Jurassic Park 2009: Deluxe Electronic Tyrannosaurus Rex

Year of release: 2009

Accessories:

-Forest Hunter General

-Missile Launcher (with missile)

-Off-Road Vehicle cut-out (Note: since this last “accessory” is actually a part of the figure's box, it will not be reviewed here.)

Description: this Tyrannosaurus figure, though heavily retooled, is still the largest of all JP dinosaur toys ever produced. It measures a good 70 centimetres in length and about 20 centimetres tall. This Rex stands in an active pose, with its left leg moved forward and its right leg posed backward, as if walking. Its head is quite large, almost as big as its belly. It can swallow human and smaller dinosaur figures whole, but they have to be retrieved via the same way they came in. The head, neck and tail are made of a more flexible material than the rest of the figure, with the eyes being small transparent orbs with a black spot (the pupil) painted on them. The T-Rex features poseable arms, legs and even feet (which sport huge toes and claws, including the smaller ones on the side of the lower legs). On its belly, the T-Rex carries a visible speaker unit and battery cover, as well as a little switch, with 'On', 'Off' and 'Try me' printed next to it. The actual sounds are activated by pushing the little button on its back, above the upper legs. In the case of the latter option, the figure only makes noises when the button is pushed, while when in 'On' mode the figure also produces sounds at random. Overall, this figure produces at least thirteen different sounds, including stomping sounds which can be produced by bashing the feet on any surface (this also works when the figure is still boxed).

This large T-Rex features a basic three-way paint job. Colours on the softer parts of the figure's body are more vivid because of the different materials used. The underside (most of the lower jaw, throat, belly and most of the lower part of the tail) are painted greyish beige. The limbs, flanks and middle part of the tail are coloured grey. The top parts of the body (most of the head, neck, back and upper part of the tail) are painted orange. Black lines run over the orange colouring, while additional black colouration is found on the head on the snout, in a a big cluster around the eyes, with a line running out of this part around the chin and in a wave pattern over the lower jaw. Diffused black stripes and spots adorn the flanks, knees and tail, while black bands are found around the lower arms and end of the tail, and a row of black spots runs over each toe. On the upper jaw near the snout the creature sports small triangular blue shapes, two on each side of the face, with black lines around these. The claws on both fingers and toes are painted black. The Rex has beige teeth (some of them broken off or worn out) and the inside of its mouth is pink, with the tongue coloured a darker shade of pink.

The Forest Hunter General wears a dark grey jacket adorned with lighter grey spots and shapes and revealing a grey shirt underneath, as well as silver tags around his neck. He also sports a black utility belt, dark grey trousers and black boots. His pants and shirt sport some slight tears, like he’s had a run-in with an unpleasant dinosaur. He has brown hair and eye brows, black eyes and a rather grim look on his face. He stands in a very odd pose, left leg stretched forwards and right leg braced backwards, left arm reaching up and right arm pointing down, as if he's startled by some prehistoric vermin in front of him. He comes with a missile launcher, which is coloured in a slightly metallic dark grey paint job, with a dark pink missile sticking out of it on both ends. Pushing the end of the missile sort of launches it, though it doesn’t work very well.

Analysis: it took a while, but Hasbro finally did something else than just repaint figure after figure for this toy line, though only once. In this case, they dug up an old T-Rex sculpt, the biggest and baddest around, and revamped it to become the new top predator figure. With great results, since this is by far the most impressive, awe-inspiring and daring figure Hasbro has produced since the JP III line!

Even though this Deluxe Tyrannosaurus uses the specifications of the classic and much beloved Bull T-Rex figure from the TLWS1 toy line, it's a totally different animal altogether. It can still swallow figures, but these can only go a short distance instead of making it all the way to the belly and being retrieved via a big slit in its belly (which also means this new T-Rex incarnation doesn't have a big hole there). That's probably why this Rex doesn't come with a survival pod, since human figures won't be retrieved and thus won't survive being gulped down by the latest Tyrant Lizard King. The figure's poseability has been maximized. This time it can move more than just the arms. The legs and even the feet (which is wholly new for JP toys' standards) are also poseable, increasing playability.

The new paint job is okay, but not the figure's most appealing feature: the grey, beige and black feels fine, the orange less so. It seems too colourful and cheerful on a massive predator like this, though it does feel in place in the already very brightly coloured JP 2009 line. It does also hint at the dismally ugly orange paint job from the Chaos Effect Omega T-Rex predecessor though. However, overall it's an acceptable paint job, and also fairly detailed. All the claws have been taken care off, the tongue is coloured differently from the rest of the mouth, and there's various lines, spots and stripes to give the animal more character. The triangular blue shapes on the upper jaw are a nice little touch for example. The Rex also retains its glassy retina, something only used three times now in JP toys lore.

The sound system of this T-Rex has been expanded a lot compared to the previous Rexes. Though the sounds are not as loud as before, there's an awful lot of them instead of only two or three. At least thirteen different noises can be heard, varying from movie accurate roars to snarls, growls, chomping and stomping sounds. Some of these may be familiar, as they were used for the Bull T-Rex and the JP III T-Rex figures. The difference between a 'Try me' and an 'On' option is a nice touch, but makes little difference overall.

This Deluxe Tyrannosaurus comes with a Forest Hunter General figure and its missile launcher. The human figure is completely dwarfed by the huge T-Rex, and is only useful as prey for this berserker beast. It fits in its mouth and throat easily. Basically Hasbro provided the Rex with its own snack. Unfortunately the General is not painted differently from its regular appearance in this toy line, which makes it less original. The weapon is still totally lame and does absolutely no damage to the hulking carnivore.

Overall, this is one of Hasbro's finest releases and certainly the main attraction of JP 2009. It's not surprising many dinosaur collectors totally ignored the rest of the line and only got themselves its crowning achievement. It should come as no surprise if this becomes a much desired and valuable toy over the next decade, as has been the faith of most big JP figures before. It sincerely deserves such a future.

Unless Hasbro starts to milk this figure to no end as well...

Repaint: yes, more or less. Though at first glance this figure appears a mere repaint of the TLWS1 Bull T-Rex, only its bare shape and size have survived the heavy retooling this sculpt underwent for this toy line. The torso and limbs are now composed of hard plastic, while the head, neck and tail are comprised of softer material than before. The original three Bull Rex sounds are still there, but now backed up by new roars and growls, as well as the JP III T-Rex figures' noises. Overall, this figure might as well be a totally new sculpt, even though it doesn't appear to be. The Forest Hunter General appeared in the exact same paint job in his own set in this toy line, but was originally a JP III figure, which by itself was already repainted for JPD2. The missile launcher originally came with the JP III Military Diver figure, appeared again with that figure repainted in JPD2 and has also been featured with the Diver of this toy line.

Overall rating: 8/10. Probably the best addition to the world of JP toys since the better JP III sculpts were first released in 2001. Though the paint job is not perfect, the many new features, much improved poseability and overall size make for a formidable dinosaur toy. The General and his weapon (as well as the cut-out vehicle) are nice little additions but are hardly noteworthy compared to the main attraction here, though they add some additional fun. This set wasn't rare on release, but that swiftly changed. Because it's such a good and huge toy, it was quite sought after and has by now become almost as valuable as the original TLW Bull T-Rex it was based on. Don't expect this one to be an easy find, despite it not being a very old toy.

Jurassic Park 2009: Dino Trackers: Forest Hunter General VS Tyrannosaurus Rex

Year of release: 2009

Accessories:

-Dino Claw weapon

Description: this General wears a dark grey jacket adorned with lighter grey spots and shapes and revealing a grey shirt underneath, as well as silver tags around his neck. He also sports a black utility belt, dark grey trousers and black boots. His pants and shirt sport some slight tears, like he’s had a run-in with an unpleasant dinosaur. He has brown hair and eye brows, black eyes and a rather grim look on his face. He stands in a very odd pose, left leg stretched forwards and right leg braced backwards, left arm reaching up and right arm pointing down, as if he's startled by some prehistoric vermin in front of him. He comes with a Dino Claw weapon,basically a large hand held contraption which ends in two comparatively small claws than can hook around dinosaur body parts. The claws are operated by a handle on its top side. The Claw is coloured totally black.

The T-Rex stands in an active posture, its head curved to the left and its arms stretched out as if attacking something. The tip of the tail is bent, pointing upwards and to the left. It has small pads on its feet to give it extra support, though it still tends to fall over at times. While its underside (most of the lower jaw, throat, belly, arms, most of the legs, feet pads and lower part of the tail) is painted simply grey, the rest of the body sports a more intricate paint job. The upper jaw and face, neck, back, and top part of the tail are coloured in a very dark shade of brown (which at first glance seems black) with rounded stripes running out of this colour over the flanks, upper legs and sides of the tail. Vague regular brown colouring is applied around the edges of the darker brown colour, while lighter brown spots are found on the head, neck, flanks,upper legs and both sides of the tail. The Rex has white teeth and a red tongue and inside of its mouth, as well as small yellow eyes with black pupils. Its claws are not painted, but it has a black JP logo on each upper leg.

Analysis: JP Dinosaurs 2 might have been able to do without them, but human figures are back for JP 2009 (Hasbro's, unfortunately). A more realistic approach is taken for their paint jobs, as illustrated by this Forest Hunter General and its camouflage army gear (maybe not enough green and brown for forest stealth, but still pretty concealing colours). His outfit looks gritty but fitting on him, much darker than his JPD2 predecessor and his more brightly coloured attire. He retains his idiotic and awkward posture though, which continues to hinder both his playability and his ability to stand up straight. His rocket launcher has been exchanged for what was formerly Alan Grant's grappling claw, still a silly and highly ineffective piece of equipment that looks overly complicated but works very simply (though, generally, not at all). Its new black paint job goes well with the General's sombre new look. The officer has a hard time holding on to it without falling over though, so it would have been preferable if either the weapon was made smaller (which shouldn't have been too hard considering less than half of the thing actually is of use to the clawing action) or the General's overall pose was adjusted, but Hasbro opted for the more simple solution of just not giving a damn.

The military man comes with the same T-Rex whose presence dominates the four dinosaur two-packs of this line, making this its fourth appearance in JP 2009. Though its underside could definitely have used more work and detailing (painted claws and pads would have been appreciated), the upper half of its body features a pretty good new paint job, fairly detailed and original, complimenting the General's darker and grimier new look. Still, this is one sculpt we definitely don't need to see again, ever, and it would have been nice to see this human figure paired with another miniature dinosaur than its original counterpart, for diversity's sake. If they can give him another weapon, they can give him another dinosaur, but it seems we have to make due with the same line-up as before. Which means the General is dead meat, considering his lame Dino Claw is no match for this ravenous little Tyrant King.

Repaint: yes. This set is identical to the Military General set of the JP III line, except for the weapon which originally came with JP III Alan Grant. The General has been repainted once for JPD2, while the T-Rex has already been repainted over a dozen times for Camo-Xtreme, JPD2 and JPD3 and would be used several times again for this toy line. The General would also make an appearance in the Deluxe Electronic T-Rex set of this toy line, with the exact same paint job. The Dino Claw weapon was also repainted for JPD2, and would be featured a second time in this toy line.

Overall rating: 5/10. Not the best sculpts and accessory, but the paint jobs are fairly okay, certainly compared to some of the more zany repaints in this toy line. This set is not rare and can still be found with little effort. Since this set was a Toys'R'Us exclusive that could change over time, but probably not for the next decade.

Jurassic Park III: Military General & T-Rex

Year of release: 2001

Accessories:

-Bazooka-like gun (with missile)

-Tyrannosaurus figure

Description: the Military General figure wears a bright green shirt with darker green stripes, a silver utility belt, dark grey trousers and black boots. His trousers and shirt sport some slight tears, like he’s had a conflict with a small unpleasant dinosaur. He’s very blond and has a rather grim look on his face. The weapon is painted in a slight shiny metallic colour: it can be loaded with a bright red missile, which is basically a stick with a large oval shape with two round holes in it at one end. The Tyrannosaurus figure is brown with some grey tones mixed in, an almost white belly, black stripes on his back and a black JP III logo on his left leg. Its feet are supported by some extra plastic, so it can stand on his legs without falling over.

