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Fled74 Review: Ultimate Gorgon

Fled74 Review: Ultimate Gorgon

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I’ve seen some terrible dino sculpts in my time, as well as some OK sculpts, and some really really good ones (my personal toy rating system), and this one definitely falls into the third category.

It would appear that Vivid Imaginations used the movie’s 3D model as a reference at least, with finely textured scales, bumps and ridges, and no “elephant skin syndrome”.  The teeth are nicely shaped, and aren’t too stubby or rounded-off.  The same goes for the prominent brow “horns”.

The tongue is a separate sculpt glued into the mouth, which is a nice little detail.  Given that the movie Gorgosaurus was designed by dino artist David Krentz, Vivid had an excellent starting point.

The detail in the toy looks a little soft in a few areas, but that’s only a minor complaint from me.

The torso features “Real-Feel Dino Skin”, which is a flexible hard rubbery material that I’m certain feels nothing like real dinosaur skin.  It does retain its shape well, though.

All other body parts are hard plastic.

Concerned parents should know there are a few hard pointy bits (the aforementioned brow horns, the claws, and the tip of the tail) that kids *might* poke into their younger sibling’s eye.  Because older siblings can be assholes.

 

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Gorgosaurus features 14 points of articulation, a seemingly paltry amount that nevertheless allows a great range of motion and superior poseability, especially when compared with another similarly-sized big-name dino toyline (which rhymes with “Triassic Snark”).

Rotating knees and ankles, as well as revolving hip joints and feet, allow the legs to splay out while keeping the feet flat on the ground and enable the toy to achieve some rather dynamic poses.  The arms, while tiny and basically useless, also have revolving shoulders – a welcome bonus.

In addition, the knees have click-stop joints which are vital in helping them hold their position.  Sadly, I can’t say the same for the ankles and feet.  Freshly unboxed, these joints are nice and tight, but moderate play has caused them to loosen, making freestanding poses difficult.  I admit I posed him a lot while exploring the limits of the articulation, but it’s a bit disappointing.

The lower jaw is also a bit loose now, and I can’t get him to keep his mouth shut.  In fact, a lot of these Gorgosaurs on the store shelf had the lower jaw missing. I don’t know if that was due to transport damage or overzealous kids, but it’s something to watch out for.

Fortunately the loose joints can be fixed using a trick 1/6-scale hobbyists use: apply a drop or two of superglue into the joint, and then work the joint constantly until the glue sets.  I’ve fixed many floppy figure joints this way.

Another gripe is the tail, which is jointed only at the base (where it meets the body), and is molded in a permanent curve.  It’s also a bit too light to counterbalance the weight of the body and head.

A couple of fishing sinkers should fix the issue, if I can work out how to open the tail up.

 

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About Chris Navarro

Chris is from Australia, where everything is trying to kill you. Maybe even this post.

One comment

  1. Holy mercy, I had no idea this existed and now I can’t live without it. Great review!

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