This post is for anyone shopping for articulated dinosaur figures and trying to work out which of ours to order. We print fourteen dinosaur designs, and they divide into two families that look alike in a photo and feel completely different in the hand: solid-bodied flexi dinosaurs and skeleton dinosaurs.
The solid designs are the T-Rex, Angry T-Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Brontosaurus. They come in six sizes from a 1 inch Micro to a 6 inch X-Large, from $1 to $15. The skeleton designs are the Spinosaurus, Raptor, T-Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Pteranodon and Mammoth. They come in three sizes, Baby, Regular and XL, at $5, $12 and $35.
Below we compare the two families by size, movement, color and price, and match each one to a pocket, a desk, a shelf or a gift. Choose a solid dinosaur when you want a pocket toy a child can carry, and a skeleton dinosaur when you want a display piece.
An Articulated Dinosaur Figure Is Printed in One Piece
Every dinosaur we sell comes off the printer complete, with the joints already formed. Nothing is assembled, glued or pinned. The printer lays down each segment with a fraction of a millimeter of air between it and the next one, so the parts are separate the moment the print finishes.
That is what separates an articulated dinosaur figure from a hollow plastic dinosaur with a hinged jaw. There is no seam, no screw and no part that can be pulled off. Flex it end to end a few times when it arrives, because a print that has been sitting still can feel tight until the joints break in.
All of them are printed to order in PLA, which is a plant-based plastic that holds fine detail. You can see the whole lineup in the dinosaurs collection.
Solid Dinosaurs: Five Designs, Six Sizes, $1 to $15
The solid dinosaurs use our classic size ladder, the same one most of our flexi animals use. Every size is a nose-to-tail measurement and is approximate, because a curled tail measures shorter than a straight one.
Micro (1 inch, $1) is a cake topper, a party favor or a dollhouse dinosaur. The joints exist but are too small to fidget with.
Mini (1.5 inch, $1.75) is the pocket size. It disappears in a closed fist and it is what we hand out most at events.
Regular (2 inch, $2.75) is the everyday size and our most popular. It is big enough for a small child to grip, small enough for a pocket, and the teeth, plates and frills are all clearly visible.
Large (3 inch, $6 or $7) is where it becomes a desk piece. The tail segments are big enough to click one at a time, and the dinosaur holds a stance when you set it down. The Angry T-Rex and the Brontosaurus are $7 at this size because they take longer to print.
X-Large (6 inch, $15) is the shelf dinosaur. It has weight, the spine moves in a slow sweep, and it is the size people photograph.
Keychain ($7, or $8 for the Brontosaurus) prints with the loop built into the model, so there is no glued hardware to snap off. The T-Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Brontosaurus all offer it. The Angry T-Rex does not, because the pose does not leave a good place to put the loop.
Skeleton Dinosaurs: Eight Designs in Baby, Regular and XL
The skeleton dinosaurs are a different kind of object. Instead of a smooth body they are ribs, vertebrae and leg bones, laid out the way a museum mounts a fossil. They articulate the same way, but they read as a specimen rather than a toy.
They come in their own three-step ladder: Baby at $5, Regular at $12 and XL at $35. There is no Micro or Mini, and there is a good reason for that. A skeleton is mostly open space and thin bone-shaped struts. Below a certain scale the ribs and tail vertebrae stop being reliable, so Baby is the smallest we print. An XL takes most of a night on the plate, which is where the $35 goes.
The eight designs are the Skeleton T-Rex, Spinosaurus, Raptor, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Pteranodon and Mammoth. The Mammoth is an Ice Age mammal rather than a dinosaur, but it sits with the fossils because that is where people look for it, and the Pteranodon is a flying reptile for the same reason.
Because the structure is open, an XL skeleton weighs far less than a solid X-Large of similar length. That makes the big ones easy to stand on a shelf without a base. If you want the full breakdown of every size ladder we use, our flexi toy size guide covers all three.
T-Rex or Spinosaurus: The Two Articulated Dinosaur Figures People Ask For Most
These two account for most of what people mean when they walk up to the table and say they want a dinosaur.
The T-Rex is the only design we print in both families. The solid T-Rex runs the full six-size ladder from $1 to $15, so it is the one to pick when a specific size matters. The Skeleton T-Rex is the same animal stripped to the bone, with a long ribcage and that famous head. There is also an Angry T-Rex, a separate design in a fiercer pose, sold in five sizes with no Keychain option.
The Spinosaurus only exists as a skeleton in our catalog. The Skeleton Spinosaurus is the most striking of the fossils because of the sail: a row of tall spines rising off the back that catches the light and gives the piece a silhouette nothing else in the collection has. At XL it is the single most impressive dinosaur we print.
If the dinosaur is for a child under about six, buy the solid T-Rex in Regular. If it is for a collector, a classroom, an office or anyone who already owns plastic dinosaurs, buy a skeleton, and buy the Spinosaurus first.
The Two Families Move in Different Ways
Solid dinosaurs articulate down the spine and tail, with the head and neck moving as well on most designs. The segments are thick, so the motion is firm and the dinosaur holds whatever position you leave it in. This is the family that survives being dropped, sat on and carried in a backpack.
