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Gigantic Thrashers Review
Torvosaurus Gigantic Thrashers Jurassic World Survival Review
Personally, I had no particular expectations of the Torvosaurus. The initial set of images that were released was not very impressive — but it is still a new species in the Mattel lineup, and it comes with a novel neck-twist action feature we have not seen before on figures this size.
⭐ First Mattel Torvosaurus🔄 Novel neck-twist feature🧊 Red fin ridges on the tailMattel · 2026Scan code included
🎮 About the Survival Line
The Jurassic World Survival line depicts mutated versions of dinosaurs, tied to the Survival PS5 game concept. Every figure in the line carries exaggerated features, unusual colouration, fins, ridges or armour compared to its historical counterpart. The Torvosaurus keeps the basic theropod body plan but adds fin-like tail ridges, reddish highlights and an exaggerated overall silhouette — a good example of the Survival aesthetic working well.
⚖️ How Does It Compare?
The obvious comparison is the Chilantaisaurus Gigantic Thrashers from Rebirth: both are Gigantic Thrashers theropods at the same approximate scale and price point. The Chilantaisaurus has the more realistic, non-mutated design and exceptional multi-tone paint. The Torvosaurus goes the other way — a mutated Survival aesthetic with more exaggerated features, but a genuinely novel action feature the Chilantaisaurus does not have. Both are strong figures in their respective lines.
Paint & Colour Scheme
The primary figure colour is green, and then there is a sudden tone switch to grey. The overall paint job is quite dull-looking, but it still looks fine within the Survival line concept — and, importantly, the paint covers the figure from head to tail rather than stopping at the easy surfaces.
Sculpt & Detail
Head and Teeth
The head sculpt features vibrant scale detail with varying sizes across different zones — finer texture toward the top of the head, a different style along the lower jaw — and it is basically the most fun part of the paint job. The teeth use the newer, softer rubber material: they look sharp while staying kid-safe. The head does read as slightly oversized for the body, which is the one proportion issue worth mentioning.
Neck, Body and Limbs
Moving back from the head, multiple ridges and grey-painted osteoderms begin along the neck and continue down the sides. The skin texture is really good, and the colour scheme does not hide it.
The arms, the fingers and the claws are all sculpted nicely, and the claws have a genuinely sharp look to them. The leg scaling is also very good, with lots of different textures, which suits the Survival aesthetic really well.
Tail
Action Feature & Articulation
✓ Neck twist — button on the shoulder✓ Jaw — opens with the twist✓ Tail strike — separate button✓ Arms — forward and back✓ Legs — forward and back✓ Swivel ankles
There are two separate action features. The neck-twist jaw action is triggered by a button in the shoulder area: it activates a turning motion across multiple neck joints simultaneously, opening the jaw as the neck twists. It is a lot of fun, and it suits the figure’s design really well.
The second feature is the tail strike. A separate button on the tail produces a tail wiggle strike. It is not as impressive as the neck motion, but it is still a cool move, and it makes good use of those very sharp-looking tail fins.
Size & Specs
Verdict — Should You Buy It?
Definitely a no-brainer. The Torvosaurus significantly exceeds its pre-release image quality in hand. The skin texture is genuinely impressive, the paint covers head to tail, the novel neck-twist action feature is unlike anything Mattel has done before on a Gigantic Thrashers figure, and the red tail fin ridges give it an unmistakable shelf identity. The slightly oversized head and the abrupt arm colour transition are the only real visual criticisms. As the first Mattel Torvosaurus ever, it is a strong and interesting entry into the line — even if a standard, non-mutated version would have been the preference.
✦ What Works
- First ever Mattel Torvosaurus
- Far better in hand than the pre-release images
- Genuinely impressive skin texture
- Paint covers the figure head to tail
- Novel neck-twist action feature
- Red tail fin ridges give it shelf identity
- Sharp but kid-safe soft rubber teeth
- Swivel ankles and full limb movement
✦ What Doesn't
- Head reads as slightly oversized
- Abrupt green-to-grey transition on the arms
- Overall palette is on the dull side
- Claws and nails left unpainted
- Tail strike is weaker than the neck twist
- A non-mutated version would be preferable
About the Torvosaurus
Torvosaurus means savage lizard. One of the largest predatory dinosaurs of the Jurassic, it would have been the apex hunter of the Morrison Formation, living alongside Allosaurus, Stegosaurus and Diplodocus.
Torvosaurus is a genus of large megalosaurid theropod that lived roughly 165 to 146.5 million years ago, during the late Middle and Late Jurassic. Two species are recognised: Torvosaurus tanneri from the Morrison Formation of Colorado and Wyoming, and Torvosaurus gurneyi from the Lourinhã Formation of Portugal, with possible additional specimens from Germany, England, Tanzania and Uruguay. It was named in 1979 by the paleontologists Peter Malcolm Galton and James Alvin Jensen, the genus name taken from the Latin torvus, meaning “savage” or “cruel”.
Torvosaurus was among the largest terrestrial carnivores of the Jurassic. T. tanneri measured around 9 metres (30 ft) and 2 to 2.4 metric tons, while the European T. gurneyi may have reached up to 10 metres (33 ft) and 4 to 5 metric tons, making it one of the largest known Jurassic predators. Its massive teeth, measured at over 8 inches when fully rooted, were among the largest of any predatory dinosaur outside Tyrannosaurus. As a megalosaurid rather than an allosaurid, it belongs to a more primitive lineage than the better-known Allosaurus it coexisted with, and it is thought to have been a particularly powerful and aggressive apex predator of its ecosystem.
How to Unlock
How to unlock Torvosaurus Gigantic Thrashers in the Jurassic World Survival 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:
