Today's Review: Jurassic World

Told you another review was up soon. I assume you didn't need to guess for which movie?

Jurassic World - Recensie

A life changing experience after an anxious 14 year wait? That's saying a little too much. A worthy successor to the first trilogy? Sure was. Not on par with the original Jurassic Park film of course, but whoever expected that knew they were deceiving themself. It was obvious from the get-go they would never rival the magic of that game changing film that revolutionized digital effects. In fact, there's plenty of those throughout the movie, but they are never as awe inspiring or jaw dropping as they were 22 years ago. To be honest, I would actually have preferred a more extensive use of animatronics, since a lot of people tend to forget JP proved to master their use to great effect specifically in combination with the digital aspect, both of them completing the other in bringing that dinomite magic about rather than fixing it on their own accord. JW opted for a 95 percent digital FX rate and it was a little too clear at times, but not so much it took you out of the movie. It's still a major Hollywood blockbuster with a huge budget after all.

And it sure felt as one of those. In both a positive and a negative way. It didn't leave much room for narrative surprises, and the third act was largely an exercise in predictable storytelling, but it still handled it in such an epic way you could not help but roll with it despite your hesitations. There's a few instances in which the audience cheered and so did I, as if we were eight year old kids again (the increasingly strict Dutch rating system unfortunately won't allow kids of that age to experience the new Jurassic dawn, as JW has sadly been issued a '12' rating, despite not being more frightful than that first movie). Kids who had seen most of this stuff before in different guises though, but youthful exuberance abounded nonetheless. A contemporary blockbuster needs a star, and Chris Pratt is it for this film. Combining Alan Grant's common sense with Ian Malcolm's wit and wisecracking, the human hero of the piece certainly felt more heroic that any previous main human character in a JP movie. I don't mind for once, but I do hope the studio isn't gonna craft the next installments, unavoidable considering box office records are again being stamped on, around Pratt's persona and status, since few will deny the true stars are still the dinosaurs, as they should be.

Those stars sure got a chance to shine, as JW provided the most amount of dinosaur time of any of the movies yet. The number of species portrayed easily rivals that of its predecessors, even giving the occasional formerly neglected species (like Ankylosaurus) their due. The most attention as always is directed at the carnivores, with JW dividing most of their screen time between a trained foursome of vicious but communicable Velociraptors and a genetic hybrid named Indominus Rex. Both the notion of taming Raptors and of creating mix-up dinosaurs is handled by director Colin Trevorrow with enough narrative and real world sense not to distance the legions of JP fanatics, as it easily could have done. Ample time is cleared to discuss the ramifications of both with more depth than is usual for a blockbuster film, before diving deeply into the dino fighting. That said, there's two prehistoric characters that are not featured as strongly as we would have hoped for, one being the iconic T-Rex which is intentionally kept out of most of the loop before making a most welcome resurgence. The other is the heavily advertized aquatic Mosasaurus, which unfortunately is allotted only a few more seconds of screen time than already seen in the promotional material, and thus ending up an underwhelming animal we would liked to have seen a lot more of, but which we are sadly denied.

Executive producer Spielberg made the right choice hiring a fairly inexperienced director like Trevorrow for the Jurassic job. Trevorrow proves not only respective of the material and the franchise legacy, but he's clearly a JP fan himself. He shows it off in many scenes, both in composition of shots, score and sounds, but also in many references big and small to that most beloved movie from 22 years past. Potentially polarizing plot pitfalls are handled with the utmost care to make them plausible and relatable, thus adding his own signature to the thankfully enduring Jurassic Park legacy. Though there's still a few things to hold against the movie, both in terms of plot (one-dimensional human bad guy, vague corporate shenanigans) as in execution (too little animatronics, too much reliance on digital creations), Jurassic World succeeds in taking us back to when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, and sparing no expense in guaranteeing they will continue to do so for another generation at least.

The Lost World: Exclusive Utahraptor

Year of release: 1997

Accessories:

-Dino Tracker figure

-Three pieces of capture gear

-Capture Trap with backpack piece

-Flash light

Description: this big carnivore is bipedal, equipped with long arms with sharp claws, as well as a big sickle shaped claw on each foot (both of them poseable). This Utahraptor is much bigger than any other Raptor figures (since it's not the same species as the well known Velociraptor from the JP movies): it's a rather bulky figure with a big fat belly (and a glued-over battery cover which reveals this figure once had electronics inside), as well as huge feet. These are rather pointless since the Raptor is not able to stand on them because it lacks proper balance; it can only stand on all fours, not on two legs. It does stand in a fully neutral posture though. Utahraptor is equipped with a 'kick-slash' action: pulling both legs back and pressing the button underneath the base of its tail (the anal region) makes both legs give a powerful kick simultaneously, and also causes the head to move and the jaws to open to a minor extent.

This dinosaur figure has a beige underside (on the lower jaw, throat, belly, underside of the tail, inner parts of the arms and legs and underside of the feet) while it features yellowish brown colouring on its flanks and sides of the tail, as well as on parts of the head. It also has brown colouring on the arms and legs, but darker, mostly because of the hard plastic those body parts are made of instead of the more rubbery material the rest of the body is composed of. Utah has a big black stripe running from the back of the head all the way to the end of the tail with smaller big stripes running out from the main one over the neck, flanks and tail. It has additional black stripes on the arms, and more black colouring on the head and legs. The claws on both hands and feet are also black, including the small ones at the back of the feet, which are usually ignored in the painting process. This figure has bright green eyes with black pupils and tiny yellow stripes in it (though barely noticeable). Its tongue and inside of the mouth are pink, and it has white teeth. Like the other TLW Exclusive dinosaur figures (but unlike all other JP figures), this Utahraptor has no JP logo anywhere on its body.

This dinosaur comes with three pieces of capture gear. There's a big cuff like tag, showing a JP logo on top, which fits well around the creature's neck. It also comes with a leg restraint, which can hold on to both legs simultaneously, but is a bit too long to properly fit between the figure's legs. Lastly, there is a big muzzle which can go around the figure's jaws, effectively disabling them, while also covering the eyes, so the Raptor can't see what's going on around him. All three pieces are coloured in the same metallic grey paint job.

The Dino Tracker stands in a fairly neutral pose, though the way he holds his arms makes him look like a cowboy reaching for his guns in a main street shoot-out. His facial expression is quite grim: he doesn't look healthy anyway, since his skin tone is much bleaker than on most other human figures. He has black hair, eyes and eyebrows. He sports a dark green baseball cap with the classic T-Rex logo on it. He wears a green shirt with pockets on his chest and has beige shoulder patches on with a sort of armour look to them. Additionally, he sports brown pants with similar patches of the same beige colour on his lower legs. He also wears dark green boots and a black belt around his waist.

The Tracker's main accessory is the so called hair trigger capture trap, which is like a bear trap except a few sizes bigger. It consists of a boxy apparatus with two large rectangular “jaws” on each side and a big black pedal between them. When the trap is opened, pressing the pedal causes the jaws to close, trapping anything caught between them. Except for the pedal and a small black antenna at the back (which can be turned inwards), the trap is coloured entirely in a shiny metallic grey colour. Though the trap has a small handle on each side so the Dino Tracker can hold it with his hands, it also comes with a black backpack (for lack of a better term) that can be attached to the back of the trap so the Tracker can carry it on his back. It fits perfectly over this figure's back, but can be carried by various other human figures too. As an extra gadget, this set comes with a large black flash light with a handle on top so figures can hold it, and a flat underside so it can stand stable on the ground.

Analysis: of the three TLW Exclusive sets, this one is the biggest and comes with the nastiest creature, a huge Raptor armed with big lethal claws on hands and feet, ready to slaughter anything that crosses its path, and no doubt inclined to attack bigger predators too. This is not a new figure though, but a repainted JPS2 Utahraptor. It is also retooled, having a harder skin (still softer than the regular hard plastic, but not as soft as the original 'real feel dino skin'), and lacking the electronics its predecessor was equipped with, so no terrifying screech for this Utahraptor. Why exactly they got rid of these electronics is anyone's guess, but it is a damn shame. It still has the other original action features though.

