Schleich Arctic Wolf - 2015 Release

I recently ordered multiple 2015 Schleich figures from toysandlearning.co.uk and I have to say, the model I'm about to review is one of my favourites of them all.

                                               
Meet the Schleich Arctic Wolf, model number 14742. A new release for 2015 that has already started appearing for sale in Germany.

First impressions on the release pictures made me feel the new figures were somewhat too rough in texture. This model, however is much more appealing in person and in reality has an absolutely gorgeous, realistic texture.

The proportions appear correct and the model is very well sculpted. I particularly like the facial features of the wolf, most notably its beautiful, soulful eyes. However, it has been said by some of my model collecting friends that the legs are a bit chubby, and the head somewhat more like that of a juvenile, but I personally don't see it.

Underneath the wolf, as with pretty much all Schleich models of this kind that I've seen at least, it has pads painted on the undersides of the paws. A lovely detail which I really like about Schleich models.

Overall, I think this is an excellent addition to the Schleich model animal range and I highly recommend it. Especially to lovers of canids, like myself. The Schleich Arctic Wolf as well as all the 2015 models, can be purchased later on in the year at Smyth's, Toys R Us, Mothercare, Early Learning Centre and of course online at toysandlearning.co.uk or can be imported from Germany via eBay.

Dinosaur Train Extreme InterAction Alvin Allosaurus Figure

I was browsing through the online site of Smyth's toy store a while ago for Walking with Dinosaurs toys, but unfortunately to no luck. So I resorted to picking up Troodon and Scowler from Amazon, and luckily finding Gorgon and Patchi as half price in Toys R Us. They've been reviewed previously. Upon looking through my search, I did see they had the Dinosaur Train Extreme InetrAction Alvin Allosaurus figure on sale as well. I was thrilled to bits. A new Dinosaur Train toy released in the UK! And it's one I've been really wanting, too! I waited eagerly like a kid on Christmas day for Alvin to arrive, and as expected, he did not disappoint.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the first review on the Friendly Barghest toy blog to also have a video demonstration! I hope you'll enjoy! Please scroll to the end of the review to watch the video.

Alvin is an Allosaurus, a theropod dinosaur from the Jurassic time period. When I was little, I always had the impression that Allosaurus was like a sidekick to the bigger, more powerful Tyrannosaurus rex. In reality, Allosaurus was the T. rex of the Jurassic and the top predator of the time. Definitely no wimpy sidekick like I thought as a child.

Alvin is the first UK release in the Dinosaur Train InterAction series to be an 'Extreme' InterAction figure. These figures are somewhat different to the regular InterAction figures in the fact that the Extreme InterAction figures can move on their own. In this case, press a button on Alvin's back for him to crouch down and jump. It's a simple, but very cool feature! Just a warning, when he talks and interacts with other figures, he sometimes decides to jump on his own, without you pressing the button! Make sure he has plenty of room to jump and isn't on the edge of a table, or stairs as I discovered! (The stairs have the best lighting in my house, hence why pretty much all my reviews are made there.)

Alvin, like the last Dinosaur Train toy I reviewed (Mr. Conductor Troodon) has a hinged jaw which adds an extra bit of fun, great for a little puppetry to match the words when he talks! Pressing the button on his head, as well as opening his jaw, also makes him talk. He says over 50 different phrases according to the box. Below is a list of phrases I've experienced him saying: (Note: more will be added soon as I squeeze more phrases out of him.)

"Hi! I'm Alvin! Press any of my Dinosaur Train friends to hear us talk!"
"I'm an Allosaurus!"
"I'm going to protect my territory! ROAR!"
"I weigh two and a half tons!
"Watch your ole' tail, Mr. Spikes!" (He's talking about Morris Stegosaurus!)

Unlike other Dinosaur Train InterAction figures that were previously released in the UK, Alvin has no 'off' button or a demo mode. For a moment I got worried that he might randomly talk when I don't want him to, like when I'm trying to sleep. Fear not, Alvin goes to sleep after a while and will not bother you. He can be reactivated again by pressing the button on his neck. Instead of demo mode and the off button, these have been replaced by a Spanish speaking option, and an option for just SFX sound effects, no talking. Just roaring. A decent alternative for young children or children who do not speak neither English nor Spanish.

