Jurassic Park Series 1: Dimetrodon

Year of release: 1993

Accessories:

-Collector’s Card # 5

Description: this four legged creature doesn’t look much unlike modern day monitor lizards or iguanas, except for the large “sail” on its back. Dimetrodon also features two pairs of tiny legs (it almost drags its belly over the ground), a “segmented” tail and a big boxy head. It comes with a biting action feature: pushing its left rear leg back makes the jaws open wide, while releasing them makes them close with a powerful snap. The figure measures some 15 centimetres in length and 8 centimetres in height. It stands in a walking posture, with its left hind leg and right front leg posed backward and the other legs posed forward.

This figure has a somewhat funky paint job. Most noticeable are the rows of yellow spots adorning both sides of the sail, which is otherwise dark grey in colour. The sail itself is made of a more flexible material than the rest of the figure’s body. An even darker shade of grey is found on the creature’s back, from the back of the head to the tip of the tail. The grey runs from the back in big spots over the flanks. The rest of the flanks, as well as all of the legs and head, are coloured bright green. The claws are not painted in a different colour. The belly, throat and lower part of the tail are painted greenish beige. Dimetrodon has tiny black eyes in large eye sockets. Its mouth is equipped with respectable white teeth while the tongue and inside of the mouth are coloured dark pink. On the right side of the tail a beige JP logo can be found along with the number .01.

Analysis: another classic JPS1 figure a lot of people have a special place in their hearts reserved for is this lovely Dimetrodon sculpt. Like the other smaller JPS1 dinosaurs it appeared to be around everywhere back in 1993 and almost all the kids owned at least one, since they were both cool and very common.

The reasons for its coolness are there for all to see. Its paint job is quite neat, though a bit bizarre considering those odd yellow spots on the sail (which in itself is an oddity already). The combination of green and grey works fine here. However, it’s a shame the head hasn’t got a more detailed paint job (it’s basically all green), and as is often the case the claws remain unpainted.

The figure also comes with a nasty biting action. Pulling the left rear leg back causes the upper jaw to move upwards, thus opening the creature’s mouth wide. Releasing the leg makes the jaws close with a forceful snap, tightly gripping anything that’s unfortunate enough to have gotten trapped between them, usually human figures’ arms or legs. The biting action is easy to activate and quite effective, though a lot of older second hand Dimetrodons’ biting mechanisms aren’t in perfect working order. 

 

Playability: a bit low. Dimetrodon’s legs, though all poseable, are too short and not neutrally posed enough to really help overall playability. Also, the left hind leg is less poseable because it is part of the biting action. The biting jaws are quite good and strong and definitely the main draw as far as playability is concerned. However, over time the biting mechanism inside has a habit of getting worn out, causing the jaws to open less easily and often not closing at all unless aided by hand. So you better take care when playing with this creature if you want those powerful jaws to keep in good working condition.

Realism: the huge sail on this lizard looking creature makes this sculpt easily recognizable as a Dimetrodon. The shape of the sail is less round than usually seen with Dimetrodon figures or pictures, it looks more worn out and damaged. Still, it’s a wild guess what the sail really looked like so it doesn’t matter at all. The creature’s boxy head looks quite good, but the legs may be a bit too short. Dimetrodon wasn’t featured in the JP movie or any of the sequels but this figure makes a wonderful addition to the toy line regardless.

Repaint: since this figure belongs to the very first JP toy line, it’s not a repaint in any way. However, the figure would be repainted twice: once for the first JP Dinosaurs line, and again for the second (in the Dimetrodon with Military Diver set). Curiously enough, the JPD1 Dimetrodon featured repainted capture gear from the Ornithosuchus figure. The Dimetrodon figure never had capture gear specifically designed for itself, but the Ornithosuchus capture gear was a close fit.

Overall rating: 7/10. This fun figure from the classic JPS1 toy line has a solid action feature and a good paint job, though it lacks somewhat in playability. It’s not difficult to find, even MOC. You shouldn’t have a hard time finding one for a decent price.