The most obvious one is the leg kick action. The kicking mechanism works well: you can pull both legs back until they set themselves in the right position, then push the button (invisible under its skin). Both legs will plunge forward violently, knocking over anything directly in front of them, including bigger dinosaur figures or small vehicles. However, it's better to raise the arms somewhat, otherwise they get in the way of the action. A great extra detail is that pushing the button also causes the head and jaws to move (though less enthusiastically than on the original figure, probably also a result of the harder skin), so the beastie isn't just giving a kick, it's also taking a bite at the same time. A really cool little detail is the poseability of the big claws on the feet. They can move in at least a 100 degree circle, and can trap unfortunate prey between them. A real shame no other dinosaur figures with large claws have a similar feature.

Despite these nice positive sides, this figure does have some negative ones as well. The most aggravating is the interdependency of the legs, so they can't be posed separately, as well as the fragility of the leg kick system, which gets broken all too easily (in fact, it seems even more fragile than it was before, so that's not much of an improvement). Other points of irritation are the overly big feet and bulky squarish torso, which make this otherwise butch figure seem silly, especially because it is not able to stand on its two legs because the front part of the sculpt is much heavier than the back part (which consists of its tail only). Also, because of the softer material the skin is composed of, this figure's paint job is more susceptible to paint wear.

Like the original JPS2 Utahraptor, this creature comes with a set of capture gear, including the tag that a lot of dinosaur figures come with. It's quite big so less easily lost, and actually has a purpose since it's the only part of this dinosaur showing it's a JP figure, given the lack of a JP logo on the figure itself. The leg piece is certainly of use in this monster's case, but a bit hard to apply because of the small amount of space between the legs. The leg piece actually is too big for this figure's legs. Also, it doesn't stop the Utahraptor from kicking. The head piece does a better job, and subdues the jaws as well as the eyes. There's no restraints for the arms however, so the Raptor can still use those: it may even be able to use its arms to pull off the head piece. This figure could have used a better thought out set of capture gear in this regard.

Like the other TLW exclusives, this set comes with a Dino Tracker and his accessories. This guy sports a simple but effective set of clothes, with some “armour” like highlights on his suit, but limited enough to give him the necessary mobility to scout for dinosaurs while still offering some protection in case things get rough. He seems like a very serious man, given his emotionless face. But then, trapping dinosaurs isn't an occupation you should take for fun, since such a view might cost you your life on a dinosaur infested island. His flash light is just an extra gadget and has no action features of its own.

His dinosaur trap however is an interesting piece of equipment, though it's a bit bulky in size. It works quite well: pushing the pedal closes the jaws with enough force to sufficiently trap anything that comes between them. It looks best when it's used like regular traps sporting this mechanism, lying on the ground (preferably camouflaged, though that's unlikely with a trap this size), waiting for prey to pass along. However, the Tracker can also carry it on his back (in both opened and closed states), making for an excellent defence mechanism in case some sneaky carnivore decides to attack him from behind. But considering the size and weight of this weapon, he is hardly able to stand up straight when carrying it on his back; it certainly hinders his mobility as a Tracker. Also, it just looks plain silly when he's carrying it around (the thing is almost as big as himself), but at least this trap has some options. The trap is capable of trapping almost any dinosaur, though it seems most suited for big figures: after all, smaller figures would be severely injured when they got stuck between this weapon's teeth (even though it's not very sharp material), while hatchlings would just be cut in half altogether. However, the Utahraptor may be a bit oversized for this trap, especially its huge feet which can be caught by the trap, but are so big the impact force is quite diminished. Also, it takes more than just this trap to stop something as lethal as this predator. Some extra weaponry would have been useful here, but this is all the Tracker's got as his disposal.

Playability: pretty good, especially because this set comes with both a dinosaur and a human figure (and their respective accessories), so there's more interaction options in this set alone. The Utahraptor has moveable arms and legs, and even the big claws on its feet can be posed, which is a feature not seen on any other dinosaur figures. The poseability of the legs is hindered by their connection to the leg kick action though, which also makes them incapable of being used separately from one another. The leg kick action works well and will knock over any human figures and most dinosaur figures too, but it's a very close range attack option, and the arms have a tendency to get in the way. The head and mouth motion is a neat little touch which adds some playability to this toy, and the mouth is also big enough to grab and hold human figures (though barely). The capture gear does what it's supposed to do, but adds little to this dinosaur otherwise. The leg kick action is quite fragile and gets broken rather easily, so you shouldn't play too rough with it if you want to keep it intact.

The Dino Tracker has the usual range of poseable body parts (arms, legs and head). The capture trap is a nice addition to this set, it works well and is made mobile because it can be carried on the figure's back, adding playability options. However, it's not the most efficient piece of weaponry to combat the Utahraptor with: something like a big rocket launcher would have been a more likely choice. The flash light has no particular function but is a nice extra tool regardless.

Realism: Utahraptor was newly discovered (in 1991) by the time this figure was originally designed (for the 1993-1994 JPS2 toy line), and as such not that much was known about it (like the almost proven fact that Utahraptor had feathers), so the Kenner designers basically made this into a very big version of the Velociraptor as seen in the JP movie (though Utahraptor did not play a part in the film, the Raptors from the movie are often compared to Utahraptors because they are too big to be Velociraptors, but a bit undersized to be Utahraptors). However, they still got some things wrong, mostly the bulkiness of this figure and the overly short legs and tail, making this figure seem fat and certainly not like the agile superkiller it's supposed to be. The proportions of this figure are just off, also because of the original need for space for the electronics in this figure, making it bulkier than it should be. Even though they took the electronics out for this repaint, they didn't bother redesigning it to make it look better. Of course, the designers did get some basic things right, like the long slender arms and the sickle shaped claws. The head is also not bad, though the jaws could have been a bit longer. The size of this beast in comparison with human figures is pretty close to the real deal.

The Dino Tracker is not meant to resemble any actor from either the JP or TLW movie, but he makes for an excellent Park Ranger or other employee of Jurassic Park. His Capture Trap basically functions like real bear traps (though it's fortunately just a toy version and isn't in any way harmful), but its size makes it an unlikely instrument to carry on one's back.

Repaint: yes, this set consists entirely of repaints or reuses. The Utahraptor is a repaint of the JPS2 Utahraptor, slightly retooled so it isn't electronic any more and has harder skin. It features the same set of capture gear as the JPS2 Utahraptor. The Dino Tracker is a repaint of JPS2 Jaws Jackson, with the same set of accessories that figure sported (capture trap, trap back piece and flash light), minus the Dilophosaurus hatchling. The Utahraptor would not get repainted again, and neither would Jackson (not as a whole at least, though his head sculpt would be repainted for the human figures from the JP: Dinosaurs 'Pachycephalosaurus and Dinosaur Trainer' set and the 'Young T-Rex and Dinosaur Adventurer' set).

Overall rating: 7/10. The Utahraptor is still pretty good, though overly bulky, and it's a shame they got rid of the electronics, but it got a better paint job in return. The Dino Tracker is a fine repaint and makes for an excellent Park Ranger figure, with decent accessories. This set is quite rare, being a Target Exclusive, only available in the USA. Both MIB and complete sets fetch high prices, so be sure you really want this repaint instead of settling for the JPS2 Utahraptor (which also isn't the easiest figure to find) and JPS2 Jaws Jackson (pretty common), before spending lots of cash on this set.