Apart from the hinged jaw and the ability to jump, my favourite thing about Alvin Allosaurus is his crazily awesome colour scheme. Purple, blue, orange and yellow! It's just brilliant and unique. Some people may find it unnatural, but this is what makes the InterAction figures to me special. The unique and colourful paint schemes. I personally love it. Not to mention Alvin is also flawlessly painted and excellent quality. Something to please the collectors. And something else to please parents, Alvin is also very durable.

I love Alvin Allosaurus, and I hope you will too. He's my absolute favourite InterAction figure. Even surpassing my previous favourite Mr. Conductor Troodon. He's a brilliant toy and I know many children are going to adore him this Christmas. I know it's early, but trust me. He'll be a big hit! Well done to TOMY for making yet another impressive toy!

Alvin Allosaurus can currently be bought in Smyth's and Argos as well as online. I expect him to be stocked in other UK toy shops soon as well.

Enjoy the demonstration with Alvin Allosaurus interacting with Mr. Conductor Troodon, Buddy T Rex, Tiny Pteranodon, Tank Triceratops, Morris Stegosaurus, Ned Brachiosaurus and Boris Tyrannosaurus! Since this video, I also now own King Cryolophosaurus and soon to be Mr. Quetzalcoatlus. Check out the blog again soon for more Dinosaur Train toy reviews as well as other toys and models! Thank you! :)

Walking with Dinosaurs 3D Scowler the Pachyrhinosaurus Action Figure

Today I will be reviewing my last of the Walking with Dinosaurs 3D movie toys, and it's Patchi the Pachyrhinosaur's not very friendly brother, Scowler. Scowler, at first seemed to me to be the exact same as sculpt as Patchi, until I compared them together once I opened the packaging. It turns out that Scowler is actually a completely different sculpt. Some of the differences are subtle, but they are there. Mainly in the skull. Scowler's head has much more prounounced bony masses on his face and the frill is completely different in shape. It has very small, faint scales on it and the horns on the frill are also more pronounced. The beak is longer than Patchi's and not as rounded. Scowler overall has a much more stocky, tougher appearence, just like in the 3D film. I think this is an excellent touch to keep the rest of the toys as unique as possible and accurate to the film characters. I'm really glad that Vivid, the company behind these toys decided to do this. Brownie points to them.

Scowler, like the rest of the Walking with Dinosaurs toys is generally scientifically accurate. His front feet have five toes and the back have four, which is correct. His head is perfectly sculpted to look just like a real Pachyrhinosaurus would've, thanks to paleoartist David Krentz for modelling the dinosaurs in the film to be accurate. The tail is a bit spindly, but that's hardly a problem.

The paint job is decent. The body is reasonably well detailed with vague scales and skin folds. Which I think looks rather nice. But the face leaves room for improvement. You can tell the paint was applied in a rush. The face just overall needs more detail. The tongue, like Patchi's is the same colour as the general colour scheme. Which doesn't look very appealing at all.

The toy has about four different roaring and grunting sounds and is articulated like all the other Walking with Dinosaurs action figures. His legs, head and mouth are moveable. His mouth can be opened wider than Patchi and his head is more flexible, too. It can be turned all the way around while Patchi's can't. This toy has a nice weighted feel which to me instantly says good aesthetic quality. I like it a lot.

Overall, I think Scowler is of slightly better detail than Patchi but not by a whole lot. He is still a really cool toy and will be a welcome addition to model dinosaur collectors and to kids, provided they're of an older age, as I have heard reports that these figures aren't very durable for rough play. Scowler can be purchased on Amazon, or in store at The Entertainer, Toys R Us and Smyth's in the UK.

All four together, from left to right: Scowler, Patchi, Troodon and Gorgon.

