The Dinosaur Toy Blog

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.

Review and photos by Tomhetleere

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.

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)

Post and photos by Tomhetleere

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: