Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Mobile Command Center

Year of release: 1998

Accessories:

-Missile launcher (including three missiles)

-Dino damage cab area

-Telescoping crane

-Detachable computer with electronic sounds and lights

-Fold out observation lab

-Eight fence pieces

(Note: the reviewer is not an expert on vehicles like these, so any incorrect terms, or lack of detail, should be disregarded.)

Description: this play set basically consists of two trailers, which can be attached to one another via the black leathery thingy (what exactly do you call it?). The overall colour pattern of the trailers is bright green on the lower parts and underside of both trailers (as well as all on the inside, most notably on the fold out lab of the second trailer), while it's light blue on the top parts, with a big black stripe running between both colours in an edgy and triangular pattern, seemingly random (but largely symmetrical if you compare both sides of the trailers). All eight wheels are black with bright yellow hub caps. Together, the MCC (standard abbreviation for Mobile Command Center in the JP toys community) measures a good 80 centimetres in length. Each trailer comes with its own action features.

The front trailer is the largest of the two and has two pairs of wheels. The front cab area, with the transparent orange window and grey bumpers and windshields, can be removed as if being torn off by a dinosaur (though the damage doesn’t really appear to be caused by some ferocious creature, it looks too clean for that). On top of this cab area there’s some yellow detailing, including radar dish and antenna, adding a bit of a technologically sophisticated look to the trailer. The front trailer comes with a door on each side: a small door on the right (for people to enter and exit), and a larger rectangular door on the left side (for loading cargo and stuff like that). The front trailer is more or less empty on the inside, except for the grey drivers’ seats in the cab area. (with a yellow steering wheel) It’s very handy to store equipment in, such as the fence pieces when they're not in use. On the right top side of the front trailer there’s a large grey telescoping crane on an equally grey base. This crane can rotate in a full circle, and can be extended to cover more ground. On the right end of the crane there’s a pair of yellow claws, used to clamp equipment or dinosaurs on, in order to move them around. On the left end of this crane there’s a grey basket, basically a lookout station, with the capacity of carrying a single human figure. Next to it there’s a large green missile launcher, capable of full rotation like the crane itself. It fires grey missiles and comes with three of these (at least, it should when the set is complete).

On the left top side of the front trailer, right next to the cargo door, there’s a hole which can store the computer unit. It’s basically a beige box, with a lights section on top that can move in a 90 degree angle. It comes with a pair of lights and produces three different sounds: an alarm caused by pulling on the fences when they’re attached to the trailer, a damage noise produced when removing the cab area, and a third noise made when pressing the button on the left side of the computer. The lights are activated when producing any of these sounds.

The second trailer is a bit shorter but also comes with two pairs of wheels. Additionally, it sports a pair of big green antennae on the left back end, both identical though one of them positioned somewhat lower so it seems it’s shorter than the other (but both are about 20 centimetres in length). At the very back end of this trailer there’s another cargo door, similar to the one on the left side of the front trailer. The main feature of this trailer is the observation lab: the right side of the trailer including a part of the roof section can fold out to form the observation lab, complete with a pair of little green legs to support it on the ground. When folded out the interior of the trailer is revealed, which is adorned with a large grey table with details like computers and cups on top. Additionally, a grey operating bench is located right above the right wheel, with room enough for a human figure or a smaller dinosaur. Both the bench and the computers inside the lab sport various computer console stickers and other equipment stickers for detail.

This play set comes with a total of eight fence pieces, all of them painted in a bright orange paint job. They can be attached to one another, and the smaller piece of fence can also be attached to the left side of the front trailer, in which case it makes contact with the computer so an alarm is activated when any reptilian vermin tries to break through the fences. The fences can form a protective barrier around one side of the MCC, most logically the right side to protect the observation lab. However, there’s no point on the back end of the second trailer to attach the fences too. Of course, the fences can also be used by themselves, so you can imprison animals.

Analysis: though this is “only a repaint”, it's one you wouldn't want to miss out on if you haven't got the original TLWS1 Mobile Command Center. It’s very cool and quite detailed, though its paint job is hardly appealing, considering the weird colour combinations that would certainly draw attention to hungry dinosaurs roaming the vicinity. However, it fits right in with the rest of the colourful Chaos Effect line, and at least doesn't sport the most appalling paint job in that line (though the bright orange fences certainly are more irritatingly coloured than they should be). If you look past its weird paint job, you'll find this play set is as good as ever, loaded with a variety of cool action features, definitely making this set worth any JP fan's while. Though most of these features aren’t particularly new, they make for some fine overall playability altogether. I’ll describe them separately for a general overview of this wonderful play set.

-Missile launcher (including three missiles): the typical missile launcher seems an obligatory action feature of any vehicle or play set, and the MCC is basically both so naturally it can’t miss one of these. The launcher works properly and has a decent firing range (about a metre); missiles have enough impact force to knock most smaller dinosaurs over. It’s also neat to see this particular gun being fully rotatable. And since it comes with no less than three missiles, there's spares in case you lose one.

-Dino damage cab area: also an often used action feature. The dino damage of this set isn’t very convincing though: it looks far too artificial, like it’s caused by mechanic disassembly instead of an attack by a nasty predator. However, the fact it’s hooked up to the computer so it produces noises when being removed makes it more original and a decent action option after all. It's also quite extensive: carnivores can basically chunk most of the front part of the trailer off, leaving the driver's seat fully exposed for attack.

-Telescoping crane: though the poseability of the crane is fine (it can swivel in a full circle, tilt up and down in a 180 degree radius and be extended by some 15 centimetres), it doesn't work very well, mostly because of the poor design of the grappling claws which are meant to carry stuff: they just can’t support things at all, dinosaurs or otherwise. Nothing can really be clasped between the claws without coming loose and falling down. Though the rotating and telescoping aspects of the crane are good, and the armed extra station for a human figure comes in handy, these few nuisances make it a disappointment.

-Detachable computer with electronic sounds and lights: very fun feature, though it’s a shame only three different sounds can be produced, and one of them is quite annoying. However, they enhance the realism of the action features they’re attached too, and add another level of playability. The lights are quite strong, especially in the dark: you could use them as a decent flash light if you needed to. It's an excellent idea to make the computer removable, so you can take it out if you're going to play wild with your MCC, instead of risking damage.

-Fold out observation lab: a great option, giving us a good look of the inside of the second trailer. The inside could have used some more detail though, but the various computer equipment and the few details that are there, like the mouse and key board are very neat, and overall the folding out of the lab is a useful feature which hugely advances playability and leaves more space for figures and action options.

-Eight fence pieces: easy to assemble and attach to the trailer. It’s a bit odd they can only be attached to one end of the set though, because now dinosaurs won’t have such a hard time sneaking inside the perimeter on the other end. However, the alarm that goes off when the fence is compromised provides for a good warning, as well as a fun action option.

Playability: this play set scores quite high on any playability scale. It has loads of good action features, providing for hours of fun in combination with human figures and dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes, and it comes with an abundance of neat accessories. It also has funky sounds and fine lights (when in proper working order of course). Another thing that adds to the playability is the fact the electronics are easily removable, so when you feel like playing rough with it you can do so without risking damage to the sounds and lights.

Realism: this trailer play set looks very similar to the trailers seen in the TLW movie in overall shape and size (some of the details are off though – the trailers seen in the movie did not feature a crane, missile launcher or even fences – but this was obviously done for playability options: it’s a toy after all). The colouring is of course very different since this is the Chaos Effect version of the TLW trailers and has been painted to fit in with the rest of that line: bright, unrealistic colours, hinting at the absurdity and fantasy of this particular toy line.

