Racing Wind Up Dinosaurs

It can be difficult to entertain young children during the school holidays, especially if the weather is not particularly settled and they can’t go outside.  What a relief it was to find this racing wind up dinosaurs set with its four different dinosaurs to  make and race against each other.  For a young dinosaur fan and would-be palaeontologist who just loves dinosaurs, Mums can struggle to find creative, imaginative things for them to play with which tick all the educational boxes but also helps them to indulge their passion for all things prehistoric, especially dinosaurs.

Wind Up Dinosaurs

The Wind Up Dinosaurs Race Set

Make a dinosaur race across a table top.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

This set contained four wind up gears plus press out cardboard templates to make up four racing dinosaurs, along with additional card to make two small trees, these acted as the start and finish line for our table top races.

The models represent an armoured Stegosaurus, there was even a set of six, bright red cardboard plates to press out and secure along the back of this animal’s cardboard body, the second model was a very colourful (orange), long-necked dinosaur.  I was reliably informed that this was a Diplodocus and this particular replica was to be called “Dippy”.  It was also pointed out to me that running along the back and the tail of the “Dippy” dinosaur was some light speckles, contrasting nicely with the very bright orange of the rest of the model.  These were of course “Dippy’s racing stripes”.

The Dinosaur Called “Dippy” with the “Racing Stripes”

“Dippy” the Dinosaur with racing stripes.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Included in the set are all the items needed to make a purple racing Triceratops, complete with green spikes that point out from the back of the head.  Fortunately, these were already attached to the card that made up the front of this model, otherwise they would have been quite fiddly to attach.  The fourth model represents a meat-eating dinosaur.

A Racing Tyrannosaurus rex

A racing Tyrannosaurus rex, with bright green spines running down its back and short arms ending in those famous two-fingered hands.  Included within the set were four pairs of “goggle” eyes for you to attach to the faces of the models – a nice touch.  Just peel off the backing and stick them onto the models, although it would be sensible to leave this job to all the models had been built.  The double-sided foam tapes helped to secure the cardboard models together along with some round stickers so no glue was required, much to my relief as this prevents glue covered sticky fingers  The various cardboard pieces had slots that when folded could be inserted into corresponding parts of the model so making the models was relatively quick.

The wind up gears already had their wheels attached so there was no mechanical assembly required.  Sticking out of all the gear boxes there is a metal bar with a white grip handle that when turned provides the power to make the models race.

A Quick Tip

One tip when constructing the dinosaurs is to make sure that the double-sided foam sticker used to adhere the gear mechanism to the cardboard body of the dinosaur is not to close to the actual gear axle.  It is also best to check when lining up the the gear box to insert into the holes to hold the wind up handle and the wheels, that you have the gear in the right way round, otherwise when you turn the handle and let your dinosaur go it shoots backwards not forwards.  To avoid confusion, it may be a good idea to test which direction the gear turns the wheels and make a mark using a felt tip pen so that the front of the gear assembly can be identified.  Then it was simply a case of orientating the gear box properly and carefully securing it to the body of the model.

Excellent Instructions

The instructions were very well laid out, with lots of handy pictures to illustrate what needed to be done to make each model and then we were set to start our races.  It would be sensible to have some adult guidance when making up these wind up racing dinosaurs, although the box says that this item is suitable for children from five years and upwards, a little bit of adult supervision over the assembly would be advised.  A course was set up using the “start” and “finish” tree cones that had come with this kit and then we were able to race the dinosaurs across the table.  These racing dinosaurs run quite well on any hard, flat surface, although the T. rex fell over once or twice when racing on the carpet was tried.

Easy to Follow Instructions with Lots of Diagrams

Simple instructions with lots of pictures.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

We made a race track that was about a metre long and I got my young dinosaur races to make a league table with four points for a win, three for a second place, two for third and so on.  A little bit of maths could be introduced as the children calculated their scores and worked out their points for each race run.

We tried a set of ten races over varying distances, getting my young charges to measure the distance and make a note of how much shorter or further the models had to race each time.  Shorter races worked well, as anything over a metre and a half and the dinosaurs ran out of “puff” and come nowhere near to the finish line.  Fortunately, most times the models did run in a straight line.  To challenge the children with their maths a couple of races were made with double and then triple points scored and all of the model had to cross the line to win, this prevented the long-necked models from having a distinct advantage over their shorter-necked rivals.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of dinosaur themed arts and crafts: Dinosaur Toys and Gifts.

