TYRANNOSAURUS REX - Unboxing Day 3

Oh, wow! On going to open the side of the box I realized there was a flap on the front. Tugging at the flap revealed that this is actually a window box, with the front panel held in place by two sticky Velcro tabs. So, I get my first look at the model itself...

It looks just like the photos all over the box. Lots of shades of muted browns and tans, with tons of fine skin detail. The proportions look good, though it’s hard to tell completely. There are some very prominent seam lines, though.  There’s a thick and clear one where the base of the tail attaches to the body, and there’s one on the head where the jaw meets the neck (the lower seam will presumably allow for the jaw articulation, but the upper part looks like that’s where the head, as  a separate piece, has been attached).

Interior of Box Flap

Through the packaging, the teeth and claws look good, but not spectacular (I may be spoiled by my X-Plus Godzilla figures, though). The teeth don’t appear to be as fine and individual as on the Rebor model, and the claws look to be painted a simple black. Time to get this guy out…

Scaled beside Papo T-Rex

TYRANNOSAURUS REX - Unboxing Day 2

The inner box is packaged beautifully, wrapped carefully in bubble wrap, surrounded by packing paper. The seller even included a personalized note and a package of Japanese Green Tea…

The product box is gorgeous. As you can see, this is Griffon Enterprises Inc.’s Master Fossil Life Model Series T. rex Tyrannosaurus rex. That’s quite a mouthful, and is just as awkward to remember as it is to say. The pictures adorning all sides of the box appear to be of the product itself, with no stylized caricatures or cg images.

The back of the box lists the sculptor and supervisor names and advertises the height as 410 mm (without base) and 540 mm in length. Apparently, a base is included and the model is made of PVC, Gypsum and EPS (which is expanded poly-styrene), the latter two of which are designed to help balance the model.

It’s time to take a look at the product inside, and I must admit that I’m very nervous. The model was expensive (it’s the most expensive T-Rex I’ve bought, by far), and I’m worried that what I’ll see inside is going to be reminiscent of a Safari product. Everything about the box says otherwise, but I’m still hoping to be pleasantly surprised rather than unfortunately deflated…

TYRANNOSAURUS REX - Unboxing Day 1

About a week and a half ago I sprung on a real impulse buy. I ordered a Tyrannosaurus Rex figure from Japan, sight unseen, from a company I know very little about. There are nearly no reviews of the figure online, despite its having been released a couple of years ago. Nevertheless, I placed the order and crossed my fingers. The package arrived this afternoon…

The shipping box is immense. Measuring nearly 22” long, 14” wide and 13” high it’s surprising in its sheer immensity. I was not expecting this, despite the fact that I know the figure inside is supposed to measure about 21” long…

TYRANNOSAURUS REX - Schleich World of History "Small" Version

Schleich has released three boxed sets of medium-sized dinosaurs under their "World of History" label. The dinosaurs come in pairs and don't appear to be scaled to one another, but all seem to run about the same size. I was able to pick up two of the sets at my local Barnes & Noble, and will be taking a look a the Tyrannosaurs Rex first.

The dinosaurs are packed in open-window boxes that remind me of the Battat Terra line. There's a nicely painted backdrop and the other figures from the line are shown on the back. These figures feature a pretty intricate level of detail and some interesting paint choices in a smaller overall package. The Tyrannosaurus measures just under 6" long (it's got some curve to its pose) and about 2 & 1/2" tall at its height at the tip of the nose.

The sculpt is really nicely detailed, with much of the same quality you'd see in a larger version in terms of wrinkles, taut skin, scales of different sizes and all. The interior of the mouth does have some detail and there are prominent ridges sculpted around the jawline, eyes and eye ridges, as well as a line of them running along the spine of the entire figure.

The pose is pretty dynamic, with the head twisted sharply to the left, the right leg splayed slightly farther ahead and outwards than the left, and the tail curling back away to the right. He also appears to be looking slightly upwards. The figure balances perfectly on its two feet despite the stance, and looks great doing it. The sculpt is the highlight of this figure.

The paint, though not badly done, is a bit unusual. The color choices are bold and vibrant, with bands of red, yellow and blue running the length of the animal. The eyes are blue, the tongue is red, the claws are grey and the teeth and ridges are white. That's a decent amount of paint for a figure this size, and it's all applied cleanly and sharply, for the most part. There's even a faint wash that's been applied (it's faint, but I've got a couple of dark spots on the figure where the wash has pooled and created dark splotches). It might be worth noting that, besides the eye-popping colors that have been chosen, those shades have been done in gloss paint, which can create an odd contrast with the matte brown that the rest of the body carries in certain light.