The Lost World: Exclusive Young Tyrannosaurus Rex

Year of release: 1997

Accessories:

-Dino Tracker figure

-Three pieces of capture gear

-Dino Damage wound patch

-Tranq Bazooka (with two missiles)

-Backpack

Description: this repainted Young T-Rex figure has not been retooled from its JPS1 counterpart, except it stands reared upwards more than the original because of the way it is packaged. Asides from this, it stands in a fully neutral posture, and still features “realistic” dinosaur skin (though there is no such thing of course, since we’ll never know for sure what dinosaur skin felt like), made of a more flexible and softer material than the regular hard plastic. The figure’s arms, lower legs and inside of the mouth are not composed of this rubbery material. On its right flank a piece of skin can be removed, revealing a dino damage wound underneath, showing white ribs and pink muscle tissue. The wound patch itself is largely symmetrical in shape. The Rex’s small two fingered arms are the only poseable body parts. The jaws of this Rex, which can be opened by squeezing the creature’s neck, provide the main attack option, revealing a very bright pink tongue and inside of the mouth, and clean white teeth.

Apart from the noticeable pinkness in this creature's mouth, this Young Rex sports an otherwise dark paint job. At first glance it might as well be entirely black. However, on closer examination, this figure's paint job is made up of dark green with dark brown tones randomly mixed in all over its body, most notably on the tail and upper legs. Its underside (belly, throat, lower jaw, lower part of the tail) is of a lighter green than the rest of its body, but still very dark. The colouring on the lower legs and arms is much brighter, presumably because of the different material they're made of. These body parts are painted in a mixture of brown tones, one dark and one much lighter, making them stand out more. Especially the hind part of both legs and the underside of the feet are of a much different, brighter colour quality than the rest of this figure. Additionally, the dinosaur has black claws on hands and feet, as well as small white eyes with black pupils in black eye sockets. As is the case with the other TLW Exclusive dinosaurs, there's no JP logo found on this figure.

Three pieces of capture gear come with this Rex. There's a cuff like tag, which comes with most dinosaurs featuring capture gear, but is quite big in this case, and fits well around the creature's neck. It also comes with a leg restraint, which can hold on to both legs simultaneously. Lastly, there is a big muzzle which can go around the figure's jaws, effectively disabling them, while also covering the eyes, so the Rex can't see what's going on. All three pieces are coloured in the same metallic grey paint job.

The muscled Dino Tracker stands in a largely neutral pose, though his right leg is pointed outwards to some extent, making him look like he's bracing himself for something. Also, he holds his arms quite close to his torso, more so than other human figures. He wears short blue pants adorned with pockets, a belt and a knife at the back, all in the same colour. He also sports a black vest, revealing a muscular, bare chest underneath. The vest comes with green and red detailing and a JP T-Rex logo (black Rex skull and arms in a yellow circle) on the left part of his chest. Additionally, the Tracker wears black boots with blue socks sticking out, a black belt around his waist and a dark green baseball cap (which he wears with the flap at the back of his head) with a second JP Rex logo on it. His skin colour is somewhat lighter than on most other human figures. He also has black hair, a beard with moustache, black eyes and eyebrows, and a rather stony facial expression.

The Tracker is equipped with a large bazooka, basically a black tube with a small box at the end and a big one up front. On top of the gun near the front end there’s a large red button. When the bazooka is loaded with either one of the two red missiles it comes with, pressing the button makes the missile be fired with force, with a firing range of almost two metres and a good impact force. It’s one of the more effective and powerful weapons Kenner produced. This set also features a black backpack with black straps so the Tracker can carry it on his back. The pack has two holes in it, one for either missile.

Analysis: as if two huge Rexes, a hatchling and a Junior Rex weren't enough for the TLW lines, a repaint of the JPS1 Young T-Rex was issued as an exclusive set, expanding the Rex family so it incorporates tyrant king lizards of all ages. None of the TLW Rexes sport the same paint job however, and this Young Rex is no exception, featuring a rather dark, Gothic looking colour scheme. It's a rather original paint job, but looks quite monochromatic on first sight. However, those who take a closer look will find a very naturalistic and “life like” paint job, instead of one of the typical 'brown with black stripes' schemes that have been so overused. However, the arms and legs, and especially the idiotic pink inside the mouth feel out of place on this figure because they're so different, like the Rex sports an unsuccessful mixture of paint styles. But still, the effort to do something different should be applauded.

Apart from the paint job, nothing has changed on this figure, which has had two previous incarnations already. This Rex still comes with two main action features. The first is the typical dino damage wound patch, which was found on most larger dinosaur figures of the first JP toy lines (and is also present on several larger TLWS1 dinosaur figures). Removing the Rex’s wound patch reveals a nasty wound, which makes one wonder what creature would dare attack a T-Rex (a larger T-Rex maybe?). The wound looks gory, but the shape of the wound patch is too perfect and artificial: it looks like someone just cut an almost symmetrical hole in this little Rex, instead of him suffering from a vicious attack by a rival carnivore.

The second option applied to this figure is a so-called biting action. However, these biting jaws are a rather cheap action feature, since it’s only because of the soft material the dinosaur’s skin is composed of that this biting action is produced. Various other big carnivore figures come with biting actions, but more work is put in those by adding inventive biting mechanisms instead, making this figure's biting jaws pale in comparison. Squeezing the neck does open its jaws decently though, while it can also be used adequately to trap unfortunate figures’ body parts between them. It may not look very appealing, but at least it works to some degree.

This Young T-Rex comes with the same capture gear as its JPS2 predecessor It does a very good job subduing Junior Rex, making it unable to walk, bite or even see. The tag that comes with it actually has a function here, since it features a JP logo the Rex itself is lacking, so this dinosaur can be more easily identified as a JP figure. This tag is also rather large, making its less easy to lose.

Though it's still a good figure ans hasn't been really altered aside from the new paint job, there's one slight modification made to this Young Rex which has nasty consequences. It is packaged in such a way that it stands up more straight, which can cause damage to the material that holds together the two halves of this figure (the front part, which consists of the torso with arms and head, and the hind part, which covers the tail and legs). It's not unusual to see Young Rexes that have a big split in the middle, as if someone took a knife and tried to cut the figure in half but stopped halfway through the process. Therefore, if you don't want this to happen to your TLW Young T-Rex, be careful and don't play too rough with it. (This warning also applies to the JPD1 Young T-Rex repaint which often shows the same issue, but not to the JPS1/2 Young T-Rexes, both of which rarely feature this disability because they were packaged differently.)

This set comes with a nameless Dino Tracker figure, sporting less clothing than most other human figures have, which is obviously useful in warm jungle environments where ferocious dinosaurs have to be fought. It's a good new paint job on this figure (which is also a repaint), but the abundance of black doesn't balance well with the rather bleak skin colour on this figure, making him look somewhat sickly. This is especially true of his head, which sports a big black beard and moustache that look like they're fake. However, apart from this minor complaint (and feel free to disagree) this is not at all a bad figure, all the more so because he comes with an excellent weapon. The bazooka, which remains unchanged in paint job and design from the original that came with JPS1 Muldoon, is still a formidable weapon. It works very well and has a great firing range for such a small weapon, no doubt making it the weapon of choice for most JP toy fans. The set also comes with the same backpack to store the missiles in when unused. Both backpack and bazooka are still painted black, which does make this set a little monochromatic, since the Tracker himself sports a largely black outfit as well.

Playability: for the set as a whole, quite good. Though only the arms of the T-Rex are really moveable, the flexible material allows for additional poseability to some extent (including the jaw motion). The dino damage wound patch is easily removable and can also be put back with little difficulty, but when applied to the figure it’s stuck strong enough so it doesn’t fall off on its own accord. Though usually the figure stands well balanced, more worn out Rexes occasionally have trouble standing up straight and tend to stand in a tripod pose with the tail on the ground. Since this figure is easily damaged, it's better not to play too rough with it, also given its rarity. In fact, if you want to play with this sculpt, it's better to play with its JPS1 version instead of risking damage to this figure. The Tracker has the usual range of poseable body parts (head, legs and arms). The bazooka is one of the most effective and playable weapons of all human figures. It has a great range and strong impact force, comes with two different missiles for variety and the backpack provides storage space for both of them, be it loose or on the Tracker's back. The bazooka may not be strong enough to knock the Rex over, but it's always a challenge to try and shoot the dino damage patch off the dinosaur (in which case you need to loosen it a bit, otherwise it won't let go). A bit violent for kids maybe, but fun nonetheless.

