JPToys - News

So, as it was revealed today by Dan on our forum, Armothe and him have decided to pass the torch to two old members and friends of theirs: Kevin (also known as TheKev316) and myself (Raptoralpha). We both are very pleased and honored to assume this task, and we will make sure to continue to keep on informing you about any new happening in the JP collecting universe (and with the new Sideshow line, we will definitely have a lot of work on our hands). Expect to see some changes on the site's design and content in the following weeks, but don't worry, JPToys is still, and will remain your first ressource site for news about Jurassic Park collecting.

It's been a while since we've had an update from our European friends overseas, so here it goes. According to Raptoralpha over at Jurassic Park Toys, it looks like more and more JP/// toys are finally finding their way to toy shelves in Europe. Here's what he had to say: "Apparently it looks like Hasbro still surprises us! In the catalogues and the orderlists were everything printed what was going to be released here in Belgium. Now it appears that they released the eggs with hatchlings (+ 12 EUR) and the remote control Spinosaurus (54,36 EUR). All were noticed by our good friend and moderator Raptoralpha in the toymagazines from Broze! Hopefully this is for whole Europe and that they still release other stuff (like Alpha Pteranodon)."

Thanks to forum moderator 'Raptoralpha' we now have our first detailed shots of the very rare CamoXtreme Jungle Spinosaurus/T-Rex 2-pack. Front and back shots have now been uploaded to our CamoXtreme database for you to feast your eyes upon! Also, along those same lines, we have a new poll question up wanting to know your favorite "exotic" JP line. Be sure to vote and let us know.

Remember that uber rare Ultimasaurus that showed up on ebay (see April 5th update) and caused so much fuss recently? It ended at the time with no apparent winner and no chance at us learning more about it. Well forum moderator 'Raptoralpha' and member 'Andrewsaurus' recently inquired about its fate and received the following from the seller:

"That figure was already sold a few months ago. My son had intended to re-list it on eBay, but we got an offer from a private collector for $5,000 and he just couldn't turn it down. And I'm sorry, but I can't provide you with more pictures of the dinosaur, as part of the deal the buyer asked that I didn't. "

So there you have it. Will we ever get to the bottom of this mystery? Doesn't seem like it at this point. But then again, stranger things have happened so you never know. To the collector who purchased it, we would be thrilled (to say the least) if you would like to contact us here at JPtoys and shed some light on this very rare gem.

Long time forum member and moderator 'Raptoralpha' recently received his Papo Spinosaurus and was kind enough to snap several pics to share. You can view those pics on our forum by clicking here.

Forum member Raptoralpha recently purchased a slew of Kenner Toy Fair catalogs and in them found some clearer CE shots and even some TLW pics we haven't seen yet. Among the most interesting of those is the once rumored Deinonychus with a tiger stripe design. Very nice to finally see that. Also included is a shot of our beloved Bull-Trex (in a much different deco than the original), Dieter Stark and the Dirt Bike with Carter. Please click on the thumbnails below for a larger view:

Thanks again to RA for passing those along. We certainly hope that you enjoy them. We also wish you and yours a very Mery Christmas and a happy holiday season!
*UPDATE 12/22* - Complete catalog scans of these new shots are now up in our download section for your viewing pleasure!

We've certainly had our fair share of JP merchandise liscense updates over the last year or so, almost all confusing to say the least. Well forum member 'crex' (who also happens to be Chris - see 10/2 story below) recently had one of his staffers inquire directly to the Star Wars team at Hasbro to get some sort of definitive answer on just what is really going on. Here's what he had to say:

"Since the summer the Star Wars team @ Hasbro has been allowing the SW Collecting sites to submit 3 questions each week. So after a few weeks of doing this, I decided to see if they would bite on a JP question. Turns out they still have the license and do plan on future releases BUT they are repaint exclusives to KB. Now obviously, the findings at KB months ago support that.

If the license ran out, someone would pick it up and announce it. And the exclusive thing has been following Hasbros MO lately with the repaints. There has been plenty of repaints with Star Wars and thats a license thats a year removed from a movie year, 6 months before the 30th anniversary build up and the upcoming TV shows. A license like JP wouldnt make fiscal sense to invest money for new product when no significant news is out there in terms of movie announcements and they can still get some return from JP with small scale repaints."

