afford to be larger. The last two things about this model I find inaccurate are both due to the age of the piece. The first is the mouth. Unlike modern reconstructions of ceratopsians with cheeks, this one clearly has a mouth that opens all the way back like a lizard’s and is made even more visible by the presence of red paint. It puzzles me that while applying a new paintjob, they chose to make this outdated feature stand out. The other problem with the figure is its feet. Not only are they crudely sculpted but they are columnar and elephant-like. It is now believed that ceratopsian digits were more splayed. The paint on this figure is very different from all the Carnegie triceratops before it, which sported a base color of gray. This one, however, is a rich golden brown color accented by chocolaty brown along the back, around the frill and on the face. The horns and beak are gray and the toenails are black. The eyes are painted dark, glossy black-brown which I really like. It looks like the eye of a buffalo or other large herbivorous mammal (which triceratops most likely would have behaved like in its day) rather than the cold yellow eye of a reptile. All in all I would say this isn’t the best Triceratops model out there, but it’s still not bad, especially considering the sculpt is over 20 years old! If you are a ceratopsian lover like me, I say go for it. Like many of Carnegie's dinosaurs it is 1:40 scale and can easily be obtained at any store or museum that already has Carnegies. Available from Safari.com (here) and Amazon.com (here)

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Tarbosaurus (Kaiyodo Dinotales Series 4)

cordylus — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:02:23 +0000

The "Asian Tyrant", Tarbosaurus, is unfortunately looked over in favor of it's more famous American cousin, Tyrannosaurus, by toy companies most of the time. Kaiyodo has produced many obscure genera before, so making a Tarbosaurus doesn't come as a surprise to me. Most aspects of this sculpt are good. It's finely sculpted for such a small size (only about 3 inches), with many wrinkles here and there. Tarbosaurus had the smallest arms compared to its body size out of all the Tyrannosaurids, and this is reflected well here -- the arms are small and tucked away under the body, and they are very unobtrusive, while still being very detailed (kaiyodo even made an effort to put scales on its fingers). The body is full of details such as bulging muscles and tightening tendons. There's one problem that I see, though; the back of the head is too wide, and the eyes are facing too forwards. Unlike it's American cousin, Tyrannosaurus, Tarbosaurus had a relatively thin rear skull and it's eyes didn't face far forwards. The pose on this figure isn't seen often in dinosaur figurines. The tail is raised high in the air to counterbalance the heavy front portion of the body, and one leg is firmly placed on the carcass of the dinosaur it's eating (more on that later), similar to how many birds today eat their meals. On of the cooler aspects of this figure is the base it is on -- a carcass of a dinosaur, specifically Saurolophus. It looks like the body of this carcass is half buried in mud or silt, maybe there was a recent flash flood that it was recently half-buried in? There are nice details on it like the correct number of claws and tyrannosaur tooth marks in it's neck. This is surely one of the most unique bases for a dinosaur figure ever done. Now, onto the coloration. This is probably the most striking tyrannosaurid ever done. It's white and light orange with beautifully done black patterns adorning it's body which makes it very similar to some extant butterflies. There are intricately painted brown scales on the fingers and toes of this beast. The eyes are a fiery red with black dot pupils. Its mouth is very bloody, it's obviously been tugging at this Saurolophus carcass for a while! The duckbill itself is done in dull purples and browns; after all, the attention is supposed to be going towards the Tarbosaurus, not its base! However, it still has some nice purple stripes on it's head, and eyes with painted pupils. There's also a good amount of blood on it's tearing neck- this figure isn't PG-13! To my knowledge, there are two versions of this figure; this is a special edition version. The other version has more natural colors, but I say if you're going for one of these, spend a little extra $ and get this absolutely amazing version, which can still be had for less then $10 if you're careful. All in all, if you like obscure Tyrannosaur genera or striking dinosaur figures altogether, this is a figure for you! Usually available on Ebay here