Realism: though no Young T-Rex was seen in the movie, a juvenile Rex much like this one played a minor role in Michael Crichton’s original novel. This figure seems to be originally based off the book instead of the movie. Of course, that doesn't matter in this repaint's case, for which its medium size in comparison to the other TLW Rex figures might have been the main reason to re-release it. Its paint job is very different from the other Rexes of the various JP toy lines, and doesn't resemble the paint scheme of the T-Rexes in the movies at all. The Dino Tracker isn't supposed to look like anybody, being an invention on Kenner's part. The bazooka wasn’t featured in the movie, though it’s a more likely weapon compared to some of the other pieces of weaponry Kenner came up with for the TLW lines.

Repaint: yes, this set consists only of repaints. The Rex itself is a repainted JPS1/2 Young T-Rex, with the same set of capture gear as the JPS2 Young T-Rex featured. The Dino Tracker is a repaint of JPS2 Harpoon Harrison. His accessories originally came with JPS1/2 Robert Muldoon, and these have not been altered in any way. The Young Rex would be repainted (and retooled) again for the first JP: Dinosaurs line, along with its capture gear. The Dino Tracker would be repainted a second time for the JP III Exclusive Dino Tracking Set, but with different accessories. The bazooka, including backpack and missiles, would be repainted again (and retooled as well) for the TLWS2 Eddie Carr figure.

Overall rating: 7/10. On close inspection, this Rex has a very original and realistic new paint job, but it hardly holds up from more than a yard away. Other than that it's still a good figure, though the dino damage provides the only real action. The Tracker himself is a fine repaint, though the beard looks a bit silly. The bazooka is still one of the best weapons ever produced for a JP toy. This set is worth getting if you happen to find it for a good price, but since it's very rare (it was only released at Toys'R'Us in the USA) and usually fetches high prices, you might as well settle for a regular JPS2 Harpoon Harrison, Muldoon's bazooka and JPS1 Young T-Rex otherwise.

The Lost World Exclusives: Dino Tracker Adventure Set

Year of release: 1997

Accessories:

-Dino Tracker figure

-Estemmenosuchus figure with dino damage skin patch

-Scutosaurus figure with dino damage skin patch

-Six pieces of capture gear

-Bola Launcher set with double bola, harness and support stick

-Aerial Net Trap set with net and bomb

Description: this set comes with no less than two different prehistoric creatures (not dinosaurs!), each with its own distinctive paint job, dino damage, attack action and capture gear. Additionally, it comes with two sets of weapons, a Bola Launcher and a net launcher (the Aerial Net Trap). Lastly, a dino tracker figure completes the set.

Scutosaurus assumes a walking posture, with its left hind leg and right front leg moved back ward and its other legs posed in a forward move. It is reminiscent of a toad, with warts all over its body, a very short tail, a large plump body and a rather grumpy looking face. Its predominant colour is green, which is found on the entire sculpt save its underside (belly, lower part of the tail, throat, part of the lower jaw and tusks), which is all beige. The green is not all the same tone, since there are several hues of darker and lighter green mixed in. On its back the green is almost brown even, while on its flanks it’s much brighter green. The animal has yellow eyes, and two large white tusks or teeth sticking out of its lower jaw. Its claws are not painted. Quite noticeably, it does not have a JP or TLW logo anywhere on its body, which may cause some confusion among people who aren’t experts on JP toys; however, it most definitely is one.

Scuto comes with a head butt attack action. Pulling its right hind leg back makes the head raise upwards and violently flip back, as if the creature is attacking a foe with its tusks. Additionally, on its right flank, part of its skin can be removed, revealing a dino damage wound showing white ribs (though no muscle tissue, like the Scuto’s blood is green too). This figure comes with three pieces of capture gear, all painted shiny metallic silver: a typical hand cuff to put on any of its limbs, a piece of leg restraints that is supposed to stick to its right legs so the animal can’t use its head butt action, and a head mask, keeping people save from its tusks. There is no creature-breaks-free-of-restraints action involved.

The second beast this set contains is called an Estemmenosuchus. It is without a doubt one of the most bizarre JP toys ever produced (if not one of the weirdest animals ever to have walked the earth). It has a rather broad and thick body, with four small legs and a tiny tail sticking out. Its head is adorned with several odd protrusions: two large crests sticking out its cheeks, a small white horn on its snout, a row of bumps running down its forehead and two pairs of horns in a symmetrical pattern on its upper head. It has tiny yellow eyes. Its mouth is opened (and can’t be closed), revealing big white teeth, two on its lower jaw, five on its upper jaw. It also has a small pink tongue sticking out. The animal sports a sort of copper metal look over its entire body, being coloured in a dark grey paint job with bluish grey lines running all over it in a sort of ‘net’ pattern. It does not have a different paint job on its underside, like most JP figures do.

Estemmeno stands in a largely neutral posture, except for the tail, which is bent to the right. Its head is turned to the right as well, but this is due to the attack action this figure features. Pulling the right hind leg back makes the creature swivel its head to the left, as if it’s giving head butts to some unseen enemy. Like the Scutosaurus, it carries a removable dino damage skin patch, in this case located on the back of the creature. Removing it reveals white bones and tissue, again with no red mixed in. Another thing Estemmeno and Scuto have in common is the three pieces of capture gear with the same functions. Estemmenosuchus also comes with a hand cuff that can go on any of its legs, a piece of leg restraints that hinders the attack action, and a mask to keep its head from harming people. And like Scuto, Estemmeno does not feature a JP logo anywhere on its body, making it difficult to classify for a layman.

The dino tracker figure stands in a totally neutral position. He wears a blue sweater with green pieces mixed in and a beige shirt underneath. On the left part of his chest he sports a badge with the JP logo (not the JP: Site B logo, revealing this figure’s status as a repaint). He also wears dark green pants with pockets and an odd TV-screen ornamentation, green boots, bright green gloves (including a big one with a “harness” on it over his left lower arm) and a walkie-talkie on his back. He has a very bright pink/beige colour on his head, which makes him look ill compared to other human figures. His eyebrows and hair are brown, and he wears a dark green cap on his head with a yellow T-Rex JP logo on the back. The figure does not have any action features of his own.

The set comes with a Bola Launcher and Aerial Net Trap, repainted/reused from JPS1/2 figures. The net launcher is basically a large blue backpack with an arm extending from its back. The net can be put on this arm, and pulling the arm back and releasing it makes the net being launched. A change has been made to the way this net launching system works compared to the original Aerial Net Trap that came with the JPS1/2 Alan Grant figures: those net launchers featured a button on the back of the pack which caused the net to be launched. That system also worked better. Another change to this weapon is the straps which make it capable of being attached to the Dino Tracker: they are somewhat longer and have less holes in them, to accommodate the Tracker figure, since the original design would have made the backpack and figure incompatible. The Aerial Net Trap also comes with a small bomb, painted light blue, which still serves no particular function, but makes a nice little additional gadget.

The Bola Launcher is identical to the one that came with the JPS2 Bola Launcher Alan Grant figure. It has not been repainted or changed in any way. This set consists of a launcher, a double bola, a harness to attach it to the figure, and a stick to support it while attached to the figure. After loading the launcher, pressing the round button causes the bola to be shot away, hooking itself around any creature in its trajectory (though its range is somewhat limited).

All in all, this Exclusive Dino Tracker Adventure Set consists of a total of 18 pieces, making it hard to find in a complete condition (unless it’s MIB of course).

Analysis: though featuring several repainted or even reused elements, this is by far one of the coolest and most playable sets around, good for many hours of great fun. Both creatures sport an interesting look and adequate paint job (even original in Estemmeno’s case), as does the Dino Tracker figure. There’s also a lot of neat action features in this set. Both creatures are a huge boost to originality in the JP toy lines, so a lot of credit has to be given to the people that designed these animals. Both creatures are very bizarre and most people undoubtedly have never heard of them, partially because they were not seen in any of the JP movies. So if you want original, this is the set to turn to.