A big thanks to Chris again for that update. So in short, we can expect more repaints down the road until JP4 rolls around. I'm sure that's what most expected anyway but hopefully this report can serve to clear matters up just a bit. Also worth noting today is a set of JP3 prototypes that recently surfaced on ebay and were purchased by forum moderator Raptoralpha. He was kind enough to take several new pics along with descriptions which can all be found in this thread on our forum.

First off, I apologize for the lack of updates lately but that just how things are in the world of JP toys lately...ya know? Well to pay back some of the patience on your part, we have a brand spankin' new section to pass along - an official JP Toys checklist. This has been one of our most requested sections for quite some time now so we certainly hope you find it a valuable resource here at JPtoys.com. A big thanks to staffer Raptoralpha for all the assistance. As always, feel free to contact us if you find any errors or would like to suggest any additions.

Forum moderator Raptoralpha came across this interesting article from the Wall Street Journal that shows just how dominating the Star Wars merchandising machine is. How does this relate to JP you might ask? Well the article also includes a graph that details the other major movie franchises and just how good their box office take is compared to the merchandising totals. Pretty cool stuff. For whatever it's worth (probably nothing at all), the JP franchise is by far the most balanced in terms of the differences. Click on the graph to the right for a larger look.

Now this is what it's all about folks. The pinnacle, holy grail. Call it whatever you want but our good friend & forum moderator Raptoralpha has made it there! He recently completed his loose collection and now wants to share the pictures with everyone. A big congrats to him! Be sure to check out his gallery today. And last but not least, there's a new poll up today that follows up on our headline. Do you think you'll ever complete your JP collection? Be sure to vote and let us know!

Thanks to DemonCarnotaur and RaptorAlpha, you can now take your first look at the new JPD3 Deluxe & Micro 2-packs in loose form. Top row is the deluxe line (with micros) and the bottom row would be your micro 2-packs:

Thanks again those guys for passing those shots along. As you may have noticed, we did not include the Deluxe T-Rex in that first row. Simple reason is, we don't have a loose shot yet. As soon as we run across one, I'll make sure to update this story with it.

A big thanks to Raptoralpha and our very own Armothe for these latest entires in our Customs gallery. Raptoralpha has 5 new customs, while Armothe adds two new LEGO customs to his gallery. Remember, if you would like to see your custom JP creations displayed in our gallery, just drop us a line and we'll take care of the rest. (Late Update) - Just added a new custom sent in by Bucketfoot-Al of the "Spinosaurus Imperator" - enjoy!

Several new customs were added today including a brand new gallery from 'JP Action Man' and new entries to existing galleries from Tyrant and Raptoralpha. There's some really outstanding customs in there so make sure to check 'em out! Remember, we are willing to host your custom creations right here at JPToys. Please contact our staff for more information if you're interested.

How was everyone's weekend? Hope all was well. We've got quite a bit to get to today so let's get started. First up is my review of the Jurassic People DVD. For those of you that still may not have seen Jurassic People yet (shame on you!), please visit their site to view the 20 mintue spoof and for details on how to obtain your copy. Speaking of reviews, forum member dinoexecutive has submitted a total of 8 new ones that our now up in our review section for your viewing pleasure. The last thing I'll mention today is the latest additions to our Customs section from Raptoralpha which includes Alan Grant & Tim Murphy. We also have a new custom gallery from BubbleGum-Chan today as well. So make sure to check out all of those items when you get a chance...enjoy!

We've been quite busy behind the scenes lately updating our unfinished toy archives from the JP, TLW, JP3 & JPD sections with TONS of new pictures. Forum moderators AcroIguana & Raptoralpha have even joined in the cause by submitting all kinds of wonderful new pictures including the ever popular diorama shots! Many of the new pictures have already been uploaded to the various sections throughout the database so make sure to check them out when you get a chance. Plenty more photos are on their way so stay tuned!

We also have several other site updates to pass along today. First up, Raptoralpha has submitted two new customs as well as his collection photos for our new collections section. We also have a new poll up for your voting pleasure and a very in-depth review of the JPS1 Junior T-Rex from David...enjoy!

Over the weekend, forum moderator Raptoralpha came across an interesting new Stalking Raptor bootleg at his local flea market. It's the same exact Stalking Raptor from the JP3 line but the box has undergone a few changes. The phrases range from "CAN BE OPEN AND CLOSE" to "THE HEAD WIGGLES". It's definitely worth a look (or laugh) when you get a chance.