#1095 DINO RIDERS - TYRANNOSAURUS REX with KRULOS, BITOR and COBRUS (1988)

I still have many Dino-Riders toys to be published. I am still missing the Pachyrrhinosaurus, the Edmontosaurus and, of course, the Brontosaurus, as well as a few loose figures. But I have all the other toys, and I will be publishing them some time in the next few years. Today, I want to show the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the biggest and most impressive toy in the first series from 1987, and maybe the most iconic reference of the whole toyline. As a matter of fact it was the model used to create the dinosaur character in the Toy Story movies.

It took some time to get it complete. I had some parts from a flea market, then I bought more parts on the Internet, and finally, I bought the dinosaur with almost every part of the armour, and with all these, I made a complete set. The plastic parts have become fragile and they break easily, so if you have the toy, do not try to remove or separate any parts from each other. The cannons pointing to the back are usually broken (the two that move up and down and the other two that move left to right). I repaired the two attached to the pink part in a way that it cannot be noticed.

The dinosaur also shows the pass of time, as the rubber bands in the wheels below its feet are worn and broken. I guess there are ways to repair it, but I have to find them out.

According to the comic, the T-Rex is the first dinosaur that the Rulons capture by using the brainbox. They prepare a trap on the top of a rock, and when the dinosaurs comes close, they drop the brainbox on its head. Since then, Krulos and the others can control the beast at their will. 

Krulos, of course, is the leader of the rulons, the most important character on that faction. The other two are secondary characters of the Antmen (Bitor) and Snakemen (Cobrus). Even though all evil characters in the series shared three heads (the Sharkmen are not represented in this set), these two are the most appealing one, due to their combination of red and black paint with some details in yellow. The colour scheme recalls somehow the eruption of a volcano or lava or something like that.

Krulos as a commander of the Rulons took for himself the upper position in the dinosaur. He stands in some kind of tribune of pulpit with two small cannons. A bit too exposed to the shoots of the Valorians, but we know from the cartoons, that these were not very good shooters. 

The body of the dinosaur is quite protected with big shields covering torso (or whatever it is called in a theropod) and legs. A central harness holds two cannon nests on the sides, very well covered (as opposed to the pulpit on top) with two shields in the shape of a cubic box. 

The front part has another position for a figure which seems to control two mechanic claws whose utility is uncertain: What are they good for? 

The tail is also heavily protected and has many cannons to cover the attacks from behind. A huge platform has space for another figure and a big shields hangs from that point down.

The last part to be commented are the two pieces that attach to the legs to pretect them, which have the nice detail of carryying a circular saw.

Amont the non protective parts, we can observe a very big motor (I guess all those lasers have to be powered somehow) over the pink platform, partially covered by the top plate, that also covers the two gunner´s seats at the sides. This last part (the "roof", so to speak) is the most fragile in the whole set, and the one it took me longer to find in an acceptable shape. The hinges of the parts exactly over the side cannons can be broken, and also the part that fits in the motor may have some wear or can be broken.

The dinosaur is battery operated and moves its legs in a way that the dinosaur walks. It is one of the fastest dinos (or, at least, faster than the other I have seen in action). The dinosaurs stands by using its tail, in the way that dinosaurs were depicted before the 1990s. Since Jurassic Park, theropods are represented standing on two legs and using the tail to keep balance when moving or running.

All in all it is one of the greatests toys from the 80s, a nice addition to any collection, although it takes quite a lot of space.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: TYRANNOSAURUS REX with KRULOS, BITOR and COBRUS
• Toy Line: Dino-Riders (Wave 1)
• Year: 1988
• Company: Tyco (U.S.A.)
• Scale of the dinosaur: 1:24
• Size of the figures: 2½’’ or 6,5 cm

#1081 MEBETOYS – FERRARI 312 B2 F1 (#6671) (1972)

Since I already covered the history of Mebetoys in a previous entry, there is not much I can write here. Just that, in the 1972 catalogue, Mebetoys introduced the Grand Prix Series, eight formula one refereces (#6670 to #6677) with the most important cars of that season. 

Here's the 312 B2 Ferrari from 1972. The driver was Jackie Ickx, who won only the German GP that year. The seaon winner was Jack Stewart for Tyrrell.

The model is a beautiful reproduction of the real car, as most Mebetoys are. What is not so common is the 1:28 scale. The Grand Prix Series premiered this scale and the following year they would release the Gran Champions at scale 1:25. 

