The 2006 Wild Safari Tyrannosaurus Rex: Grrrr! (eat)

The 2006 Wild Safari Tyrannosaurus Rex (Right) marked a departure for Safari Ltd.s "house-brand" of Dinosaur toys. Their earlier 1996 Tyrannosaurus Rex (Above) had no pretensions of "Museum Quality" as does their Carnegie Collection Tyrannosaurus Rex. It wasn't presented in "natural" colors nor in a definitive scale (the Carnegie Collection, for instance, is generally in 1/40 scale). It was nothing more than a great Dinosaur toy.
In 2005 Safari had introduced a very interesting Juvenile T-Rex, sculpted as covered in feathers and in quite "earthy" colors. (Left) This little guy weighs in at two & one-eighth ounces (2.125 oz, 62 gms), measures about eight inches (8", 20.3 cms) in length and portended things to come.
The first of these (Right) was the all-new Wild Safari Tyrannosaurus Rex adult, in those "natural, earthy" colors we hear so much about. But this one was a more than just a departure in color... it was a whole new style! From its highly detailed teeth (the dentition is individually sculpted) and mouth through the armored ridges on its carefully sculpted head and down its back to the raised spines on its hips and tail (Right) there can be no doubt but that it is meant to be of 'museum quality' and in nearly every way is a superior sculpture to all but the very finest Dinosaur toys made today.
I have found two colored versions so far, both of which match up very well with the 2005 Juvenile T-Rex. These are my original lighter "Chameleon" green (they are nearly the same color as the Chameleons that inhabit our porch and mortally tease our cat) and a much darker, almost midnight green, generously supplied to me by

The Spinosaurus Is NOT Extinct, It Has Bounced Back and it is Rubber

I would like to thank Safari Ltd. (opens new window) Otherwise the feet and legs of the 'darker' Tyrannosaurus are lighter and its underbelly more shaded. The 'lighter' Safari Tyrannosaurus Rex has darker brown feet and lower legs with a lighter belly.

The Safari Tyrannosaurus Rex Likes to Hunt

The Safari Styracosaurus (1998) makes the point that it does not like to be hunted, or eaten for that matter, and means to make that point as sharply as possible. This can be done when the T-Rex is out alone and there are two

Styracosaurus, but it is a whole different kettle of Dino-fish when it is a pack of the newest Safari Tyrannosaurus Rex to contend with and when they have an ambush planned.

INTERLUDE

(Behind the scenes.)

(A lot goes into planning an ambush.)

"Hey! What a GREAT plan!

(Now, back to our page.)

But baby (Dinosaur toys) are always tender and tasty (Right) and a lot less trouble. Another benefit...no pointy parts.

Of course, being contemporary Tyrannosaurs they like variety and have a hankerin' for lamb chops as well. (And Sheep-Dogs for that matter.)

The beautiful detail work on this Dinosaur toy isn't limited to its head but is found throughout the entire body.
The picture above shows the beautiful detail of the bottom of the mighty jaws, the throat and detail of the foreclaws. If you look to the right you will see our protagonists laying on their backs. The thing that stands out about this picture is the size of the Safari Tyrannosaurus Rex's feet. (Below left) These boys are like Great Dane puppies! Or Tiger Cubs, their feet are a bit outsized. Are they meant to be "Tyranno-chicks" (even the Juvenile Tyrannosaurus and the Tyrannosurus babies don't have feet in comparable proportion) or is this simply a bit of aesthetic license? You decide.

The foreclaws, those tiny little two-clawed arms, are very nicely done as well. The claws look sharp (they aren't) and the arms are nicely shaped. The same holds true for the Juvenile. The sculpting and detail of the feet on both of these is excellent, but better, all around, on the Safari Tyrannosaurus Rex than on the Juvenile T-Rex. It is like the Juvy was a test-bed for the color, feathers, arms and, incidentally the eyes. While on the adult they are red with black pupils on the innocent looking "Juvenile" they are yellow, with slitted pupils.

As noted, early on in the beginning of this page, this Wild Safari Tyrannosaurus Rex figure was the first of a series of what can only be described as "museum quality" small scale Dinosaur toys. Not necessarily in scale to each other (or any other figure series) their realistic detailing and beautiful coloring make these new Wild Safari figures the leaders of the pack today.
Hunting takes on a new meaning when dealing with the Wild safari Stegosaurus (2007):

or the Triceratops (2007) (who is little bit out of scale for the 2006 T-Rex to handle- the T-Rex looks worried in the second photo):

But you do get the point(s). Yes? Our Tyrannosaurus wants to avoid them. He's in denial.

When it is all said and done it is easier to just steal some food from the 2001 Safari Spinosaurus....

"Hey you!! Come back with my seafood!!"
And then hang around the old water cooler in the office and talk about jungle gossip....

"So. Wha'd ya do today?" "Nothin'. You?" "Nothin'...."

The 2006 Safari Tyrannosaurus Rex was a real turning point for Safari Ltd and their Wild Safari line of Dinosaur toys. In addition to those already mentioned there are an Allosaurus fragilis, (2007) a Velociraptor mongoliensis (2007) and a Dilophosaurus (2008) with more of these extremely beautiful new figures promised in the years ahead. I have to say that Safari Ltd. is making this a great time to be a Dinosaur toys collector.
Based on the realism and extreme detail of these Tyrannosaurs they have a real shot at becoming collectibles. At the moment they are still in full production and I would suggest that you get at least one before the molds wear out and the detail gets lost. I prefer the early, lighter colored ones myself. These both, the adults and the juveniles can be found online and in retail stores throughout the land. Prices range for the T-Rex from $6.60 to about $8.00 and for the Juvenile from $3.29 to $6.95.
These are perfectly healthy to eat being toxin free but have absolutely no nutritional value and will undoubtedly prove difficult to digest. Besides, they're Tyrannosaurs and they take the position that if anybody gets eaten. It's you!

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