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Acrocanthosaurus (Kaiyodo Dinotales Series 3)

cordylus — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:16:03 +0000

Acrocanthosaurus, in my opinion, is one of the coolest theropods ever. Many companies have tried and failed at creating a replica of this peculiar dinosaur, so it's nice to see a respectable replica of one. This review will be focusing on kaiyodos attempt. As for Acrocanthosaurus itself, it lived in the early Cretaceous of North America, alongside some other well-known dinosaurs like Deinonychus, Utahraptor, and Tenontosaurus. I suppose it could be called the T-rex of its day; it was probably at the top of the food chain and it could probably hunt and eat whatever it desired. This figurine of good 'ol Acro is very true to the real thing. The arms are held in a neutral position with the "thumb" differentiated from the rest with a large claw just like real Acrocanthosaurus had millions of years ago. The neural spines are tall (but not overly so) and it forms a nice, although thin, ridge with lovely scales and ornamental spikes sculpted on it. The ribcage and rippling muscles can be seen underneath the figures wrinkly skin, maybe this guy hasn't eaten in a while? The fenestrae of the skull are all correctly placed and sculpted, although the end of the snout curves up too much. The pose of this figure is a very active one. It's kind of in an "S" shape, with its head and jaws swinging down to the ground to presumably snatch up a snack. The jaws are held open very widely , like the real Acrocanthosaurus was capable of. The color scheme is largely an unusual one. The sail is red and black with yellow highlights on the scales, which isn't exactly uncommon -- but the body is all purple! You really could call this figure barney and get away with it. It starts out as a light greyish-pinkish color on the belly and toes that gradually fades into a darker greyish purple. The inside of the mouth and the teeth are -- that's right -- purple too. Despite being almost (almost!) valentines' day colors, Kaiyodo managed to pull it off well. The end result is a naturalistic color scheme that does look good. The only problem I have with the coloration is the coloration of the base- it's vibrant yellow and contrasts way too much with the purple of the dinosaur. In my opinion it would have looked better either plain white or plain black. If you are a fan of Acrocanthosaurus like I am, you will really be pleased with this figure and it's definitely worth owning. To my knowledge there are 3 different color variations of this figure, so you can really choose the one that suits you best! This figure can be commonly had for under $5 over the internet and in some museums (but if you do find it in a museum somewhere it will probably be under "Dinomania" instead of "Dinotales"). Sometimes available on Ebay here

