I initially wasn’t planning on buying both the Mattel Iguanodon or Skorpiovenator for my youngsters’s dinosaur assortment, however again in February 2024, Amazon Canada put the Roarin’ Battle Pack on sale for $26.94, which on this nation is three {dollars} lower than the retail value of a single toy within the Roarivores/Roar Strikers/Wild Roar measurement class. And, nicely, it simply felt like too good of a deal to go up.
The unique model of the Skorpiovenator has already been reviewed here, so I’ll get this one out of the best way first. The digital roaring sounds are the identical as they had been earlier than. The primary color is now medium brown with greenish-beige for the underbelly, the arms, and the decrease jaw. The within of the mouth is uninteresting pink with off white tooth. Lastly, the eyes are orange and the markings on the top, neck, and rib cage are gentle brown.
It’s a reasonably first rate and reasonable color scheme, but when I need to select, I believe I favor the blue and yellow of the unique toy.
With fellow abelisaurs Carnotaurus, Majungasaurus, and Rajasaurus.
Now we flip to the Iguanodon. This one is sculpted in a quadrupedal stance with the top raised up and the tail held aloft. From nostril to tail tip, it measures slightly below 31 cm lengthy and stands round 10.5 cm tall, which makes it one of many largest Iguanodon toys so far.
The primary color here’s a very pale greenish yellow with greenish brown utilized to the invoice, the underside of the decrease jaw, and the throat. Uninteresting brown markings adorn the highest of the cranium, the again of the neck, and the higher a part of the torso. There are additionally minuscule dots of brown scattered everywhere in the physique. The equally minuscule eyes are black. So far as Mattel dinosaurs’ color schemes go, this is without doubt one of the least vibrant and thrilling ones, however so was the unique model’s. I’m actually undecided which is the higher one.
The Iguanodon’s head is on a ball joint, permitting it to tilt upwards in addition to rotate 360 levels in both route. The arms have common shoulder joints and the legs rotate on the hips, however the toy sadly can’t be posed rearing up on two legs. Pushing down on the again causes the top and neck to decrease and prompts a collection of loud bellows, growls, and grunts. An alright gimmick, however actually not as satisfying as chomping theropod jaws or bucking ceratopsian heads or swinging thyreophoran tails.
The slide-up scan code is mounted within the toy’s again simply previous the hips and the JW brand is etched into the only of the proper hind foot. The pores and skin options the same old pebbled scale sample with grooves on the beak and thick wrinkles on the neck and alongside the flanks. There are additionally rows of scutes overlaying the higher arms and the shins and thighs, which is an uncommon however type of cool contact. The top, neck, physique, and hind limbs have kind of the right look for an iguanodont, though the previous has some unlucky shrink-wrapping occurring.
The identical can most undoubtedly not be stated in regards to the entrance limbs, nonetheless. First, the arms are too quick; the true Iguanodon boasted considerably longer arms than these of hadrosaurs. And second, the palms are a catastrophe, pure and easy. A correct Iguanodon hand ought to have a small fifth digit, bigger fourth, third, and second digits fused collectively as a “mitten,” and at last, in fact, a thumb with a big spike jutting out of it. Iguanodon has been well-known for its thumb spikes ever since scientists decided that they weren’t on its nostril as a substitute. They had been talked about in each single dinosaur e-book I owned as a toddler. They’re as integral to Iguanodon’s look as the top of Tyrannosaurus rex or the plates and spikes of Stegosaurus or the pointed crest of Pteranodon. This everyone knows full nicely.
However on this Iguanodon toy, every hand includes a tiny thumb spike flattened in opposition to the hand, two massive clawed digits for strolling on, after which a fourth digit with a claw that’s bigger than the spike! Utter shambles, no two methods about it. We additionally all know full nicely by now of Mattel’s shoddy observe document with regards to sculpting right ft on their sauropods and ornithischians, however once more, given how well-known Iguanodon is for its thumb spikes, I actually do really feel that it’s inexcusable right here. Somebody may and will have finished a greater job.
Total, the Mattel Iguanodon is a blended bag. The color scheme is nothing to jot down house about and the botched palms will undoubtedly drag it approach down within the eyes of many older collectors. Nonetheless, it’s however an ornithopod toy, and such selection is at all times welcome in a line largely dominated by toothy theropods. It’s additionally pretty enjoyable to play with, and I doubt very many youngsters might be that upset by the palms. As for the Skorpiovenator, I agree with the conclusions reached within the unique model’s evaluation: it’s fairly a strong toy, and the brand new color is first rate sufficient. Backside line: this set is a particular cut price for the worth I purchased it for.
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