Okay, so another trio, another theme…sort of. Three prehistoric animals, all non-dinosaurs, and that’s about all that connects them. Some very strange ones here really.
Learning Curve “Dinosaur Train” Mr. Cretoxyrhina
It seems like I only recently discussed a Dinosaur Train figure and we’re already on to another one. And it’s not like I have a huge number of figures from the series…so just weird timing. This one, of course, is from an episode that must have looked at some Cretaceous sea creatures (I don’t know the episodes). It is referred to as “Mr. Cretoxyrhina” so that must have been a character. Maybe there was a Mrs as well? Either way, it was cool to have a prehistoric shark get made that wasn’t a Megalodon.
I can’t say much to the accuracy of the figure. It looks like a lamnid shark, so it has that. And there is just a little bit of stylizing to the face so it’s not too far off. I guess even cartoon sharks have to kind of look realistic. And they did at least get the five gill slits…it can be surprising how often that gets messed up. Overall, it’s okay as a figures, and it’s not like there are a whole lot of other Cretoxyrhina figures out there. That said, there is one in the Safari Prehistoric Sharks toob, and while smaller is probably a little more realistic. This one would be more for completists or people looking for something unique.
Mattel Jurassic World FK miniature multipack Pteranodon
Next up, we have a Pteranodon from a Multi-pack miniatures set by Mattel, released as part of their Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom merchandise. Here in Canada, it was a Walmart exclusive, at least to start, and I had to get one of course. I like the smaller sizes, and there were some interesting dinosaurs in there. Is the Pteranodonone of those? Not really. It’s fine. Pretty par for the course for these figures really.
As with many of the mini figures released with JW:FK, there is a fair bit of sculpting to the figures, but minimal painting. Most of the figures are flat single colours, but Pteranodon here gets some highlights on the wings. The figure is very Jurassic Park–I’m pretty sure that it’s possible to see tiny teeth in the bill…something that just keeps popping up from these. And the crest seems small. As far as pterosaur figures go, there are tonnes of options. But it’s fine too. Good toy if nothing else. There are other dinos in the set that might be interesting to get, and since they’re bundled together anyway, it might be worth seeing if you can still get it (I think so? It might have been discontinued recently but is probably still available).
Panosh Dino-Brites Diadectes? Maybe?
Finally, wrapping up a tour of weird prehistoric figures, is one of the weirdest. Panosh produced a whole series of prehistoric animals in a miniature format and I seriously don’t remember them. The originals were called Dino-Mites and they were monochromatic dark colours with Glow-in-the-Dark highlights. This one is part of a later re-release called Dino-Brites; neon colours, no highlights. Maybe they were bootlegs or something? There isn’t a lot of information about them. The worst part is that they have numbers stamped on them…and apparently a box set even pictured them all…but no names are associated with any of them.
I received a few of these from a fellow collector. They are strange, and this one is the most awkward. Although he referred to it as a tusk-less dicynodont, the long tail and neck didn’t feel right…I went with Diadectes because it was a quadruped, the square head looked more like a herbivore, and the long tail kind of stands out. Also, hey, why not? It’s not like anyone has ever made one and I doubt anyone will. The figure is rough, and clearly the result of rushed castings (might be a recast of a recast, I really don’t know). This one is number 23 in the series in case that helps!? They’re interesting enough, and there are some figures in the set that while not officially named are probably more identifiable. Long out of production, they are often sold on all kind of online markets…sometimes the asking prices seem high, but I honestly don’t think they’re generally worth that much, even if they’re ‘rare’.
