The Dinosaur Toy Blog

Parasaurolophus walkeri is one of the  most widely recognised and much-loved hadrosaur species, and no dinosaur toy line is complete without it. (Sorry, P. tubicen and P. cyrtocristatus.) It’s only proper, then, that Favorite include it among their ‘soft model’ lineup. As (almost) always, they’ve done an excellent job.

I’ve critcised the Favorite ‘soft’ dinosaurs in the past for their bland, uninspired paint jobs – tending towards greyish brown and brownish grey (with dark green as an occasional special treat). As if to make up for it, their Parasaurolophus is an absolute colour riot. The bright red pompadour is, of course, just traditional, but I absolutely love the vibrant greens and yellows and spotted  back on this model. The only thing stopping this figure from receiving top marks in the paintjob department is a slight sloppiness with the fine details – specifically, on the hands. While all the digits on the left hand have painted claws, the right hand lacks them entirely (see below). Still, this is only a very minor fault, probably peculiar to the one that I own.

Anatomically, it’s hard to think of any mass-produced plastic Parasaurolophus figures that are better than this one, or even the equal of it, except for the sadly long-discontinued Battat. Unlike many Parasaurolophus figures, this one does not have a super-skinny, swan-like neck, and is therefore more in line with modern thinking on the anatomy of these dinosaurs. The proportions are excellent, although the spine may be a little lower than it should be over the hips. In addition the shoulder girdle might be rather too high – see this Scott Hartman skeletal from last year – although this sculpt is a few years old now (I was going to credit Niroot for pointing this out to me via Twitter, but have you seen the size of that guy’s ego? It’s ENORMOUS).

I’ve always liked the Favorite models for their very crisp detailing and clean finish. As is common to all the Favorite ‘soft’ models of scaly-skinned dinosaurs, this Parasaurolophus has all-over scalation. One could argue that since the scales on the real dinosaur would have been much, much smaller than this (to scale), such detailing is actually unrealistic. In the past I have tended to view the scales as a plus in that they help give a better impression of the scaly nature of the animal’s hide, and fade into obscurity when viewed from a distance anyway; however, it’s all a matter of personal taste. This is also true of the creature’s mouth, which on this model has been rendered cheek-free. I’ve always favoured ‘cheeks’ for no particularly good scientific reason, but that issue would appear to be unresolved for the time being. In any case, since the mouth is closed this hardly detracts from the figure overall.

I’m waffling far too much about tiny, nitpicky things again, though. Taken as a whole, this is an excellent figure and a worthy addition to anyone’s hadrosaur collection. What’s more it is, as a plastic figure, cheaply available where sold. Recommended.

For many western paleo-enthusiasts, the world of Japanese miniatures is chock-full of wonders both common and rare. The fact that Japan produces so many outstanding prehistoric replicas is made even more jarring by their tendency to be packaged with manufactured candy, a marketing move that would make both products seem casual or cheapened to an American consumer of disposable goods. Fortunately, the collecting bug transcends time and space. Anyone who’s had the pleasure of acquiring a miniature dinosaur from Japan knows there is nothing casual or cheap about these beautiful little treasures.

Like the popular Kaiyodo Dinotales, the Furuta series was originally sold with candy and requires some minor assembly. Snapping the pieces together is quick and easy, certainly a pleasurable ritual for collectors of any age. The Furuta figures are slightly larger, but consist of only a small number of species. Today we are privy to a glimpse of the ultimate duckbill dinosaur, Parasaurolophus. In this example, the elongated crest is highlighted in orange, lending a decidedly masculine quality to the appearance (by hadrosaur standards, that is).

Properly configured on all fours with an uplifted right forearm, this naturalistic reconstruction reveals a living animal that isn’t simply a mindless prey item for big carnivores. The broken patterns of green at least offer some hint of camouflage, though these animals were probably more dependent on herds for protection. In any case, it’s nice to see the effort in paint application, which is sometimes ignored by manufacturers who assume hadrosaurs are inherently dull animals. Also owing to the popularity of Furuta is their sculptor, renowned paleoartist Araki Kazunari, who is known for his work on the Favorite Co. line.

At just 3.5 inches long and fairly inexpensive, he can be added to any collection with minimal risk to wallet or real estate. The “DinoModels” line from Furuta is not exactly commonplace, but they do make appearances on eBay from time to time.

It has been said that if one simply dropped into the middle of late Cretaceous North America, the massive herds of hadrosaurs are likely one of the first sights to see. Despite their prevalence, the so-called “duckbill” dinosaurs are extremely underrepresented in the dinosaur toy market. The most common reconstructions are focused on the ornately decorated headgear of lambeosaurines – namely Parasaurolophus – drawing even less attention to the relatively “plain” hadrosaurines. Granted, Safari did produce an excellent little rendition of Anatotitan for the Field Museum’s “Sue” line, but even that piece has fallen out of production.