FACTS AND FIGURES: 

• Name:  FERRARI 312 B2 F1 (#6671)
• Scale: 1:28
• Year: 1972
• Company: Mebetoys (Italy)
• Size: approx. 12 cm

#991 NACORAL - MERCEDES 1905 and PEUGEOT 1898 (Ref. 1008, 1011) (Around 1963)

I think I have already written about this series of oldtimers in the past, if not in this blog, at least in the magazine Figuras En Acción.

It is a short series of plastic classic cars (from the beginning of the 20th century) in a very large scale, 1:18, 1:24 or 1:37, depending on the model. Originally, they were casted in colours which were more close to reality, but in further runs, we could find some strange red, dark green and other colours (bright blue and yellow) which make the miniature look more like a toy than like a car. The cars shown today are all belonging to some intermediate run. 

They were available since the late 50s to the 80s, together with Matchbox´s Models of Yesteryear popularity, and they were probably a good idea at the time, since the only classic cars available at the time were either in smaller scale of too expensive (brands such as Bburago had 1:24 and 1:18 scales). According to some sources, this particular collection was the most profitable ever for Nacoral. They were advertised in TV and sold in many countries worldwide.

 

These were the first released ever, starting as early as 1958 (some would be re-released with a 4-digit number later). These are rare and difficult to spot (especially in their boxes)

• Ref.365. Ford T 1910 (same as Ref.1102)
• Ref.370. Packard 18 Landaulet 1912
• Ref.375. Morris Comley 1923
• Ref.380. Rolls Royce 1907 (same as Ref.1104)
• Ref.565. Talbot Darracq 1904
• Ref.570. Mercer Racer 1914 (same as Ref.1006)
• Ref.615. Mercedes Simplex 1902
• Ref.620. Ford T Coupé (same as Ref.1103) 
  
• Ref.625. Rolls Royce Coupé 1908  (same as Ref.1105) 
  
• Ref.630. Panhard Levassor 1908
  
• Ref.635. Fiat 1899 (same as Ref.1019) 
  
• Ref.640. Renault 1899 
  
• Ref.645. Renault 1914 Taxi de la Marne 
• Ref.650. Citroën 5 CV
• Ref.655. Renault 1911

 It is interesting to note that at the time of their release, the oldest model was around 60 years old.

We continue with the 24 models made for the regular series, that, in this type of box, was available for many years and generated a lot of business for Nacoral.

• Ref.1001. Peugeot 1905
• Ref.1002. Renault 1903
• Ref.1003. Packard 1913
  
• Ref.1004. Maxwell Roadster 1911
  
• Ref.1005. Mercedes 1910
  
• Ref.1006. Mercer 1914
• Ref.1007. Opel Coupé 1909
  
• Ref.1008. Mercedes 1905 / Mercedes Paddy Wagon 1905
  
• Ref.1009. Peugeot 1892
  
• Ref.1010. Panhard 1898
  
• Ref.1011. Peugeot 1898
  
• Ref.1012. Renault 1907
  
• Ref.1013. Renault 1907-1910
  
• Ref.1014. Camión Renaul Carga 1907-1910
  
• Ref.1015. (not given)
  
• Ref.1016. Fiat 1908
  
• Ref.1017. Fiat Bianchi 1905
  
• Ref.1018. Fiat 24CV
  
• Ref.1019. Fiat 1898
  
• Ref.1101. Mercedes 1901
  
• Ref.1102. Ford T 1910
  
• Ref.1103. Ford T Coupé 1912
  
• Ref.1104. Rolls Royce 1907
  
• Ref.1105. Rolls Royce Coupé/Berlina 1908
• Ref.1106. Rolls Royce Carroza
  

 

 

That was the standard plastic collection, there were additional subseries that exploited the same castings. For example, some models were injected completely in silver grey or copper, and packaged in specific boxes, or in the same boxes than the ordinary series with a "PLATA" or "COBRE" sticker (Silver or Copper, in Spanish). These had a completely different look, they actually looked like a jewel or a trophy, and were probably intended to decorate some room or working desk.

 

Additionally, Nacoral made some models (at least 17) in bright colours (yellow, red, blue, white) for the "hippy" series. These had a 4-digit reference starting with 12xx and were sold in an urn with plastic base, the same base used for the metal-casted models (such as this Rolls Royce here).

