Today I am very excited to be looking at the toy which I have been most looking forward to from the 2019 Mattel line – another beautiful Sauropod. After seeing the Brachiosaurus in person, I appreciated it, but was more excited about another figure along a similar vein which would have a similar but smaller style, and more articulation. The figure I am referencing is, of course, the stunning Amargasaurus – and this figure really does live up to every single expectation I had for it.
This toy is genuinely beautiful in every sense of the word. If you want one quick takeaway from this review – go and buy this figure right now. You will not be disappointed. The sculpt alone on the Amargasaurus feels so rich and well-visualised, with a truly phenomenal level of attention paid to some of the intricacies here. The highlights of the figure – like the unique spines which extend along the creatures back – are captured perfectly, but the smaller details are also perfectly recreated here too. Of note to me is the sheer attention which has been paid to folds and texture within the skin of the animal, particularly within the stomach and the legs. The level of detail here makes this figure feel dynamic and hefty, allowing the designers to really communicate visually the sheer weight and scale of this incredibly impressive figure. Combine this with the beautiful paintwork – which is applied incredibly well – and you have a figure which really feels more akin to the centrepieces of this line, and not a Mega Dual Attack figure.
The play features on this figure are fantastic too – with the moving neck being one of the largest mobile elements I believe I have seen on any of these action figures from Mattel. The neck movements feel hefty and weighty, as you would expect from a figure of this scale, and that only lends further to the wonderful illusion which this character creates. We’ve seen some fantastic figures in this line – with Quetzalcoatlus pushing the boundaries of scale and scope, but this figure is in an entirely different ballpark. I never thought we would get more Sauropods beyond the release of the Brachiosaurus – but this figure proves that we will, and my imagination is now running wild with possibilities. I could easily see something like a Juvenile Apatosaurus landing within the Mega Dual Attack price bracket, and that really excites me as someone who appreciates when we get more variety with our figures overall.
This figure may be my favourite figure Mattel have produced so far. We’ve seen a lot of hits, and a few miss steps, in the line so far, but this truly feels like a masterclass in what is possible with this line. Buy this toy.
If you want to see just how excited I was to get this toy in hand – you can also check out my review for The Jurassic Park Podcast, found below:
Good review. Looks like an awesome toy and one I’m eager to have in my collection. I enjoy the vast variety of different dinosaur species we’ve gotten from Mattel and it’s awesome how we have another sauropod and one that looks as cool as this.
Thanks for taking the time out to comment as always Erik – really appreciate all of your support! I agree it is awesome that Mattel have really been pushing boundaries with their toys. Really excited to see what comes next.
Preordered mine from Amazon all the way back in April, and it FINALLY shipped yesterday to my delight. It’ll be here tomorrow and I’m excited! Sauropods are definitely drastically under-represented in this line considering how cool and instantly-recognizable they are, so it’s nice that we finally got a trio of them from the 2018 assortment to fill out the ranks beyond the usual theropods, pachycephalosaurs, pterosaurs, and ceratopsians that dominate most of the line.
Apatosaurus needs to happen. Aside from Sinoceratops (and it looks like we’re getting that one next year in Primal Attack), it’s the one species left that has a significant role in a Jurassic film but doesn’t have a mainline toy, obviously due to its’ size. I would definitely accept a somewhat-smaller juvenile or “teenage” Apato if that’s what it took to get one, since the species isn’t as iconic to Jurassic as Brachio and asking for another special jumbo figure seems to be asking too much, at least until the next movie cranks up the merch to top levels again.
Thanks for taking the time out to comment as always mate – really appreciate that! Hope you enjoy it when your hands on it! 🙂
100% agree with Apato. I think it’s a logical next-step now they’ve released the Amarga.