It’s interesting to think that the last time I reviewed an Allosaurus figure for the blog here was back in 2019, and based on the individual from the short film Battle at Big Rock, released in the same year. Here I am now with the Hammond Collection iteration, yet again based on the design from that short film. Worth noting that while this is intended to be the Battle at Big Rock individual per the packaging, it later featured in Jurassic World Dominion, and Jurassic World Chaos Theory, the sequel series to Camp Cretaceous, as well as both the Jurassic World Evolution 2 and 3 video games. Anyways, there have been quite a number of iterations of this animal in the Mattel Jurassic World line since the 2019 Dino Rivals Dual Attack figure released (see my guide here), most of them being retools or repaints of it in some way (which was also a retool of the 2018 Fallen Kingdom figure based on the juvenile design from that film). It wouldn’t be until late 2024 before this Hammond Collection iteration released, and I think this is by far the most screen accurate take on this animal yet, if not among the Hammond Collection in general, but it isn’t without some flaws.
Allosaurus hardly needs an introduction here, with the plethora of figures that have been reviewed here, but it is worth mentioning that there are several species, most notably Allosaurus fragilis, A. jimmadseni, A. europaeus (which may or may not be A. fragilis), and the most recently named A. anax (which had material that was formerly associated with Saurophaganax). Of these, the Jurassic World Battle at Big Rock design was based around specimens of Allosaurus jimmadseni, named in the following year (by Chure & Loewen, 2020), after the short film released. Folks may be familiar with this species thanks to the famous Big Al and Big Al 2 specimens, the former of which was the star subject in the BBC Walking with Dinosaurs Ballad of Big Al released back in 2000. That very special episode was what instilled in me a lifelong love of this theropod dinosaur since I was a child, and in particular this species, so I can’t help but be glad that specimens of my favorite Allosaurus species served as the main inspiration for this Jurassic World design. In any case, one key aspect of this species that is reflected on the short film’s design, and in turn the figure, is the shape of the jaws, albeit somewhat stylized. In Allosaurus fragilis the jugal bone in the skull is deeper and rounder, whereas on A. jimmadseni it is much straighter.
Unfortunately as mentioned earlier, there are a number of flaws with this figure. The most glaring issue is the poor quality control that has impacted many of these figures, particularly involving the paint around the arms. Most of the figures that I’ve seen shared online have paint missing from the shoulder region, typically on one side of the figure, when it should run down the neck, and blend into the upper arm. Unfortunately there’s the chance the side that can’t be seen when in the box is the side that has this issue, so if you intend to open it up, it is a matter of the luck of the draw. I got mine pretty late into its production run (late May 2025), and it suffers from this problem like so many before it, and on both sides. That said at least there is some consistency here. The other notable issue that I’ve seen crop up countless times is the poor stability, perhaps due to the weight of the tail, with the hollow body. With enough work positioning the legs just right, and the tail’s internal armature, one can get it to stand up however.
Still despite these issues, I think this is among my favorite figures in the Hammond Collection line so far. Aside from some minor proportional issues, such as the undersized head, and the slightly oversized feet, it gets most of the anatomy of the Battle at Big Rock design down. Starting with the head, it correctly puts the crests in front of the eyes, instead of above them as on the 2019 Dino Rivals figure, which more than likely was based on the earlier concept art and maquette designs which had the crests above the eyes. Meanwhile the animatronic and CGI model has them correctly placed in front. Another change from the 2019 figure is the tongue here is properly pink, instead of blue, such as on the juvenile design from Fallen Kingdom. Again the concept art did feature a blue tongue. The teeth sculpt is nice and sharp, utilizing rubber like many of the recent figures. The glass eyes on this figure is one of the better implementations across the entire Hammond Collection. Despite their small size, and rather in poor or decent lighting, they remain bright in color, and do a good job of following one as the figure is moved around. This is in contrast to like those in the Pyroraptor, and a number of other figures which only work with particular lighting and angles. The coloration on the head is more or less similar to the CGI model as well, though perhaps the placement of the red color could have been a bit higher, near the crests, and the cream color should fade farther out on the upper jaw. Minor quibbles though.
