I don’t do toy/model reviews often, mostly because I like to stick to my niche and avoid having to compete in an arena already well served by The Dino Toy Blog (and several YouTube channels, to boot). But every so often, I acquire a special figure and just have to blabber about it. And boy, is this one special! Without any further ado, allow me to present the Texas Titanosaur, Alamosaurus!!!
The manufacturer, Haolonggood, exploded on to the scenes over the past couple years, after rebranding from a brief stint under the label “GR Toys”. They have released very high quality dinosaur models, on par with the pre-existing higher-end model makers.
I’ve mentioned in my other model and toy reviews that I’m the kind of nerd that likes to keep all his models roughly in scale with each other, which means I generally try to keep them between 1:35 and 1:40 in scale. This unfortunately (or fortunately, for my wallet!) limits the availability of species to me, meaning smaller dinosaurs and even many medium sized mammals are rare finds. What might come as surprise, however, is that the largest dinosaurs are also rare to find at this scale, given the sheer size of the largest sauropods. Haolonggood is among the happy few willing to take a chance on these enormous figures, and given us their Alamosaurus in glorious 1:35 scale!
As a counter-example, take the Safari Ltd. Patagotitan. The real creature would have been at least as large, and likely even larger, than Alamosaurus, yet the Safari Ltd. model is less than half the size of the Haolonggood model. Comparing these two really drives home just how exceptional a figure like this is.
Haolonggood has also created an optional add-on to their model, turning it into a set with a detailed base. On the base itself, one can find a small pond, a fern, and a dead tree, into which an included, unpainted pterosaur can be slotted in, to boot. The pterosaur is clearly based on Nyctosaurus (with a skin flap connecting its crest struts), and comes in two randomly selected variants, the difference being in the orientation of the wings. There DOES happen to be a nyctosaurid pterosaur called Alamodactylus known from a similar range to Alamosaurus, although the two are not currently known to be contemporaneous. As continuing finds seem to keep expanding the temporal range of nyctosaurid pterosaurs, though, I think I’ll pretend it at least belongs to the same lineage (see, for example, Prehistoric Planet‘s Barbaridactylus).
All in all, this is a fantastic model of a truly awe-inspiring dinosaur. I love seeing the skeleton of this titan on display at the Perot Museum, and I am thrilled to add it to my personal collection. Haolonggood has proven themselves and stood out from the competition, and I am sure I will be happily purchasing their models for years to come. Haolonggood’s Alamosaurus has more than earned my Dino Dad Stomp of Approval!
I happened to purchase my model from Lana Time Shop, a specialty online dinosaur model store, though you can also purchase it through several other, similar shops, depending on what works best for your area. For more toy reviews, check out my entries on Collecta’s Struthiomimus and Megalodon, Wild Past’s Protoceratops, Safari Ltd’s Prehistoric Sharks Toob, TNG’s Prehistoric Mammals, and “PaleoSculpture” by Michael Eischen.
Dino Dad Reviews 