It’s safe to say that Mattel’s Amber Collection got off to a bit of a rocky start during its days as a Gamestop Exclusive line – with long waits between waves, and not much diversity between characters and the broader availability of the assortment. That seems to be a tide which is turning with the transition to Target however – with even more Amber Collection figures revealed today, including two fan favourites from the original Jurassic Park. As with all new Jurassic toy releases, we’ve updated our Where to Buy + Gallery article with preorder links of these latest reveals alongside the already-released 2021 Amber Collection figures. Now, let’s jump in and take a look at the upcoming figures!
We’ll get the most boring figure out of the way first – which is a paint variation of the original 1993 Velociraptor, complete with the new transparent stand. From what we’ve been hearing about this figure, the likelihood is that it will feature the same paint applications but with some slight variation in terms of tone – not too dis-similar to the recently released Slashing Savage Strike Velociraptor. Whilst this release isn’t particularly exciting to many of us, it is a nice re-issue for people who missed out on the line during its initial sparse availability – and will also complement the Robert Muldoon figure which we already know is set to be released later this year.
More exciting on the dinosaur and prehistoric animal front is the two-pack of Dimorphodons – modelled upon their appearance in 2015’s Jurassic World. Given the smaller scale of these animals we get two in a pack here to justify the normal price tag the animals are given, and the two figures feature suitably different poses to justify the inclusion of both. The paint apps on this figure are gorgeous – with lots of attention paid to capturing the veins in the wings, and the shadowing around the eyes. As a new species for the Amber Collection I think these will be popular – with two in a pack making these some of the most easily mass-able animals to be released as a part of the larger-scale line to date.
Things get even more interesting on the human front – with the creator of the original Jurassic Park, John Hammond, included in this set. John Hammond looks like a great figure – and whilst some of the proportions could be argued as a little peculiar, and the likeness isn’t quite perfect, he still captures the appearance of one of the most important characters in the first film well. The inclusion of the alternate head sculpt adds some nice additional value in terms of display options to this character, and I also appreciate the level of paintwork put into the amber-topped cane here to really capture it’s appearance. A welcome surprise here is the inclusion of the hatching Baby Velociraptor egg too – which captures quite an iconic moment from the earlier act of the first film.
This assortment is rounded out with a long overdue addition to the Amber Collection line-up – and, indeed, it’s first female addition – Doctor Ellie Sattler. Whilst Ellie, like Hammond, suffers a little in the likeness department, she more than makes up for it with the breadth and depth of accessories included. Ellie comes with an alternate head featuring her glasses (something I didn’t expect Mattel to include), and also includes a removable utility belt from the climatic moments of the first film. Not only does this belt include a removable Walkie Talkie, but it also includes a flashlight on a wire which can be stored in the belt too – a really cool detail which I did not expect. This is absolutely the level of detail and depth Mattel should aspire to for all their Amber Collection figures.
So – we have a decent repaint, a pair of cool animals, and two fantastic new humans joining the line in the near future! Combine this with Robert Muldoon and the Juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex, who we know will both be releasing in the future, and we have a fantastic assortment of figures which have added a lot of depth to the Amber Collection throughout 2021. Whilst there is still work to be done to bring this collector’s line to the level of acclaim it deserves, these are really positive steps in the right direction – and ones which get us very excited for the future.
What do you think of these figures? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below, and and stay tuned to Collect Jurassic for all your latest Jurassic collecting news!