Analysis: the paint job of this figure is okay. The green colours aren’t very special, but fit a military character. Some neat extra details were added, like name tags and rank insignia, giving it more realism. Other than that you wouldn’t be able to tell this guy is part of a military organisation. The figure stands in an odd and clumsy position, making it a bit hard to let the figure stand up right. His right arm is hanging down a bit, which knocks this figure further out of balance. The tears aren’t really noticeable at first, but cover most of his chest. No skin is revealed, so the General probably wasn’t hurt that bad.

The weapon is not very impressive. It looks rather unrealistic: it has a small monitor screen on the top, maybe for logging onto dinosaurs or something. It also has a large cylinder shaped part sticking out on its lower part, giving it additional, unnecessary weight. It has got one grip at the back end, so the figure can hold it. Though the figure can hold stuff with both hands, this weapon doesn’t seem to be made for either hand. One hand is opened too wide, so the weapon doesn’t stay in place. The other, at the arm that’s hanging down, can hold it: when it does however, it looks like the General is dragging the weapon down on the ground. Holding the weapon with either hand further knocks the figure out of balance. The weapon also features a rather lame firing mechanism: the end of the missile sticks out of the back when the weapon is loaded, and you have to press on it to fire. Unlike the weapons from earlier JP toy lines, where you just had to press a button, this feels awkward and cheap. The missile also does little damage: it gets off course easily and just flies around, so when you try to hit a specific target this gun doesn’t really work. It doesn’t hit a target hard anyway: so far I’ve never managed to knock the Rex figure over with it…

The Tyrannosaurus is interesting. It certainly doesn’t look like a hatchling, but more like a miniature version of an adult dinosaur: the same goes for most of the JP III hatchlings. The colours of this dinosaur are pretty standard, nothing special there. The figure stands in an attack posture, like it’s about to jump on its prey. Its head is tilted up and looks pretty ferocious, one of his arms is outstretched and its tail is slightly curled upwards. The mouth is opened so it can hold a figure between his jaws. It’s a pretty neat figure, but it does have a negative point: some additional pieces of plastic are attached to its feet, so it can stand on two legs. If these pieces weren’t there, it would probably fall over, which would make it look silly. So though it doesn’t look very accurate, at least it serves a purpose.

Playability: not very high. Like stated above, the figure’s irritating pose compromises playability, and the fact that it can’t really hold the weapon very well further diminishes the level of playability. The weapon doesn’t work very well either unfortunately. The dinosaur has no moveable body parts and can only stand in this one attack posture: it might be suited for dioramas though.

Realism: though Jurassic Park III did feature military characters (soldiers, pilots) at the end of the movie, no Military General was there. This figure was made up, and therefore it can’t be judged on likeness. The bazooka like gun wasn’t featured in the movie either. The Tyrannosaurus is a decent and fairly accurate miniature model of the Tyrannosaurs seen in the Jurassic Park movies in both shape and colours, though its arms are somewhat too large for a Rex; in real life its arms were smaller, almost tiny.

Repaint: no. The General would be repainted for the JPD2 toy line though, along with his weapon (see Velociraptor with Dinosaur Trooper), and again for JP 2009, featured in both its own set and as canon fodder for the Deluxe Electronic T-Rex (in neither case it came with its original weapon, but was featured with weaponry from other JP III figures instead). The Tyrannosaurus figure would be repainted a record number of times, twice for the JP III Camo-Xtreme line (with a third one planned but unreleased), four times for JP Dinosaurs 2 and 3, and another four times for JP 2009. Apparently Hasbro thought it the coolest dinosaur figure around, worthy of endless repainting...

Overall rating: 3/10. This figure really isn’t very appealing. The weapon basically sucks, and the General isn’t something one would care for either. The only thing you might want is the Rex. Fortunately this figure is very common, so you can get it cheap easily, should you really want one.