While checking out the various aisles at my local Target, I was floored the other day. I’m always happy to check out what Fisher-Price has to offer in the way of DC Comics characters, but I didn’t expect to find an awesome Imaginext version of one of my fondest childhood toylines.
I’ve always been intrigued by the various Imaginext lines. With the various characters, monsters, vehicles, and playsets that are all compatible, it’s definitely one of those toy lines that I wish had been around when I was a kid. With the addition of the DC license I’ve been envying the sets even more lately, but I still hadn’t pulled the trigger on a purchase until last weekend. Sitting in the aisle were various dinosaurs wearing mechanized harnesses that could carry passengers. Dino-Riders had returned!
Mattel bought Tyco in 1997, but this isn’t exactly the Dino-Riders we knew as kids. There are no Valorians or Rulons, and the dinosaurs have a simplified and cartoony look to them. But there’s no doubt that the spirit of Dino-Riders has influenced this line.
Imaginext doesn’t really give a specific storyline, but you can infer from the various figures that the humans are using the dinosaurs to help mine for crystals. Some of the humans are dressed in darker colors with more sinister designs and can easily be considered the bad guys of the sets. Interestingly, another big difference from the original line is that all the dinosaurs are wearing helmets, not just the bad guy’s dinos.
I picked up one of the cheaper sets, the Raptor, to try out the line. From what I can tell, it looks like he’s a completely new mold and not just a reuse of some of the older Imaginext dino lines. He’s got a pretty detailed sculpt to him with plenty of scales and even a repeating diamond pattern running down his back. He’s been molded in that dark red plastic with bits of black speckled throughout and then painted yellow on his underside. He’s got basic movement with his mouth and tail being hinge joints, while his arms and legs are swivels. But you can still get a couple of really nice poses out of him. Continue to page 2…
Dude I love the look of these figures. And I think the return of Dino Riders might push me over the edge. I’ve been eying the T-Rex they have…
Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ll probably be picking him up too.
These are pretty awesome! Not exactly my cup of tea, but I have been picking up a few of the Imaginext toys for my son. Its awesome that he can have a dinosaur and a fireman playing alongside Batman and Superman. My wife absolutly loves the Imaginext Clayface toy! You gotta check that one out!
Hmm… You got me thinking about that t-rex now… Mabye it’ll be under the xmas tree for my son. Dad can always give it a quick “play test” for him while he’s asleep…
lol, nothing wrong with giving the toys a “quality check” before allowing the kids to play with them.
I think I recognize that crystal: I do believe it was used before as green Kryptonite with Superman and Krypto. But I think my Youngest might end up with some of these, too.
I think you’re right. Which is a great bonus for anyone looking to add some multi-colored kryptonite to their DC Imaginexts.
the imaginext line has all kinds of pieces that would be blazingly awesome for the adult collector… did anyone see the big mechs? they have two craft, one in black on it’s own, and a target exclusive white mech in a huge docking bay setup that is just SCREAMING for some glyos and OSM figs to take over. these look like they could likewise accommodate some buildmen.
I never thought about using the OSM/Onell figures with them. You’re right, they’re the perfect scale.
i’m not a professional toy pimp, but i do some amateur work on the weekends. 🙂
I’ve always been interested in the Imaginext lines too. You should have seen my face when I found out about the DC Comics Imaginext Killer Croc…
Since you don’t know me, it looked exactly like :X. Never bought it though.
Any chance you could tell us or show us how the dinosaur looks like next to G.I Joe or Marvel Universe figures? I’m trying to find some non-transforming cartoon-y versions of most of the heroic Beast Wars cast and he’d do a great job as Dinobot.
Thanks.
Are you planning on moding him to look more like the Dinobot? I’d be interested in seeing that.
Here’s the Raptor with a few different 3 inch figures. Hope this helps.
Thanks, that picture was a huge help.
Yeah, I am planning on repainting him to make him look more like DInobot, adding the stripes, darker colors and redoing the eyes to be more reptilian. I’ll be sure to get you a link when I’ve got the whole team built.
Thanks again.
DUDE! I thought the EXACT same thing this weekend when I saw the big T-rex with all that extra cyber armor! I was tripping out.
Yeah, that T-Rex really has similar armor to the old Dino-Rider Rex. He’ll be fun to review when I eventually get him.
Hell yeah! I love Imaginext! Best toys on the market today as far as fun and playability. I’ve been wanting to get the Triceratops, but for some reason the good guy in this size class has been calling my name lately. They’re so much fun and totally compatible with Glyos! Nice review dude!
Thanks!
I was barely able to pass these up the first time I saw them in Target. My nephew is definitely going to be getting a few of these for Christmas, assuming I can give them away once I have my hands on them.
Lemmy is right about Imaginext Clayface, I picked it up on sale at TRU last weekend and it’s a great toy.
I’ve only seen pictures of Clayface so far. I kind of dread seeing him in person because he’ll be too hard to resist, lol.
good luck finding him in stores him and catwoman are super hard to find
Ive been eyeing them for awhile now. I finally picked up a guy with an exosuit fomr the space version on clearance. pretty impressive toys. Marvel universe figures can even fit in the exosuit as long as they sit indian style.
It’s going to be hard not to pick up other Imaginext lines, especially if I see them on clearance.
Im going to be getting the samurai for sure. I never see samurai figures. Only seen them at target, but since i work there its 15% cheaper.
the samurais are Target exclusive I beleive
imaginext is one of the best lines out there right now the quaility price and coolness cant be beat. been reviewing a few of them lately myself
As much as I love dinosaurs, and never had any Dino-Riders when I was a lad, I think I can pass on these, nice though it is to see another return to 1980s nostalgia. A bit too cartoony and dated-looking in style for my taste.
If they made scientifically-accurate dinos, though (like the better Jurassic Park ones), I’d be in a right pickle. I would have to sell a couple of important organs (maybe even a couple of my own) to finance any new purchases, and the storage space in which to keep them.