The Dinosaur Toy Blog

What’s this – the Carnegie Dilong again? Haven’t we seen it around these parts before? Well, yes, we have. Unfortunately, the original reviewer left the blog some time ago and, for whatever reason, deleted all his posts upon departure. As such, what you are reading now is a replacement – written by me, I’m afraid. So, without further delay, let’s take a good gander at the Carnegie Dilong from 2005. Again.

Dilong paradoxus lived in China in the Early Cretaceous, as did Caudipteryx and Beipiaosaurus (although perhaps not at exactly the same time), both of which have also subsequently made it into the Carnegie Collection. While it’s definitely a plus that this Dilong and the Beipiaosaurus are sculpted at roughly the same scale, Dilong was a somewhat more diminutive creature than Beipiaosaurus (or at least, the type specimen was). As such, fine details are a little more fudged than on the therizinosaur, particularly around the head; the teeth are indistinct while the eyes, apart from probably being a little too large, have asymmetrical splodgy pupils.

Of course, Dilong is most famous for having been preserved with evidence of a fuzzy ‘protofeather’ covering, and fortunately this is far more attractively rendered. The details remain very crisp up close, giving a pleasing impression of a ‘furry’ fluffiness. While the colours could be considered a little conservative, in this case it’s probably actually a good thing – a bright blue (for example) Dilong would actually have been incredibly unlikely, as the nature of ‘protofeathers’ all but prevents this colouration from being physically possible.

Anatomically, this model is very good even if it’s not perfect, and certainly excellent given its very cheap price tag. Perhaps most obviously, the hands do not match up especially well, the real Dilong having quite long hands and fingers of more differing lengths. The tail is also rather thin where it joins the body (not allowing room for muscles), although this was common in palaeoart until fairly recently. Other than that, the proportions are good – the legs are nice and long and the head is deep and narrow, with the characteristic low Y-shaped crest evident.

The Carnegie Collection has, since 2005, been so far ahead of the pack as regards feathered (nonavian) dinosaurs that it’s been a little embarrassing  (although that naked Velociraptor is a very unfortunate black mark), with Collecta only now catching up. Although certain aspects of the sculpt could use a little more finesse, this Dilong is certainly a worthy addition to a lineup that now also includes Microraptor, Oviraptor and of course the aforementioned Beipiaosaurus and Caudipteryx. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of them – starting with a Velociraptor resculpt!

Back in 2010, Favorite released a re-sculpt of the Tyrannosaurus from their resin ‘Desktop’ range, alongside Triceratops and Allosaurus. Once again, it is a huge improvement over its predecessor anatomically but is likely to strongly divide tastes.

Just as with the Allosaurus, a large, overhanging ‘lip’ covers all of the teeth in the upper jaw, with only the very tips visible on close inspection. This is in marked contrast with the majority of Tyrannosaurus figures, which – by design – appear to emphasise their subject’s huge, intimidating dentition (occasionally to an exaggerated degree, like the teeth are dangling from their roots). On the mandible, the gumline is drawn back to allow space for the upper teeth. On the whole, this is not unlike the Komodo dragon or indeed some modern carnivorous mammals (although the latter, of course, have muscular, mobile lips).

This is bound to be the most divisive aspect of this figure, especially from an aesthetic point of view. Some people are going to be seriously put off by the ‘lip’, believing that it makes  their pet monster look rather, well, toothless. Personally, I must admit to finding the look a little offputting at first. However, it is – for now – actually quite plausible. At the very least, it gives the figure a distinct, even distinguished look. The sculptor hasn’t tried to produce some dragon-like monster that they think will look cool to kids (and big kids) – they’ve done their best to sculpt a restoration of an animal that really existed. The only shame is that the teeth that are visible are somewhat rounded and blunted, presumably to prevent breakage, which detracts from the look somewhat. A little more finesse wouldn’t have gone amiss there.

That said, this is still a sculpt with excellent attention to detail. Thankfully, the ‘prodded with a coffee-stirrer/Biro lid’ look of the Allosaurus is not replicated here – instead, the plausibly bulky and muscular creature has been furnished with well-executed scalation, skin creases and sags. The painting is virtually immaculate, right down to the tiny hand claws and shark-black eyes. In terms of colouration, the model is perhaps best described as being a deep claret red on top, marbled with swirling black, and grey below. It is attractive and stands out while remaining suitably subtle and subdued, again in contrast with the bright blue Allosaurus.

From an anatomical point of view this is one of the best mass-produced Tyrannosaurus figures available, and very difficult to fault. ‘Lips’ aside, the body is near-perfectly proportioned – the arms are, for once, just as miniscule as they should be – while the barrel chest, huge thighs and thick, muscular tail are all true to the real tyrant reptile. Someone has really done their homework here. This somewhat robust rendition of Tyrannosaurus also stands in contrast with a number of rather skinnier models that have been produced down the years, and (although produced in 2010) the look of the figure fits neatly with recent research.

In the end, though – thanks to that ‘lip’ – you’ve probably already decided whether or not this figure is one you’d like to go for. The price is worth mentioning, too – at about 30cm (or a foot) long, this figure can be rather expensive to obtain for its relatively small size (mine was a Christmas present). In spite of such issues, I think this is a well-executed figure and I’d highly recommend it to anyone seriously into collecting up-to-date dinosaurs.