Liopleurodon (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:45:39 +0000

One of the first new releases of 2010 is the Liopleurodon from Safari's rapidly growing and excellent quality Wild Safari line. This is Safari's first replica of the infamous Jurassic sea monster, originally made famous for its appearance in Walking with Dinosaurs over a decade ago. Despite the many years that have passed, companies continue to use the WWD depiction as a standard template for their figures (see previous reviews of the WWD, Procon and Chap Mei Liopleurodon figures). So, let's see if the 2010 Wild Safari Liopleurodon breaks the mold. Starting with the head, the long narrow jaws show some excellent details. The dentition is based on the most recent reconstructions of the skull of Liopleurodon. Older reconstructions show the teeth splayed out in a 'rosette', this is based on the condition seen in preserved pliosaur fossils. However, this is a preservational artifact that results from squashing and compression of the fossils; in life the teeth were implanted more vertically, as captured in the Safari figure. The size of the teeth differs along the jaws, large dangerous-looking fangs are positioned towards the tip. These are separated by gaps in the upper and lower jaws that correspond to other teeth, again this is based on the fossil material. One can easily imagine the tight interlocking teeth when the jaws are closed. As in living reptiles, the jaws and mandibular symphysis (where the left and right parts of the jaw meet) are visible from below. The mandibular symphysis is slightly expanded and the snout is expanded in places too, just as it is in the fossil material. The beady red eyes with black pupils are oriented up and outwards as they were in life, ready to spot the next unfortunate meal. The external nares (nostrils) are situated close to the eyes and on the palate, inside the mouth, even the internal nares are visible. There is also a fleshy tongue. The two large temporal fenestrae are visible at the back of the skull separated by a midline crest, these housed the bone-crushing jaw muscles and may have been even more bulky in life. Pliosaur skeletons were built to minimize the flexibility of the main body: the Safari Liopleurodon reflects nicely, it appears appropriately strong and sturdy. The muscular regions that covering the large plate-like girdles are visible below. These are particularly obvious in the pelvic region, which was probably a little smoother in life. The neck and tail are curved which adds dynamicity to the posture. There is cloacal opening behind the pubis bone, an anatomical feature often overlooked (or perhaps puposefully omitted?) in many dinosaur figures. The tail is quite short and the head is quite large compared with other Liopleurodon figures. The limbs are all positioned in a relatively passive position. Where they meet the body they are deep to accommodate the strong swimming muscles used to propel it through the water. Other figures often make this region far to thin. The rear flippers are slightly larger than the front ones. This is accurate and typical of most pliosaurs. In contrast, the front flippers are usually largest in the long necked plesiosaurs and elasmosaurids.. With regard to coloration, Safari have jumped onto the Walking With Dinosaurs bandwagon. Although it would be nice to see a more original colour scheme, one cannot complain too much as the striking pattern of deep blue and white works extremely well, even if it is not unique. The underside is completely white so the animal is nicely countershaded. The texture of plesiosaur skin is unknown; the surface of the Wild Safari Liopleurodon is moderately stippled giving the impression of small scales. At only 16 cm long this is a small and affordable piece. It is also such a popular species that I predict it will be one of Safari's bestsellers. Look out for a future blog post where I will outline the design process for this figure. Thanks to DansDinosaurs.com for providing the Dinosaur Toy Blog with a review copy of this figure. This figure is now available from Dan on Ebay here. It is also available direct from Safari here

Deinonychus (Soft model by Favorite Co. Ltd.)

Marc (Horridus) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:09:02 +0000

In spite of not having a name ending in 'raptor', Deinonychus remains a high-profile dromaeosaur in the public imagination, and rightly so for an animal that revolutionised our understanding of dinosaurs. This fairly small and affordable toy is manufactured by Favorite, and is clearly modelled on their larger (and somewhat more expensive) resin 'Desktop' model. Just as with the Desktop model, our friend is most definitely feathered – and hallelujah for that. There's something I must get out of the way first – mine won't stand up on its own, hence the rather obvious blob of Blu Tack in the photos (apologies for that, it could be smaller). It's a little irritating, although I have no idea how common a problem it is. If you have this toy, be sure to let me know in the comment box whether or not it's prone to falling on its face like a Cretaceous drunk. Given the relatively pliable nature of the plastic it can probably be fixed quite easily with a hairdryer and a bit of tweaking. Anatomically this model is pretty sound. The legs are a little short (and with rather large feet), and the tail is exceptionally long, but these changes are almost certainly for balance reasons and don't detract from the sculpt too much. The head is quite low and tapering in line with more modern reconstructions, and the arms feature long feathers as per Deinonychus' close relative Velociraptor. The rest of the plumage has a rather scruffy, shaggy appearance, reminiscent of a modern-day ratite, and hugs the body closely. The feathers on the likes of the Carnegie Microraptor are probably more convincing, but these are perfectly acceptable – at least it isn't 'plucked'! The paint job will please those of you who dislike day-glo-saurs that resemble an acid trip seen through the eyes of Luis Rey, but seems like a bit of a missed opportunity. The body (including the 'naked' areas, ie. the feet and jaws) is entirely brown with stripes in a darker brown and a banded tail. It'll do, but a little splash of colour wouldn't go amiss. Another figure that is ideal for repainting. Overall: it's pretty good, but it's certainly not up to the very best Favorite standards. The Tyrannosaurus and Stegosaurus, both previously reviewed on this blog (the latter by me in fact), are fine examples of what Favorite can achieve when they really pull out the stops. That said, the mere fact that it's an affordable feathered figure of a large dromaeosaur makes it worthy, given that bald versions continue to be released in the face of palaeontological progress. For readers who've moved on from the 1990s I can recommend it, if with caution! Review & photos by Marc ('Horridus') Sometimes available on Ebay here

