Wuerhosaurus (CollectA)

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When I place the 2009 CollectA Wuerhosaurus on the table in front of me, it is easy to see that the look of it is on the rather plain side.   It is neither edgy or over stylized which is typical of CollectA prehistoric line up at that time.  It looks similar to your typical Stegosauridae with the long hind limbs, an elevated, and horizontal tail that ends in its thagomizer spikes. Along the neck, back, hips, and tail are an array of short flat plates.  The pose on this toy is rather stiff with legs directly underneath it and the head down toward the ground  looking for a cycad to nibble upon.

It is 5.35 in (13.6 cm) long and 2.24 in (5.7 cm) high at the hip plate.  Even though the skull on a Wuerhosaurus has not been found, the head on this figure looks too big compared to the overall dimensions of the body.  The beak looks a little strange but it is present and there are no nares sculpted.  On the business end of its defensive capabilities the tail spikes are pointing upward in a archaic fashion.

Fossil remains indicate that Stegosaurians had five digits on the forefeet and three weight-bearing digits on the hind feet.  The feet on this toy have the correct amount of digits but they are mostly generic and uniform in is size which doesn’t match up to typical Stegosaurian remains.

The dorsal plates are rounder and flatter on this toy than what you would find in other Stegosaurids, which would seem to be fine, as the animal is usually depicted in this manner.  It turns out that the plates that were found with the remains might have been broken.  That  would mean that the exact shape is unknown.  In fact the fossil remains of Wuerhosaurus homheni and Wuerhosaurus ordosensis are lacking much of the skeleton, like the heads and tails.

Texturally it is interesting.  Perhaps this toy just finished taking a bath and it is a bit chilly as the entire figure, with the exception of its underside, are covered in what appears to be goose bumps.  Just kidding, they are just different sized osteoderms.  Under the skull around the throat are a bunch of small bumps which I would deduce are the bony disk ossicles that would protected the lower neck.  There are also some generic skin folds and fat rolls present on the body.  The plates and underside have some lines etched in.

The paint job is a dull orange on its sides and underside.  Brown is the color on the top of the head, plates, and on the bottom half of its legs as if it had just waded through a mud hole.  There are some darker orange highlights on the top of the plates, tail spikes, and in some muscle bulges.  The toes are black. Is the paint job realistic? I would think not, but who knows, maybe they were a brighter color to warn the predators to leave it alone.  Perhaps it lived in a river region that was semi arid and it had to blend in with the mud and sand.   The paint scheme is generic and it is reminisced of some CollectA figures made around the same time.  Some examples: Lambeosaurus, Amargasaurus, Minmi, Edmontonia. 

Playability:  Its a Stegosaurid! What’s not to love.  It has the plates, the upraised tail with spikes, which can tail whip enemies into oblivion or catapult hero’s over walls.  If that’s not enough, it is small enough to fit into a kids pocket, but big enough to let its presence be known during play time.  Its tough, the spikes are bendy, and the paint job can take some tough falls to the ground.

Overall: Despite some inaccuracies the toy is ok.  It might be a toy that you want to pass on but there are not a lot of toy options if you are a fan of Wuerhosaurus.  The only other one I can think of is the small yet really nice one from PNSO. So what is the verdict on the 2009 CollectA Wuerhosaurus?  I would call it an average figure.  It is probably more for collectors who like Stegosaurids or for kids who want to play with it, than for the average collector.