Repaint: yes. This Mobile Command Center is a repaint of the play set of the same name from the TLWS1 toy line. It comes with all the parts of that original set, except for the Kelly Malcolm figure (nor does it come with any other human figures as replacement). This set would not be repainted for later toy lines.

Overall rating: 9/10. Though the new paint scheme of this play set is certainly less successful than the colours of the original MCC, it's still a grand toy loaded with lots of sweet action features, and it comes highly recommended (particularly if you can't get the TLWS1 MCC). It's a shame there's no bonus figure attached to this set, but given the quality of the other Chaos Effect human figures, that's hardly a loss. The Chaos Effect Mobile Command Center is very hard to find, even more difficult to obtain than its TLWS1 predecessor. It almost always goes for high prices, both loose and MIB, so be warned if you're out to get one yourself.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Omega T-Rex

Year of release: 1998

Accessories:

-Survival Pod

Description: this dinosaur is a repaint of the largest of all JP dinosaur toys ever produced, namely the TLWS1 Bull T-Rex. The sculpt has not been changed in any way. It still measures a good 70 centimetres in length and stands about 20 centimetres tall. This Rex stands in an active pose, with its left leg moved forward and its right leg backward, as if walking. Its head is quite large, almost as big as its belly, to accommodate its action feature, which is to swallow figures. About every human figure and most smaller dinosaurs can fit in its mouth and through the throat, like it appears the monster is eating them. Afterwards such figures can be retrieved via a slit in its belly. Most of this Rex sculpt is composed of a thick flexible material, to give it a hint of realistic dinosaur skin. Omega Rex also features the same three electronic sounds as its TLWS1 predecessor: a roar, a snarl and chomping sounds. There’s a button, located under the skin on its back just at the base of the legs: pressing it produces either one of these sounds, always in the same order, though when the button is pressed only briefly just the roar is heard.

The Omega T-Rex sports an unmistakably Chaos Effect paint job, making it easy to distinguish from the Bull Rex. Its predominant and most notable colour is bright orange: most of the creature’s body and tail is painted in this colour, as well as all of the legs and on two places on its back. The huge claws on the legs are also orange. Most of the head and neck/throat is black with large black spots, including triangular stripes running out of these, on the back and tail. The last seven centimetres of the tail is entirely black. The neck is adorned with additional blue colouring which continues on lines starting above the arms (also blue, including claws) and running along the edges of the black spots on its back and tail in a largely symmetrical pattern. The upper jaw features pink spots and stripes, especially around the eyes. Also, on its back a pink spot is found, with the button hidden underneath the skin right under it, so you know where to push to make the figure roar. Omega has huge white teeth and the same eyes as the Bull Rex, not painted like other figures, but small transparent spheres, green on the inside with black pupils. A blue JP Chaos Effect logo is located on the upper right leg, along with the number .28 (the same number as the Bull T-Rex interestingly enough).

This Tyrannosaurus comes with a survival pod, a repaint of the same accessory the Bull Rex came with. It’s basically a sort of cage, though not to lock vicious creatures up, but to provide shelter for a single person. Inside, there’s a human figure (not removable), with a look of horror on his face. He wears a purple shirt, along with short black pants, purple socks and black boots. He also has blond hair. The pod itself sports a silvery metallic paint job. On the back there’s a pair of purple “wings”, which can fold out, to prevent the Bull Rex from swallowing it. As with the Omega Rex itself, no changes have been made to the survival pod.

Analysis: this stupendously huge Rex sculpt is still very impressive. It towers over human figures, and dwarfs most other dinosaurs of this toy line (except for its mate, the Thrasher T-Rex). Its ability to “eat” figures makes it the undisputed Chaos King of Dinosaurs. The standard Rex act of eating stuff is carried on in this repaint with its gulp-down-prey feature. Almost all human figures of the various Kenner toy lines fit through its mouth. The same goes for a lot of the smaller dinosaur figures, though not the new Chaos Effect sculpts with their abundance of protrusions. The figures can be retrieved through the slit in its belly. It’s a bit of a shame this slit can’t be closed, since now this Rex basically walks around with a huge hole in its belly. However, it’s designed pretty tightly, so it’s not noticeable in an overly annoying way. It might as well be a black stripe running across its stomach.

The Rex has three different electronic sounds at its disposal. The button is hidden under the skin on its back, but is easy to press. This Rex roars, growls and makes chomping noises (like it’s chewing on metal, which in the case of the survival pod is true). The roar and growl are somewhat similar, adding consistency. One thing that is a bit of a nuisance: the battery holder of this animal is located right under the back, and is only accessible through the slit in its belly. However, it’s not easy to reach, making it real difficult to replace the batteries. It may be the quality of my Bull T-Rex, but the sounds on my Omega are very loud and imposing, as if their quality has been enhanced somehow.

The paint job this T-Rex features is very odd, and on first sight, quite ugly (though one gets used to it over time). Black and blue don’t really mix with bright orange (and I do mean bright, as in colour blindness causing bright). It’s a real shame the claws on the arms and especially the legs aren’t painted in different colours. The paint job of the head is quite good though, the pink mixes well with the black. The pink spot on the back indicating where the button can be pushed may serve a useful function, but it does look very out of place. The paint job may not be very appealing, but that’s largely the Chaos Effect way. Another thing which makes this otherwise great sculpt look a bit funny is the disproportionably big head. Granted, this was done to accommodate the swallowing, but it would have been preferable to make the Rex’s body even bigger by comparison. Though it’s quite large already, so it would probably get too big to play with then.

The survival pod looks a bit like a coffin, which isn’t far off, since it fits perfectly through the Rex’s mouth, most likely killing the poor soul trapped inside. However, the “wings” on the back create a method of rescue, since the Rex can’t swallow the pod when these are folded out. The pod can be opened, but sadly the figure inside can’t be removed, so you can’t put other figures in. 

 

Playability: disappointing, unfortunately. The only poseable parts of this Rex are its arms. It also doesn’t stand in a neutral pose, which combined with its size makes it hard to handle, especially for kids. Though the eating option is a great and imaginative action feature, it’s probably the only additional playability option. It’s a good thing this Rex comes with no less than three different sounds and a survival pod as extra accessory, stimulating overall possibilities. However, it would have been cooler if the figure in the survival pod could be taken out, so that other figures could take its place. Another negative point: once taken out of its box, the legs of this figure have a habit of slowly shifting inwards, making it hard for this figure to stand up straight (though its enormous feet are helpful in that matter). Since this Rex is electronic, you can’t go around playing too rough with it if you want to keep it in working order. Basically, it comes down to this: for playability, get the Thrasher T-Rex; for sheer impressiveness, sounds and eating figures, get this Omega T-Rex.

Realism: this figure is recognizable as a Tyrannosaurus, mostly because of the two fingered claws and the fact it’s a huge bipedal predator. However, the disproportionate head and feet make it a bit unrealistic. Of course, for a Chaos Effect creature realism isn’t a priority, which also explains the… unusual colour scheme. Still, this creature can eat figures, just like the Rexes in the JP movies did on a regular basis. Additionally, the sounds (particularly the roar), are more or less movie accurate.

Repaint: yes. This Rex is a repaint of the TLWS1 Bull T-Rex (including the survival pod), which in itself was a repaint of the unreleased JPS2 Gulper T-Rex. It has not been repainted again.