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Dimetrodon (Carnegie Collection by Safari ltd.)

griffin8891 — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:46:21 +0000

Review and photos by Griffin Dimetrodon is probably one of the most well known non dinosaur prehistoric creatures of all time. It lived during the early to middle Permian era way before any dinosaur and is actually more closely related to us mammals than it is to other kinds of reptiles. It would have been the ruler of its day and probably hunted such contemporaries as the fellow Pelycosaur, Edaphosaurus and the amphibians, Eryops and Diplocaulus. Carnegie’s original model of Dimetrodon is one of the oldest sculpts in its collection. To be honest there is really nothing obviously scientifically inaccurate about it. The only issue that I have with it is the fact that it lacks a lot of detail. The feet are rather crudely sculpted and the mouth seems to be devoid of all teeth. This is especially sad since the famous fin back reptile is known for having exceptionally large pointy teeth. Heck, its name even means “two kinds of teeth”. The colors are rather boring if you ask me. The whole body is the same dull green color with a little bit of pattern on the back and down the sides in the form of some darker green stripes and some gray blotches. I kind of wish its sail had some pattern too or maybe be a different color. The paint application is pretty terrible especially on the head. Like a lot of Carnegie’s older models, the color for the eye, which in this case is yellow, seems to encompass not only the eye itself, but some of the area around the eye as well. The mouth color is a dark gray and again, manages to be present not just in the mouth itself, but that whole general vicinity on the face as well. When all is said and done, one needs to remember that this little guy is amongst Carnegie’s first dinosaur models, so one can’t really bash it too hard for its flaws. It was one of the first Carnegies I ever received as a gift from when I was a small child so it will always have a place in my heart. Another nice thing about it, unlike Carnegie’s newer Dimetrodon, is that it’s actually in 1:40 scale so it’s pretty tiny given the fact that the actual animal was about ten feet long. Don’t expect to find it too easily since it went out of production a while ago. There is always a chance to find it on ebay, however.

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cordylus — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:55:04 +0000

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Stegosaurus (Papo)

cordylus — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:05:28 +0000

Stegosaurus has always been a staple dinosaur. It's featured prominently in museums, the media, museum toylines, chinasaur bins, and it's been heavily researched. Many renditions of this animal have been done in toy form (just about every dinosaur toy collection has one!) so we'll look at the attempt by Papo for now. f The detail on this Stegosaurus is really insane. Each individual scale is sculpted, and the plates/spikes/nails are all very lifelike. There are nice skin sags on the tail, belly and legs, and there are even traces of ribs showing in the torso. Unfortunately, for such a detailed figure, it has a lot of inaccuracies. First off, the head (while very nicely sculpted) is far too large; Stegosaurus is known for having a tiny head relative to its body size. The tail spikes, again, while nicely sculpted, are too curved upwards and they look very cracked (in real life they would have been smoother). The tail itself is tiny! It surely won't be swatting away any Papo Allosaurs with it. The plates look like they are covered in skin, while in real life they were probably covered in keratin. Also, the plate size is too small; Stegosaurus had very large plates. The back feet have one claw too many, I'm pretty sure Stegosaurus had only two claws on its back feet (do correct me if I'm wrong in the comment box below). There seems to be an absence of nostrils too which is very strange. The coloration is very nice and is very similar to that of Jurassic Park Stegosaurus. It's a lime green on top with darker green drybrushed over it, which fades into a creamy grey belly. The outward-facing sides of the plates are brown with a green blotch in the center with a white blotch within it, while the sides facing in are strangely the same color as the rest of the body. The claws and the tail spikes are the same grey as in the splotches on the plates. The eyes are yellow with dotted pupils - this was a diurnal animal! All in all, If you want a Stegosaurus replica that is true to the real animal, I would recommend Kinto or Wild Safari. All in all - If you are a fan of Stegosaurus (well really, who isn't?) this is one worth picking up. Available from Amazon.com (here)