All in all, this is a fun table top activity, the models were simple to make and the instructions with lots of pictures were easy to understand and follow.  By racing the models a number of times, addition and subtraction exercises could be included to help these budding dinosaur experts with their numbers.  The models even ended up being used a board counters for another game we played.

As for the winner of our dinosaur racing medley – it was “Dippy” probably because of those racing stripes that were on the model!

A Review of the Wild Safari Dinos Brachiosaurus Dinosaur Model

Hot on the sauropod heels of the Carnegie Collectibles Brachiosaurus model that was introduced by Safari Ltd last year comes this new addition to the company’s Wild Safari Dinos replica range.  However, this is a very much more traditional interpretation of a brachiosaurid with, for example, the head held high in a swan-like posture.

Brachiosaurus Dinosaur Model

This model effectively replaces the re-painted  1:50 scale replica of Brachiosaurus that was introduced into the Carnegie Collectibles back in 1996.  The 1996 version itself being  a revision of an earlier Brachiosaurus model launched back in 1988.

There are some differences between this new model and older versions.  For example, the colouration is more striking with a distinct contrast between the dark green back and topside and the mottled flanks.  There is also a subtle hint of brown colouration on the chest on and the belly.  The stance is also different with the powerful legs being less bent and more elephantine in their appearance.

The Wild Safari Dinos Brachiosaurus Dinosaur Model

New from Safari Ltd.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

An Updated Dinosaur Model

The nostrils are more clearly depicted than on earlier versions of Brachiosaurus.  They are located at the top of the head.  This contrasts with the nostril position on the 2012 Carnegie Collectibles Brachiosaurus.  The nasal openings on the 2012 model are placed at the very tip of the snout.   With the debate amongst scientists with regards to the exact position of the nostrils this may be a case of Safari Ltd wishing to “hedge their bets” in the absence of any clear evidence either way.

Intriguingly, the domed skull is more prominent on this new Wild Safari Dinos replica when compared to the 2012 Brachiosaurus model.  The configuration of the nostrils and the shape of the domed skull is worthy of further investigation and perhaps more should be written about these subtle differences between these two dinosaur models.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of prehistoric animal figures (Safari Ltd): Safari Ltd. Sauropod and Prehistoric Animal Models.

We suspect that this new not-to-scale replacement for the massive, earlier Brachiosaurus model is a response to the need to make a traditional Brachiosaurus that will appeal to younger dinosaur fans.  After all, the earlier 35 cm tall replica weighed more than a kilogramme so it was perhaps a little too cumbersome for a small child.   This new model stands a fraction under 21 cm high and measures around 22 cm in length.

The Wild Safari Dinos Brachiosaurus 

A colourful Brachiosaurus dinosaur model.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

This is a colourful and attractive Brachiosaurus model.  One that contrasts nicely with other sauropod models made by Safari Ltd.  It will, no doubt, prove to be a popular figure with dinosaur model collectors and it should also prove to be very popular with young dinosaur fans.

Feathered Dinosaur Toob Reviewed

Originally designed with the co-operation of palaeontologists from the American Museum of Natural History, the feathered dinosaur tube made by Safari Ltd contains twelve, hand-painted dinosaur models.  Of the twelve models in this set, only six are replicas with feathers, the remainder include the likes of a T. rex figure and a model of the sauropod, the long-necked dinosaur known as Apatosaurus.

Feathered Dinosaurs Toob

The feathered dinosaurs in the set are Microraptor,  an ancestor of the tyrannosaurs known as Dilong, Sinornithosaurus, Velociraptor, Beipiaosaurus and Caudipteryx.  The Microraptor model has recently been re-painted . The gaudy colours of the original model in the first sets to become available, have been toned down replaced by steel blue for the body with subtle greens, yellows and black for the feathered wings.  The new colour scheme is probably better camouflage for a flying dinosaur that may have spent a considerable amount of its time in the forest canopy.

The Models Featured in the Feathered Dinosaur Toob (Safari Ltd)

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Non-feathered Dinosaur Models

The non-feathered dinosaurs in this set are Psittacosaurus, Chasmosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus and Protoceratops as well as the aforementioned T. rex and Apatosaurus replicas.  It is interesting to note the inclusion of a Protoceratops and a Velociraptor model together.  The Protoceratops was a plant-eating dinosaur with the predatory Velociraptor sharing its habitat.  This  combination is very appropriate (putting a model of Protoceratops and Velociraptor in the same set), especially when you consider the scientific evidence  such as that published in 2010 suggesting that the carnivorous Velociraptor may have scavenged the carcases of the plant-eating Protoceratops as well as the famous Velociraptor fighting a Protoceratops fossil discovered by a joint Polish and Mongolian expedition to the Gobi desert in the 1970s.