Overall rating: 7/10. Okay, so it’s not really original, lacks playability and has a very dubious paint job to say the least. It’s still a great and awe inspiring sculpt, with good sounds and a fun action feature, making it a must have for any serious JP collector and a good alternative for people lacking a Bull Rex. It’s one of the rarest Chaos Effect figures though and not very easy to find. Ebay is usually your best bet, though not at low cost. Also, because of the size of this monster, shipping costs tend to be high.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Thrasher T-Rex

Year of release: 1998

Description: being one of the largest dinosaur figures of all toy lines (though not as stupendously huge as the other big Rex of this line, the Omega T-Rex) this toy measures a good 50 centimetres in length. It stands in a totally neutral pose, though its tail may be bent somewhat due to the way this figure is packaged in its box. Like the good old large JPS1/2 dinosaur figures, this animal has soft skin, giving it a more realistic feel (at least, insofar as there is realism to the Chaos Effect line). This dinosaur has two different attack options. First, a thrashing action: moving the tail left and right makes the head move in the same directions. Second, a biting action: when the mouth is opened wide, pressing the tongue makes the jaws close in a snapping way, as if biting down on an unfortunate victim.

The Chaos Effect Thrasher T-Rex has a very intricate and colourful paint job, even more so that some of the outrageous schemes seen on other dinosaur figures of this toy line. “Chaos” not withstanding, this paint job is actually largely symmetrical. The underside of this monster (lower jaw, throat, belly, lower part of the tail, inner part of both upper legs), as well as the very upper part of the legs, is bright green, which gradually shifts into bright yellow, which is found on the rest of the legs, the arms, the middle part of the tail, the flanks and the sides of the neck, and also on its head near the eyes. The upper parts of this animal (most of the upper jaw, the neck, back, and upper part of the tail) is black, while various black stripes run out of it, mostly in edgy triangular patterns, most notably on the neck and tail. Additionally, a large black stripe runs from the lower jaw via the throat and flanks all the way to the end of the tail, on both sides of the creature. A trio of black stripes is found on both upper legs. As if the combination of black, yellow and green wasn't striking enough, the dinosaur was adorned with a row of blue spots running from the back of the head (and including the eye sockets) over the neck and back to the end of the tail. Like the black stripes, these spots too are much too neatly and edgily shaped, giving them an unnatural design. Furthermore, the head sports a big red stripe running from the snout to half way across the neck, while various spots, most of them small and triangularly shaped, are found on the sides of the upper jaw. The insides of the mouth and coloured pink, with white teeth, and most notably a big purple tongue. The creature’s eyes are yellow with cat like black pupils, while the beast has black claws on both hands and feet (including the small claws at the back of the feet, which are usually not painted). On its right upper leg, a big blue JP Chaos Effect logo is found (the regular JP logo with a stylized DNA string symbol under it), with the number .29 next to it.

Analysis: 'you can't keep a good Rex down', is undoubtedly the thought that went through the minds of the designers of the Chaos Effect line. Therefore, both of the big and awesome TLWS1 T-Rexes got a makeover for this new toy line, though it mostly consisted of a new paint job to match the style of the new sculpts made for this line. In the case of the Bull T-Rex, the new paint job wasn't very appealing, not to mention hideous because of the outrageous colour scheme, which consisted mostly of bright orange causing instantaneous colour-blindness. The Thrasher T-Rex also got a very colourful new paint job, which is elaborate and daring to say the least, but not actually all that bad. The combination of black and yellow clearly signals the danger behind this brute carnivore with its genetically enhanced predatory senses, like an overly large wasp. The green on the underside is of lesser quality, but hidden well enough under the black and yellow to not be a hugely disturbing factor. The red ornamentation on the head works well, giving this creature a sort of 'blood-lust' feel, though the blue spots are a bit overkill, but not really annoying. Fortunately the claws of this Rex are painted, unlike those of the Omega Rex: it's good to see they didn't forget the small claws on the back of the feet this time. The only thing about this figure's paint job which is really too bizarre is its purple tongue, which looks just goofy.

Aside from the paint job, nothing has changed about this T-Rex sculpt. It still comes with two sweet action features, the first being the thrashing action, which of course gave this figure it’s nickname ‘Thrasher’. Gripping the tail and moving it back and right makes the upper body, particularly the head, move as well, as if the animal is violently shaking its ferocious body about.

The second action feature concerns the head. Opening the mouth while pressing the back of the head causes a spring to be set and the tongue to raise itself somewhat. The mouth is now opened wider, making the monster look pretty butch (mostly because of the great design of the head and even the inner part of the mouth). Pressing the tongue makes the jaws close with a snap. The general idea is the Rex can clamp figures between its jaws and bite them. Even though there’s not that much room between the jaws, it fits most human figures, as well as parts of smaller dinosaur figures (like tails or limbs).

Apart from these two fun action options, this Rex also has other positive aspects which remain intact on this repaint. Most of its skin, except for the arms and legs, is composed of a soft and flexible material, giving the creature a more realistic feeling skin. This is the only dinosaur sculpt in the Chaos Effect line that can boast this particular feature, bringing up fond memories of the large dinosaurs in the original JP lines which also featured skin like this. Another positive attribute is the poseability of the legs, which is something Kenner usually ignored on big sculpts like this, but gives this creature extra playability.

Despite this being a brilliant sculpt, it too has some minor problems. First of all, due to the material of which the skin is made, this figure is more susceptible to paint wear (even more so that the TLWS1 Thrasher T-Rex), which is a real shame because damage to the paint job is all too easily noticed on a colourful figure like this. So even though it’s supposed to be a more playable Rex, you better keep this in mind if you want to go tough on it. Second, the Rex is often out of balance: the front part of the creature is just too heavy and the tail isn’t enough to keep it standing up straight. It usually falls over, unless supported by something or standing up with its head high in the air. These downsides are a shame, but not enough to spoil the great fun this fantastic dinosaur delivers.

Playability: quite high, especially for a large Rex. This big sculpt doesn’t have poseable arms only, but legs as well, despite the softer material used for the skin of the creature (the legs are made out of hard plastic instead). Additionally, the neutral position, the biting feature and the thrashing action provide for more options, making this Rex undoubtedly the most playable large figure around. However, it's quite sensitive to paint wear. Also, both the thrashing and biting action get damaged quite easily sometimes (this tends to vary), so even though this toy is designed for rougher play, it still has its limits in this regard.

Realism: it's a Chaos Effect figure, so it surely isn't the most realistic figure around. Though the overall shape and size of this Rex are quite close to the real deal, as well as the look of the Rexes seen in the movies, the paint job is totally absurd. A paint scheme like this would surely make it stand out in a natural environment, making it easy to spot for its prey, and thus harder for the Rex itself to catch its prey, even with genetically enhanced senses. However, this colour scheme fits right into the rest of the Chaos Effect line, where realism is replaced by... well, chaos.

Repaint: yes. This is a repaint of the TLWS1 Thrasher T-Rex figure. It does not come with the capture gear that came with that particular figure though (since it doesn't come with any capture gear at all). This sculpt would not be repainted again.

Overall rating: 8/10. Still one of the best Tyrannosaurus sculpts ever made, this Chaos Effect Rex doesn't suffer much from its colourful new paint job. It's nothing like the original paint job, nor is it realistic, but it's nowhere near bad, it's just different. This Rex is well worth getting, but it's quite rare and usually fetches high prices, both loose and MIB. If you can find it for a decent price (or if you can afford spending a lot of cash on it) be sure to get it for yourself, but otherwise you might want to stick to the TLWS1 Thrasher T-Rex (which also isn't that easy to get, not because it's rare, but because it's popular).