However, in some ways it’s totally the opposite of original. After all, it’s all repaints (though the creatures weren’t released before, making them fresh in some way). Also, both creatures, though totally different, share the exact same set of action options: head butts, dino damage, and three pieces of capture gear each which goes around the exact same body parts. But let’s face it: these creatures absolutely rock! Their overall look, action features that work well, and neat dino damage make for one of the best JP play sets around, so why complain about repainting? As far as repaints go, this set is not so bad.

Both creatures have a fun attack action. Their range is limited, but they work really well. Estemmenosuchus violently thrashes its head round, hitting people with its bizarre horns and crests. Scutosaurus defends itself from opponents by crashing its sharp tusks deep into their flesh. Both beasts make themselves perfectly clear: don’t mess with me… However, both of them have been messed with, judging from their nasty dino damage wounds. Interestingly enough, the wounds are composed of different material than the hard plastic these sculpts are made off: they’re sort of rubbery and flexible, reminiscent of the ‘real feel dino skin’ of the larger JPS1/2 dinosaurs. In both cases the wounds can easily be removed and put back, since they fit in perfectly. However, the wounds themselves could have featured a better paint job: there’s no blood or anything, making them seen a bit unrealistic.

The capture gear is nice too (especially the masks, which are as odd as the heads they’re supposed to restrain), though nothing really special. They don’t add much action wise, since there’s no dinosaur-breaks-free-of-restraints option involved. However, they do an adequate job at restraining the animals at least partially (though not all of their legs are restrained, but it would at least make them walk in circles).

The Dino Tracker himself is a perfect match for this set with his weird and colourful outfit, adding to the overall bizarreness of this set. He does not have any action features of his own, but his weapons make up for it. The changes made to the Aerial Net Trap are totally useless and only make it less appealing, though it’s good the Tracker can at least carry it on his back. Still, the slingshot system of the old version of this net launcher was superior to this clumsy variant. However, it is actually capable of catching either monster, though the net is too small to really restrain them. It does a better job on these animals than the Bola Launcher does. Even though the Bola Launcher fortunately has not been changed in any way and is still one of the most awesome and playable weapons of any JP toy line, it’s just not really effective on either of these reptiles. There’s just not many points it can hook onto. The legs maybe, but they’re quite small and close to the ground, so it would bump to the floor instead of gripping itself around one of them. Estemmenosuchus does have a head with many spiky protrusions on it, so it’s at least partially usable on him. Scuto unfortunately can’t say the same, unless its head is reared up maybe.

Overall, this set is really great but does have some minor problems, some of which (like the Aerial Net Trap’s new makeover and the lazy paint job of the wounds) wouldn’t have been necessary if the toy designers just put that last bit of effort in it. But because of the sheer brilliance of both creatures, they can be forgiven for such small mistakes.

Playability: quite high. There’s a lot of features in this set, and the fact it contains a human figure, two creatures, weaponry and capture gear makes it really diverse. Both beasts have a cool attack action, though the range of both is limited and consists of head actions only. Fortunately, both monsters feature full poseability (all limbs and head for each), as does the Dino Tracker. The weapons are nothing new, but all work fine, especially the Bola Launcher which is undoubtedly still one of the coolest weapons Kenner ever designed. The capture gear does not come with any dinosaur-breaks-free-of-restraints action, but does a proper job of keeping people safe from the head butts of these ferocious critters from before time.

Realism: needless to say, neither Estemmenosuchus nor Scutosaurus appeared in any of the JP movies (sadly). Credit has to be given to the Kenner team’s nerve in producing such bizarre and unknown prehistoric animals (which is probably a reason these two didn’t get a release when JPS2 hit stores back in ’94). Though they did a pretty good job with this pair of ravenous reptiles, they still got a few details wrong. For one thing, Estemmenosuchus seems to be lacking a neck and has rather a short tail (and yes, Estemmenosuchus did really exist, back in the Permian period some 250 million years ago). Its facial features aren’t totally correct, but with a weird head like this you’re bound to get a few things wrong. Scutosaurus is almost correct, apart from those idiotic spikes on its lower jaw. Though the creature supposedly had tusks, they didn’t stick out of its chin and were much smaller. Still, in both cases the designers did quite a good job of adapting these animals to the toy realm.

The Dino Tracker isn’t supposed to be any particular character from the TLW movie, or other JP films. He’s purely an invention on Kenner’s part, which makes a welcome change to the list of human figures that are supposed to represent a certain actor/actress from the movies but look nothing like him/her, which has occurred on more than one occasion to say the least. Both sets of weapons and the capture gear are completely fictional as well.

Repaint: yes, all of it. Every part of this set is repainted from older sets from the JPS1/2 toy lines. The Dino Tracker’s body is a repaint of JPS2 Bola Launcher Alan Grant, while the head sculpt is a repaint of JPS2 Harpoon Harrison’s head. The figure would be repainted again for TLWS2, as the Urban Assault Gear Eddie Carr, but sporting a different head. The Bola Launcher set is also (obviously) reused from the JPS2 Bola Launcher Alan Grant, and it’s not even a repaint, sporting the same paint job. The Aerial Net Trap, as well as the bomb, are repaints however, from the regular JPS1/2 Alan Grant figures.

As for the creatures, both of them are repaints too, but they never made it to stores before. They were originally planned for release in the JPS2 toy line, but were eventually scrapped, along with several other figures, some of which did eventually get a release for the TLW lines like this pair did too (i.e. Ornithosuchus and Gulper/Bull T-Rex). Both monsters come with their original sets of capture gear and dino damage. The paint job of both animals is a lot different from the original figures, of which only very few survive. The Estemmenosuchus sported dark green and brown colouring, while the Scutosaurus came with a brown and beige paint job with blue spots and stripes and bright orange tusks. Still, the new paint jobs are not bad. On a side note: apparently something went awry when the Estemmeno got a makeover: his left front and hind leg were switched, so his legs now appear in a very odd position.

Overall rating: 9/10. Okay, so there’s a lot of repainting here. For once it turns out very well and at last gives us the fantastic Estemmenosuchus and Scutosaurus figures, which we were denied in 1994. Despite some minor issues, this set sports major playability, and two of the most wonderful figures of all the toy lines with neat attack actions and dino damage.

Now, here’s the catch: this exclusive set is one of the rarest sets of JP toys around, and can be a total bitch to get your hands on. It’s nigh impossible to find a loose and complete set (though you could of course mix the figures with some pieces of other sets that came with the same weapons), and MIB they don’t turn up everyday and have been known to fetch high prices. However, it may prove totally worth it, for few sets are as cool and original as this one. Good luck getting one…

Today's News: Spielberg back for clash of conquistadors?

Hot off MovieScene:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/152883/spielberg_maakt_mogelijk_montezuma

Spielberg is having a tough time in Hollywood at the moment. His Robopocalypse got cancelled while already in production (and after a year of development hell still hasn't resumed filming), and he stepped out of American Sniper (after which Clint Eastwood took over that particular project, so it'll still be a good movie). He hasn't signed on to direct anything else at present, though he is expected to do Indiana Jones 5 whenever that gets geared up. So what's a world renowned director to do? He's not the type to retire (despite pushing his seventies), so looking for new material is his best bet. Maybe he finally found something worth his while with Dalton Trumbo's Montezuma script (or the current adaptation by his colleague of old Steve Zaillian), one of the grand unfilmed scenarios in Hollywood for nigh on five decades. The epic tale of conquest and historical tragedy seems perfectly suited for a visionary director like Spielberg, who has shown to respect history without sacrificing the need for artistic license in favor of dramatic effect the audience craves. But what's to say Hollywood won't back out of this project as well? Historical epics are not exactly a hot item at present, nor are they guaranteed to bring in the big bucks, though they sure tend to cost a lot of bucks. Personally I think Spielberg would do better crafting a miniseries for television out of this, similar to his WWII dramas Band of Brothers and The Pacific. History does a lot better on telly these days, and quality TV would only enhance the possibilities of storytelling to the better. Cortez' brutal tale of conquest is rife with violence and suffering, exactly the type of story that would suit an HBO adaptation perfectly. Taking into account Spielberg already predicted the fall of Hollywood due to overexpensive productions not seeing their profits returned and thus dragging studios into bankruptcy: coupled with his own professional troubles in the studio system in recent years (he had major problems getting Lincoln going to), you'd think he himself would come to the conclusion that the past has more of a future on the home screens.

