The Dinosaur Toy Blog

Review and Photos by forum member Pangolinmoth

From the Battat line of dinosaur figures, better known as the bane of our bank accounts and the envy of our peers, comes the charming Edmontonia rugosidens. Edmontonia was a nodosaur from the late cretaceous, and quite the tank at that. Boasting massive shoulder armaments and a solid mass of armor down its back they were not to be trifled with by hungry theropods.

One of the neat-o things about Battat figures is they are all classified by specific taxon, further distinguishing the line from all the other toy companies out there. And I say charming in a surly, grumpy, Eeyore sort of way.

The figure is about 18 cm long, and at a scale of 1:40 that puts right in the ballpark of the scale of all the Battat collection, another rare feat for companies these days. The detail is fantastic, and corresponds perfectly to a complete fossilized armor plate found from one of these guys. You could just imagine a Rex getting a mouthful of those awesome shoulder spikes or a good whap from its spiny tail.

Out of all the Battat collection this guy has one of the more believable paint schemes. A beige underbelly with a nice green and brown armored back create an image of a simple beast, one that does not need flashy adornments to show the world he is not to be trifled with. It’s pose is also simple, like he is walking along looking for some delicious foliage to enjoy and unconcerned about any lurking predators.

All in all I think this is one of the best nodosaur replicas. They seem easier to find than some of the other Battats, but the price is still probably up in the 30-40 dollar range.

Photos by Niroot ‘Himmapaan’ Puttapipat

Ornithomimids are a horribly under-represented family of dinosaurs when it comes to dinosaur toys. For such fascinating animals, this really is a shame. Fortunately, the few ornithomimid figures out there are usually quite well-made. The Battat Gallimimus is one of these.

Made in 1994 (a year after the dinosaur’s appearance in Jurassic Park I should add), this Gallimimus is part of the now revered and rare Battat line, made for the Boston Museum of Science. Like the other figures in this line, the Gallimimus is an excellent sculpt and is quite accurate despite being almost 2 decades old. All the proportions are correct, and the wrists are not pronated (always a plus). The shape of the head is well-done, and the eyes are the appropriate size too.

In addition to being accurate, the sculpt is very well-detailed as well. The musculature in the hind limbs is well defined. For an animal that was probably a swift runner and relied on running as a method to escape predators, this makes sense. The skin detail is excellent as well, with realistic looking wrinkles and small scales. This is a detailed sculpt with no sloppiness whatsoever.

The quality of no sloppiness also applies to the paint job of this figure. Unlike many other massed-produced figures, the Battat Gallimimus is painted very precisely. The eyes and claws on the hands and feet are especially well painted. The color scheme of this figure is rather pleasant too. It’s just a sandy yellow with brown stripes that fades into a white underbelly, but it looks very natural for an animal that lived in a desert environment.

If there is one complaint to be made about this sculpt, it is the lack of feathers. Nowadays, it is thought that many theropods, ornithomimids included, had a covering of “protofeathers” on their body. However, Battat really can’t be blamed, as it was sculpted before this was known. The first feathered non-avian dinosaur was discovered in 1996, two years after this figure was released. If you can get past the lack of fuzz, this is still a very accurate figure.

All in all, this is an excellent and well-made figure. If you can get past the lack of feathers, it’s a very accurate figure as well. As one of the few ornithomimid figures (there are no more than 4 I can think of at the moment), it is a must-have for any fan of this family of dinosaurs. Unfortunately, this figure, along with the rest of the Battat line, has been retired for a bit over a decade and is rather rare. Luckily, it is only one of the moderately rare Battats, and pops up on eBay every now and then. If you have a chance to get this figure you certainly should; you won’t regret it.

Many thanks to Niroot Puttapipat for providing the photos for this review. He very graciously sacrificed his own figure by taking it out of its box. Besides being an excellent photographer, Niroot is also an outstanding professional artist. Show your appreciation by visiting his DeviantArt page, which features many wonderful dinosaur illustrations and much much more.

Despite the distinctive and unusual appearance of the sail-backed Ouranosaurus, it is rather rare in toy form. When it comes to iguanodontids, most companies tend to opt for the more generic and more familiar Iguanodon. Starlux, Schleich and CollectA have produced replicas of this fascinating species as well (review of the Schleich Ouranosaurus here), but the Battat figure is by far and away the superior figure.

The skull is incredibly accurate, it is sculpted long and low, with ridges above the eyes, and the rostrum is correctly expanded towards the tip. In the latter character it resembles the duck-like bill of hadrosaurids. The mouth is slightly agape and a fleshy tongue is visible, the details are spectacular, especially when you consider that the head is little more than 2cm long (less than an inch).

The body of the beautifully sculpted Battat Ouranosaurus is equally accurate. It sports the prominent dorsal sail, which rises steeply at the base of the neck and curves gently all the way to the tip of the tail. The figure occupies a quadropedal pose, however, the left arm is elegantly raised in mid-stride, and the right root is slightly raised, endowing the figure with a fluid sense of motion. The delicate hoof-like hands also show a spike like thumb, much like it’s close relative Iguanodon. The tiny fifth digit (or little finger) is also individually sculpted.

The colour of the body is green below and yellow above. A striking pattern of red spots decorates the flanks of the body and sail, and contrast sharply with the yellow. At a tiny 16.5 cm long, this figure is spectacularly detailed, impressively accurate, and hugely appealing – all bow down to the Battat Ouranosaurus!

Battat figures are longer in production but are sometimes available on www.ebay.com

Review by Dan Liebman, Photos by Mat Hockett

No dinosaur figure collection is complete without Parasaurolophus. While some may outclass her in a popularity contest, she is certainly the most well-known of all hadrosaurs. Her signature crest provides instant recognition, and this reconstruction for the Battat line includes a rarely-depicted stretch of skin running from the crest to the neck.

In recent years, paleontologists like Scott Sampson have contended that many of the exotic features so often found in dinosaurs were actually display structures. Indeed, many appear too fragile to be used in rigorous combat, so it is possible they were used to identify their species and attract mates.

The Battat dinosaurs are known for their flashy color schemes, but it’s plain to see that some extra attention was spent on the crest of this animal. It’s likely the artists also interpreted this as a showy structure, and collectors will no doubt nod feverishly at the suggestion that these figures were “ahead of their time.”

The golden body is lined with cyan along the back, a color which echoes across the entire length of the body and culminates at the head. A series of dark marks underscore the pattern from the ribcage, and continuing on to the anterior of the animal. Many companies seem to skimp on hadrosaurs, perhaps assuming their efforts should be focused on species that will sell better, but no effort seems to have been spared with this piece. Even the eyes are unusually intense for a hadrosaur replica.

Fortunately, the Parasaurolophus is only a moderately rare figure by Battat standards, so they tend to show up on eBay with some regularity. Prices can fluctuate of course, but this one rarely exceeds the $60 range. For any fan of the species, this is easily a must-have, and certainly one of the finest renditions of Parasaurolophus walkeri ever to be produced.