Walking with Dinosaurs 3D Troodon Action Figure

Since my last review on the Walking with Dinosaurs 3D Patchi Vs Gorgon action figure set, my Troodon figure from the same series has arrived in the mail, and I was very excited to see this thing in person! I was not disappointed.

Let me start of with giving a bit of information about Troodons. Troodon is commonly mispronounced as troo-don. The correct way to pronounce it is troh-o-don. Troodon is regarded by paleontologists to be the most intelligent of all dinosaurs with its large brain, which was much bigger in comparison to it's body than other dinosaurs. It also had big eyes and was very fast. It was believed to have possibly been feathered as well. Since my last review on the Walking with Dinosaurs 3D Patchi Vs Gorgon action figure set, my Troodon figure from the same series has arrived in the mail, and I was very excited to see this thing in person! I was not dissappointed.

Let me start of with giving a bit of information about Troodons. Troodon is commonly mispronounced as troo-don. The correct way to prounounce it is troh-o-don. Troodon is regarded by paleontologists to be the most intelligent of all dinosaurs with its large brain, which was much bigger in comparison to its body than other dinosaurs. It also had big eyes and was very fast. It was believed to have possibly been feathered as well.

Troodon arrived from Amazon.co.uk very well packaged, in a box filled with shredded magazine paper. I very excitedly opened up the box, trying my best to not wake up my parents in the morning, and there he was. Beautiful Troodon, waiting to be inspected and reviewed! Upon opening the box, I examined my new model for any marks. He does have some sloppily painted areas and a few, minor paint marks. But this doesn't bother me that much, because Troodon is simply beautiful. He's accurate and his sculpt is very well made. As I write this review, Troodon is by my side, with the rest of my Walking with Dinosaurs figures.

He's my only dinosaur figure so far that is fully feathered, which is accurate to this type of dinosaur. The feathers are very well done. They're nicely textured and sculpted. It's a breath of fresh air to see a dinosaur figure with a proper covering of feathers. Many companies have attempted to try feathers on small, meat eating dinosaurs but often the results recieve mixed reviews due to usually not having a full covering of feathers or looking too movie monster-ish.

Troodon is reasonably well painted for what he is, a toy. Despite some sloppy paint application. He has a lovely mixture of shiny black feathers, with orange hues to a light and creamy colour on the underside. He also has a yellow feather crest on his head and a black and grey tail fan. Tail fans on feathered dinosaurs are speculative, but not out of the question. I think it's a very nice touch.

Troodon has articulated arms, legs, head and has a jaw that can be opened. Not quite as much as Gorgon the Gorgosaurus, but still enough for a bit of stop-motion (my main intended purpose with these toys). He doesn't have oversized feet to help him balance, but instead can balance on all fours with his arm feathers touching the ground. Alternatively, you can balance him on his tail instead. Did I mention he 'talks' and has about four different sounds?

The only main problem I've heard about the Troodon figure, is that he isn't very durable. These reports are from parents who's children are playing with the figure, so it is likely that if you are a collector, Troodon will stay intact just fine. But if you are reading this review with the intention to buy this figure for a child, just a warning that it may be best to give this figure to an older child rather than a toddler.

Now onto the rest of the scientific accuracy, his snout is the right shape, but facing the front he looks a bit goofy, which is a problem with Gorgon as well. It would've been nice if he has more detail on his face, like scales. The legs are skinny, but not too skinny. Which is correct for the bird-like Troodon. His teeth are very small, almost non-existant and I feel his eyes could be a bit bigger, but that's just nitpicking. Also his arm feathers could do with being all the way to the top of his arm, but obviously there's no feathers on the very top otherwise the articulated joints wouldn't move properly. So I'm willing to excuse that

Overall he's a pretty cool, cute, interesting and fun action figure! I'd say he is the best, and my personal favourite of the Walking with Dinosaurs action figures for his lovely textural detail and scientific accuracy. A must have for dinosaur toy and model collectors everywhere. My only problem with him is the goofy look when you see him front facing and the slight sloppiness. Other than that, a great toy.
 