It's also worth mentioning that the jaw on this smaller figure is not articulated (none of the ones in this line appear to be).

Overall, this is a pretty great little Tyrannosaurus Rex figure. The detail is packed in, the paint is not sloppy and at about $7 I'm totally comfortable with what I'm getting for my money. I'll be taking a look at Rex's box-mate, Velociraptor, in the next review...

Alongside Papo's "Standing" Tyrannosaurus Rex

PAPO Tyrannosaurus Rex - Brown Version

Papo's Tyrannosaurus Rex seems to be based directly on the pose seen at the end of the original Jurassic Park film. I have the second release "brown version" (the original was green).

He stands about 6 & 1/4" tall at his highest point (his eyebrow ridge) and measures about 7" long from snout to the curve of his tail. Papo's Rex is solidly built of heavy-duty rubbery plastic (the legs and tail have a slight flex to them, though the pose is static), weighing in at just under 15 oz. The sculpt is gorgeous, capturing the look of the on-screen dinosaur perfectly. There are loads of creases and folds from the tip of the tail all the way to the crown of the head. They've added several different textures to the skin, from a pebbly under-jaw to scaled bird-like toes, reptilian skin along the back and wrinkled folds on the underside.

It's really quite a striking figure. The paint compliments the sculpt nicely, with several shades of brown airbrushed along the torso, including darker stripes to highlight the legs and tail, and a much lighter tan to offset the belly. The minute details of the eyes, individually sculpted teeth and finger and toes claws are all flawless, with even the mouth interior getting a detailed sculpt and complete paint work.






The jaw is articulated, and the figure looks great with the jaws open or closed.

There is a clear seam where the top of the head meets the neck, but it's disguised fairly well and shouldn't pose too much of an issue as an eye-sore. Overall, Papo has created a great movie-Rex. It's one of my favorite Tyrannosaurs. I do wish the pose was a bit more of a striding or running version, but for the moment in time that this one represents, it does an admirable job of capturing the look.

King T-Rex: Rebor 1:35 scale Tyrannosaurus Rex Figure Review

Rebor is relatively new to the Dinosaur Collectibles market. They are a UK-based maker of museum quality dinosaur collectibles going for the opening between Papo’s $20-$30 offerings and Sideshow’s $200-$300 Dinosauria stautes. Their initial offering, Yutyrannus Huali was one I missed out on (I’ve since put one on pre-order in hopes of a re-stock), and I nearly passed on Tyrannosaurus Rex. As a friend of mine put it when I was considering the purchase: “No, you do not need a $65 T-Rex.” Fast forward a couple of months and my Papo/Schleich collection is growing, along with my excitement at Jurassic World. I saw Rebor still had a few dinosaurs in stock, so I took the plunge and bought a pair: Savage and King T-Rex. This first official review goes to the King. I’ll take a look at Rebor’s Ceratosaurus next, but Rex comes first…

Rebor’s dinosaurs come packaged in plastic wrap within foam, within a box, within a slipcase.

The slipcase, which is what you see first, is a matte black with the silhouette of the entire dinosaur outlined in white, front-and-center, encasing the outlines of its skeleton within. The dinosaur name, nickname and scale are clear in the upper left hand corner, and the Rebor logo in the lower right. The back shows other dinosaurs in the line. The look is “minimalist classy”, which seems to be the current rage started by Star Wars Black Series. I don’t care for slipcases, though (I don’t like the Mezco One:12 Collective slipcase either). The inner box is a pain in the neck to slide in and out. I’d much prefer a window box with a flap I can lift to see what I’m getting inside. That said, Rebor’s box looks good and does what it is intended to do: protect the product.

Rebor includes a small bagged card with some information about the dinosaur, along with a cool scale-shot diagram. It's a neat little collectible piece, and I'll probably pick up a 5x7 inch frame for each to display alongside the dinosaurs on the shelf.

King Tyrannosaurus Rex is done in a 1:35 scale, weighs in at 1 lb. 5 oz., and measures 13 & ¾ inches long from tip to tail, and 6 & ½ inches tall at his highest point (head). And there’s no doubt, this figure is a work of art. At this moment, I’ve got 9 T-Rex figures in my collection and Rebor’s is far-and-away the best. The sculpt is gorgeous.