As for Javier Bardem as Cortez, I'm all for it. He's from Spain, he excels in playing brutal and cruel characters and he's a terrific actor too, so there's no reason against it in my mind, especially if he's motivated to play the part himself.

The Lost World Series 2: Ornithosuchus

Year of release: 1997-1998

Accessories:

-Two pieces of capture gear

-Dino damage tail section

Description: this bizarre slender reptilian creature assumes a walking posture, with its left leg and right arm positioned in a backward move and its right leg and left arm moved forward. This critter sports a greyish blue paint job for the most part: this colour is located on the animal’s back, flanks, tail, neck, limbs and head. The underside of the figure (its belly, lower part of the tail, part of the lower jaw and throat) are coloured beige. A large number of greenish blue stripes run over its back, tail, neck and head, supplying the overall creature with a bit of an aquatic look. Its big mouth sports a red tongue and white teeth, including a total of six large teeth, almost fangs; two of these stick out of the upper jaw, four out of the front of the lower jaw. The Ornithosuchus has small bright green eyes, and carries a beige JP: Site B logo with the number .35 next to it on its right upper leg. The creature’s claws are not painted in a colour different from the greyish blue.

The Ornithosuchus is equipped with a thrashing action: moving the right leg forth makes the head spin round to the left. Additionally, the beast’s lower jaw snaps back when pulled down and released, making it possible for this sculpt to clasp other figures between its jaws. Ornithosuchus also comes with dino damage: it features a removable tail section, revealing blood tissue and a white pin (resembling a bone) sticking out on which the tail can be pinned back.

The figure also comes with two pieces of capture gear, a small chain to restrain the limbs (though only two of them at the same time, not all four), as well as a large muzzle to keep the creature from biting. It doesn’t stop the Ornitho from thrashing its head though. Both pieces sport a shiny metallic brown paint job.

Analysis: Kenner once again in a bold move decided to add an almost totally unknown non-Saurian prehistoric creature to their list of JP figures, though it took some time before it finally got a release (see ‘repaint’ section of this review). This particular sculpt turned out quite well and is much appreciated by most collectors for being both original and plain cool.

The Ornithosuchus sports a fine paint job, though a bit monotonous: the greyish blue is somewhat overused, but not in such a way that it’s gotten ugly or boring. However, it’s unfortunate the claws aren’t painted.

The creature comes with a thrashing action, which makes it capable of moving its head around. On its own this looks a bit odd, but in combination with other figures it gets a lot more impressive and vicious: imagine a helpless hatchling trapped between those strong jaws and being violently thrashed about the place. Or how about a human figure’s leg? This feature makes Ornithosuchus a foe not to be underestimated when encountered in the wild. The card mentions snapping jaws, however this is saying a bit too much: the jaws only snap when you pull them down and let them go, not on their own accord or in combination with the thrashing action unfortunately. Still, it doesn’t totally keep the fun out of this figure’s action features.

Another option this monster sports is some good old dino damage. Usually dino damage is applied to larger figures, so it’s interesting to see it on a smaller figure like this. The damage is quite severe though: the last seven centimetres of the tail (about three quarters of the entire tail) can be pulled off, as if torn off by some ferocious bigger predator, or maybe a rival of Ornitho’s own species. Of course the designers weren’t afraid to show some blood and bone (sort of), making it look like a nasty wound from which the poor creature might not recover. Unless it’s like a lizard, capable of regrowing its tail.

The capture gear is fun, but doesn’t add all that much. Unlike most other smaller dinosaur figures, this particular sculpt doesn’t feature a dinosaur-breaks-free-of-restraints action. 

 

Playability: high enough, Ornithosuchus has a full range of poseable body parts, namely limbs, head and lower jaw. The breakaway tail also adds to playability options, as does the capture gear. The thrashing action is quite neat, but hampers poseability of the right hind leg and the head somewhat. Also, the figure has some problems standing up straight because of the leg supporting the attack action.

Realism: Ornithosuchus has not been featured in the TLW movie nor any of the other JP films. It is purely a creative creature on the toy designers’ part, to add some creativity to the toy line, something much applauded by the majority of JP toy fans.

From a palaeontological perspective, the design of this figure isn’t too far off from the real thing. The overall size compared to the human figures, as well as the body shape are about right, including the front limbs which can be used as hands and feet, making it both a bipedal carnivore and a quadruped. Though the head sculpt resembles Ornitho’s real head, the large teeth make it somewhat inaccurate. For your information, Ornithosuchus was not a dinosaur itself but actually a primitive crocodilian, yet still a relative of the dinosaurs.

Repaint: yes. This figure is a repaint of the JPS2 Ornithosuchus, which sadly never saw a release. Fortunately Kenner decided to release it for this TLW line after all, like they did with the Bull T-Rex, also originally a JPS2 figure. Repainted along with it is the capture gear which came with the JPS2 Ornitho. Both the animal and the restraints were repainted for the first JP Dinosaurs toy line. Apart from that, the capture gear was also featured in other repainted sets, including the JPD1 Dimetrodon and Electronic Dilophosaurus, as well as the exclusive JP III Dino Tracker Set. A second JPD1 repaint along with a human figure, the Ornithosuchus with Dino Trapper set, was planned to be released but was scrapped eventually. Lastly, it was also planned to be repainted for the JP Chaos Effect: Night Hunter Series line, but that entire line was scrapped.

Overall rating: 9/10. This figure is highly original, has a fun action feature and a solid paint job. It may have a minor flaw or two but it’s one of the more interesting TLW figures released and definitely worth your attention. It borders on being rare though and can be hard to find as well as relatively expensive, so be warned.

The Lost World Series 2: Baryonyx

Year of release: 1997-1998

Accessories:

-Two pieces of capture gear

Description: this smaller dinosaur figure sports a lighter, earthy paint job, with predominant brown and yellow tones. A light brown colouring is found on its back, flanks, neck, head, upper part of the tail and the very upper part of the limbs. This brown gradually shifts to yellow, which is located on the underside of the creature (belly, throat, lower jaw, lower part of the tail) for the most part, as well as on the rest of the limbs. The figure carries black spots all over its back, neck and upper tail, and features what appears to be a small black horn on its snout, as well as black spots around his green eyes. The claws on both arms and legs are also black, and a black JP: Site B logo is seen on the right upper leg.

The Baryonyx assumes a walking posture, with its left leg moved forward and its right leg backward. Its tail is bent towards its right leg, so this figure fits on its card. The figure is equipped with a whipping action: pulling the right leg back and forth makes the head spin around, as if the creature is thrashing its head. This also accommodates a dinosaur-breaks-free-of-restraint-gear action: when the capture gear is on, the Baryonyx can break free by thrashing its head. Additionally, the beast’s lower jaw snaps back when pulled down and released, making it possible for this sculpt to clasp other figures between its jaws, though the mouth can’t open really wide so most figures won’t fit.

This Bary comes with two pieces of capture gear, which form a sort of harness around the creature’s upper body and restrain its arms and head. However, it wouldn’t stop the creature from running away. Both pieces are painted in a metallic dark grey colour.