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Trike Dozer

Year of release: 1998

Accessories:

-detachable lights section

-rotating capture crane pole with noose

-giant grappling claw

Description: this medium sized vehicle sports a total of four huge black wheels (like airplane size) between a bright green “platform”, which is enriched with protrusions and detailing to make it seem more elaborate and technical than it actually is. In the middle of the space between the wheels, there’s a white cockpit capable of holding one figure (including foot space, which may not fit all figures though). The inside of this cockpit, including the driver’s seat, is coloured in the same green as most of the vehicle. On top of the cockpit there’s a black framework with grids on each side and on the topside, to protect the human inside from any potential dinosaur attacks. At the back end of this “roof section”, there’s another black frame which supports a large lights section on the top of the vehicle. It consists of a network of a total of 18 round lamps supported by a frame, and two rectangular lights on top; the entire lights section is made of a transparent orange plastic.

On both the front part and the back part of the Trike Dozer an arm is attached, each with a different function. The one on the front is the vehicle’s main weapon and defence: it’s labelled a ‘giant grappling claw’. A green arm, held together by grey highlights including a button at the end which makes the whole contraption rotatable in a full circle, sticks out of the front, ending in a white “hand” with two grey “fingers” sticking out on either side. Pushing the red button in the middle of the white part, or better yet have a dinosaur figure push it, makes the “fingers” snap towards each other with force, closing the claw and trapping any creature unfortunate enough to get caught between it. The green arm on the back end of the vehicle is actually a crane, standing on a small green pole which is also rotatable 360 degrees. On first glance the crane is only about ten centimetres in length, but two smaller parts can be pulled out of it, making the total length about 30 centimetres. In this way it’s adjustable to various heights, making it easier to lift things over obstacles and keep them at safe enough distance from humans. At the end of the crane there’s a black hook, which holds a light green strip. This strip has holes on either side, making it form a noose when both ends are attached to the hook (adjusting to various sizes of whatever it needs to carry). In this way it’s easier to move dinosaurs around.

Analysis: this is an okay vehicle, but nothing special compared to most of Kenner’s earlier vehicles. However, it is more original qua design since it differs a lot from most other vehicles. The grappling claw is a new action feature and the bulldozer like look of the Trike Dozer also makes it stand out. The same goes for the odd combination of colours this truck sports, consisting of green, white and grey. It’s not the most appealing colour scheme, but certainly restrained by Chaos Effect standards.

The grappling claw is an interesting new option and makes for a very powerful weapon. It’s easy to picture: a dangerous hybrid monster prowls about, the Trike Dozer thunders out of the bushes and rams the monster, thus springing the claw’s mechanism and trapping the beast. In come the humans with their guns and stun sticks (or whatever they use to kill or sedate the animal), after which the crane arm lifts it up and transports it to its enclosure, or grave. It may seem a bit silly, such a weird arm sticking out of the vehicle, but it’s certainly a handy tool. Does it work though? For the most part. When the button is pushed the claw closes with force. However, because the “fingers” aren’t that big, it’s easy for dinosaur figures to slip away. It’s also not strong enough to lift larger dinosaurs off the ground. So the humans better sedate any animal the vehicle catches quickly, before it breaks loose…

The crane is a fine addition to this set, though less original. It’s basically the same thing we saw on the Mobile Command Center (of both this toy line and TLWS1), being both fully rotatable and extendable. However, the MCC used a small claw to carry its loads, while the Trike Dozer uses a noose. In both cases it doesn’t work all that well, since here too any creatures being transported easily slip loose. Still, the rotation and extension parts of the Trike Dozers’ crane work well, though the mechanism which is used to left the crane to various heights isn’t smooth to operate.

Overall, this is a fun addition to the toy line and Kenner’s range of vehicles, though not all of it’s action features work as well as one would hope. The vehicle’s look is decent enough, particularly the funky lights on top, but not overly appealing. 

 

Playability: adequate. The trapping arm mechanism works fine, though it’s only useful for smaller dinosaur figures, which slip through its grasp easily enough unfortunately. The same goes for the noose which can hold a dinosaur while it’s being moved around by the crane. The crane itself, being both rotatable and extendable (though neither very smoothly) works fine. Though it’s not specified as such, the removable lights can be called dino damage, adding to the range of playability options. The fact there’s room for only one figure takes something away though.

Realism: as a rather odd, almost over the top, dinosaur catching instrument this vehicle fits in perfectly with the rest of the bizarreness which makes up the Chaos Effect toy line. Its colours aren’t even all that extravagant, unlike most of the dinosaurs. Needless to say the Trike Dozer was never featured in any of the JP movies. However, as a maintenance bulldozer unit this vehicle doesn’t seem all that out of place with non Chaos Effect figures. It’s not hard to imagine this vehicle riding around the Command Compound closing fences and moving dinosaurs about.

Repaint: no. This vehicle was designed specifically for this toy line, and as such, it would not be repainted for any following lines either.

Overall rating: 6/10. It’s an adequate addition to the range of JP vehicles, but doesn’t offer anything really noteworthy. The colour scheme and action features aren’t remarkable, despite the strong grappling claw, but it’s still a welcome change from the usual variety of ‘track & trap’ jeeps seen in the previous toy lines. It’s one of the more common items in the Chaos Effect line, and shouldn’t prove all that hard to find, though in areas where this toy line wasn’t released it’s usually somewhat harder to get your hands on.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Velocirapteryx

Year of release: 1998

Description: this larger Chaos Effect monster assumes a largely neutral posture, with its thin arms stretched forward showing off it’s fearsome claws. Thin and slender is the trend with this figure: it has a small and skinny body, clearly showing muscles. It also features long and slender arms and legs, large thin claws on both hands and legs, an elongated snout with large jaws armed with many sharp teeth, and a long tail which ends in a club like “tail wing”. Most noticeably it features a very long third finger on each arm, adorned with feather like protrusions, giving the impression this animal sports wings (though it’s very improbable the creature would be able to fly with these). The figure also has similar feathers sticking out of the back of its head and on its back, and on the tail club.

Velocirapteryx sports a very modest paint job by Chaos Effect standards. It’s mostly beige, with the exception of a thick red stripe running from the tip of the nose all the way over the back to the very end of the tail. This stripe is accompanied by three thin black lines, one on each side of the red stripe, and one running exactly over its centre. The area around the eyes is also black, the small eyes themselves being red with minuscule black irises. The claws on the arms and legs and black as well, including the ones on the third finger holding the “wings”. The feathers are all light pink with black tips. Velocirapteryx has white teeth and a long red tongue. This beast is marked by a black JP Chaos Effect logo along with the number .53 on its upper right leg.

Velocirapteryx is equipped with thrashing wings and snapping fangs! Or so says the box. Pulling its right leg back makes the arms move up and the head down, as if clawing and biting at an opponent. The jaws however don’t snap since the jaws aren’t poseable. Interestingly enough, this figure produces three different sounds instead of one like the Paradeinonychus. The sounds are combinations of screeches and shrieks and are hard to describe beyond that.

Analysis: Velocirapteryx may be the best new sculpt of the Chaos Effect toy line, though it too has some downsides. The design is plain brilliant and makes for an eerie, unpleasant critter, no doubt a deadly carnivore you don’t want to mess with, especially when noticing the huge claws. Its whitish colour and skinny appearance give it a skeletal look, as if it’s not only deadly but also a messenger of death. The paint job isn’t detailed or overly bizarre but still effective and different enough.