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Velociraptor (Papo)

cordylus — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:01:58 +0000

Up for review is yet another Papo dinosaur - Velociraptor. This figure is largely praised in the dinosaur toy collecting community, as is the real Velociraptor itself! Unfortunately, most aspects of this Velociraptor are wrong. The tail is too short and curved, the arms are awkwardly pronated, the tibias seem a little too long, and there's no feathers - all very un-dromeosaurid like features. The shape of the skull is largely too robust for that of a Velociraptor, it is more reminiscent of its distant relative Deinonychus. Velociraptor was believed to have been a diurnal animal, so the slit pupils don't make much sense. The pose really doesn't help this figure; it can stand on its own two feet but it's still rearing up. I would have preferred to have seen a velociraptor with a pose more similar to the Allosaurus or Spinosaurus. The teeth in the skull are all one piece with little lines sculpted in it to make it look like teeth - the end result are teeth that look like something from a flamingo or Pterodaustro. Minus its inaccuracies, this figure does have some commendable points. The musclature is well defined throughout the body. The skin is very detailed, with each individual scale suclpted (there should really be feathers, not scales, though!). There are also some nice wrinkles on the tail and the neck. It really looks like it could be alive. The color scheme is largely unattractive. It seems as though they tried to get a mix of both Jurassic Park and The Lost World in one. The end result is kind of boring, especially for a little dinosaur who had potential to be VERY colorful. If you want a true to the real thing Velociraptor, your best bet would be Bullylands 2008 version. If you are a big dromeosaur fan, or you like the animals of jurassic park, this one belongs in your collection for sure. Available on Ebay here

Cryolophosaurus (Carnegie Collection by Safari Ltd)

plesiosauria — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:53:12 +0000

The unusual theropod Cryolophosaurus is the largest carnivorous dinosaur from the Early Jurassic and the most complete dinosaur known from Antarctica. This fascinating dinosaur is one of two new additions to the Carnegie Collection line in 2010. Their second offering, the first ever Carnegie ichthyosaur, is another figure to look forward to this year. The most distinctive feature of Cryolophosaurus is the transverse fan-like crest situated above the eyes. There are also two low ridges formed by the nasal bones, that run along the top of the narrow skull in front of the crest. These cranial characteristics are beautifully an accurately restored in the Carnegie figure, clearly based on the fossil skull material. In-keeping with its probably function as a display structure, Safari have chosen a bright blue colour for the front of the delicate ridged crest. The front of the skull is unknown for Cryolophosaurus so some conservative artistic license has been used to fill in the missing portion. The open mouth is finely detailed with sharp teeth of many sizes and a fleshy sharp-tipped tongue. The figure is about 24cm long. The overall pose is relatively static with both feet widely spaced and placed firmly on the ground. The body is held horizontally, but the long tail sweeps gently downwards to support the figure with its tip, in a tripod pose. The three fingered hands are reaching forwards and the head is raised up and to the right. A golden brown hue forms broad stripes along the neck, flanks and tail. A darker brown runs along the top of the spine and the (unpainted?) underside is a very light green. The throat region has a nice dewlap that adds character to the model. This is highlighted in light blue, very much like the recent Diplodocus in the same line. The eyes are gold with black pupils, the mouth is pink and the teeth are white. The claws, including the hallux on the inside of each foot, are picked out in beige. The sculpt gives a nice indication of the underlying bony anatomy - the hips bulge out a little, as do the scapular regions. The skin is rough and wrinkled, in particular, a line of wrinkled skin runs along each side of the tummy between the base of the arm and the leg. This seems to be one of the signatures of Carnegie sculptor Forrest Rogers and has been noted in the vast majority of Carnegie figures. Is summary, this is a awesome rendering of a really interesting species - a great addition to the Carnegie Collection line. It should be available to purchase shortly and I'll add links here when the time comes. I'd like to thank Safari for sending an early sample of this figure for The Dinosaur Toy Blog to review.

