Review
Indominus Rex Jurassic World Rebirth Reimagined Review
The Jurassic World Re-Imagined Legacy Collection brings Real Feel rubber skin to one of the the franchise's most iconic large predators. The Indominus Rex arrives as the best-sculpted version Mattel has produced, with the most accurate head sculpt of any release, dual-articulated jaws, roaring sound effects, and a posable wire tail.
The Real Feel Format: What It Means
Real Feel Explained
Real Feel is Mattel’s rubber-over-hard-plastic hybrid construction. The upper body, arms, and tail of both figures use a soft, durable rubber material layered over a rigid internal frame.
This gives a tactile quality closer to the Hammond Collection than standard Mattel releases, allows the neck to move left and right and up and down with natural flex rather than hard joints, and makes the arm and hand claws genuinely soft enough to have sharper-looking tips without posing a safety concern.
The wire tail is an extension of the Real Feel concept, embedded within the rubber tail to allow freeform posing without a mechanical joint. Both figures in this comparison use the same Real Feel construction.
How Does It Compare to the Reimagined Gyganototosaurus
Both share the same format and feature set, making this the most natural head-to-head in the current Re-Imagined lineup. But first:
Re-Imagined Indominus Rex vs Giganotosaurus — Category by Category
Giganotosaurus
- Familiar head sculpt, wide and awkward ✗
- Green, light gray, red throat paint ✓
- Scars and injuries sculpted throughout ✓
- Both upper and lower jaw articulate ✓
- Speckling adds surface color variation ✓
- Figure-swallowing stomach feature ✓
- Poseable wire tail ✓
- Swivel ankles ✓
- Light gray fades before tail
- Hand claws unpainted, foot claws painted ✓
- Jaw does not close fully at rest
Indominus Rex
- Best Indominus head sculpt Mattel has produced ✓
- Light gray, dark gray, red three-tone paint ✓
- Quills on neck and back of elbows ✓
- Both upper and lower jaw articulate ✓
- Roaring sound effects (button above hip) ✓
- Figure-swallowing stomach feature ✓
- Poseable wire tail ✓
- Swivel ankles ✓
- Paint drops off mid-tail
- Hand claws are unpainted
- Arm-to-body color transition is slightly abrupt
- Tail slightly short for the species
About the Toy
1. Sculpt and painting
This time we will start with the pain because this is not the plain white/grey Indominus from the Dominion line. The Re-Imagined Indominus with a very different and realistic look.
This time, Mattel has layered three distinct tones across the body, with the reddish stripe running along the back functioning almost as a separate color element at certain viewing angles.
The head sculpt is the most accurate Mattel has produced for this species across all of its Indominus releases. The overall shape, snout proportions, and facial structure read as genuine Indominus Rex in a way that previous versions. Light gray, dark gray, red stripes and evil-looking orange eyes to complete the menacing look.
This is the standout quality of the Indominus and the most significant claim made for this release: the head sculpt is the most accurate Mattel has produced for this species across all of its Indominus releases. The overall shape, snout proportions, and facial structure read as genuine Indominus Rex in a way that previous versions, particularly the second release with its slightly off head sculpt, did not fully achieve.
2. Action Feature & Articulation
The Indominus carries three distinct features, more than any other figure in the Re-Imagined line. The sound button is located just above the hip region and produces roaring sounds when pressed. The figure-swallowing feature, a direct callback to the Kenner Lost World era, operates via a slit in the stomach: figures can be fed into the mouth and retrieved through the stomach opening. The wire tail is embedded within the Real Feel rubber, allowing freeform posing in any direction without a mechanical joint. Both upper and lower jaws articulate independently and the mouth closes cleanly, which is a point the Giganotosaurus does not match.
- Upper jaw (articulated)
- Lower jaw (articulated, closes cleanly)
- Neck (Real Feel flex, left, right, up, down)
- Wire tail (poseable, full range)
- Arms (forward and back)
- Legs (forward and back)
- Swivel ankles
- Sound button (above hip)
Verdict Should I buy it?
From both figures in the Reimagined Real Feel format, the Indominus Rex is the superior figure on almost every technical metric:
- The best head sculpt in the species’ Mattel history
- Awesome roaring sound effects
- Perfectly closing articulated jaw
- The better colour scheme
How to unlock
How to unlock Indominus Rex Reimagined in Jurassic World Rebirth Collection?
Open up your Jurassic World Play App (previously known as the Jurassic World Facts App), press the Scan button and point it towards the DNA code here:
3. About the Indominus Rex
Indominus rex is one of the largest existing theropods in the Jurassic World film, as well as the film’s main antagonist, the secondary antagonist of the first season of the Netflix series, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, and a minor antagonist in the show’s fourth season. In the film Jurassic World, she was going to be the latest attraction added to the park for higher profits. The hybrid was created by modifying the genome of a Tyrannosaurus rex with the DNA of various other theropods. Some of the known species that were included were Velociraptor, Carnotaurus, Giganotosaurus, Majungasaurus, Rugops, Pycnonemosaurus, Quilmesaurus, Viavenator, Deinosuchus, and Therizinosaurus. There were also the DNA of modern animals such as cuttlefish, tree frog, and a pit viper snake.
The genome of Tyrannosaurus rex was used as the base genome for the hybrid. It also gave the Indominus rex an incredibly strong bite that could crush bulletproof glass. Velociraptor DNA was added for high levels of intelligence and the ability to make plans and decisions. Giganotosaurus DNA was added for the large size of the Indominus. It was mentioned that the Indominus rex would be larger than the T. rex when fully grown. Abelisaur genes (Carnotaurus, Majungasaurus, Rugops, Pycnonemosaurus, Quilmesaurus, and Viavenator) were added to act as a biological form of armor that absorbed most of the incoming attacks. Deinosuchus DNA was used to form the crocodilian teeth of the Indominus that were used in grasping the flesh of opponents. Therizinosaurus DNA added the presence of long forelimbs with strong, slashing claws. One swipe of the hybrid’s claws would take down a specific opponent. Cuttlefish genes were intended to help the Indominus withstand an accelerated growth, but it also added chromatophore cells in the skin so it could change the shape, color, and texture of its skin like a cuttlefish. Tree frog DNA was added for the Indominus to adapt to the tropical climate of Isla Nublar, but it instead added the ability for the animal to remove her thermal signature, which confused most of the heat-based infrared cameras. Lastly, pit viper snake DNA added special cavities in the skull that allowed her to see infrared, which helped her see the heat coming from her prey in dark areas.
Real Feel refers to Mattel’s rubber-over-hard-plastic construction. The upper body, arms, and tail of both figures use a soft, durable rubber material over a rigid internal frame, giving a tactile quality closer to the Hammond Collection. This allows the neck to flex naturally and the arm claws to have a sharper look safely. A visible seam marks the transition zones between rubber and hard plastic on both figures. The wire inside the rubber tail allows freeform posing without a mechanical joint.
Yes. The Re-Imagined Indominus Rex features a slit opening in the stomach through which figures can be retrieved after being fed into the mouth. This feature dates back to the Kenner Lost World era and was also present on the Red Rex. It is one of the highlights of playability on this figure, particularly for younger collectors.
For head sculpt accuracy, yes. The Re-Imagined Real Feel Indominus is considered the closest Mattel has come to replicating the on-screen look of the Jurassic World Indominus Rex. Previous versions, particularly the second release, had head sculpts that were felt to be slightly off proportionally. This version corrects those issues and has been noted as a figure worth purchasing a second copy of purely to repaint into the film’s standard white colorway.
The film Indominus Rex was primarily white or very light gray. The Re-Imagined version uses a darker, more layered scheme with light gray, dark gray, and a red dorsal stripe that resembles the level 40 Indominus from the Jurassic World: The Game mobile game.