Skeleton dinosaurs have more joints in a row and less material in each one, which gives them a looser, rippling movement. A Regular skeleton flows through your fingers in a way a solid one does not. The trade is that the thin bones at the end of a tail and the tips of a Pteranodon wing are the most fragile things we ship, so they want a shelf rather than a pocket.
Keychain sizes move less than either, on purpose. Joints on a keyring take constant small movements all day, so the design keeps the segments short and the clearances tight. The Bone T-Rex Keychain at $5 is our fossil design built specifically for that job.
Whichever family you order, every joint is flexed by hand before the piece is packed. A dinosaur with a joint that fused during printing goes back on the plate instead of into a box.
Colors: Single, Dual, Rainbow, and the Custom Color Box
The solid dinosaurs are ordered by size, and you tell us the color you want. The skeleton dinosaurs have a color option built into the product page, and the choices are worth explaining because the names are not obvious.
Single is one filament from end to end. For a skeleton, a bone white or a light grey is the closest to a museum mount, and it is what most collectors choose.
Dual uses two colors on one print. On a fossil this reads as an excavation, with the bones in one shade and the rest in another.
Rainbow shifts color gradually along the length of the print. It will vary from piece to piece, because where the color changes depends on how the model sits on the plate. On a long skeleton with a lot of tail it looks spectacular. If you need two matching pieces, do not order rainbow.
Girl Colors is a preset of pinks and purples that we keep because people ask for it by that name.
Surprise Me hands the choice to us. It is the option for people who want something they would not have picked themselves.
If none of those is right, type what you want in the Custom color box on the product page. Glow-in-the-dark skeletons for a child's room are a regular request, and a glow XL Spinosaurus on a shelf is worth seeing.
Which Articulated Dinosaur Figure to Buy for a Child, a Desk, or a Gift
For a child under three, choose a solid dinosaur in Large or X-Large. Anything smaller is a choking hazard at that age, and skip the skeletons, because the thin bones are not built for that kind of handling.
For a child of four to ten, the solid T-Rex, Triceratops or Stegosaurus in Regular is the safe pick, and it is $2.75. Buy three different ones rather than one big one. Children who like dinosaurs like having a set.
For a birthday party or a classroom, Micro at $1 and Mini at $1.75 are what we print in quantity. Tell us the count and the colors and we will plan the plates around it.
For a desk, a Regular skeleton at $12. It is the size that reads clearly across a desk, it stands on its own, and the fossil look suits an office better than a bright green toy does.
For a shelf or a display case, an XL skeleton at $35. The Spinosaurus, the T-Rex and the Pteranodon are the three that make people stop and look.
For keys or a backpack, the Bone T-Rex Keychain at $5, or a solid dinosaur in the Keychain size at $7. Both have the loop printed as part of the model.
For a gift you cannot get wrong, a Regular skeleton in Single bone white. It suits an adult or a child, it needs no explanation, and it looks like it cost more than it did.
Common Articulated Dinosaur Figure Questions
Are these safe for young children?
The solid designs are, in the same way any one-piece plastic toy is. They have no batteries, no small parts and nothing that can detach. Size is the thing to watch: for a child under three, stay at Large or X-Large, because Micro, Mini and Regular are small enough to be a choking hazard. PLA is safe to handle, but these are toys, not teethers, and a child who chews a tail tip can break it off.
Do the skeleton dinosaurs break more easily than the solid ones?
Yes, and it is worth knowing before you order. The rib cage and the far end of the tail are thin by design. Normal handling and posing are fine. A drop onto tile is what does the damage, and it usually takes the tail rather than the body. If the dinosaur is going to live in a pocket, buy solid.
What is the difference between the T-Rex and the Angry T-Rex?
They are two separate designs. The T-Rex is the neutral, all-purpose pose, and it offers a Keychain size. The Angry T-Rex is the fiercer pose, it stops at X-Large with no Keychain size, and its Large size is $7 rather than $6. If you want one dinosaur that does everything, take the plain T-Rex.
Can I get one in a specific color?
Almost always. Type the color into the Custom color box on the product page and we will match it from our filament shelf or tell you what is close. Solid colors, glow-in-the-dark, silk and color-shift filaments are all available. Exact stripes or patches are not, because a print-in-place model prints in one filament at a time.
Pick the Family First, Then the Size
Choosing between our articulated dinosaur figures comes down to one question: is it going to be played with or looked at? Played with means a solid dinosaur, in Regular for a child and Large or X-Large for an adult who fidgets. Looked at means a skeleton, in Regular for a desk and XL for a shelf.
After that, the size decides the price, and the color decides the personality. A bone white Regular skeleton reads as a museum piece. The same model in rainbow reads as a toy. Both are the same print, and both take the same hand inspection before they go in the box.
At Cosmic 3D Creations, every dinosaur is printed to order in PLA in Como, Texas, and every joint is flexed before it ships. Any of them can be made in a color you choose through the Custom color box. Orders over $100 ship free, local pickup is available, and if you would rather see an XL Spinosaurus in person before you commit, we are at Canton Trade Days in booth 4268 and 4269.