Brachiosaurus (Soft model by Favorite Co. Ltd.)

Marc (Horridus) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:13:01 +0000

"Brachiosaurus" brancai comes to the Dino Toy Blog yet again. Of course, it isn't really "Brachiosaurus" brancai, but rather Giraffatitan brancai, the big old brachiosaur from Africa having recently acquired a genus of its very own, albeit unfortunately a genus coined by Greg Paul on one of his off days (heresy!). If you disbelieve in the reallocation, I would suggest you argue with some real experts. Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, plastic dinosaur. Although my faith was shaken by the slightly shonky Deinonychus (that was nevertheless feathered and therefore better than most), this figure reaffirms my belief in Favorite as a purveyor of quality dinosaur toys. While smaller than most at 1:80 scale (it would be dwarfed by the happy Carnegie beast), this "Brachiosaurus" is a very impressive figure indeed. Perhaps the first thing you will notice about this figure is the unusually straight and close-to-horizontal neck, in contrast to most "Brachiosaurus" figures which tend to feature a swan-like or even periscopic neck. Given that the sculpt is a few years old, this is probably based on an infamous study that would have sauropod necks locked in a horizontal position, hardly able to raise up at all. This view has fallen out of favour recently, and I must admit that the ramrod neck is my least favourite feature of this figure. It makes it look like an awkwardly stiff prehistoric see-saw (as well as oddly depressed, in an anthropomorphic 'I feel sad' sense). The animal perhaps could jut its neck out in this way, but it lacks the graceful appearance of the 2010 Wild Safari toy or the old Invicta (for a comparison shot with the former, see below). It's the body of the Favorite model that impresses me the most and more specifically, the feet. Absolutely no sauropod toy manufacturer in history has managed to get the feet right - until now*. With only one claw per columnar forelimb and three on each hind limb, the attention to detail is impressive, beating even the latest Safari toy. The 'hands' are even concave, corresponding with fossil trackways. Someone's put real care into this sculpt; the feet alone are enough to get a dino-geek all excited. (Oh, admit it.) My bizarre sauropod foot fetish aside, the poor Favorite "Brachiosaurus" is looking a little Greg Paul-skinny (as in his illustrations - I can't speak for the man himself). Nothing wrong with that, mind you - who's to say that these dinosaurs were always lard buckets? It's also lavished with the usual Favorite detail, including an all-over covering of largely uniform scales. Although the scales might not have been so large on an animal of this size, it beats elephantine wrinkliness any day. The muzzle looks a little off, but it's a minor quibble. The colouring's a bit bland too, a problem that all Favorite dinosaurs seem to suffer from. To conclude then, a worthy and affordable sauropod figure that's definitely worth a punt. Watch this space for a look at the Favorite Apatosaurus. Review & awful photos by Marc ('Horridus') *A late addition - apparently the Battat Amargasaurus also had correct feet (and the Diplodocus came closer than most). My apologies to pedantic Americans everywhere.

Apatosaurus (Soft model by Favorite Co. Ltd.)

Marc (Horridus) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:11:45 +0000

As promised, we present today the second of the sauropods in Favorite's 'soft model' collection - Apatosaurus, a real dinosaur toy staple. (For more Apatosaurus, see here (Schleich Replica-Saurus), here (the old Wild Safari), here (Great Dinos Collection) and here (Invicta).) Insert a line about "Brontosaurus" here as is obligatory. This Favorite toy is at a teeny-tiny 1:80 scale, which still makes it almost as long as my UK size 10 Converse All-Stars. I don't have a ruler handy.