Walking with Dinosaurs Patchi Vs Gorgon Action Figure Set

Walking with Dinosaurs is a title that always instantly brings back fond memories for me of the original BBC series from over a decade ago. I remember the thrill of seeing realistic dinosaurs brought to life like never before. It truly was something of amazement when I was little and still amazes me today. It was a series based on scientific accuracy (at the time) rather than on movie monsters that a lot of us grew up with, which is what I liked most about it. In 2013, a 3D film was introduced to the series, which unfortunately brought a lot of disappointment to me and many fans. It was the awful voice overs that put me off. Everything else about the film I thought was great and I adored the incredible animation. Fortunately, the toys produced to promote the film are of a rather nicer quality and I personally like them a lot. Today, I'll be reviewing not one, but two of these toys, for they are packaged together as an action figure set.

Meet Patchi, a Pachyrhinosaurus and Gorgon, a Gorgosaurus. I bought them at Toys R Us as they were discounted from £20 to £10. How could I pass such a deal up?

On first appearance, I thought the figures looked cheap and crudely painted and detailed. But with the idea of producing a short stop-motion with these figures and the discount, I thought I might as well. Once I opened them, I was pleasantly surprised. They're actually quite good quality and reasonably well detailed for what they are. They have a lovely weighted feel, which instantly says good quality to me than the cheap, hollow 'Chinasaurs' that plague bargain bins. They're also not sloppily painted at all, which is a definite bonus for the fussy collector like me. 

They're articulated, both in different areas to each other, which adds great playability for kids, and good articulation for stop-motion. They also make sounds, not lines like in the film, but realistic roaring and grunting. They both make about 4 different sounds each. They're also actually quite scientifically accurate, as they are based off the models in the film produced by the wonderfully talented paleoartist, David Krentz. First, let's talk in detail about our hero of the film, Patchi the Pachyrhinosaurus. Then our villain, Gorgon the Gorgosaurus.

Patchi is very detailed in terms of scientific accuracy. His tail is the short length that a ceratopsian (the family of dinosaurs that includes Triceratops) should have and he has 5 toes on the front legs and 4 on the back, which is correct, and also the characteristic bony mass on the nose that real Pachyrhinosaurus would've had. 

He has a hole in his frill, which is not a defect in case you're wondering. In the film, Patchi is thrown as a baby from a Troodon's (a dinosaur that's similar in anatomy to a Velociraptor) mouth and as a result, he gains a hole in his frill. Poor thing.

Patchi is not quite as articulated as the Gorgon figure, but still is good if you plan on using it for stop-motion like I do. His four legs are articulated and can be moved in all directions. His mouth can be opened and his head can be moved up and down to your liking. He is nicely detailed on the body, but I feel he could use more paint variation in his facial area and the toes. His tongue, for example is left the same colour as his general body colour scheme. It's still a really good quality figure, though.

Now onto Gorgon the Gorgosaurus. Gorgon is also mostly scientifically accurate. His feet aren't oversized, but unfortunately this means that balance is sacrificed so he must use his tail for support, which I'm not a fan of. But it is necessary if you're going to have realistically sized feet in a figure.

He's nicely painted and detailed, somewhat more so in my opinion than Patchi with a lovely metallic look. His hands are moveable, so that means you can make his hands pronated or supinated. Pronated, being the incorrect posture (where the palms are facing downwards, like a begging dog rather than the correct 'clapping' position). 

His teeth are well sculpted and not sloppy looking at all. His mouth can be opened, his feet, thighs, and ankles can be positioned to your liking and his neck is articulated so his whole head can be moved in any direction you like. My only major problems is looking at his face straight forward, it looks a bit goofy looking unless his mouth is open. The membrane when he opens his mouth doesn't fully cover his mouth when you open it either

There is only one inaccuracy that I can see in Gorgon, and that's his tail. It's curled around very flexibly, which would've been impossible with a real Gorgosaur's stiff tail that was used for balance. Other than that, a very fine figure indeed.

