Jurassic Park III: Eric Kirby & Alpha Pteranodon

Year of release: 2001

Accessories:

-Pteranodon figure

Description: this somewhat smaller figure (it’s a kid after all) sports a red shirt (Beware the red shirts!), short blue pants and white sport shoes with red stripes on them. He’s got some nice details, like a brown backpack, a green belt, a silver flashlight in his hand, and what appears to be a Nintendo Gameboy on his hip. The figure has brown hair. One of his sleeves has a slight tear, like he’s been grabbed by something. The Pteranodon is mostly dark blue (almost black), with some black stripes, a white belly and brown colouring on his head and back. He’s got a JP III logo under his right wing. There are no accessories: no weapons like most figures have.

Analysis: the figure looks good, and is in fine scale compared to the other adult figures. The little details add some realism, but stand in the way of playability: the flashlight is attached to the hand and the backpack is not removable, unfortunately. The figure stands in an odd pose, with one hand stretched out and one leg in a forward move. Overall it looks like he’s looking down at something. He’s not able to move his legs, but he can move his torso, which is a poor substitute though.

The Pteranodon is at least twice as big as the Eric figure, which is unusual for human figures and their dinosaurs. It certainly isn’t a hatchling as it most common. The paint job is fairly decent, but nothing spectacular and different from the Pteranodons in the movie. This figure doesn’t have much moveable parts either. The wings are moveable in the middle, and its head can be turned round, but that’s it. This Pterosaur has long legs, and the idea is it can hold Eric in his claws. Sadly this doesn’t really work. Eric won’t stay in his claws and slips loose easily. Other than that these figures have no other action possibilities.

Playability: very little. Eric can only move his arms, which are in a weird position anyway, and his torso. Only his left hand can be used to hold things. The Pteranodon can move his wings and head, but nothing more. Quite disappointing.

Realism: this figure, despite its flaws, does resemble the Eric Kirby (Trevor Morgan) in the movie. His clothes are not too different, and neither is his face. The Pteranodon doesn’t look like his brown counterparts in the movie. However, there was an Alpha Pteranodon planned to appear in JP III, but this idea was eventually scrapped. This figure does resemble the concept art drawings of the Alpha that got out, so it offers an interesting little glimpse into JP III’s artwork. Unfortunately, the Pteranodon isn’t anatomically correct: the claws on his wings are much too far removed from his body, and the large fingers holding the skin of his wings don’t run in a straight line like they should.

Repaint: no. The Pteranodon figure would be repainted for JP Dinosaurs 2 though, and used twice.

Overall rating: 4/10. It’s not a very good figure. It just doesn’t offer much playability. It might be good for dioramas, but that’s it. The Pteranodon isn’t great either: again, little playability, and the colouring is bland. This set isn’t really rare, so should you want one, get it cheap. It’s not worth a lot.