Review – Revoltech T. Rex

Revoltech is a company that I’ve had little experience with but has always seemed to have good products. My only figure from this company previous to this was the Combat Armor Dougram. I really enjoyed that figure, but I got it on the cheap, and it was very fragile in some places, so I was apprehensive about paying full price for a figure. But I had recently gotten back into Jurassic Park, and when I look for things, I look for the best of something that is usually impossible to find. In this case I had gotten tired of the lack of articulation in the Jurassic Park toys, and I remembered that Revoltech had made one a few years ago, and in a stroke of luck they had recently reissued it in a color I liked better without the Jurassic Park branding, and a bit cheaper. So I decided it was worth it and made the purchase. So what do I think of it?

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First things first, one isn’t simply paying for a dinosaur figure in this package. Also included is a display stand with 2 articulated palm trees, 2 extra feet for walking poses, and a nameplate that simply says “tyrannosaurus”. These accessories are super detailed and poseable, adding quite a bit to the look of the figure on display. The articulated trees add a bit of poseability and customization to the display that just isn’t found very often, and I’m glad the company thought enough about it to add the feature. The nameplate is the only part I have a gripe with, it is very generic and doesn’t quite fit the motif, the font is boring and it’s overall small and plastic-y. I would either create my own plate or just not display it with one (who doesn’t know what a tyrannosaurus looks like anyway?)

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The figure itself is superb. It is super well detailed and has 15-16 points of articulation (depends on how you count). It is surprisingly small, but that just makes the detail even more amazing. As many creases and scales as one could ever expect in this scale are lovingly crafted in a very accurate representation of the dinosaur seen on screen in the Jurassic Park films. The original version was based on the Rex in The Lost World, which was green. This brown version is closer to the Rex from the first movie, but has several color differences, probably so Revoltech could avoid any legal trouble after their license to make Jurassic Park products lapsed. The paint is still wonderful and very realistic looking for a dinosaur without feathers. It looks very much like a predator that is ready to eat you (or anything really).

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Some of the articulation is done with standard joints, but there are 7 regular sized, and 2 small sized Revoltech joints. Revoltech joints have two attachment points that rotate in their sockets and they connect via a ratcheting joint, the effect is like a hybrid of a standard and a ball joint (I wouldn’t go so far as to say “the best of both worlds” but it’s a very good joint design). These joints give the figure a superb amount of pose-ability. Almost any realistic way (and many non-realistic ways) one could pose a dinosaur is available in this figure. But that leads into my main gripe with the whole product, and it’s a problem I never had with my previous figure. This dinosaur needs to be very carefully positioned in order to stand, which isn’t in itself a problem, but it becomes one when one finds out that many of the joints (on my particular figure) are quite loose. The ankle joints especially, which are standard joints, make it very difficult for the figure’s legs to stay in the posed position. This can cause problems both when standing on its own or when attaching it to the base, which I find doesn’t work out very well in most cases. I never really intended to display the figure on its base, but if one is, it is worth noting. The entire tail is also a rubber-coated wire, making it very pose-able, but also fragile. When moving the tail around one has to be careful about not damaging the outside of it by poking the wire through. And the end of the tail comes after the end of the wire, leaving a piece at the end that would be relatively easy to tear off if one isn’t careful. I do like the fact that it preserves the tail’s range of motion without sacrificing any aesthetics, but it might make it a bit easier to ruin in the long run (both by people and from rubber aging).

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I’m not sure this really needs to be said but this figure is not a toy. It is quite expensive for the amount of plastic that is used, and one is really paying for the detail and articulation. The paint, wire tail, and many joints of various types would make this figure easy for a child to destroy or lose parts of. It’s a fun thing to play with but it definitely is a model for collectors. Though I’m sure teenage collectors could be included on that list.

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I’m very happy with my purchase on this figure. I did pay a little less than MSRP, but almost everything is like that these days. The articulation, detailing, painting, and presentation are top notch, and there are quite a few little touches that make the product feel well thought out. It’s a high quality product for those who are Jurassic Park toy collectors, dinosaur lovers who want a well-articulated figure, and even stop-motion animators. It takes up minimal room and provides maximum enjoyment from either just fiddling around with it on your desk or displaying it. And it’s entirely worth the price for that sort of thing. If you’re a collector of high-end toy and figures, or if you’re a fan and want to take your collection up a notch this figure is worth a look.

Review – Jurassic World Chomping T-Rex

I’m a Jurassic Park fan and general dinosaur enthusiast. I make that no secret. I have a collection of Jurassic Park toys that is likely physically larger than any of my other toy collections. Every time I hear that new toys are coming out in the line, I get excited. Unfortunately, so many toys that I want come out so often and I have less money to spend on them, especially since I’ve shifted my “toy” purchasing to that of the electronic and tool kind, so that I can justify them as being “useful”. This means I have to be selective about what toys I buy. And after looking at the mostly uninteresting Jurassic World toy line, I chose the Chomping T-Rex figure.

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I won’t say I’m really that disappointed with it. I’m just underwhelmed. For a $15 kids toy it’s great. But I’ve seen Hasbro do so much more at that price range as well. And I’m not sure it’s worth the regular $20 price and definitely not the $30-$40 it can be found for on eBay already. I’ve never found the Jurassic Park toys to be great toys, but they were far and away the best dinosaur toys out there. And that’s what I’m really disappointed in: the state of dinosaur toys now and always. They never get better, even though it’s been proven that every single kid loves dinosaurs. As far as “toys” (The Papo models are awesome, but they have almost no movement, so I wouldn’t call them toys) go, Jurassic Park (World) is still the best. Now, getting back to this toy. I like it. The articulation is limited (another thing I wish dino toys would improve on: a little less scaly skin, a little more joints in the knees.) The limbs rotate at the elbows and hips. There is a button on the top and pressing it opens the mouth. The action is solid and looks good, but is unsatisfying.

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The detailing is good, the scales look nice and it’s fairly dino-looking, if not scientifically accurate. The paint is lackluster, and it is sparsely applied. And many of the sculpted details (the finger claws are the most noticeable) are not painted at all. It could have been done much better, but it’s adequate. I’d say the play value is fairly limited as it only really stands one way, so the movement in the limbs isn’t very useful, and the jaw action prevents the jaw from being held open for roaring, but it does aid in holding figures in its mouth. The entire thing is pretty solid, though the spring is the weakest link, so it’s good for rampaging.

Overall, pretty much everything could be improved, even for $15. The detail, paint, and articulation are above the bar, but the bar is really low. The jaw mechanism is uninspired, but it works, as does the overall design. As a kids toy it’s fine; as a collector’s model to display there are better looking ones, but this one is branded, and a bit cheaper in some places. I don’t really have much reason to recommend it, but no reason to hate it either; I’m meh on the review side. (But on the personal side I’m very happy with it, and I’m not entirely sure why.)