Jurassic World 2: Dr. Grant and The Mini Dinos (with Special Guest: Carnotaurus!)

Yeah, that's right, I'm gona review more Jurassic World 2 toys! This toyline is dynamite, I tells ya!

Last time I covered some basic dinos, a battle damaged dino, and two humans. This time I'm covering DR. GRAAANT, the man himself! You may know him as the main character on the Sega Genesis Jurassic Park game, and---

---wait, you mean he was in a movie too? I thought this was going to be a video game toy review!

Alright, I'm kidding, but I can't be the only one excited for this figure because of the old Sega game, right? Come on, someone chime in.

Dr. Grant is a tiny bit under G.I. Joe size, but still close enough to count him among the ranks.

He comes packaged with a flair gun and a Compsognathus, or a compy; those little guys that were barely in the movie but totally killed Hammond in the book.

The compy is unpainted and sculpted in such a way that it can easily latch on to the arms or legs of a figure. These are known for swarming, so considering that each classic Jurassic Park character comes with one, you could get at least three of these little guys on a figure at one time. I'm hoping they release a few in a multipack at some point (they have so many multipacks already).

I also mentioned that he came with a flair gun...but I lost it. I'm not sure how, considering I have kept track of everything even in the massive piles that take up my basement. Somehow this one got by me. I beg your forgiveness.

But hey, he can hold other stuff! Did you ever play Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition, on the Sega Genesis? In that game, Grant uses machine guns and shotguns, so I naturally had to try that out.

Grant lacks wrist articulation, so that severely hinders his ability to hold guns, but you can manage for a photo session. He may not continue to hold them in a long term display, though. The arms are a bit rubbery and will want to bend back to their original position. On the other hand, that means you can squeeze most guns in there without a problem.

Now, if you are familiar with Rampage Edition, then you'll remember the level where you ride a gallimimus (and lose all your lives because the level is impossible). If you're insane like me, you'll have fond memories of it.

That's why I bought this gallimimus. It's honestly the first disappointment in this toyline. It barely stands! The legs are positioned in such a way that there's no way to balance it without bending the legs. There may be a way to fix it with heat and bending, but I haven't managed it. The only reason it's standing is because I've balanced it on uneven ground.

...but I'm such a sucker for nostalgia that it was worth it just to take these pictures.

If you're wondering about articulation....well, I mean, it has articulation...

...but that's about all you can do with it. At least it stands on its own that way!

The gallimimus is probably a skip (unless you really want a herd of them and you're planning on tacking the feet down) but Dr. Grant is a MUST, if you're a Jurassic Park fan. The face sculpt isn't perfect, but it's damn near. You might want to inspect a few to make sure there aren't any paint mishaps, but for the most part, he looks great. His articulation could be better, but I didn't have many problems posing him and having fun with the photoshoot. He'll be fun for kids and adults alike!

...also he's a great addition to your video game toys.

Now, on to our bonus round! Mattel is releasing mini dinos in various ways; some in blind bags and some in three packs. Some of the mini dinos are both in the three packs and blind bags, and some are only exclusive to the three packs. The dino above was in a blind bag, along with the pterodactyl below.

I'm fairly sure these two can be found in multipacks as well, but there are so many product options for this toyline that I'm not entirely sure.

Now, these would be neat enough as they are, but Mattel has also added some mild articulation to these! The dino-whose-name-I-can't-remember has a jointed jaw, and the pterodactyl has jointed wings. It's actually pretty fun, and makes these a little more desirable than your basic keshi-style dinos.

I bought one three pack, and it was to get this clear Indominus Rex. It had a jointed jaw and nothing else matters except that it's clear. I love it.

Also included in the set is a raptor (with jointed legs) and a stegosaurus (with a jointed tail). They're limited in every way, of course, but they still look pretty nice for the scale. Not as nice as a tiny Schleich dino, but still pretty neat.

Now it's time for our special guest:

The Carnotaurus. It's one of those "wait, what is that?" kind of dinos, unless you've been on the Dinosaur ride at Disney World. The Carnotaurus is sort of the antagonist of the ride, popping in to scare you a few times. It also appeared in the Lost World novel, in a small part where it has mild a camouflage ability that works best at night.

The Carnotaurus has creepy four fingered baby hands that are even more useless than the T-Rex's stumps, but far more unsettling.

This is my first larger action-feature dino from the toyline. I wasn't planning on getting any of them, but I broke for this one because of the nostalgia for the Disney World ride, and the action feature:

You push down on the button on its back and it snaps its jaws in the most adorable way possible. I love this thing. The action alone has brought me endless joy.

You know it's good when I'm sitting there, making it snap and laughing again and again, and my wife says "Why is this still happening?" She knows, though. She knows why it's still happening. Because she knew what she was getting in to when she married me.

The Carnotaurus isn't amazing by any means. They gave it disc-hinged shoulder joints for some reason, in case you want more use out of those creepy hands, and its tail and hips are ball jointed, so you get a little range out of it. Still, there aren't going to be many posing options.

Not that it matters. This is just one of those pure fun toys, so if you can't justify getting it, then have some kids and get it for them, because they're gona have a BLAST.

And so will you! You know you will. I'm guessing you've already picked this up and snapped it's jaws a few times in the store, haven't you?

Alright, that's it! Skip the gallimimus, buy some mini dinos, don't skip Dr. Grant - in fact - buy him on sight ('cause he's hard to find right now) and buy the Carnotaurus if you want stupid fun and a great way to annoy your friends by constantly making it talk.