Review and photos by Nathan Morris (‘Takama’)

It’s a well-known fact that CollectA’s prehistoric animal figures vary in quality. Some of them are good and incorporate current palaeontological knowledge, while others are poorly sculpted and sacrifice accuracy. The subject of today’s review belongs to the latter group, but to be fair, the toy was released when CollectA was just venturing into the dinosaur toy business in 2007. The figure is supposed to represent Dilophosaurus, a 20 foot long Early Jurassic theropod notable for two thin crests on top of its skull and a distinctive notch in its jaw-line. However, CollectA’s effort bares almost no resemblance to the real animal. It takes on a cartoonish persona instead, which might appeal more to little kids instead of collectors.

Reviewing this figure and pointing out its flaws is a piece of cake, you will immediately see that this Dilophosaurus is in an outdated tripod position, but then you might also notice that its tail doesn’t actually touch the ground – it is able to stand on its own two feet. This makes the tripod position redundant as it could have been sculpted in a more accurate horizontal position like CollectA’s Eustreptospondylus and standard sized Neovenator (even though they were both bad sculpts as well). The rest of the body also has many flaws. Dilophosaurus was a long slender animal, but this figure is a pot-bellied, short-tailed abomination. And while it has a fat belly, the ankles appear too thin to support its weight if this creature were real. In general appearance the whole body has detailed wrinkles and folds of skin, a common feature of generic dinosaurs in the toy market. The arms should be shorter but at least the hands have the right number of fingers. On the head the bottom jaw is crudely sculpted and dislocated, while its teeth are blunt and pebble-like when they should be sharp and pointed. It also lacks the aforementioned notch in the jaw, so the only character that really distinguishes it from other generic theropod figures is the pair of iconic crests on top of its head.

The colours on this figure work fine in my opinion. A line of black is painted along the back of the figure, while the rest of the body is a dark blue-green with bands of lime green running down the flanks. The hand claws are just little black spots dotted on the edges of the fingers. The head crests are orange and the mouth is sparkling clean with pink gums and a raspberry tongue, when it should probably be rotten and dull from eating all those Anchisaurus.

So that’s it, in terms of accuracy this model is among the worst in CollectA’s ever-growing line of prehistoric figures. But accurate or not, I see this as a happy little fellow to be played with by a happy little child, although I can’t recommend it to anyone who only accepts the most accurate models into their collection. If you’re one of those people, then Safari’s awesome rendition of this genus might be up your street. I bought this figure because I’m a sucker for Dilophosaurus and CollectA’s expanding collection of prehistoric animals. And remember, it could have been worse – at least it lacks a retractable frill! Always available on eBay here.

If you’re a regular reader of Prehistoric Times magazine, you’ve probably noticed the prime ad space that always seems to be occupied by Dinostoreus. This is a good thing, though. In addition to supporting such a great publication, Dinostoreus really embodies the mature aesthetic and academic priority of the seasoned dinosaur enthusiast. Sure, the fleshed-on models are bound to look a little dated as time plods along, but most of their replicas are based on good ol’ fashioned fossils. Skulls aren’t likely to change much as new information comes to light – at least not as much as a fully fleshed reconstruction – and this makes them more of an iconic collectible, something that will withstand the test of time.

Straddling the borders of fossil evidence and artistic reconstruction are the coveted skeletal models. These fall within the higher price range of the Dinostoreus line, as well as the most fragile of the bunch. Their size allows each bone to stand out as an identifiable piece of the animal’s biological framework, making them useful for educational purposes and certainly satisfying collectors looking for something better than the dime-shop glow-in-the-dark plastic skeleton toys. My particular interest often drifts to the mighty Allosaurus fragilis, a staple of the Jurassic North American stage.

With this model, one can clearly recognize the most distinctive attributes of the animal. The high lacrimal crests, the hatchet shaped skull, the elegant length of the tail, and the powerful, inward-facing forearms are all present and accounted for. Since the reconstruction bears no flesh, there is no quibbling about speculative neck wattles or spiky adornments. It is simply Allosaurus as we know her, and as she might well appear in a museum mount.

The model is centered by a sturdy rod, held in the center of the wooden base. The standard name plate is present, of course. Just peel off the protective sticker, and you’re good to go. That being said, removing this delicate beauty from the box can be an adventure on its own, slowly unsheathing the silent beast from its styrofoam bedding, which is admirably buffered within the box by soft foam padding. This particular model even came with a full page of instruction, offering tips on how to safely remove the model from its protective shell. Not even Sideshow has offered such a courtesy for their models.

An excellent quality of movement is conveyed with the uplifted foot, suggesting a running pose. This would actually be difficult for a mass-produced model to pull off, but luckily, this piece takes full advantage of that solid central support rod. Some may find it distracting, but I honestly found it less cluttered-looking than a museum display. The “grounded” foot actually hovers just a few millimeters above the wooden base, presumably to prevent abrasive damage, and further cushioned by a bit of foam padding in the original packaging.

Since this replica isn’t too big – about 20 inches in length and 1:20 scale – it seems to get away with having the teeth all banded together. Separating them would have surely resulted in too many breaking off. The skull itself looks nice, and the varied shades of brown and green help add depth and interest to what might have a very bland arrangement of bones.

In the event of breakage, many repairs can be performed with standard superglue treatment. The Allosaurus is actually relatively small among other Dinostoreus skeleton models, making it a fairly affordable way to treat oneself – and I’ve been told it’s one of the sturdiest of the bunch. Like the skull models, these pieces have the “adult” feel if you’re worried others may ridicule your interest in dinosaurs. As if that’s ever happened.