Analysis: this figure provides for a totally different take on the Baryonyx, a popular creature among dinosaur aficionados. The JPS2 Bary featured a totally different look: it was somewhat bigger and walked more upright. There are similarities though: both figures have a long snout for catching fish and a large claw on each hand. Both figures are bipedal with their tail towards the ground in a sort of tripod position with the legs, and they both have a tendency to fall down because the front part of the body is heavier than the back. And unfortunately neither of them are very successful figures.

The main concern with this particular Bary is the attack action. It’s virtually identical to the action the Ornithosuchus from this same TLWS2 toy line features, and since these two creatures are the only new dinosaur figures of this line (excluding the hatchlings that is), this attack action lacks originality (I blame the Bary for this because Ornitho was planned to be released in the JPS2 toy line but never made it to stores until the TLWS2 line was released, making Ornitho the more original figure of the two). Baryonyx can thrash its head around by pulling on its right leg. It looked cool on the Ornithosuchus, since it had large jaws capable of gripping other figures, but it doesn’t work on this Bary because its mouth is too small to grab most figures. Basically, Bary looks silly when whipping its head. And like with the Ornithosuchus, it doesn’t snap its jaws on its own, you have to do it by hand, so there’s no improvement of this action feature either.

However, unlike the Ornithosuchus, the thrashing action combined with the capture gear does provide for a dinosaur-breaks-free-of-restraint-gear action option. It actually works quite well, and redeems the otherwise lousy whipping head feature to some extent. It’s a shame the figure doesn’t come with capture gear to restrain its legs though, seems a bit illogical.

This Baryonyx sculpt also isn’t a great design. It’s head sculpt is pretty ugly, and it often falls down because it’s too heavy on the front and its legs are positioned at the end of the body. Also, the tail gets in the way of activating the action feature because it’s bend in such a way the figure can fit on its card, which otherwise wouldn’t be the case. It would have been preferable if the attack action could be activated by moving the other leg instead. The paint job of this Baryonyx is decent enough, though the yellow is a bit ugly and could have used more detailing. And the dark-spots-on-creature’s-back pattern has been done before (and would be done again). So overall, this creature could have used a more appealing design.

Playability: relatively high. This dinosaur features a total of six poseable body parts, namely the arms, legs, head and lower jaw. However, the right leg and the head support the snapping action and swing right back when moved, as does the jaw. This diminishes playability options somewhat. The two pieces of capture gear add something however, especially since they can also be used in a dinosaur-breaks-free-of-restraints action. The tail can get in the way at times, since it’s bent in such a way to accommodate the way this figure is packaged. However, with loose Baryonyxes the tail usually bends back over time.

Realism: this figure is certainly reminiscent of a real life Baryonyx (or at least the way palaeontologists think it looked like), due to its crocodilian head sculpt and a single large claw on each hand. It’s not totally realistic though: the claws on the hands are a bit small, the animal itself is quite skinny and it’s unlikely this particular Bary could walk on all fours, like most scientists believe Baryonyx was capable of. Also, the head sculpt isn’t totally accurate, and compared to human figures this Bary is on the small side (Bary’s could grow twice as big).

Baryonyx has not been featured in any of the JP movies, TLW or otherwise. It has been rumoured Baryonyx originally was going to get a role in JP III, but the producers opted for Spinosaurus instead.

Repaint: no. However, this figure would be repainted twice for the first JP Dinosaurs line, once on its own, and again in a 2-pack with a human figure (Baryonyx with Dinosaur Tracker). In both cases it would come with the same capture gear as this figure, though repainted. It was also planned to be repainted for the JP Chaos Effect: Night Hunter Series line, but that entire line was scrapped.

Overall rating: 5/10. It’s not the best TLW figure, sporting a bit of a lousy paint job and unoriginal action feature. It has some positive aspects, but is overall disappointing. Unfortunately, it’s also relatively rare and usually fetches higher prices. If you don’t care much for it, don’t bother.

The Lost World Series 2: Ajay

Year of release: 1997-1998

Accessories:

-Heavy Strike Weapons Pack, including detachable missile launcher and two missiles

-Gun

-Parasaurolophus hatchling

Description: Ajay stands in a largely neutral pose, except for his right leg which is moved slightly forwards. He sports an almost military outfit, namely a light grey shirt with a black vest and dark grey straps over it, brown gloves, grey pants with light grey stripes in an asymmetrical pattern suggesting camouflage on them, and black boots. He also has a pair of black sunglasses on. He has absolutely no facial expression, a bald forehead, and black hair on the back of his head. He’s got some detailing on his pants, though it’s hardly noticeable because it’s coloured in the same grey as the pants themselves: on his left leg he’s got one pocket, while on his right leg he has a knife as well as some damage to his pants, indicating he’s had a near miss with some ferocious vermin.

Ajay comes with some impressive looking weaponry. First, he owns a small gun (I’m no expert on guns so don’t ask me what type of gun it is), coloured grey. It doesn’t do anything, it’s just an additional gadget. Second, he sports a large backpack, labelled a Heavy Strike Weapons Pack (I’ll abbreviate it to HSWP). It’s basically a pack carrying a missile launcher, enabling the user to keep his hands free to carry other stuff. The HSWP, sporting an entirely black paint job, looks pretty sophisticated and detailed, but works fairly simple. It can be pinned to Ajay’s back (he’s got a hole there for this purpose). The rocket launcher can move up and down, in about a 100 degree angle: it can also be detached to be used separately from the pack. The launcher comes with two different grey missiles (same colour as the gun), and can hold one of them at a time. The other can be stored in a hole in the pack when it’s not used: the hole also fits both missiles simultaneously. By pressing the button on top of the pack a missile is launched with a decent enough force, over a distance of about half a metre. Interesting little detail, the gun can be pinned on a pin on the right end of the launcher.

Ajay’s reptilian companion is a Parasaurolophus hatchling, according to the package. However, it misses Parasaurolophus’ most recognizable attribute: the horn on his head. Instead, this creature sports a crest. This hatchling stands in an active pose, looking over its shoulder and its left arm raised, while in a walking posture. It is painted beige for the most part, and sports a large yellow stripe all the way from the snout to the end of the tail, also running over the top of the crest. The sides of the crest are coloured bright red. The dinosaur has small black eyes, as well as a black JP: Site B logo on its left upper leg.

Analysis: though this is quite a fun figure, it’s a bit over the top. Ajay himself looks almost nothing like the Ajay seen in the movie, except for the head sculpt. He’s way more muscular and looks more like a special forces commando than a game scout. However, if you leave realism aside this is a pretty butch figure with a good paint job, though it’s a shame the knife and damage to his pants aren’t painted in a different colour. He would have looked more badass with skin or blood underneath the torn parts of his trousers.

His accessories establish him to be a character not to be messed with. His gun, though pretty monochromatic and lacking some detail, makes him look dangerous. The same goes for the HSWP, though this too looks a bit unrealistic, but it works fine. It can be pinned to Ajay’s back easily and fights tightly so it doesn’t fall off (unlike with Nick van Owen’s Catcher Pack for example). The launcher can be posed in various angles and can even be detached from the pack, increasing flexibility and playability of the pack. The missile firing mechanism works perfectly, though the impact force isn’t too great. It’s sure to knock over hatchlings like the Para, but has a harder time doing damage to bigger targets. The storage hole on the back of the pack is a handy detail, though when there’s only one missile in there, it hangs a bit loose. It’s a nice little detail to see the gun can be attached to the pack as well, though it doesn’t really seem to have a purpose.

The hatchling is the only real disappointment of this set. It sports a boring paint job and stands in an awkward pose. Also, it doesn’t look like a Parasaurolophus at all, but rather a different species of Hadrosaur. It also has trouble standing on its feet.

Playability: good for the most part. Ajay has no action features himself, like his fellow Evil Hunters Peter Ludlow and Dieter Stark, but has the usual range of poseable body parts. The HSWP provides for the action of this set. The storage for the missiles and the capability of detachment of the launcher make for greater playability. The launcher itself works fine as well. Like other hatchlings, the Parasaurolophus has no poseable body parts, while its annoying stance further diminishes playability options.

