Although "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" is still a month and a half away, there are already about 14 JW2 figures lying on the floor of my house with no place to display them. As a countermeasure against JW2 merchandise, which is just the beginning and whose growth is unpredictable, I am considering getting rid of a large number of jazz CDs to create a JW2 corner, which is unfitting for a jazz pianist. Come to think of it, I have a vague memory of clearing out my LP record shelf for JP figures 25 years ago...

This time, the manufacturer of the figures has changed from "Hasbro" to "Mattel," and it seems they have shifted from gimmick-filled toy lines to a slightly more realistic approach, reminiscent of the early Kenner JP figures. The gimmicks are toned down, and the "wound expression," which had become a staple in the JP series (escalating with each installment, with most dinosaur figures previously having gruesome exposed wounds showing even bones), is now limited to dinosaurs specifically labeled "Battle Damage." It's also pleasing to see that they've returned to the original idea of covering these wounds with removable skin. Another change is the elimination of the traditional branding iron-style JP logo on the skin, which had been there since the first movie. This time, small stickers are used on the soles of the feet instead.

＊For past JP figures, please see "New Treasure House Vol.24・Vol.25・Vol.26". These were three major features coinciding with the release of "Jurassic World." It was a hot summer, 22 years in the making. It's been three years since then...

Three years ago, I was concerned that the Mosasaurus, which had plunged into the pool with the Indominus Rex in its mouth at the end of "Jurassic World," might have starved to death three years later, and that I would never see its majestic form again. But my worries were unfounded. According to Wikipedia, "The Mosasaurus was confirmed to have escaped from the lagoon facility into the ocean on the Jurassic World website. After the park's collapse, it moved from the lagoon facility to the ocean in search of prey."

Isn't that a big deal! And if you watch the trailer, there's a huge shadow creeping at the feet of surfers! This scene alone surpasses many ridiculous shark movies (which I surprisingly like) and approaches the impact of the masterpiece "Jaws." The dinosaurs on Isla Nublar are supposedly rescued from a volcanic eruption, but will the Mosasaurus be exterminated? I really hope it survives and that they make a spin-off movie starring the Mosasaurus. So, let's start our JW2 figure introduction with my favorite, the Mosasaurus.

Currently, three types have been confirmed for release. One is from the mini-series (the pre-order bonus I introduced last time... speaking of which, what I introduced as a Pachycephalosaurus was actually a Stygimoloch (!) named Stiggy. My apologies and correction here). Another is a Fisher Price toy for toddlers, but I haven't purchased either of them. The only one I acquired is a surprisingly huge (72cm) figure. (Image 1)


It's just big and doesn't do any tricks (only the jaw and fins can be moved manually), and the proportions are a bit unnatural with its oversized head, but depending on the angle, it has a powerful presence. And at first, I didn't notice, but I was surprised to find that one of the characteristic features of a Mosasaurus, the palatine teeth, are depicted. In the photo, I've painted them white on the screen for clarity, but in reality, they're uncolored, so most people probably wouldn't notice. It's a mystery why they weren't colored. Well, it's a toy, so maybe they were omitted as unnecessary. The last photo is a two-shot with an action figure from JW. The size difference is obvious at a glance!

Having been delighted by the unexpected discovery of palatine teeth, and feeling it would be a shame to only introduce one JW Mosasaurus, I hastily gathered all the Mosasaurus (sea lizard) figures in my collection and held a Mosasaurus figure competition.

Mosasaurus are major prehistoric creatures, but their figure popularity is somewhat lacking. They are far behind the long-necked plesiosaurs in the Mesozoic marine reptile popularity rankings, and in recent years, they have been rapidly caught up by the short-necked pliosaurs. For example, among Collecta's extensive line-up of prehistoric figures, there are only two types of sea lizards, while there are five types of pliosaurs. This suggests that unless they release very niche items, a company will only produce up to two types of sea lizards, and if the two look indistinguishable, then they may not be considered interesting as models. Nevertheless, I had a decent number of figures.

＊Mosasaur figures have been revamped over the past decade or so, with the removal of scale textures and the addition of tail fins. Their image has changed quite a bit from Buian's depictions of them fighting Elasmosaurus. They've become a bit more subdued, and their appearance now overlaps with that of marine crocodiles (which have, for some reason, always been depicted with tail fins). (Marine crocodiles can still be distinguished by their longer hind fins.) The previous "Jurassic World" brought back the Mosasaurus as a fierce sea monster of old, with spiky tails and bumpy backs, in contrast to the softer Mosasaurus of recent times.

＊The situation for marine crocodile figures is even colder. As far as I know, there are only the Metriorhynchus from Kaiyodo's Dino Tales series, Safari's Plesiosuchus, and a small Metriorhynchus that came as a bonus with an imported garage kit of Liopleurodon.

