Noasaurids are weird little theropods with a somewhat shocking pedigree in that they’re closely related to abelisaurids, large and gnarly looking apex predators like Carnotaurus. Masiakasaurus is the most well-known, thanks to its distinctive downturned jaw and forward projecting teeth. It was featured in Prehistoric Planet and has been reproduced in plastic by Safari Ltd. and Mattel. On the other hand, we have Limusaurus, which was toothless and likely had a beak, suggesting an herbivorous diet. Like most small theropods, noasaurids are poorly represented as toys and models.
Today’s review concerns Vespersaurus, which was an oddball in its own right. With an enlarged middle toe and a small toe on each side, Vespersaurus was essentially monodactyl…most of its weight would have been supported on a single toe on each foot. Single toed tracks from Cretaceous Brazil are likely from Vespersaurus or a closely related animal. The toy we’re looking at is from Mattel and they’ve unsurprisingly omitted this unusual feature but it’s a neat toy anyway, and not a terrible example of a noasaurid. This is Mattel’s third noasaurid, since they’ve also made Masiakasaurus and Elaphrosaurus, but it’s the only Mattel noasaurid that I own.
The Mattel Vespersaurus is part of their Frenzy Pack line, which means it is a small figure with basic action features. In this figure the jaw can open, and the neck can swing up and down at its base. The arms can rotate around but unlike most Mattel dinosaurs do not have the hinge joint that allows them to swing out. The legs can also rotate. Vespersaurus is estimated to have measured 3.3–4.9’ (1-1.5 meters) long while the Mattel toy measures 8” (20.32 cm) long and stands 3.5” (8.89 cm) tall to the top of the head. This puts the toy are roughly 1/5-1/7 in scale.
Although it lacks the unique foot anatomy of the actual Vespersaurus, the toy reflects the slender build of noasaurids in general. The head is appropriately small, and the arms and hands are somewhat reduced although not to the extent that they are in abelisaurids. The toy has four clawed digits on each hand and although the fourth digit should be reduced it’s still neat that the digit count in correct.
The toy is partially feathered, with scraggly feathers over the back of the head and neck, over the shoulders and down to about halfway along the tail, and along the forearms and thighs. The feathers over the shoulders are raised like the hackles on a rooster, making the Vespersaurus appear agitated or threatened. Although feathers are not known for noasaurids it’s not a far fetched notion that they had them and I like their addition here, which adds a lot of personality to the toy.
The toy is beige and maroon colored with blue flecks. The top of the head and neck, back and arms and legs are maroon. The eyes are yellow, but the pupils aren’t painted so they’re maroon like the rest of the cranium. The teeth are white and the tongue is pink. The claws are not painted. It’s a basic paintjob but it’s fine, I like the colors that were used.
In typical Mattel fashion the Vespersaurus is not without its flaws, but it is the best of the noasaurids that they’ve made so far and also a fun little toy with a disheveled chicken-like appearance. It’s probably the only Vespersaurus that’ll ever be mass produced so if you’re a fan of the genus, or noasaurids, it’s worth the $9 or so dollars that it retails for. When it comes to noasaurids, you have to take what you can get.
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