Boned

It's easy to plan in advance what you're looking for when shopping on vacation.  When I go to Florida I look for Vinylmation figures and build some droids at the droid factory.  When I went to Japan I wanted to load up on vinyl Kaiju toys.  And when I went to Australia, I figured I'd mostly be buying Trash Pack stuff.  But it's the things you find that you weren't expecting that are sometimes the most exciting part of travel shopping!  These boneheads fall into the latter category.

I found both of the series covered here in a discount store in Australia (specifically the Noosa area).  I don't know if you can remember all the way back to my intro post, but I listed what my "things" were (my "things" being the main things that appeal to me in any toy line).  Well, one of my things is skeletons.  And as such, I couldn't pass up on either one of the series spotlighted here, especially the Revive: Jurassic Series.

The Revive: Jurassic Series is both a decent and cheap toy all at the same time.  There doesn't seem to be any story or reason behind the toys (not that something like that holds me back), and while the box calls these things "saber-toothed pterosaurs", these are clearly dragons.  Or are what we call dragons actually just saber-toothed pterosaurs from the jurassic age?  Any way, the toys are super cheap cost-wise (at least where I found them), but they're sturdy and not nearly as brittle as your typical dollar store crap.  The only time the cheapness worked against me was that I ended up having to buy three sets, because my first purple dragon set game with two identical rib pieces, instead of one for each side (and the pegs don't line up, so I couldn't just adapt the extra piece).  But at their low price, it wasn't really a huge deal.  Just having to go back to the store was the hardest part.

Each saber-toother pterosaur *snicker* comes in a box, but you can tell which one you're getting from the box art.  The figures come unassembled, but they're pretty easy to put together.  I don't know if I'd call them building toys, but the assembly is part of the fun.  I guess they're building toys.  When they're all put together, the figures can still move their arms and legs, and while that's not a ton of articulation, they're posed in such a way that that basic articulation is all you really need.

There are four figures to collect, though I was only able to find the purple and red ones.  Most of the parts are shared, but it's nice that there are some differences between the sculpts.  There appears to be two standing dragons and two four-legged ones, although there is a sticker covering the fourth one on the back of the box.  I'll never be able to remove the sticker without taking the hidden dragon with it, so I have no idea what the last one looks like.  I'm imagining it's green, but that's just a gut feeling more than anything.  As it stands, the red one I got is my favorite of the lot any way.  I just really like those bull horns!

Now the second series I found isn't quite as cool as the Revive: Jurassic Series, but they're still pretty neat.  If anything, they can be what the saber-toother pterosaurs prey on.

Dinosaur Fossil!  Best gift for the children!  I dunno, the Revive: Jurassic Series is pretty awesome, but their boxes don't say they're the best, so I guess that settles it.  I'm pretty sure I saw these packaged individually in blind bags sold in various stores throughout Australia, but I didn't really feel like trying to find the ones I wanted most at the time.  Looks like my patience paid off, since I found most of them packaged together (and probably priced for less than a single bling bagged one).  The blind bags may have had more creatures to collect (I'm assuming there must be a T-rex out there somewhere), but I actually wanted the mammoth and apatosaur most, so I lucked out.

All four of the figures have their highlights, but they have some points against them as well.  I'll have to double-check if it's accurate, but this parasaurolophus seems to have tiny hands.  Like, teeny-tiny.  If it's accurate, I suppose it's okay, but it just looks like there should be something more there.  Otherwise, it's an interesting-looking dinosaur skeleton and that's really the whole point for me.

Now the raptor, whatever kind of raptor it is (velociraptor, deinonychus, utahraptor - I can't tell), is probably my least favorite of the set.  Overall, you can tell what he's supposed to be (a raptor, if nothing more specific).  His hands still seem a little small, and his lack of teeth makes him much less intimidating than he should look.  Because, I want my skeletons to be intimidating.  I didn't buy dinosaur skeleton figures to have them lay around and act like fossils.  They're living dinosaur skeletons!  And they will eat you!  And they need sharp teeth to help them eat you!  Also, because of his pose, it's pretty much impossible to stand him up.

Now we're talkin'!  I was so close to trying to feel-up the blind bags looking for this guy, but I never had the patience to try.  An apatosaur skeleton is just that much weirder-looking than other dinosaur skeletons, so obviously it appeals to me more.  It's not that it's more ferocious or intimidating, it's just weird.  And I like weird.  Also, the feet look more appropriately sized, and while the face is kinda plain, it's still one of my two faves in the set.

Now, if I like the apatosaurus because it's weird looking, I love the mammoth because it's easily the weirdest in the series!  Without a trunk, elephant skeletons just look bizarre, and the tusks, tall backbones, and thick skull just drive the weirdness home.  He's also got teeth, which the raptor is so sorely missing.  These figures are made of a soft, bendy plastic, and because of that the mammoth's legs aren't very sturdy and he falls over easily.  But it doesn't stop me from loving him!  He's just so wonderfully weird that he doesn't need to stand up!  Plus, the saber-toothed pterosaurs are just going to eat him any way, so it doesn't even matter.

So, if you like dinosaurs, dragons, or skeletons, these are cheap toys that won't disappoint.  And if you like the idea of giant monster skeletons preying on smaller skeleton creatures, you'll love these.  I like 'em for both reasons, so you know I'm good!