JURASSIC START

I have long marvelled at the great charity shops you have in Britain, and the amazing toys and models you always seem to find. Nothing like that in NZ.

Well, I recently found a kit in a charity shop - probably only the third one I have ever seen, and by far the most interesting. It was only $5, and I snapped it up.

This one was part of the Lindberg Jurassic Park kit series, and the box is dated 1993. Craft House Corporation, Toledo, Ohio.

Kit No. 70273 is the Dilophosaurus "Spitter", and is over 5 inches high and 12 inches long. The other kits in the series were the No.70271 Tyrannosaurus Rex; No.70272 Velociraptor; No.70274 Stegosaurus; and No.70275 Hadrosaurus.

There are just 20 parts, including the base, moulded in light grey plastic. There is also a poster showing the creatures and plants of the last 280 million years.

This is my first dinosaur kit.

Have you got any?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

JURASSIC LARK

The Missus and me have just watched Jurassic Park Fallen Kingdom.

I was keen to catch up on this franchise we used to love. We got up to 3 in the past.

Fallen Kingdom was Jurassic Pants. The same old tired narrative, dragging grouchy saurians back to the States that we saw in JP The Lost World when it was fresh decades ago. Am I missing something?

And the cynical way that an aging Jeff Goldblum was wheeled out at the beginning and end of the film was just laughable, despite the fact that he said the most interesting lines in the film!

Please don't tell me Spielberg had anything to do with it. Michael Crichton will be turning in his grave.

The next installment is Jurassic Park Fallen Kingdom Dominion. The names are getting longer as the films get worse it seems. 

Its on Now TV, which we haven't got and I'm not paying for another channel. Dominion's dino's will just have to wait, no doubt sedated on a ship somewhere near New York.

Have you seen Fallen Kingdom or Dominion readers? What did you think?

JURASSIC PARK AFTER HOURS!

What the tourists don't see when the park closes at the end of the day!

Ed B

USA

Easter Dinosaur Eggs: T-Reggs

With Easter approaching, the shops are filled with Easter Eggs, and other forms of chocolate. Here is something I just spotted in a branch of The Warehouse chain. A chocolate dinosaur inside a large, open chocolate egg. A change from the usual chicks and bunny rabbits.

The window box has the Jurassic World logo in one corner, with the Park Avenue name on the opposite side. Weight is 195 grams.

Photo from The Warehouse.

Will you be getting any Easter eggs?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

WHEN DINOSAURS RULED NEW JERSEY!

Hi Woodsy. Its been a great day for Monster Base: Dinosaur Division!

After some careful negotiation, I have acquired a very nice Kenner Jurassic Park Command Compound Playset. A magnificent toy on its own, I have plans to make it bigger and better! 

I have some great dino playsets by Schleich which are compatible with JP. 

Also some playsets by Chap Mei/Animal Planet (that I bought during ToysRUs' final days for pennies on the dollar) that are also the same scale.

My plan is to combine these playsets. The end result will be the Dinosaur Park to end them all! If this project happens in the future, I will be sure to share pics with Moonbase Central!!

BrianF

NJ USA

MONSTER BASE NEWS: IT'S THUNDEROUS!

Woodsy,

I'm kind of shifting gears next. I'm moving in a Jurassic Park-ish direction as I'm in talks to acquire a Kenner JP Command Compound, a toy I know you are familiar with. 

I have also ordered two playsets from Schleich that are essentially JP compatible. Combined with Chap Mei/ Animal Planet playsets, I plan on creating a Prehistoric attraction that would have made even old J. Hammond envious!-

Brian

Monster Base, NJ

A SOUND OF THUNDER

Yesterday I started to read Ray Bradbury's short story A Sound of Thunder. I ran out of time in my break so I'll have to pick up later.

Essentially its a story about time tourism and dinosaur shooting parties, specifically a T.Rex. 

I found the above shot of the original magazine entry from the Fifties. I thought the artwork was superb. Ray B has signed this online example too!

The bit I read made me think of Jurassic Park and the second instalment where the big game hunter just wants to bag a T.Rex. I wonder if the author Michael Crichton ever read The Sound of Thunder? Have you read it readers?