I love the head sculpt and the level of detail across the entire figure is immediately striking.

The cuts, wrinkles and folds are sharp and deep. There’s a variety of pebbly textures all over the figure, with finer bumps populating the lower jaw, and larger, flatter scale-like variations making up the belly and underside. Rex has a row of fairly sharp spikes running the length of his spine from the center of the skull to the tip of the tail. There are several thick veins along the flanks, which are slightly too “Hulk-ish” for my tastes, but the bulging muscles along the thighs and calves are incredible.

The paint applications are absolutely spot-on and do a great job of accentuating the sculpt details. King Tyrannosaurus is mostly a dark orange/brown, with a much lighter tan underside.

There’s a great deal of airbrushing and dry brushing done all across the body to bring out the crevices and high points, as well. There’s no slop at all, and the mouth (tongue, individual teeth, roof and all) and eyes (done in gold) are perfect. There’s a hint of gloss added to the mouth’s interior and above the eyes to lend some additional complexity. In short, the figure is hideously gorgeous.

King T-Rex comes with a small rocky “base” which is necessary to get him standing. This is actually my only major gripe with Rebor’s Rex figure: he’s very difficult to stand. The underside of his padded right foot is rounded, as is the top of the rock base. As a result, it really doesn’t do a great job of keeping the figure secure. It takes a lot of work to get the figure balanced, and 9 times out of 10 it falls over within a week. The rock really needs a metal post coming up from it’s top, with a corresponding hole in the underside of the right foot. Another option would have been to actually include a second right leg that could attach at the knee (elbow?), which would allow for a standing pose. As it is, we’ve got a dynamic stance that’s too precarious for comfort, and I’ll probably end up drilling holes eventually anyway. Nevertheless, King T-Rex is a marvelous statue, well worth it’s $70 price-tag. I’ve spent more time enjoying this figure than nearly any other in my collection, and I look forward to adding more Rebor to my shelves…

Scaled with a 2" Halo figure (approx. 1/35 scale)

Alongside Papo's Standing T-Rex (brown version)

PAPO CARNOTAURUS figure

I recently picked up an amazing dinosaur replica made by the French company Papo. Actually, I picked up several! They are so good, it's hard for me to express in words how amazed and blown away I was when I opened the package. I got that joyous, giddy feeling that's the reason I collect toys, but which too often doesn't come with a given purchase. I'm going to begin a series of overviews with the Carnotaurus, the "bull-headed" baddie from Disney's "Dinosaur"...

The Carnotaurus was the smallest of the models I picked up. He measures about 2 & 1/2" to the top of his hip, and he's 7" from nose to tail-tip. He's in a fairly dynamic (if not a bit contorted) pose, where his snout is down low and his tail extends up high behind him. His awkward and very stubby arms are thrown back on shoulders that nearly look inverted. He's also got some balancing issues because of the way his feet are splayed. He can stand ok, but it's a little precarious (I may heat one of the legs and adjust the stance a tad).

The sculpt and paint on this little guy are really spectacular. They are the things that set this apart from "toy" to "replica model". Honestly, it's the same kind of impression I get when I examine an X-Plus Godzilla figure, only on a much smaller scale. So much care and attention has been put into giving the skin layers of texture, from smoother scales outside the thighs to lots of thick ridges along the back and tiny pebbly bumps atop the snout and crest. The horns look great, and even the belly, throat and underside of his feet are sculpted with fine detail.

The paint is gorgeous. There's a fantastic base coat that does nothing to conceal the sculpt detail, and then several layers of airbrushed color that makes Carnotaurus look unbelievable life-like. The pictures can't really capture just how intricate all of this work is. They've even hit the top of his back with a splash of glosscoat to add some shine- it looks fantastic!

The figure has an opening jaw, which I understand is fairly standard for Papo dinosaurs. He looks great with the mouth open or closed, and the seam is really only pronounced underneath the jawline, which won't be visible ordinarily.

Papo's Carnotaurus is an excellent figurine. He's in a bit of an awkward pose, maybe a little too dynamic for his own good, totters slightly and has some really painful looking arms, but overall it looks like a museum-quality replica and is fairly inexpensive, as well. If you have a dinosaur-lover in your life, you can't go wrong here. Honestly, I'm totally hooked, and really glad of it!

Size Comparison: standard Playmobil figure