Intriguingly, a contemporary of both Velociraptor and Protoceratops is depicted in the set – Psittacosaurus.  Since the models making up this set were first produced; new fossil evidence concerning Psittacosaurus has been discovered.  Although this dinosaur is depicted as non-feathered in this particular model series, there is considerable fossil evidence to indicate that this small ornithischian was covered in downy feathers, or at least it had long feather-like quills protruding from the tail.

To view the range of Safari Ltd prehistoric animal models available from Everything Dinosaur: Safari Ltd. Prehistoric Animal Models and Figures.

The dinosaur replicas are approximately eight centimetres long.  Although, the models are not to scale, they make super additions to any model scenes that are being created.   Especially the likes of the Dilong, Caudipteryx and Microraptor replicas when used in conjunction with some of the Carnegie Dinosaur Collectibles models also made by Safari Ltd.

A Set of Twelve Models

As this set  contains, 12 models, it lends itself to creative play.  So this set is likely to prove popular with children as well as with collectors.  Supplied with its own handy storage pack those thoughtful sculptors at Safari Ltd have even ensured that each model has the name of the dinosaur it represents carefully inscribed on its underside – very helpful for those collectors wishing to identify their models.

It is good to see a set that includes some feathered dinosaurs within the already impressive Safari Toobs range.

To view a video review of this model set:

Papo Carnotaurus Dinosaur Model Reviewed

The newly released Carnotaurus dinosaur model manufactured by Papo is an excellent representation of a very unusual dinosaur .  Indeed, this prehistoric animal was so unlike most other dinosaurs known to science at the time of its discovery, that when it came to scientifically describing the fossils it was immediately placed into its own, new dinosaur family – the abelisaurids.  It is clear from this dinosaur model that the design team at Papo have taken great care to ensure that their Carnotaurus accurately represents the fossil material.

Papo Carnotaurus Dinosaur Model

Named in 1985 after the discovery of an almost complete skeleton in Argentina, Carnotaurus is estimated to have been around seven and a half metres in length when fully grown.  As the Papo figure measures a fraction over 19 cms long, from the tip of its tail to the front of its deep, box-like skull, the model is approximately a 1:40 scale replica.

The Papo Carnotaurus Dinosaur Model

“Meat-eating Bull” from Papo.

Picture credit: Papo/Everything Dinosaur

“Meat-eating Bull”

The name Carnotaurus means “meat-eating bull”, a reference to the two horns that stick out sideways from the top of the head, just above the eye sockets.  Papo have made the horns on their dinosaur model quite prominent.  These horns would certainly have intimidated a rival if used for display.  Examination of the actual fossil skull material shows that the top portion of the skull is thickened, perhaps these predatory dinosaurs may have butted heads to settle disputes just as some sheep and goats do today – a form of intra-specific combat.  This model shows the sleek and narrow lower jaw typical of an abelisaurid, the mouth is particularly well painted whilst the individual, slender teeth have been very carefully depicted by the design team.

As with a number of theropod dinosaur models available from the Papo “Les Dinosaures” model range, the lower jaw is articulated so the Carnotaurus can be depicted with the mouth closed, or open.

A Close up of the Articulated Lower Jaw of the Papo Carnotaurus Dinosaur Model

Open Wide!

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Skin impressions preserved at the Patagonian site where the first Carnotaurus fossils were found indicate that this dinosaur was covered in short scales and had rows of bumps along its flanks  that seem to have got bigger and more distinct moving up from the belly towards the spine of the animal.  This skin texture has been authentically reproduced, once again demonstrating the attention to detail of the dedicated designers at the French company.

A Close up of the Papo Carnotaurus Dinosaur showing the Skin Detail

Very detailed skin on this new dinosaur model.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

All in all this is an excellent model of a Carnotaurus and one that is a welcome addition to the Papo “Les Dinosaures” model range.  It is sure to prove to be a big hit with dinosaur fans and model collectors.

To view the range of Papo prehistoric animal models available from Everything Dinosaur: Papo Prehistoric Animals and Dinosaurs.