The backside is decked out in osteoderms, and spikes, much like the original 2008 Papo Allosaurus figure, which was an oddity in a sea of sculpts based on Jurassic Park designs. Things have gone full circle here, not only with the sculpt, but the similar coloration of the Jurassic World design as well. The arms are short, and the hands are small, much like the CGI design. While the film animal was designed off of Allosaurus jimmadseni, the real animal would have had proportionally larger arms than what is on the figure here, if not the film design as well. One feature that appears to be inaccurate to both the film design and real animal is the short claw on the first digit. This claw should be much larger proportionally to the second and third digit’s claws, which is true of the real animal as well. Perhaps Mattel did this to make the toy safer for children, however the much larger Hammond Collection Spinosaurus has its characteristic enlarged claw on the first digit. It’s also possible they overlooked it, as many of the Hammond Collection figures deviate from the source material in far more egregious ways (such as the newest Indominus rex). Moving on to the legs they are proportionally large and thick. As mentioned earlier the toes are a bit oversized, though not like overly so such as on earlier releases (T. rex and Velociraptor). The middle toe (or third digit) should be slightly longer. The claws on the first digit are not painted, which is your typical cost cutting measure with these figures. The tail is properly long, and maybe a tad too long, which is a rarity among the Mattel Jurassic World line which usually suffer from short and stubby tails to help keep the packaging sizes down (to fit retailers demands). Most of the body is colored in a dark blue on the backside, and cream on the underside, and is more or less how it appears on the film design. It is a bit simplified on the hind limbs in comparison. Aside from the issue with the shoulders, it could have used a bit more of that blue color blended on the knees down. All claws are painted, again except for the ones on the first pair of toes. The figure is about 53.34 cm (21 inches) long when the neck and tail are straightened out, and about 16.51 cm (6.5 inches) tall at the hips (excluding the spikes), when the legs are in a neutral standing position.
As far as articulation goes, it is pretty decent overall. Both the upper and lower jaw can be open and closed independently (unlike the larger theropods in the line, or the similarly sized Carnotaurus). There are two neck joints. The first, closest to the head has quite a bit of upwards movement, but very little side to side, and can’t really move down. This is probably the only joint on the figure I wish had more range. The second neck joint helps to make up for that, as it has substantial up and down range. It also can be rotated around full 360 degrees. The shoulders have the typical articulation with these figures, where they can be rotated fully around, and posed in and out. The elbows and wrists have much in the same way of range. The hip joints are also pretty standard, being able to rotate fully around, and with a bit of in and out movement. They are also ratcheted, which will hopefully aid in long term stability. The knee joints are much like that of the shoulders, elbows, and wrists. There are two joints in the feet, one at the base of the ankles, and the second at the base of the toes. Both of these joints have a bit of up and down movement, and can be fully rotated around, much like the other joints in the limbs. The tail is on a ball joint, but only has a small range of movement. It can be fully rotated around. As mentioned earlier, the tail has an armature inside, and the surrounding material is a hollow rubber allowing for the tail to bend in a number of different positions. Extreme poses in the tail may cause kinks in the material though.
Overall a fantastic figure, despite its few issues, and one I’m very glad to have gotten my hands on before the aftermarket prices have jumped up. Certainly hope to see the other Battle at Big Rock animal, the Nasutoceratops, get its due in the Hammond Collection at some point to go alongside this one. Otherwise there’s a plethora of figures in the line from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation, where the animal once lived, that pair rather well with it (Brachiosaurus, Ceratosaurus, juvenile and adult Stegosaurus, and the new Dryosaurus and Ornitholestes. The Legacy Collection Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Diplodocus would also fit in well, among others). Although still available on numerous online retailers (Amazon and such), it goes for well over the original MSRP, which was around $35 USD or so. Otherwise you can try your luck with the aftermarket.
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