Collecting the Brontosaurus
While most collectors strive to collect the awesome Tyrannosaurus Rex, I myself would not rest until I owned the biggest set in the entire series - the Brontosaurus! The box for this behemoth is at least a metre long and almost half a metre high! Just recently I managed to acquire a MIB one for my collection (at considerable cost) and it was worth every penny.

The Brontosaurus dinosaur itself is humongous, and towers over even the Tyrannosaurus. It isnt motorised, but make up for it with articulated legs, neck and head, and sheer size. It is well-painted with hues of brown and green, and is surprisingly heavy. Common areas of wear are its head, back, feet and long tail.

The three figures that come with the Bronto are no-names, except for Serena who is a main cast member of the cartoon. Im surprised she was released back in Series 1, considering how large a role she plays. These three will get paint wear in the usual areas.

There are many, many pieces of equipment that come with the Brontosaurus. The main piece is the command deck, which is a solid, single piece of plastic that all of the other components clip onto. If you can pick this up with the two straps and belly band that hold it onto the dinosaur, you should be able to accumulate the remaining pieces as you find them and clip them on where they fit. The two command deck seats are similar to those in other Dino-Riders sets, so you may be able to use substitutes, but I believe the rest is unique to the Brontosaurus.

If you are lucky enough to find a complete Brontosaurus, dont hesitate to grab it for yourself. It really is an awesome toy. Keep in mind that shipping this monster will cost quite a bit (90 euros postage from France to Australia) so factor that in to your budget.

Set Contains

* Brontosaurus	* Rhamphoryncas (3)	* Ayce	* Serena
* Ion	* Left Leg Armour	* Right Leg Armour	* Cockpit
* Cockpit Shield	* Left Leader Connection	* Right Leader Connection	* Belly Band
* Command Deck	* Mine Ramp	* Command Deck Seat (2)	* Cockpit Seat (2)
* Crane Hook	* Crane Cable	* Small Laser (4)	* Medium Laser (4)
* Large Laser (6)	* Small Laser Tip (4)	* Medium Laser Tip (4)	* Large Laser Tip (6)
* Crane Arm	* Crane Winch	* Crane Crank	* Rocket (4)
* Leader Connection Piece	* Landing Platform	* Left Net	* Right Net
* Mine Half (10)	* Rear Laser Stand	* Multi-Purpose Harness	* Mine Hook
* Multi-Purpose Hook	* Rescue Loop	* Series 2 Dino-Rider Gear (3)	* Series 2 Comic Book
* Instruction Booklet

Variations

Brontosaurus Notes
The Brontosaurus must have been released late in the production of Series 2, becausing packaging at the time didn't really know what it looked like or what it contained! The Series 2 comic book featured a concept drawing instead of a photo. The back painting on most Series 2 boxes only hinted at what the Brontosaurus looked like. Both featured a cockpit that was much more angular than the final version. The comic book also stated that the Brontosaurus came with 4 figures: Serena, Ayce, Ikon and Vektor! Ikon and Vektor are characters from the cartoon series, and never made it into toy form. To cut down on the cost, I imagine the Brontosaurus' equipment was scaled down, Vektor was ditched and Ikon was renamed Ion.

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* Brontosaurus Bio [106kb]
* Box Img 1 [115kb]
* Box Img 2 [84kb]
* Box Img 3 [85kb]
* Box Img 4 [69kb]
* Box Img 5 [80kb]
* Box Img 6 [101kb]
* Box Img 7 [92kb]
* Box Img 8 [95kb]
* Box Img 9 [93kb]
* Box Img 10 [89kb]
* Box Img 11 [91kb]
* Instructions Page 1 [292kb]
* Instructions Page 2 [232kb]
* Instructions Page 3 [254kb]
* Instructions Page 4 [265kb]
* Brontosaurus Side Art [280kb]
* Brontosaurus loose #1 (dinosaur only) [45kb]
* Brontosaurus loose #2 [72kb]

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The Real Brontosaurus (Apatosaurus)
("Deceptive lizard"). Think you've never heard of this sauropod? Sure you have - you just know it as Brontosaurus, the great "thunder lizard" of so many science fiction books, movies, and museum exhibits. In fact, you'll probably still see this 70-foot (21-meter) giant called by its more familiar name (though the name Apatosaurus was given first and used by scientists). By any name it was a massive, small-headed plant-eater that rumbled across the American West in the Late Jurassic times.
(from The Complete Book of the Dinosaur by Joseph Wallace, (c)1989 Mallard Press)

The Real Rhamphorhynchus
During the Jurassic period the air was ruled by various types of Rhamphorhynchus. Its name means 'narrow beak'. Like pterodactyls, these flying reptiles had bodies which were covered with fur. They had long, bony tails which ended in a flap of skin. This may have been used as a rudder to steer it when flying.
(from A Dictionary of Dinosaurs (c) 1989 Ashton Scholastic)