Velocirapteryx comes with a neat attack action feature, combining large claws moving up to strike anything unfortunate enough to get in the way with a nasty head butt as if the monster moves its terrible jaws down on potential prey. Such an attack certainly knocks most human and smaller dinosaur figures over, as well as being a fun way to attack larger beasts. It may not be totally original, but it’s effective and imposing enough. The sounds the creature produces are quite cool, especially because there are three instead of only one, adding some diversity. The shrieks and screeches fit with the attack action, though they’re higher pitched than one would expect from such a large beast, but the rattling purr is less appealing in combination with its strike features. It doesn’t hurt the overall action of this figure though.

Though it’s a great sculpt, there are a few minor issues which could have been done better. The Velocirapteryx occasionally has trouble standing because of the system interconnecting the attack action with the right leg. Maybe a button, or another way to activate the attacks (like pulling the tail in the Paradeinonychus’ case) might have helped. Also, it’s a shame the upper feathers on the wings are attached to the arms. It helps the wings be less fragile, but it looks a bit silly. Other than that, this creature is kick-ass.

Playability: decent, though with downsides. All limbs are poseable, but since the right leg and both arms are part of the attack system their poseability is interconnected, meaning they all move when you move one of them. The same goes for the head movement. Also, the size of the “wings” and the way they’re held closely to the body hinder playability to some extent. Unfortunately the Rapteryx’s mouth can’t be closed, some snapping jaw movement would have been a welcome addition. Still, the creature’s neutral pose helps overall playability and the attack option works fine and looks bitchin’. Keep in mind this is an electronic figure, so if you want to keep it intact you should not go around doing wild things with it.

Realism: once again the designers had a ball with this monster, no matter the realism of the beast. However, compared to the other new sculpts of this toy line, Velocirapteryx is probably the most likely and plausible animal of the bunch. It doesn’t look much unlike the looks attributed to many small agile bird like hunters, with its slender body, wing like arms and feathery protrusions. However, considering the wild and bizarre paint jobs of the other Chaos Effect creatures, Velocirapteryx’s colour scheme is very bland by comparison. Looking at the diverse and colourful patterns of birds and their early ancestors (or what scientists think they looked like) this creature sports rather dull colouring. Another thing, given the creature’s origins, it’s unlikely a Velociraptor/Archaeopteryx hybrid would turn out a 15 feet, 1.5 ton, hulk of a beast. Let’s call it the “Godzilla effect”: mutations make any small animal turn out a towering behemoth, never mind reality. It also seems unlikely a creature of this size endowed with such small wings would feature ‘flight capability’ as the behavioural description on the back of the box boasts.

Repaint: no. This figure was specifically designed for and remains unique to the Chaos Effect line.

Overall rating: 8/10. Even though the Rapteryx’s paint job is somewhat dull, it’s at least not as absurd as the other Chaos Effect beasties. That, combined with a great design and a neat attack option make this figure one of the most interesting additions to the realm of JP toys. It’s on the rare side, though not impossible to find. You may have too look for it some time and it may not be the cheapest creature, but it’s definitely worth a try.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Paradeinonychus

Year of release: 1998

Description: this medium sized electronic figure stands in a largely neutral posture, with its right leg slightly posed backwards. It features a rather small muscular body with a pair of huge legs sticking out, ending in stupendously large feet. It also has thin slender arms with long fingers. Its head is about half the size of its body and carries a distinctive short crest and a somewhat duck like mouth with large nostrils above. On either feet a toe stands upright, sporting a large sickle shaped claw. Its tail is quite short, mostly due to the fact that it’s incomplete. Part of it has been bitten off, so the tail ends in a dino damage wound, revealing red blood. The tail is also the basis of the attack option this creature is equipped with. Pulling it makes the arms move up as if clawing at prey, while the mouth opens, showing a large dark pink tongue and white teeth. Additionally, twisting the tail around makes the neck (and thus the head) do likewise. When the tail is pulled back, a gnarly attack scream, reminiscent of both dogs and birds, is heard.

Triangles seem to be the fashion in this creature’s case. Triangular shapes can be found in various body parts, including the claws, hands and head. Most obviously it is seen in the paint job. The beast’s primary colour is bright yellow, which is found on the entire underside of the figure (arms, legs, belly, flanks, tail, lower jaw/lower part of the upper jaw, throat, feet). A large purple spot runs from the neck all the way over the back to the end of the tail (at least, the end as it is now because of the wound), with a total of 12 triangular broad stripes running from this spot over the flanks, tail, neck and legs on either side of the body. The purple spot is entirely surrounded by a thin black line, which ends right above the wound on the tail and starts at the back of the head. The head itself is mostly black but for a few stretches of yellow and one blue spot (again triangular) around each orange eye, and a third on the underside of the crest. Two black spots can be found on either flank and both upper legs. The claws on both hands and feet are also black. A blue JP Chaos Effect logo is located on the left upper leg, with the number .54 alongside it.

This figure does not come with any accessories.

Analysis: this figure is not at all bad, but has several minor problems which make it less of a success. Aside from that, the paint job is just plain ugly. There’s an abundance of yellow and combined with triangular purple colouring this makes for an abominable colour scheme. The head, sporting a somewhat darker and grittier paint job, is more appealing.

The design of this monster is fifty-fifty. The bizarre carnivorous duck billed dinosaur’s head and the long slender arms and skinny body are quite effective in establishing this creature being a hybrid of herbivorous and carnivorous DNA, but the overly large legs and feet (which also make the figure rather heavy), in combination with the colourful paint scheme, make it look somewhat silly. Also, the dino damage on the tail is inventive, but it’s a shame it can’t be covered up (foreshadowing Hasbro’s reign of terror on the dino damage wound front).

The attack option is quite diverse, causing motion in the arms, mouth and even neck while producing eerie and aggressive screams. It’s interesting to see an action feature work on various levels like this, but it also has a downside in this figure’s case. The arms can only be posed in a limited range of positions. When they’re moved too far upwards, they hit the mouth when the tail is pulled, making it look like the Paradeinonychus is making funny faces to people. When the arms are moved downwards, it looks like they make swimming motions (which isn’t too unlikely considering the webbed fingers it features, as if it’s an aquatic animal). The most appealing way to position the arms for me is to keep one arm lifted up and the other one down. Twisting the head then makes the upward claw barely miss the mouth.

All in all, this figure suffers from several small design flaws, next to the horrific paint job of course. It could have been better, but now it’s at least adequate.

Playability: quite good. Paradeinonychus has poseable arms and legs. The arms are part of the attack option so they can only be positioned in a limited range of postures. The mouth, also part of the action feature, can be opened though it snaps right back. The neck can be twisted around by pulling the tail, adding additional poseability. The dino damage on the tail can’t be covered up unfortunately, but it’s not a huge nuisance. Keep in mind this is an electronic figure, so don’t play too rough with it if you want the neat sounds and attack options to stay in working order.

Realism: another dinosaur specifically made up for this particular toy line, it obviously never existed for real. Its design clearly betrays the origins of its DNA mixture, showing features of both the large herbivorous Parasaurolophus and the smaller agile predator Deinonychus. The animal’s size, and particularly the crest on its head reveal the Parasaurolophus part of this hybrid, while the slender body, thin arms, aggressive look and large claws (especially the sickle shaped ones on the feet) make it very clear there’s some small pack hunting predator involved. In the latter case the features don’t solely point to Deinonychus, since they apply to a range of smaller carnivores, including various Dromaeosaurids like the infamous Velociraptor. Still, it’s obvious this creature combines features of a large herbivore and a small and agile carnivore.