Realism: not much. Ajay (his last name being Sidhu by the way, though the card doesn’t mention this) looks very different from the Ajay character in the movie (played by Harvey Jason), both in body shape and choice of clothing. The head sculpt resembles the movie character somewhat, though in the film he wore regular glasses, not sunglasses. Additionally, he didn’t sport a gun like this, nor a HSWP or any other missile launchers (which weren’t featured in the TLW movie anyway).

Like stated above, the Parasaurolophus doesn’t resemble a real Para or its movie counterpart much. Though the body isn’t far off, and even the paint job is somewhat reminiscent of the paint job of the Para seen in the movie and the TLWS1 Parasaurolophus figure (though simplified and less detailed), it’s the head that’s totally wrong. This figure sports a crest instead of Para’s iconic “horn” (probably used for communication and mating rituals). This hatchling looks more like a Corythosaurus, a related Hadrosaur that did indeed have a crest, though shaped somewhat differently. Incidentally, Corythosaurs were seen in JP III, in a herd that also included Parasaurolophus. But that particular detail doesn’t make this figure more accurate.

Repaint: no. The hatchling would not be repainted either. However, Ajay’s body would be repainted two times for the first JP Dinosaurs line, once as a Dinosaur Trainer (for the Pachycephalosaurus with Dinosaur Trainer set, including a repaint of the HSWP and the gun) as well as a Dinosaur Hunter (for the Stegosaurus with Dinosaur Hunter set). In both cases, the figure would sport a different head sculpt. Ajay’s own head would not be featured in later toy lines, repainted or otherwise.

Overall rating: 8/10. Ajay himself is a badass figure, never mind realism. The HSWP is a fun new weapon and works fine, and the gun is a neat little extra gadget. The hatchling is a bit of a failure though. Unfortunately, this figure is rare and not easy to find. Be prepared to deal with higher than usual prices when you encounter it. However, it’s worth it, if you can stand lousy hatchlings and are also interested in human figures.

The Lost World Series 2: Nick van Owen

Year of release: 1997-1998

Accessories:

-Two pieces of capture gear

-Catcher Pack

-Camera

-Brachiosaurus hatchling

Description: this Nick van Owen figure stands in a somewhat more active posture than his TLWS1 predecessor. He stands with his left leg moved backward and his right leg forward, while his left hand is closed in a fist. Nick’s arms look pretty muscular, especially his upper arms. Though it’s a matter of millimetres, this figure is one of the tallest figures of all JP toy lines.

Nick sports a blue shirt, covered with a grey vest adorned with a total of four pockets. A belt runs over his torso, orange on the front part of the figure, and black on the other side. Nick wears green pants, covered with several pockets of the same colour. Additionally, he has a black belt around his waist and two smaller black belts around each lower leg with additional pockets, probably used for carrying video cassettes or other equipment for Nick’s camera. Van Owen sports rather odd shoes, coloured orange with a silver metal frame around it, as if they’re enhanced for use in rough terrain. Unlike the TLWS1 Nick, this figure sports brown hair, including his eyebrows.

Nick comes with various pieces of equipment. First, being a documentary film maker, he has a large black camera, which can rest on his right shoulder while he holds it with his right hand (his other hand can’t hold anything). The camera looks more realistic than the camera the TLWS1 Nick came with (if that was indeed a camera). There’s a hole in the camera, so you can look right through it, seeing what the camera is “filming”. A second tool Nick comes with is the catcher pack: this odd looking metallic grey device can be attached around the figure’s waist so he can carry it. It looks pretty sophisticated with its elaborate mechanical detailing, but it doesn’t really have any action figures unlike one would expect. However, there’s a small box on top of the device that can be opened: it reveals what appears to be a piece of meat, coloured brown with a small white bone sticking out of it. Being a vegetarian I won’t try to classify it, because I’m bound to get it wrong. It seems the catcher pack is just a method of luring dinosaurs towards Nick, so he can film them, and if necessary, catch them. Given the fact that this figure also comes with two small pieces of capture gear (namely the typical “handcuffs” many sets of capture gear have featured since the JPS2 toy line), the latter option seems a logical course of action.

Strangely enough, Nick comes with a herbivorous hatchling, so it seems odd it would be attracted to the catcher pack’s meat. The hatchling is labelled a Brachiosaurus, though it looks a lot different than the JPS1/2 Brachiosaurus hatchlings or the Sauropods seen in the first JP movie. The hatchling measures some seven centimetres in length, and sports a light brown paint job, adorned with purple spots on its snout, neck, back and tail. It has small black eyes and a beige JP: Site B logo on its left hind leg. Most notable, it has very plump thick legs, making it seems rather disproportionate and even a bit silly.

Analysis: this third Nick van Owen figure (next to the TLWS1 Nick and the exclusive High Hide Nick) isn’t much of an improvement and has some pros and cons. The pros are found mostly in Nick himself. Though it’s not identical to the garment Vince Vaughn wore in the TLW movie, this figure’s clothes, including their paint job, are more similar than the outfits of the other Van Owen figures. This excludes the shoes, since they’re really quite strange and I’m positive they weren’t featured in the film.

It’s obvious the designers of this figure wanted to establish Nick’s status as a film maker more clearly, something the other Nick figures lacked. Nick comes with a relatively realistic camera (by toy standards of course), as well as loads of pockets for carrying video equipment, most notably the ones on his legs. Though the camera doesn’t provide for any action, which can be said for the entire figure by the way, it’s a fun gadget.

The same cannot be said for the catcher pack, which is plain boring. It looks way more elaborate and detailed than is necessary, considering it doesn’t do anything at all. The only option it features is the small box with the meat in it, but having designed a smaller piece of equipment carrying only this box would have sufficed. Now Nick is forced to wear this large piece of plastic on his back, and given the fact it hangs pretty loose and occasionally even falls off because it’s out of balance when attached to the figure, it’s downright annoying.

The Brachiosaurus is quite cute, but doesn’t look much like a Brachiosaurus at all. Though its large legs make sure the little beast doesn’t fall down, and also make it hard to knock over using missile launchers of other figures, they make the poor creature look very weird. The paint job isn’t bad, though like with most hatchlings it’s lacking detail. The two pieces of capture gear can be attached to the Sauropod’s legs and body, though it’s doubtful they would restrain it in real life.

Playability: not very high. Though Nick has poseable arms, legs and head, it’s quite vexing he can’t hold stuff with his left hand since it’s closed to a fist. Like stated above, the catcher pack doesn’t provide for much action at all. The same is true for the camera, though it does give Nick more character and looks pretty butch on his shoulder. The Brachiosaurus doesn’t have any poseable body parts, like all the other TLW hatchling figures.

Realism: the figure’s head sculpt looks a lot like Vince Vaughn’s head, though less detailed (it’s a toy version of him after all). However, this figure makes Van Owen appear more muscular than he looked in the movie. His clothes are not that different from the outfit Nick sported in the movie, though they’re not an exact copy. Since Nick was established to be a documentary film maker in the movie, it’s nice to finally see him running around with a real camera. The catcher pack was never seen in the movie, which isn’t a great loss.

There were no Brachiosaurs in the TLW movie, though they did appear in the first JP and eventually also JP III. In neither film did they resemble this particular Sauropod. For one thing, they had thinner legs, a shorter tail and a different colour pattern. Also, their heads looked a lot different from this one’s, with a large bump on the forehead carrying the nostrils. This Brachiosaurus looks more like a Diplodocus, judging from the shape of its head. But due to the disproportionately large legs, it looks even more like a made up dinosaur.

Repaint: no. This figure, as well as all its accessories, would not be repainted for later toy lines either.

Overall rating: 6/10. Though the figure itself is quite good, the catcher pack and the hatchling aren’t very appealing. They just don’t look interesting, nor do they provide for any action features. Additionally, this sculpt is one of the rarest of all JP figures and as such is quite hard to find, usually fetching the big bucks. Be sure you really want one before you spent too much cash on it, because it may not prove to be worth it.