Overall, I'm really glad I bought these figures as they're higher quality than I expected and more so than the photos make them out to be, and they're great for some simple stop-motion like I hoped. Not only that, they make an excellent addition to a collector or as a toy for a child. I definitely recommend picking them up if you find them! I've ordered Scowler, Patchi's not so nice brother and the Troodon. So I'll be reviewing those two separately soon. Hope you enjoyed the review and check out the video reviews I'll be adding to this page shortly!

Gorgon can be bought separately on Amazon as can Patchi, or together as a set for under £10. They're currently on offer in Toys R Us, Tesco and The Entertainer for £5 per figure. There is also 'Ultimate' Gorgon which is the same figure, but significantly larger.
 

Schleich World of History Light Green Tyrannosaurus Rex 2014 Re-Sculpt Model Dinosaur

It's been a while since I last came to this blog. I've had so much on my plate for the past few months with the worries of college, ill mental health, break ups, and so on. Now I'm finally starting to get back on my feet, and I'll tell you. I have not forgotten about this blog at all. It's been in my mind during all these hardships, and I'm happy to say I finally have the time to write more reviews on toys and collectables again.

Today, we will be reviewing a model from the popular Schleich brand. They make incredibly life-like and detailed animal models. But did you know they are controversial by a certain community of collectors? These collectors are model dinosaur collectors. And I happen to be one of them. One thing about us model dinosaur collectors, is that we can be very fussy about our models. The best detailed and most scientifically accurate models are what we look out for. Schleich are one of the best when it comes to modeling extant (living) animals, but their dinosaurs tend to be amongst the worst when it comes to scientific accuracy. Today's model I'm reviewing is no different in terms of accuracy, but it does however live up to Schleich's high level of aesthetic quality.

And without further ado, I present to you, the Schleich Light Green Tyrannosaurus Rex 2014 Re-Sculpt!

2014 has brought us many interesting and downright awesome models, including CollectA's beautiful and incredibly accurate Carcharodontosaurus and Papo's somewhat inaccurate, but stunning and amazingly detailed Dilophosaurus. Every company has their new dinosaur models for each new year, so of course that means Schleich follows suit. In 2012, Schleich released their updated (for the time) version of their Tyrannosaurus rex model. It was criticized by model dinosaur collectors for its oversized feet, large eye crests and incorrectly positioned hands (I told you we were fussy!). This year, they re-released their Tyrannosaurus rex model with an updated colour scheme (light green instead of dark green), larger feet and longer arms. Why they re-released it in such a short time with no improvement in scientific accuracy whatsoever instead of releasing a model on a dinosaur they've never made before is beyond me, but they did. Some very minor things have been improved since the last T. rex Schleich made, but unfortunately there's a lot of things that have gone worse as well, which I will get to now.

Let's start off with the positives. Firstly, the head is well sculpted and I'd say this is the best aspect of this model along with the textural detail. But the head is nothing new, just the exact same as the 2012 model. It has a hinged jaw which can be opened and closed to your liking, and the only main difference in the head of this model is that this 2014 T. rex's jaw doesn't open as wide as the 2012 model. There's lots of lovely little details like small scales and wrinkles. I particularly like how the eye areas are sculpted. It's very fine and animal-like with purely black, glossy eyes. The crests above the eyes might be a bit big for some accuracy purists, but I personally like the whole head just the way it is. The only thing I dislike about it is the teeth. They're all the same length when the real Tyrannosaurus had teeth of mixed sizes. When the jaw is opened, inside is a nicely sculpted tongue and the roof of the mouth is reasonably well sculpted, too.

                                                                                

                                                                              

The texture of this model feels similar to the 2012 T. rex with a slightly rubbery or waxy feel but is still very solid and not flexible unlike their 2012 Velociraptor. I don't like the waxy texture much, as I prefer my mass produced dinosaur toys to have a strong, solid plasticy feel to them. I believe the reason for this texture was to add durability to the model for child's play. Plus the paint doesn't chip away as much with this type of texture. The rest of the body is covered in small, fine scales and on the underside of the model from the neck are some lovely skin folds and wrinkles to which around where the cloacal area should be turns to square-ish scales ending all the way to the tip of the tail. Also, there is no cloacal opening, so this poor Rexie is constipated.