Repaint: no. Being an original sculpt made for this toy line, it would not be repainted for following toy lines either.

Overall rating: 7/10. It’s a good new sculpt, but it suffers from minor downsides, including attack action problems, overly cumbersome legs and a horrible paint job. Still, the funky sounds, fine playability and diverse attack options make this figure good enough. It’s not always easy to find, especially in areas where it wasn’t released, but can be found fairly easily on eBay.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Air S.A.B.R.E.

Year of release: 1998

Accessories:

-Rocket Launcher with rocket

-Exclusive Dieter Stark figure

Description: this small aerial vehicle basically consists of a flying cockpit with overly big landing feet and rather short heli-blades. The bulk of the chopper is coloured dark green, while the remaining parts (blades, landing feet, windshield, rocket and lights) are all black. On the vehicle's underside there is a small rocket launcher which comes with a single rocket. The tail section of this helicopter ends in a rather big joystick like appendage which sports a large grey button: pushing this button launches the rocket. The cockpit, which sports an all black interior and has little detail by itself, holds a single figure: the windshield section (no windows, so the cockpit is partially exposed to the elements) can be opened so the figure can get in. Right above the cockpit the chopper blades are found (two, not four like the JPS1 Capture Copter had): giving them a push makes them spin around in a decent fashion. On the front part of the cockpit a set of lights sticks out of either side, while a smaller contraption, presumably also a light, is located on the very nose of the chopper; this piece can be tilted up and down in about a 120 degree radius, but this serves no particular purpose. The Air S.A.B.R.E. is equipped with huge landing gear which is attached to the vehicle at the bottom part of the cockpit. Large protrusions stick out of this gear in a rectangular shape, with teeth like serrations at the edges, so the landing gear can hook on to vicious dinosaurs to take them out. This vehicle comes with various stickers for decoration, most notably some with the familiar black and yellow striped pattern carrying the texts 'caution' and 'step', as well as stickers with the InGen and Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect logos on them. There's also a sticker carrying a serial number for this vehicle (G961TJ-12) and two stickers saying 'warning!missile'.

The Air S.A.B.R.E. comes with an exclusive Dieter Stark figure. He looks rather thin, with overly long legs and a rather small head by comparison. He has black eyes and eye brows, white hair in a rather 'flat' hair style and shows an evil grinning expression on his face, exposing his teeth. He's also quite muscular and has both lower arms raised upwards as if holding something, clearly showing off his biceps. He wears a tight beige suit with red highlights around the torso and sides of the legs. He sports big black boots and gloves of the same colour, while carrying orange elbow patches on both arms and a big orange shoulder patch over his right shoulder. Additionally, he sports a red utility belt around his waist and black knee patches on both legs, as well as beige gun holsters on the sides of both upper legs and a console like communication device (if that's what it is) on his left upper leg. Most of these attributes are strapped around his legs with black straps. He also carries three more black wires on his chest though it's unclear what they're intended for. Dieter has some slight tears on his suit, closed with stitches.

Analysis: out of the few helicopters of the various JP toy lines, this is definitely the least appealing chopper. It looks rather odd, more like something out of G.I. Joe than from Jurassic Park. It has a sombre paint job, with a rather military style to it thanks to the dark green colouring. It's not the most successful paint job, but it suffices. The paint job isn't the problem though, it's mostly the design of this chopper. It just looks silly, with the big appendage on the tail and the annoying little lights sticking out on the sides which keep getting in the way of the action, not to mention the huge landing feet it carries around. This chopper could have used a slicker and tougher design to make it look more appealing.

Also, there's the lack of action features on this vehicle. The package boasts a 'heli-blade' action but what's actually meant by that is left vague. You can swivel the blades around, but if that's all, it's one hell of a lousy, cheap action feature. The blades are pretty short and have little impact force when something gets in their path. A similar problem comes with the rocket launcher, which by itself is a rather overused and predictable feature, especially on aerial vehicles. Though the joystick mechanism is pretty neat and not only makes the chopper easy to hold but also delivers an efficient firing mechanism, the range and impact force of the rocket itself leave much to be desired. The rocket can be fired over little more than half a metre, and isn't strong enough to knock over most figures, except the really small ones (like hatchlings) which are not the easiest targets to hit. The landing feet may look odd, but at least they can grab on to various smaller or medium sized dinosaur figures, and can even transport them (though for a light weight vehicle like this most figures are already on the heavy side). It's not sure whether this is their actual purpose, since no mention is made of it on the vehicle's box, but the picture on the front of the box, showing this helicopter grabbing a Velocirapteryx with its landing gear, hints at this particular function. The landing gear and the adequate paint job are basically the Air S.A.B.R.E.'s only redeeming features.

The same can't be said for the hideous Dieter Stark figure that completes this set, and has got to be one of the ugliest JP figures ever produced. It has a totally ridiculous outfit (though not unusual by Chaos Effects standards), being overly elaborate with all kinds of superficial detailing and an awkward colour scheme, and sports a bizarre head sculpt, with a silly hair style and stupid facial expression (for a JP figure at least). This human figure looks more like some anime cartoon figure than being recognizable as a Jurassic Park character. Also, its head and legs are out of proportion with the rest of its body, which also doesn't help. This is definitely one of the worst JP human figures around and makes the Air S.A.B.R.E. set even more of a failure.

Playability: half decent. The Dieter Stark figure has the usual range of poseable body parts, head, arms and legs only (though the way he holds his arms doesn't help playability). The chopper is equipped with a disappointing rocket launcher but at least comes with extra options in its landing gear (though because of the size of the feet this could also hinder playability because it might get in the way of the action). The joystick style of its tail section may look odd, but it does make this vehicle easy to hold. The Air S.A.B.R.E. only comes with a single missile so if it gets lost there's no back-up, but because of its small firing range the chances of it being lost are reduced to some extent.

Realism: realism isn't something to look for in the Chaos Effect line and the Air S.A.B.R.E. forms no exception on this rule. In fact the Dieter Stark figure is one of the least realistic and most cartoonish figures of them all. He also doesn't resemble the Dieter Stark character from the Lost World movie in any way, not to mention Dieter got mauled by Compies in that film so he shouldn't even be alive at all. Compared to the other Chaos Effect figures this chopper isn't actually all that deterring. It at least sports a moderate paint job without flashy bright colours. However, the overall shape and size, even for a single manned type of aircraft, is quite unlikely.

Repaint: no. This vehicle was designed specifically for the Chaos Effect toy line, and would not be repainted for any later lines.

Overall rating: 4/10. The chopper itself is of little interest though there are some good qualities to it, but it's the ridiculous Dieter Stark figure which really makes this set a largely unappealing addition to any JP toy collection. Though it didn't get a worldwide release, the Air S.A.B.R.E. isn't a rare set and can often be found for rather low prices, even MIB, mostly because it isn't particularly sought after, unsurprisingly.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Land S.A.B.R.E.

Year of release: 1998

Accessories:

-Dino Grappling Arms

-Exclusive Eddie Carr figure

Description: this small four wheeled vehicle basically consists of a single cockpit on wheels equipped with two big arms on top for catching dinosaurs. The vehicle sports an overall white paint job, adorned with various blue and silver highlights (also on the arms). Its wheels are coloured dark grey while the driver's seat is black with a black handle on each side for the driver to hold on to. It features no glass or other protective layer over the driver's seat, so the driver is exposed to the elements. On top of the driver's seat there is a big metallic grey device, ending in two handles at the back so you can activate the big white grappling arms it has on the front side. These arms end in big 'hands', which can clasp a dinosaur between them real tight. The arms can move both up and down and side to side, though in neither case in more than an 80 degree radius. The Land S.A.B.R.E. Comes with various stickers as detailing, mostly smaller ones showing mechanical stuff or symbols, as well as two with the JP Chaos Effect logo on it, and two carrying the text 'no step' for on the arms.

