Andrewsarchus (Hinstar Toys) – Dinosaur Toy Blog

Welcome to a first-rate detective story that will either succeed or fizzle out and be forgotten! I’m either dealing with a very rare figure here, or you’re going to laugh at me because I’m on a completely wrong track. What is the reason for my confusion and this unusual introduction? Well, a few years ago when I interviewed a kindergarten director for an article in a regional magazine (male kindergarten directors are unfortunately very rare in Germany, which was the reason for my story). While he was showing me the rooms of his educational facility, I scanned the toy boxes filled with the usual Bullyland and Schleich figures you find in Germany. In one box, something unusual stood out from the uniform mush I was already familiar with, and I reached for the gray figure I want to talk about today. I immediately noticed the similarity to the Bullyland Andrewsarchus, especially its grim look with bared teeth, its left leg sticking out as if to threaten, and its mane on the neck. What was different, however, was the coloring, the length and details of the anatomy. On the figure’s belly, there was a logo with the capital letters ‘HIL (R)’ printed. The dot on the i was depicted as a star. It also said ‘(C) 1998 HINSTAR’ and ‘MADE IN CHINA’.

I sensed something unusual and did something equally unusual: Falling out of my role as a reporter, I asked the kindergarten director if I could take this figurine in exchange for a donation to the staff coffee fund. I mentioned that I was a collector of prehistoric creature figurines. He agreed, and that’s how the figurine came into my possession.

Now here I stand, clueless and in my short shirt, and I’ve kept asking myself with a guilty conscience whether it was ethically right to take this exciting figure away from the kids to add it to my collection. But, after all, it was a deal between a responsible educator and an opportunistic collector which both agreed to – and now I’m making both this story and the figure itself available to the world. It is 12,5 cm long and stands 5,5 cm tall. The gray base color is decorated with black longitudinal stripes on the sides behind the mane and cross stripes on the front legs. The teeth, the eyeballs, and the inside of the ears are painted white. This color scheme naturally makes those in the know think of the famous last black-and-white photos of theTasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus), another extinct synapsid, and honestly, at first I wondered if this isn’t just a failed figure of the same. However, the undeniable similarity to the Bullyland Andrewsarchus speaks against that, so I assume this is also an Andrewsarchus. What´s more, for a representation of a Tasmanian Tiger, this figure would be too bulky, stocky, and strong.

Andrewsarchus is an extinct, probably carnivorous mammal species and lived in the Middle Eocene over 41 million years ago. It is only known from a complete skull found in Inner Mongolia, where it was discovered in 1923. Originally considered the largest member of the Mesonychia (which were long considered to be the ancestors of whales), the systematic position of Andrewsarchus is still unclear today, but it is thought to be closely related to even-toed ungulates. The genus name was given in 1924 by Henry Fairfield Osborn for Andrewsarchus mongoliensis. It comes from Greek and Latin and honors the paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, the leader if the expedition that lead to its discovery. Because ‘archus’ means as much as ‘ruler’ (cf. “Archosauria”), Andrewsarchus roughly can be translated as ‘Andrews’ ruler/leader.’ However, Roy Chapman Andrews did not actually discover the species. Its was discovered iby a member of the Central Asiatic Expedition led by Andrews, namely Kan Chuen Pao, a Chinese assistant of the expedition.

No matter how you look at it, the internet gives almost no information about this figure. At least I was able to find out that Hinstar is a Chinese manufacturer of action figures, and on our forum, a respected member named Faelrin had added it to a thread called “A visual guide to prehistoric mammal toys (with some exclusions)”: Search Results . And, very important: The website ‘Toy Animal Info” lists it, even with a picture.’ Here is the link: Andrewsarchus – Toy Animal Wiki. Both links show very nicely the variety and the big number of manufacturers who have already taken on this species, and by now even a few more may have joined in.

Whether the body anatomy is represented correctly is hard to say, of course, since only the skull has been preserved. It is designed to look strikingly aggressive, as mentioned, with bared teeth and an almost exaggeratedly wrinkled nose. As threatening as it looks at first glance, it also seems kind of silly and cartoonish at the same time, like depictions of the wolf from pictures of the fairy tale ‘The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats’ or “Little Red Riding Hood”.

All in all, this figure doesn’t impress with its finesse. But the interesting stories it brings up for me are exciting enough to easily justify four stars. I would be very grateful for any hints. Are there possibly other prehistoric mammals from Hinstar? The contrast between its sudden appearance in an ordinary toy box and its assumed rarity still amazes me. Therefore, at this point, I can´t give a hint about possible sources for those who would like to add this peculiar fellow to their collection.

Thanks for your attention, have a great day!