Our thanks to dinosaur model collector William who sent into Everything Dinosaur a detailed review of his recently purchased CollectA Megalosaurus in ambush model. This dinosaur figure had been introduced by CollectA earlier this year and William was keen to sing the model’s praises.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Megalosaurus in Ambush Reviewed

William recommends this updated version of the famous Jurassic theropod stating:

“Yes, the CollectA Megalosaurus is that good in hand – really worth purchasing”.

The enthusiastic model collector explained that Megalosaurus bucklandii was the first dinosaur to be scientifically described and named, referring to this genus as the “pride of the United Kingdom palaeo community”.

He is quick to point out that the 2021 figure replaces an earlier Megalosaurus replica in the CollectA Prehistoric Life Model series.

The Megalosaurus Head Sculpt

William commented that with this new CollectA replica there was a more accurate representation of the fossil material ascribed to this genus. Specifically, when discussing the head of the new model, he stated that the muzzle was well defined and the skin folds under the jaws were a nice touch. William added that there was excellent definition with the nostrils, eyes and ear vents commented upon. He also noted the addition of lips on the model, a detail that reflects current palaeontological debate.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Limbs, Arms and Torso of the Megalosaurus Figure

The position of the limbs and arms were praised for their anatomical accuracy, although the reviewer commented that the feet on the model were a little over sized, presumably to help with model stability and to prevent the need for a display base. William liked the long and sleek torso and briefly commented upon this theropod body plan being reflected in later allosaurids and tyrannosaurids.

When commenting on the tail, the model collector explained that the tail was well proportioned and he liked the dorsal raised scales that ran down the body and along the tail.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys and Prehistoric Animal Models.

Colouration and Skin Texture

William described the model’s colour scheme stating that the main base colour was a grey-beige with black muzzle points and dark colouration around the ears. Striping ran down the flank and the tail, before giving way on the torso to black spots. He commented on the “natural appeal” of the figure and praised the fine sculpting along with the throat and belly folds and wrinkles.

CollectA Megalosaurus Size and Scale

In William’s review he provided the following measurement information and proposed a scale of approximately 1:38 for the CollectA figure.

• Length = 6.25 inches
• Height = 2 inches
• Scale 1:38

William’s Megalosaurus Biography

In addition to making comments about the CollectA model, William provided some information on the discovery and scientific description of Megalosaurus.

He explained that strange, unexplained fossil bones and been unearthed from stone quarries in England and that they had caught the attention of leading academics of the day such as Professor Robert Plot of Oxford University.

• Time: 166 mya (approximately) – Bathonian faunal stage of the Jurassic
• Location: England and Europe
• Family: Megalosauridae
• Subfamily: Megalosaurinae
• Species: Megalosaurus bucklandii
• William’s size estimate 20 feet/6 metres long, weight 15,000 lb (7,000 kilograms)

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A Predator of the Jurassic

Concluding his comprehensive review William explained that Megalosaurus was one of the largest theropods known from the Middle Jurassic and it probably was the apex predator in the ecosystem, often stealing from the kills of other smaller theropods such as Cruxicheiros and Iliosuchus.

Finally, the reviewer commented on the work of the Reverend William Buckland and the French comparative anatomist Georges Cuvier that led to the formal description of this large, meat-eater at a meeting of the Geological Society of London on the 20th of February 1824.

William commented:

“The first named dinosaur Megalosaurus was the spark that set the world ablaze with a deep passion for dinosaurs”.

To view the range of CollectA Age of Dinosaurs figures available from Everything Dinosaur: CollectA Prehistoric Life Models.