And finally, the old cars were made in die-cast metal, although it is not quite clear how many, at least 6. These are much rarer, so I cannot really specify which parts were metallic and which plastic. For them, the reference number is also 4-digited and start with 38xx.

 

 

And this is not all since Inzaplas, the cooperative society formed by the employees after the closing of Nacoral, also released several models with their own boxes and urns. The models are in principle identical, except for the one-piece wheels casted in plastic and deocrated with chromed hubcaps, that does not look as realistic as the wheels made by Nacoral themselves.

I'd like to add that these two (and a few others) are a gift of my friend Steven.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name:  MERCEDES 1905 and PEUGEOT 1898 (Ref. 1008, 1011) 
• Scale: 1-18-1:24 (?)
• Year: Around 1963
• Company: Nacoral (Spain)
• Size: Around 15 cm long

#911 DINO RIDERS (ICE AGE) - GIANT GROUND SLOTH with ULK (1990)

 

The last wave of Dino Riders had a subseries called "Ice Age", that included 4 prehistoric animals, but no dinosaurs. For me, this was a complete error, since dinosaurs are so much more attractive! Maybe they thought that dinosaurs were very similar to each other and they were already reusing existing casts too much.

The four animals produced for this subseries in the closing wave by Tyco were:

-Woolly Mammooth with Grom

-Giant Ground Sloth with Ulk

-Killer Warthog with Zar

-Sabre-Tooth Tiger with Hub

Some people consider this subseries as a separate collection and until recently the interest for this series was very low. Now I regret not having bought these boxed a few years ago, when they were sold at very low prices. Currently they are becoming more and more difficult to find and the prices are rising accordingly.

Another news to this wave was a new figure cast, representing a prehistoric human, some are marked as Neanderthals, oder as Cro-magnons, but the cast is always the same.

These characters have rough-sounding, one-syllabed names and all play for the Valorians, not the Rulons. That is, they are nice guys. The figures have the same articulations than any other figure, but with some simian feature, like shorter legs, that have to have slightly bent knies to stand, and different colours ranging from light brown, to dark brown, to grey, to almost black. The characters carry also different paintings in their chests and different designs in their loincloths.

The four Ice Age animals included one figure each, equipped with grey weapons as the dinosaur´s figures from wave one, and four more figures from 2-packs. These came together with some Rulon figure, and the card also had some Ice Age decoration behind. Interestingly, this series 2-packs Rulons (also the two Valorians) were done in quite cold colours, like different blue shades, white, purple.. also giving the impression of an Ice Age, compared to the bright colours of the second series´ figures and the golden/silver of the first series´ figures.

As usual, the boxes in this series came in several sizes, the mammooth is big and has walking feature, the Warthog and the giant ground sloth are kind of medium, and the Sabre-tooth tiger is small. Maybe they thought this could be a bit short, so they also made three dinosaurs: the big Pachyrhinosaurus (also with walking action feature) and the small Quetzalcoatlus and Chasmosaurus. These three were probably decided after the Ice Age animals, since they are repaints of older models with slightly different heads or no changes at all and they do not match the concept of the line originally (although the line was already mixing dinosaurs from different geological eras).

In general, we could say that the dinosaur and animal armours for this wave are also quite simple compared to armours in previous waves. most of them come with a big piece that serves as a base from everyhting else, including the figure/seat. Two new types of pieces are those made of transparent plastic (like some kind of windshield or igloo) and flexible plastic tubes.

The Giant Ground Sloth (a.k.a. Megatherium) is maybe one of the references in series 3 with the most elaborated armour. Or maybe not the armour, because it matches the description above, but for two extra pieces that attach to the armour and that build an igloo with three cannons when assembled (leaving the animal unarmed!). It is the only dinosaur that comes with some detachable stratucture that can be played independently in the whole toyline (the Rulon traps cannot be attached to the dinosaurs) together with the Dimetrodon, that had something similar.

 

The animal itself is quite cool, it can stand on two or four feet and move its head up on down to look good either ways.

Excellent toy! Looking forward to get or complete the other three Ice Age plus all individual figures.

To finish the article, here are the German instructions for this toy.

 

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: GIANT GROUND SLOTH with ULK
• Toy Line: Dino-Riders (Wave 3)
• Year: 1990
• Company: Tyco (U.S.A.)
• Scale of the beast: 1:24
• Size of the figures: 2½’’ or 6,5 cm