Who can forget the impact tremors in the first film, the very stuff of my own childhood nightmares decades earlier when I imagined a Thunder Lizard stomping down my street and peering through my bedroom window, a nightmare scenario which Crichton included in the second film.

My favourite impact tremors are the simple vibrations in the glass of water seen in JP.

Are there any more dinosaur tourism books or films?

DANGER DINOSAURS!

 

I love this old book cover I saw online. I hope its genuine. I've never read this or googled for more info. It just reminds me of a 1950's version of Jurassic Park! How cool is that!

A DIABOLICAL TRIO OF MEAT EATERS

Hi Woodsy. 

Jurassic World stuff is everywhere in droves right now.

Although I could use more herbivores in my collection, I couldn't resist this diabolical trio of meat eaters.

I have a giant T Rex on back order that's supposed to be about a meter long!

I'll send photos when/ if it arrives.

I saw 2 at Wal-Mart that quickly disappeared and weren't re -stocked.

They looked absolutely monstrous, right up my alley!

Brian F 

NJ, USA

brian's plastic beasts and behemoths

continuing the T.Rex theme, here's Brian's from New Jersey:

Hi Woodsy, here's some Jurassic World toys and for a little contrast, I threw in some Chap Mei playsets.

I included a Pleeeeziosaur for Bill to enjoy. Its absolutely Beer- moth!

Brian, USA.

king kong v. t.rex: a comparison over the four King Kong movies

King Kong loved wrestling T. Rex in the movies. For fun I've put together four clips from You Tube comparing Kong's technique over the years: that's 84 years and four films! 

I've missed out any juniors like his son or Mighty Joe Young for the mo.

See what you think.

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1933

Fay Wray version,

the original and best!

and see the above in colour!

https://youtu.be/Jz77RxYhtoQ

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1976
Jessica Lange version

I couldn't find a clip of Kong boxing a T.Rex in this version so here's the King scrapping with a giant snake.

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2005
Naomi Watts version

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2017

Kong Skull Island

No T. Rex this time. Kong's nemesis in this latest flick is the Skull Crawler!

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Which is your favourite?

You can play them al at once by clicking each film in this mini clipboard!

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You got any Kong collectables? Games, books, records, toys?

d i n o s a u r c r i s i s

This week I caught the latest flick in the Jurassic franchise, Jurassic World.

It starred Guardians of the Galaxy lead Chris Pratt.

In many ways it was a return to the saurian madness of the original film twenty years ago: carnage in a theme park out of control., the very essence of a Michael Crichton story.

It was all entertaining enough and a monster nut like me can't fail to enjoy a creature feature like this.

However, I was disappointed by something. Something important. Something at the very centre of the movie - the lead dinosaur Indomitus Rex.

There was just something naff about it! When I say naff I mean that it just wasn't scary enough to be the leading reptile. OK, they'd given it more teeth but its face was far too floppy, its neck too thin and it had two distracting flaps of skin near its mouth. 

It didn't warrant its fearsome name. The Park's resident sea monster, the Mosasaur, was far more dramatic and even gets its toothy mug on the film's best poster!

I think the Director must have known Indomitus was a bit of a gecko. He threw in a T.Rex towards the end to duke it out with the imposter. There can be only one Rex and it starts with T.

It was the same story in Jurassic Park III. The main event, the big enchilada called the Spinosaurus was even more of a let down. Rubbery, bandy and no way scary enough to warrant the moniker super-predator.

Why don't they simply go with the King, the Boss, the indisputable top chap they established in 1993, the T. Rex? Who can forget its impact tremors, its awe-inspiring bite-lunge and its deafening roar. Its a perfect thing and the franchise would do well to remember that. For an even scarier Rex they just need to make it much bigger with more teeth!

When the first film came out in 1993 it wasn't long before toys and merchandise began to surface at car boot sales. I snapped much of it up and still have some Jurassic goodies lurking in the lost island that is my loft.

What's left I imagine are some gum cards, posters, bubble gum and maybe even a large playset with sentries, vehicles and figures. I will have to go up there and grapple with those raptors again!

Have you seen Jurassic World and have you any Jurassic toys and collectables?