First, let's look at
Figures with molded palatine teeth (Image 2)


On the left is Collecta's Mosasaurus, and on the right is Safari's Tylosaurus. They are very well-made and realistic. Below is an excavation kit from GeoWorld. It's a Mosasaurus. It's the only 3D skeletal model. It's a shame the ribs are incomplete, but overall it looks good.

Items where the palatine teeth are omitted (Image 3)


① The Mosasaurus from the recently released Realistic Creatures figures. It's 40cm long and a bit coarse, but it has presence. Made of hollow rubber that won't break even with rough play, it has the feel of classic Chinese rubber dinosaurs.
②③ Safari's old and new Mosasaurus. Side by side, the old one looks cooler...
④ Takara Tomy's Ania series. Ania will release a JW2 figure series at the end of this month. It seems the Tyrannosaurus, Mosasaurus, and Raptor are new JW versions, not re-releases.
⑤ Collecta's Tylosaurus
⑥ Papo's Mosasaurus. Papo seems to pursue coolness more than realism, and this one is indeed very cool.

Garage Kit I (Image 4)


Top left is Kaiyodo's 1/35 Tylosaurus by Kazunari Araki, from the 80s. The base was borrowed from a plastic model of an anglerfish, but if I had kept it in the box instead of using it, it would have been quite a treasure. On the right is an early work by Hirokazu Tokugawa, a successful dinosaur sculptor, which I introduced once before (Treasure House Vol.64). I actually combined a Mosasaurus kit and a Pliosaurus kit myself. I don't know if such a scene ever happened, but it is said that mosasaurs replaced pliosaurs in the Late Cretaceous seas. Below are Araki's giant Mosasaurus, easily over 50cm, and a finished Mosasaurus from the Kaiyodo Dinoland series. The prototype was probably by Shinobu Matsumura.

Garage Kit II (Image 5)


This is a 1/72 Mosasaurus garage kit that I bought at Wonder Festival ages ago and left unattended for a long time. I decided to build it now, thinking I would never get around to it otherwise. I colored it in JW colors. More than the finished product, the handwritten packaging and "blueprint" bring back memories of that time, making me feel nostalgic. The corner of the blueprint reads "H5.1.17 WF," which coincidentally is the year Jurassic Park was released. This was back when Wonder Festival was held at the Harumi International Exhibition Center. It feels like a dream.
＊The base is borrowed from the Mosasaurus in the "Cretaceous Box" by Colorata, often seen in museum shops.

Treasure Corner (Image 6 left)


＊⑤ and beyond are re-appearances.
① Clover 1/50 Dinosaur Series (for details, please see Treasure House Vol.38)
② Starlux (New Treasure House Vol.8)
③ Island Enterprises (New Treasure House Vol.19)
④ Shreddies (New Treasure House Vol.8)
⑤ SRG America, from the 40s to 50s. Heavy bronze. (Treasure House Vol.5 briefly mentions SRG)

Miscellaneous (Image 6 right)
① Lego Mosasaurus
② Sargasso Honpo: A Tylosaurus from a manufacturer that creates standing, deformed models of sharks and prehistoric creatures, often seen at events recently.
③ Colorata's Mosasaurus, whose base was taken for the aforementioned Wonder Festival kit.
④ Bandai's "Real Saurus" candy toy (1997) Mosasaurus.
⑤ Unidentified eraser Mosasaurus.

More details on other candy toys can be found here:
Dinosaur Toy Museum
Mosasaurus
Tylosaurus

And the Sideshow Mosasaurus, which is too expensive to buy... someday I'll get it!

To conclude the Mosasaurus corner, enjoy the magnificent 19th-century Mosasaurus, which looks like a plesiosaur, from the 19th-century palaeontology lithograph series that has appeared frequently lately. (Image 7)

Let's return to the JW2 figures.
Once again, the main characters seem to be the Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor. Several types of Tyrannosaurus have been released, but I only have two at home. The super colossal (over 1m!) "Super Colossal," far surpassing the Mosasaurus, has an outstanding presence but, like the Mosasaurus, is simple, with manual jaw and limb movements. It also doesn't roar. It does have the somewhat unexciting gimmick, inherited from the Tyrannosaurus in JP: The Lost World, of spitting out whatever it eats from its belly. The smaller "Slash 'n' Stomp" (though it's still over 50cm) is excellent; by manipulating its tail, its upper body performs various actions, and it even makes footstep and roaring sounds.
(Image 8 The bug-like objects at its feet are the pre-order bonus figures I introduced last time.)

From the "Attack Pack" series, there are Velociraptors, Blue (left), and a wild individual? This series also includes the Dimorphodon, which appeared previously, the veteran Gallimimus, and the Dilophosaurus, which has been spitting venom since its first appearance. (Image 9)