This vehicle comes with an exclusive Eddie Carr figure, standing in a fully neutral posture. He wears a yellow jumpsuit, including helmet. The suit is covered in a black vest on his torso and he also sports a black belt around his waist, grey gloves with black armbands, grey knee patches and black boots. He carries some light green highlights and has a big blue console patch on his left upper leg. On his back he carries some sort of breathing apparatus over the black vest. His helmet, which is black on the inside, has no protective surface over the facial area, so his face is exposed. Eddie perfectly fits in the Land S.A.B.R.E.'s driver's seat, with his hands on the steering handles and his head just between the grappling arms.

Analysis: it's not only the dinosaurs of the Chaos Effect line that are overly wacky, the vehicles of this line follow the same oddball design schemes which makes them fit in perfectly in this line, but not so much in Kenner's other JP lines. This Land S.A.B.R.E. is undoubtedly the weirdest vehicle of the three that were released for the Chaos Effect line, and also the least appealing of the bunch. For starters, it has a rather bland paint job, making it look like something from a cheap science fiction movie. Another nuisance is the fact that there's only a few Kenner figures that really fit in the driver's seat. It's obvious this vehicle was designed specifically for the Eddie Carr figure that comes with it, so most other figures are incompatible. This Eddie isn't a very interesting human figure, and though it's supposed to be Eddie Carr, there's nothing on him that even remotely hints at the character of the same name in the Lost World movie (but he makes a decent Chaos Effect style nameless Park Ranger). Eddie wears the typical colourful outfit for a Chaos Effect figure, though it's not as far-fetched as the gear the Roland Tembo or Dieter Stark figures of this toy line carry. At least it looks like a decent protective suit, which is exactly what he needs given the lack of protection he gets from his poorly designed vehicle (though why his face is so blatantly exposed for dinosaurs to slash open is beyond me).

The Land S.A.B.R.E.'s only means of defence are the grappling arms, which fortunately do a good job of grabbing and holding dinosaurs. They can open wide enough to catch most dinosaur figures between the arms and they close tightly enough, but the 'hands' are too smoothly surfaced so especially smaller creatures easily slip out between them. The arms surely aren't shut strong enough to be able to lift dinosaurs in the air. All they can do is hold a dinosaur when it keeps standing still. And even if they were powerful enough to restrain prey that fights back, what then? This vehicle isn't equipped with something like a tranq missile launcher to fully subdue them and make sure they don't claw at the driver in his unprotected seat. A cockpit window or something like that would sure have come in handy for poor Eddie, since now he's just an easy prey for hungry critters. In cooperation with another vehicle or a set of weaponry carrying equipment that can really knock a dinosaur out this vehicle might do the trick, but it definitely doesn't on its own.

Playability: not all too good. Eddie has the typical poseable body parts, namely head, arms and legs. Even though the grappling arms still aren't up to battling dinosaurs, these are one of the better functioning sets of grappling arms we've seen on JP toys. At least they can also grab bigger dinosaurs, and they have a rather tight grip, while neither can be said for the bigger Trike Dozer vehicle of this toy line. Though the vehicle's wheels are a decent sort and the Land S.A.B.R.E. rides a fair distance when given a push, more flexible all-terrain wheels (like those of the JPS2 Jungle Runner) would be more suited for a small land based vehicle like this.

Realism: this is not the most applicable term on any Chaos Effect set, and the same goes for this vehicle. The Land S.A.B.R.E. is definitely one of the more bizarre and less likely JP vehicles, as well as poorly designed, leaving the driver open for attack by vicious mutated monsters. Though big grappling arms for grabbing dinosaurs aren't such a bad idea, they don't beat a good old rocket or net launcher, especially since you can' t fully subdue beasties with just these arms. The Eddie Carr figure looks nothing like the Eddie seen in the TLW movie, though the jump suit which covers all of him also has a hand in this. Only his face is revealed, and that at least isn't reminiscent to Eddie Carr. More importantly, Eddie Carr died in the Lost World movie, so what's he doing being alive here anyway?

Repaint: no. This vehicle was designed specifically for the Chaos Effect toy line, and would not be repainted for any later lines.

Overall rating: 4/10. A rather lousy vehicle, with a human figure that's of little appeal. Though the grappling arms aren't a total failure, they're not enough to make this a successful vehicle. This is one of the more common Chaos Effect sets, so if you feel the need to get one you can probably find it for a pretty low price, especially because it's – unsurprisingly – not highly sought after. However, it also doesn't come recommended, so you might want to skip this one entirely in favour of better designed vehicles.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Ankyloranodon

Year of release: 1998

Description: bearing features of both the flying Pteranodon and the armoured Ankylosaurus, Ankyloranodon has a muscular small body with a pair of large wings and two legs featuring sharp claws. Its head is about the size of its body and looks very spiky due to the long curled crest sticking out the back of its head and the hook at the end of its beak. Its also has bumps on the side of the lower jaws. The wings sport a sort of bat pattern, consisting of muscular arms with long fingers sticking out which hold the skin forming the wings. Each wing also carries a sharp hook. This beast has a flexible tail that ends in a large solid club adorned with spikes. The tail section forms the basis of the attack action this animal is equipped with. On the middle of its back, right above the legs, a large green lever disguised as a spike sticks out. Pulling this lever makes the tail curl downward so the creature violently smashes its tail around to inflict damage. This monster’s back is covered in armour, running from the back of the head to the end of the tail. The armour carries spikes (though not very sharp ones), including two rows of black spikes on its back.

Ankyloranodon sports a mixture of purple and green colours. Most of the lower parts of the animal (legs, belly, throat, lower jaw, underside of the wings) is coloured bright green, as are the hook on the figure’s beak and the large crest on the back of the head. Also, the arms and fingers of the wings are painted this same colour. The upper parts of the creature’s body (the armour on its back and neck, as well as most of the upper jaw) are painted purple, with some purple spots adorning the lower jaw. The skin that forms the largest part of the wings is also purple, but strangely enough only on the top side. The figure’s tail is entirely coloured purple, but of a lighter shade (it’s also made of a softer material so as to enhance the flexibility needed for the tail smashing action). The club is mostly red, but for some black lines and stripes running between the spikes and bumps it’s composed of. Black can also be found covering parts of the head, mostly around the eyes, which are bright orange (no pupils), and around a large dark purple (again a different hue) spot on each side of the beak. Additionally, a thin line of black is found on either side of the crest, while the tongue is also black. Its teeth, which aren’t very fearsome (hinting at the herbivorous Ankylosaurus DNA, since Pteranodon had no teeth) are white. A large black JP Chaos Effect logo is located on the right upper leg, along with the number .48. Its claws are not painted in a different colour.

This figure does not come with any pieces of capture gear. However, it needs to be assembled first because the tail club and wings are separate components when the figure is carded; otherwise the figure, which takes up quite some space compared to the other smaller Chaos Effect dinosaurs, wouldn’t fit on its card.

Analysis: this is without a doubt one of the coolest new dinosaur sculpts devised for the Chaos Effect toy line. It features a great and original attack option and a wonderful overall design. The paint job is about average, but not necessarily bad. Bright green and purple are a typical colourful Chaos Effect paint job, but from an aesthetic viewpoint they’re not the most appealing combination. Especially vexing is the fact the underside of the wings isn’t painted like the upper side.