Fortunately, the tide may have turned with Safari’s 2011 unveiling of Edmontosaurus. This creature is actually very closely related to Anatotitan, and Safari’s decision to utilize a similar orange paint scheme may add further confusion among casual collectors. Our knowledge of Edmontosaurus is tremendous however, so a mass-produced figure like this seems long overdue. From mummified remains to (likely) tyrannosaur bite wounds, there is plenty for a paleoartist to work with. The numerous skin impressions are not quite as useful for a figure of this scale, but plenty of banded lines and wrinkles adorn the body.

Safari does not typically denote the species type on the usual ventral stamp, but interestingly, this piece is noted as “Edmontosaurus regalis.” This would make it the largest known species of Edmontosaurus, around forty feet long and plenty of meat for a tyrannosaur to sink its teeth into. It would not be a stretch to suggest that Safari intended this figure to be a companion piece for their new T.rex, which arrives later in the year. Countless depictions of Tyrannosaurus/Edmontosaurus predation scenes should serve to liven things up for this herbivore in dioramas or simply children’s play areas. Indeed, the twisted and active posture allows one to imagine a panicked animal reacting to something terrifying on approach.

A set of black-button eyes reinforce the dull, Cretaceous-cow image hapless hadrosaurs have been cursed with. However, the effect is a convincing one, so this remains one of the most interesting mass-produced hadrosaurs in recent years. The only flaw can be found in the hands, which bear separate digits rather than the thick padding Edmontosaurus is known to possess. Despite this discrepancy, it appears the artist used the available material quite well. The hind legs are thickly muscled, and the keratinous beak is enhanced in a dark brown. The tail is strong and stiff, with only a slight curl at the tip.

While it might be a bit much to wish for a brilliantly colored hadrosaur like those produced by Angie Rodrigues, this is still a respectable effort by a company known for its dedication to authenticity. The sculpt is more active than usual, the colors are pleasant without seeming cartoonish, and the size ensures it is affordable. Don’t leave your theropods unattended when this tasty little number joins your collection.

Now here’s a company whose products have yet to experience the nerdy scrutiny of the Dinosaur Toy Blog. COG Ltd, manufacturers of educational toys, produce a line of dinosaur-themed gubbins named ‘Dino Horizons‘ (beware: site contains horribly inaccurate life restorations and the phrase “T-Rex”. And loads of Flash). For whatever reason the company produces very few flesh-on figures among its plethora of unlikely prehistory-themed products, but does churn out an awful lot of skeletal models – which brings us to this snap-together Parasaurolophus.

First impressions are good, especially as this is an inexpensive item. I obtained mine in the Natural History Museum, London, for £6 (just under 10 USD), and the museum is hardly the cheapest place to buy, well, anything (£2.50 bottle of sparkling orange drink, anyone?). The skeleton is sold in a plastic ‘test tube’ and fits together easily, with the limbs able to rotate and the head on a ball-and-socket joint, which allows for a small variety of poses. The jaw is also articulated. The quadrupedal pose, with the tail kept straight and elevated behind the animal, is pleasingly modern and indicates that the sculptor did some research, which can only be considered a Good Thing given the educational remit of the toys.

Unfortunately, while everything is basically in proportion, the skeleton overall better resembles a hadrosaurine – like Edmontosaurus – than the real Parasaurolophus walkeri, which had notably taller neural spines and a shorter tail than portrayed here. The leg bones could also do with being somewhat more robust, and the scapulae are positioned too low (there’s also a load of bones missing around there, but we’ll excuse that on the basis that museum mounts are often incomplete too).

Still, all these complaints seem a little unreasonable when one considers the cheap ‘n’ cheerful nature of the product. While somewhat flawed, it makes for a decent enough model to display alongside similarly-sized Parasaurolophus figures – the Schleich and Battat, if you are lucky enough to own one (SWINE!), would make good partners. This is also by far the best of an otherwise rather bad lot of skeletons in the range, which also includes a giant-armed Tyrannosaurus, a giant-headed Stegosaurus and a Veloci-wrong-o-raptor. A rose among the rather slapdash thorns, if you will.

Overall, I often run out of things to say about skeletons really quite like it, mostly because it’s quite rare to come across decent-ish dino skeleton models at a price within reach for the common borderline alcoholic humanities student. And as an ignorant humanities student, I am quite happy to put up with its flaws. Bravo, COG – a model that makes the Toyway-stuffed nightmare that is the Natural History Museum’s dinosaur gift shop worth a visit.

Available on eBay here