 

Jokes aside, the arms, which unfortunately are way too long and pronated, have smaller scales and where the hand starts, the scales are replaced by wrinkles. The hands have two digits, which is correct. The legs are similar, where the knee turns to wrinkles back down to fine scales and to the feet which have bird-like scales. For those who don't know the definition of 'pronated' hands in dinosaurs, it basically means that the hands are sort of like 'zombie' hands in the way that the arms are stretched out in front with the palms facing downwards, similar to that of quadruped animals like a rabbit standing up or a dog begging. This would've been impossible for carnivorous, bipedal dinosaurs to do, and the correct position for a dinosaur such as Tyrannosaurus's hands would be supinated, as in a 'clapping' sort of position where they can grab onto objects, like prey. If a bipedal carnivore like T. rex had pronated hands, it wouldn't be able to do so many tasks like grabbing prey or holding onto a potential mate.

Another thing I should mention is that 2012's model had yellow spots on its neck and knees, which was usually not well liked amongst collectors. I didn't like it either, but in the 2014 model, these spots are now gone. And it definitely looks better without them. Instead, you can now see faint little 'bumps' on closer inspection on the neck. The knees are just without any detail at all other than wrinkles.

                                                                              
The colour scheme is decent, but not very unique. The paint job is not sloppy at all in my model and the colour scheme is mainly blends of light and darker greens with salmon on the underside. The feet and hands are also salmon coloured. That's another thing Schleich is known for, very, very well done paint jobs. Unfortunately in a lot of toy shops, people have free rein to pick up the models, which often leads to children dropping and playing with them. Which tends to leave some models in toy shops with paint rubs or breakages at the very worst. Paint rubs might not be much of an annoyance to a child, but to us collectors it can be very off-putting. So if you are a collector buying online, make sure you ask the seller to send you a model with a good paint job. I've asked sellers before for this and they will often kindly oblige.

Now on to the worst flaw of this model. The most glaring issue with this new T. rex is the horribly oversized feet. 2012's model had oversized feet, too. But not any where near as bad as this 2014 rex. The feet here are almost as big as its head. This is obviously to keep the model perfectly balanced, which I admit works well in terms of keeping the model balanced, but there is no excuse for this, CollectA's Carcharodontosaurus proves that a model can stay with it's tail parallel to the ground without having oversized feet and still be able to balance.

Overall, I really like this model despite the flaws for it's lovely textural detail, although I do prefer the 2012 Tyrannosaurus rex. If you collect dinosaur models solely based on scientific accuracy, you will probably want to pass on this model. If, however you are a parent (and sorry for anything you may have found confusing in this review, I originally wrote it for a dinosaur model blog with a few edits for parents to have a better understanding) then I would recommend picking this well-made toy for your child if they are a dino nut like I was when I was little as it is very durable with it's slightly rubbery texture and has a lot of play value, especially with the hinged jaw. But if you want to give your child a model based on scientific accuracy, I'd recommend picking up a model from the Wild Safari or Carnegie line, but make sure it's a recently made model and not one from the 90s, as Safari Ltd's models have improved greatly in scientific accuracy since their early years. If you want the ultimate detailed T. rex for a reasonable price, you should definitely pick up one of the many T. rex models from the French company Papo. Papo's models are un-beaten in terms of detail when it comes to mass produced toy dinosaurs, but generally are not as scientifically accurate. On a final note, I also received the Schleich Pentaceratops for my birthday, so I will also be reviewing that model as well soon. Stay tuned for more model dinosaur reviews and other toy reviews coming soon! Schleich models can be found in many toy shops such as Toys R Us, The Entertainer, Hamley's, Smyth's and independent toy shops and are easily found online at eBay, Amazon, Everything Dinosaur and DinosaurTime. (Note, these shops are all based in the UK. Other than Toys R Us, I'm not sure what shops in the US or anywhere else in the world stock Schleich models.)

Thanks for reading and please do share my blog so I can fulfill my dream of being a respected toy and collectable reviewer! It would mean a lot to me. Thank you once more!