The design of this figure is quite neat. It definitely looks mean and nasty, not something you would want to mess with. The wings, which are quite poseable, and can swing in almost any direction, look somewhat battered and worn out, due to the way the fingers run between the skin, and the fact they feature small pieces of damage at the lower side of the skin, like some ferocious carnivore slashed at them. The creature comes with muscular legs and large claws on its feet: though not poseable themselves, Ankyloranodon can hold other figures (smaller dinosaurs, human figures) between them and carry them through the air. Adding to the creature’s horrific look are the various hooks, bumps and spikes found on its body. Though the beast’s teeth don’t look so imposing, the large hook on its beak as well as the black tongue make up for that. The only thing which makes this deadly hell spawn look somewhat silly, is the long thin, curled crest on its head. It lacks the feeling of sharpness and danger the other protrusions on this monster have.

The very best thing about this figure is the awesome tail pounding action. Pulling the lever on its back makes the tail swing downward, causing the club to viciously hit anything in its way. The tail is rotatable (though not very easily and it might cause damage to the action feature’s mechanism over time), so the creature can also swing its tail in other directions. The thrashing tail option works very well and knocks over most smaller figures. However, Ankyloranodon’s legs can get in the way, so you might have to move them in a different position. Despite this minor nuisance, the tail swinging works perfectly and is a lot of fun to play with. This particular action feature is also quite original, since it had not been featured on any figure before this one and wouldn’t be used in the same fashion again (though the JP III Brachiosaurus featured a similar, but definitely inferior, tail attack action).

Playability: quite high. The wings are particularly poseable due to the mechanism with which they’re attached to the body. They can move up and down, slightly back and forth and in a full circle. Also moveable are the legs and the head (from the neck up), though the beak unfortunately can’t be closed. The tail section is rotatable, though less easy than the other body parts. The tail swinging action adds a very playable and easy to perform attack option to this great figure.

Realism: Ankyloranodon is obviously as fictional as the rest of the Chaos Effect series, and is yet another fantastical addition to this imaginative toy line. The figure obviously carries features from both the Ankylosaurus (armour, tail club) and Pteranodon (wings, beak, crest). It may not be believable a large and heavily armoured creature like this, weighing nine tons according to the card, could ever take to the skies, but as a predator it has significant advantages over its fellow Chaos Effect monsters. This creature can swoop down unnoticed, quickly kill prey with a deadly hit of his lethal tail club and fly off again carrying its victim with its large claws. The armour and array of spikes over its body provide solid protection against any adversaries that might be dangerous to this beast, if any. Realism be damned, this is the perfect carnivore!

Repaint: no. This is an original sculpt designed specifically for this toy line and as such, it would not be repainted for later toy lines either.

Overall rating: 8/10. Though the paint job isn’t all that good, Ankyloranodon comes with a fun new attack option and great playability, making it one of the more successful new Chaos Effect sculpts. It’s not the easiest figure to find and you might have to search for it somewhat, especially in regions where it didn’t get a proper release. However, it should totally prove to be worth your while, if you're at all into Chaos Effect weirdness.

Jurassic Park Chaos Effect: Amargospinus

Year of release: 1998

Description: this four legged spikey creature stands in a fairly neutral posture, though its left front leg seems to be taking a step forward, and its head is raised upwards somewhat, like it’s looking at something above it. Amargospinus looks like a small Sauropod type animal, but it’s got two spikes on each side of the neck and a pair of frills running from the back of the head to the shoulders. It also features a row of frills on its back running to about halfway the tail, starting with three separate blade like spikes. Pulling the right hind leg back makes the spikes on its back and the sides of the neck raise upward and the mouth open, clearly establishing an aggressive action.

This beast sports a fiery, demonic paint job through a combination of black, yellow and red colours. The creature’s underside (belly, lower part of the tail) as well as the sides and back of the neck are painted yellow, though its throat and lower jaw are red. The snout is red as well, apart from a black spot on the very front. A large red spot in a flaming pattern is found on the back with the moveable spikes sticking out of it. These spikes, as well as those on the tail and back of the neck, are black with red skin between them. The spikes on the sides of the neck are totally red by comparison. Amargospinus has small white eyes (no pupils) and teeth. The rest of this animal’s paint job (flanks, tail, head, legs and parts of the neck) is black. Its claws are not painted. On the right hind leg a yellow JP Chaos Effect logo is found, baring the number .58.

This creature does not come with any pieces of capture gear.

Analysis: this is an interesting addition to the Chaos Effect line, for various reasons. It features an appealing and neat paint job, reminiscent of flames and fire, indicating either an aggressive nature or faking aggression for defensive purposes. It’s definitely one of the cooler paint jobs in the Chaos Effect toy line.

The attack action, if it can be called that, is fun, but it doesn’t really do anything to any potential aggressors. It seems more like a defence method, making this creature look meaner and more ferocious when the spikes are shown in full glory. Any enemies would think twice before bothering Amargospinus with nasty protrusions like these. Though it doesn’t inflict damage to other figures, limbs or other body parts can still get caught between them, possibly leading to involuntary amputations of sorts. The mouth, which is also opened by pulling the right hind leg back, unfortunately isn’t strong or big enough to clamp figures between the jaws, but at least it gives the sense this monster is roaring to its attackers.

Though Amargospinus is a nonexistent species of dinosaur, made up for this toy line, it’s the first non hatchling Sauropod creature of any of the JP toy lines (and would stay that, until the JP III Brachiosaurus figure came along). Unfortunately it isn’t very big, though the background story on the back of the card would have us believe Amargospinus was the biggest Chaos Effect hybrid creature. We can assume this sculpt is a juvenile, but it’s a shame a large Amargospinus (or any real Sauropod for that matter) was denied to the JP toy fans. Additionally, judging from the small teeth Amargospinus might be a herbivore (the only one in the Chaos Effect line), in which case retractable spikes would seem like a useful defence mechanisms against any one of the nasty carnivorous critters this toy line consisted of.

Playability: not really great. Though the legs can be posed in different positions, the creature looks best walking on all fours. It can be balanced on its front legs with the hind legs in the air though, for your information, making it look like a circus animal. The spike system works fine and looks cool, but since it doesn’t do much else, it only adds limited playability options. The tail might look poseable, being a separately attached component, but it unfortunately isn’t. This figure does not come with any accessories that might have increased playability options.

Realism: there’s a lot of Amargasaurus in this sculpt, but not all that much Spinosaurus. Since Amargasaurus already was a bizarre Sauropod with frills running from its neck to its back, all the genetic mixing with Spino DNA seems to have caused is adding a more ferocious and aggressive look to it, as well as giving it a retractable spikes for defensive action (it seems unlikely Amargasaurus used those frills for similar purposes in real life). As mentioned above, Amargospinus is supposed to be the biggest Chaos Effect creature, but the size of this figure doesn’t live up to that. In truth, Amargasaurus was actually a rather small type of Sauropod, since it only grew to a length of about 10 metres (which is small by Sauropod standards). Spinosaurus could grow as big as 15 metres in length however. This too hints at this figure representing a juvenile of the Amargospinus species.

Repaint: no. This figure, like any of the new Chaos Effect sculpts, would not be repainted for later toy lines either.

Overall rating: 7/10. It looks cool and has a fun defensive action, but it’s not much for playability and has some background story flaws. It’s one of the more common Chaos Effect figures, though in territories where this line didn’t get a release that’s not saying much. It’s easy to find on eBay though, often at relatively low costs.