According to my DinoToyCollector profile I have 38 Tyrannosaurus rex figures in my collection, and I know that’s not all of them. Like many collectors, Tyrannosaurus is probably the last dinosaur I need more of on my shelves, and yet I keep getting more. Not all of them mind you, I don’t have any from PNSO, CollectA, Rebor, or Haolonggood but I have decent representatives spanning the decades between the 1950’s and the present day. One of the Tyrannosaurus figures that caught my eye this year was, shockingly enough, by Recur. Let’s discuss!
Recur launched in 2014 and has had a presence on the Dinosaur Toy Blog since 2016 but their figures have been met with generally lukewarm reactions. They represent children’s toys in the truest sense and failed to reach the high bar established by the companies that typically catch the interest of adult collectors. The last couple of years have seen a marked improvement in some of their figures however, and this Tyrannosaurus is a prime example of that. Just compare it to this one! But this T. rex has largely flown under the radar, perhaps due to the launch of Haolonggood’s Tyrannosaurus models or because of preconceived notions about Recur’s quality. For that reason, and because of the obvious increase in quality, I decided to give the Recur tyrant a fair shake and feature it here.
The Recur Tyrannosaurus has been named Osborne, presumably after Henry Fairfield Osborn, the man who named the tyrant lizard king. For some reason, Recur adds an E to the end of Osborn. The figure comes packaged in an attractive box ala PNSO and HLG and the figure sits snuggly within a plastic try. An attractive collector card is also included with T. rex stats on the back.
Osborne measures about 13.25” (33 cm) along his various curves and stands 4.5” (11.43 cm) tall at the hips. The actual Tyrannosaurus reached an estimated length of 40’ (12 meters) which puts Osborne at his advertised scale of 1/35. Osborne is presented in a static pose with the head slightly cocked and looking leftward and the tail gently sweeping down and to the left.
The is a solid and stocky T. rex that I’ve repeatedly seen compared to the Tyrannosaurus from Prehistoric Planet. To me it mostly resembles the work of Beth Zaiken of Blue Rhino Studio. In particular, it reminds me of her illustration on the cover of Mega Rex: A Tyrannosaurus Named Scotty. To a lesser extent it also reminds me of Tyrannosaurus illustrations by Robert Bakker. Of course, that it conjures up these examples of paleoart is a massive compliment to the figure.
Osborne is largely accurate to what we currently think Tyrannosaurus looked like. There are no feathers but whether or not T. rex has them is still up in the air and the current trend is to make them sparse or absent. The head is large and T-shaped when viewed from above, wide in the back with a narrow snout, with binocular vision. The keratinous head ornamentation is a bit exaggerated here, giving Osborne a devilish appearance, and it might be too extreme for the likings of some. The head is also a bit too shrink wrapped for me but that’s forgivable once you realize that the toy has lips. Yes, that’s right! Recur has succeeded where PNSO and Haolonggood have failed!
The jaw is articulated but doesn’t close completely, so the teeth are still peeking, but the jaws close enough that you can appreciate Osborne’s lipped visage. The teeth are well rendered and individually sculpted and there’s some nice detail on the tongue and roof of the mouth, but it’s not quite as advanced as PNSO’s work. The addition of a small scar along the left lip is a nice touch.
The rest of the body looks fantastic, with a thick neck, deep chest and barrel shaped torso, small but muscular arms with a longer second digit, and lean muscular legs. The tail is appropriately long and well-muscled at its base. The only issue I have is that the feet are oversized, no doubt for stability. The figure, admittedly, stands sturdy.
For fine details you get some well-defined labial scales along the lips and large scales over the muzzle. Most of the scales over the face are small but there are larger scales clustered on the back of the lower jaw and along the jugal bones. Fine scales cover the rest of the body and in size, texture, and appearance they look like the scale texture of older Safari figures, reminiscent of a burlap bag. I don’t say that insultingly, they look great!
Larger feature scales are scattered over the hide and scutes run down the toes. The underside is covered in fine wrinkles. Sagging folds of skin run down the neck, lower sides of the torso, and along the underside of the tail. Skin folds also radiate down the neck and over the shoulder, knee, and ankle joints. A cloaca is present but there aren’t any ear openings.
The paint on the figure is well applied but the colors and patterns are definitely uninspired. Dark brown over most of the body transitions to a yellowish-tan and pink underside. Faint dark bands run down the back and thighs and the hands and feet are dark brown. The keratinous bits on the head are yellowish brown and the eyes are yellow with black pupils. The teeth are white, and the inside of the mouth is pink. The paint application on the teeth is rough in places but overall acceptable. The claws are the same dark brown as the hands and feet. Brown Tyrannosaurus depictions are a dime a dozen, and with the release of Haolonggood’s vibrant tyrants this one feels boring, but it is still naturalistic and the blending and fading of colors is top tier.
The Recur Tyrannosaurus doesn’t quite reach the level of craftsmanship as companies like Rebor or PNSO, but it is still punching well above its weight class. This figure retails for about $30-35 and I got mine on Amazon for $25. For that price you’ll be hard pressed to find a better Tyrannosaurus model, especially one with the oh-so coveted lips. Osborne represents a massive glow up for Recur and the company should be rewarded for their commitment to improvement. Hopefully enough models of Osborne and their other figures sell that they feel compelled to improve further and produce some more interesting taxa. I never expected Recur to convince me to squeeze one more Tyrannosaurus into my cabinet.
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