Here again the neck is held horizontally with a slight curve and the head is facing downwards. Given the nature of the beast, this doesn't look as awkward as with the "Brachiosaurus"; it appears less stiff and more natural. Again, as per the "Brachiosaurus" it's tempting to presume that this posture is based on the belief, popular for some years, that the neck couldn't be raised much above horizontal. This may put some people off, but to me it simply gives the animal the appearance of bending down for a drink or to pluck some tasty fronds. Posture aside the model is pretty well proportioned, if a little on the skinny side. The neck's an appealing aspect here, as it seems to represent the nutty nature of Apatosaurus vertebrae rather well, but perhaps could do with just a little more flesh hanging from the bones. (As an aside, should the professionals stumble upon this blog entry - presumably by accident - then I welcome any and all corrections to my amateurish remarks, ta.) In general this toy fits a modern skeletal reconstruction quite nicely - right down to the neural spines rising up in the right places - but the animal looks like it's going through a rough patch. This may be a matter of personal preference, however, as I've always seen Apatosaurus and its cohorts as the Giant Haystacks of the diplodocid world. Still, for all sauropod foot fetishists out there Favorite have been uncommonly accurate in that department. Just compare the feet on this Apatosaurus with the hefferlump plodders of Schleich's. The detailing, with all-over scales, skin folds and musculature, also compares favourably with any effort from other manufacturers. The end of the tail isn't as whip-like as it might have been, but then I imagine Favorite are wary of it snapping off easily, as has happened with various old Diplodocus toys over the years. Rendered in earthy browns and striding forward with intent, this Apatosaurus is another Favorite I'm quite fond of, but if you prefer a little more meat on your sauropods you may wish to wait for this year's new Wild Safari sculpt. Review & photos by Marc ('Horridus')

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Monoclonius (Tyco)

griffin8891 — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:13:10 +0000

Review and photos by Griffin Monoclonius was always known as a sort of “little brother” to Triceratops, characterized by its short frill and singular nose horn. Sadly for it, like several other dinosaurs I remember growing up with like Trachodon and Brontosaurus, it’s no longer believed to be a valid genus of dinosaur. The remains which used to be referred to as those of Monoclaunius are now believed to be juvenile forms of other ceratopsians such as Centrosaurus, Styracosaurus and Einiosaurus. Today I have for you a review of a toy modeled after this once proud dinosaur that is very dear to my heart. One thing that really sets Tyco apart from other dinosaur toy companies is the fact that its products can actually be considered a kind of action figure and not just a model. In other words, they do stuff. The action figure dinosaur concept was later snapped up and perfected by Jurassic Park companies (normative statement on my part) but for a while Tyco’s dinosaurs reigned supreme in that department. They started with the “Dino Riders” series which usually came with some crazy battle armor and a humanoid figure but there was also a line of just the dinosaurs themselves released with relation to the Smithsonian Museum. The toy I will be reviewing is from that lineage. This little guy truly embodies the retro ceratopsian look. It’s very squat and robust, with its legs attached somewhat to the sides of the body and its head and tail held low to the ground. The overall detail is pretty good. It’s covered in pebbly scales that become wider towards the belly and another row of wide, almost rectangular scales running down the spine. The eyes, like all of Tyco’s dinosaur eyes (at least that I have seen) are not part of the sculpt but have been added in almost like the glass eyes of a stuffed animal. As far as scientific accuracy is concerned, don’t expect too much out of this guy (Seriously, it’s an invalid genus, come on.) Let me just say that for its hay day in the 80s this was considered spot on. Looking at it really reminds me of the old dinosaur films before the days of CGI. For the colors this dinosaur is a very pretty combination turquoise and navy blue. I think the model pulls of the scheme very nicely. After a while I can only take so much of the typical browns, grays and brownish/grayish greens on dinosaurs. The action feature is simple, but cute. When the tail is manually wagged from side to side, the head will also wag in the alternate direction. The combination of these two body parts moving in such a fashion sort of reminds me of that of a lizard’s locomotion. The four limbs can also move. All in all, this is a cool little dinosaur toy. If you like old style retro dinosaurs this is a definite winner for you. A Styracosaurus was also made by Tyco that is exactly the same as this toy except for its spiky frill and different color scheme. If you are looking to add one of these guys to your collection my best advice to you would be to check ebay.

Pachyrhinosaurus (Papo)