All posts by KirbyCountryReturns

This is my ranking of what I think are the best Velociraptor figures of all time. As they don't really match with anything else due to being action figures rather than models, the BOTM Velociraptors will not be featured on this list (they'd be #2 if they were, if you're wondering).

Despite being a popular dinosaur, Velociraptor doesn't have many good figures to its name, so the first few figures on this list will be quite bad unfortunately.

Number 10: Safari Velociraptor (released: 2007)

A really bad start to say the least. The colours are dull and uninspired, the detail sucks, and it's very inaccurate, even for the time it was made. Heck, it's even worse than the one from 1993! 2007 is the year we knew for certain Velociraptor was feathered, and yet this thing is completely featherless. And that's not even the worst part! For some reason, this thing has PRONATED HANDS! ON WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN ACCURATE FIGURE! There is no excuse for this. No other Safari Velociraptor has pronated hands, not even the ones that came before it! And the cherry on top of the cake: it is shrink-wrapped like there's no tomorrow. Overall, while it has its upsides like an active pose and appropriately lean build, it is ultimately still an awful figure and a definite skip for any fan of accurate dinosaurs. And yet, it still managed to sneak its way into the top 10 best figures made of this genus.

Number 9: CollectA Deluxe Velociraptor (released: 2010)

Like the previous entry, this figure sucks. But at least it has feathers and the hand orientation is correct! The colours are dull and incredibly ugly, the detail is... alright? And the sculpt... oh my lord! Why does it look like that? The proportions are really off, it has a weird humpback, and the wings (if you can even call them that) end a mile away from the finger. So yeah, while I'd say it's still better than Safari's anorexic JP raptor, it is still just an ugly bird monster that doesn't do this fascinating animal any justice.

Number 8: Bullyland Velociraptor (released: 2008)

Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way. Quality-wise, this thing is on par with those dinosaurs you'd find at a dollar store somewhere. But apart from that... yeah, okay, it's still very ugly. But it does beat out the previous two for a few reasons. First off is the colour scheme. While it's not gorgeous by any means, it does beat CollectA's chalk-coloured, beer-bellied duck monster. Oh, and speaking of beer-bellied... this thing has the opposite problem! It's very, very skinny! And that's probably because of this figure's main problem aside from the chinasaur-tier sculpt: it looks half-plucked! No seriously, this thing is missing half its plumage. The fact that the naked areas are coloured pink does not help at all. Overall, while there are things to like about this figure, it is still just another goofy bird monster that looks like it stepped out of a subpar dinosaur cartoon. Another woefully outdated figure that is not worth seeking out with the current offerings we have now.

Number 7: Schleich Velociraptor (released: 2017)

Schleich has a pretty terrible track record when it comes to Velociraptors. Their first outing in 2003 was a blockheaded, Orga-handed monster with no dewclaws, and what followed were several different sculpts over the 2010s, each one as ugly and inaccurate as the last. And then we have this strange little guy, who came in a 3-pack with a Utahraptor and a Microraptor. And of the countless sculpts Schleich has made of the speedy thief, this one is far and away the best, though it's still very, very flawed. Unlike every other Schleich craptor, this one is at least fully feathered, the colour scheme is appealing, and the detailing is very good, but that's about where the positives end. The sickle claw is barely noticeable as it is posed in a way that would be impossible to achieve as seamlessly in real life as with this figure, the head is pretty shrink-wrapped, and the teeth stick out of the mouth is a very unnatural way. Additionally, the proportions are completely wrong and the pose is extremely awkward. So overall, while it stands head and shoulders above Schleich's assortment of JP raptor wannabes, and its feathering and colours make it a better pick than the previous three figures, it still falls short of the next several models, and does a poor job representing this beautiful prehistoric animal.

Number 6: Carnegie Velociraptor (released: 2003)

And here we have yet another... oh wait, this one's not too bad! I mean, yeah, it's featherless, but at least the sculpt is decent! I honestly love its retro look. It reminds me of those 90s textbook depictions of Velociraptor that made me fall in love with this dinosaur. It comes in two colours: a vibrant red one and a brownish repaint. I actually prefer the repaint as I feel like Velociraptor would have more camouflage-friendly colours like a bird of prey. The pose is a bit weird, resembling the dinosaurs seen in 1925's The Lost World, but it's not unachievable. So yeah, while it's not perfect, it's still a serviceable figure and its sculpt and colours make it a pretty good Velociraptor depiction for the time.

Number 5: Safari Velociraptor (released: 1993)

Wow. For a company that seemingly vows for accuracy, it's somewhat ironic that Safari Ltd. is behind every single scaly Velociraptor on this list [The Carnegie Collection was a subsidiary of Safari Ltd., for the whole two of you that didn't know that}. Regardless, this figure is pretty good. It was not only the first non-Carnegie figure released by Safari, but also probably the first Velociraptor model ever made, possibly predating Jurassic Park and therefore thankfully not being based off that movie's depiction. There have been many repaints of this figure, including a glow-in-the-dark version. Just like the Carnegie outing from 2003, this figure has a retro feel that makes it very appealing to me. Honestly, this may personally be my second favourite of the bunch (only surpassed by the number 1 pick) because of how well it acts as a retro figure. The only real downside to this figure aside from the average detailing is the pose. While it has the appropriate horizontal stance, I am not a big fan of how it rests on one of its hands (still miles better than the 2007 offering, though). Overall, while this figure does show its age, it still manages to be a fantastic depiction of the speedy thief for the time it was released.

Number 4: Papo Velociraptor (released: 2016)

Papo is a company best known for their great affordable Jurassic Park clones. But they sometimes have a hand in making accurate models as well. After a brief time where they made a few abominable sculpts that crawled out of your worst nightmares (cough Protoceratops cough Concavenator cough), they seem to finally be making great figures again with their gorgeous Suchomimus and Yangchuanosaurus. Anyways, with that said, their feathered Velociraptor for 2016 as well as its 2020 repaint are mixed bags. On one hand, the detailing is fantastic (as we've come to expect from Papo) and they are fully feathered. But they have a few glaring issues. The wings are too small and if you look closely, you can see that they actually end at the wrist, with the feathers merely extending forward to cover the fingers. And the tail fan feels very unnatural and does not match with the rest of the figure. But the worst part is easily the head. It is completely scaly and is given that creepy reptilian appearance, complete with a sinister sneer. While I'd say it is objectively one of the better depictions of Velociraptor, this figure leaves a lot to be desired, looking more like a Dominion Pyroraptor type of situation than an accurate reconstruction. Lastly, the seamlines on this figure are absolutely horrid and can be noticed from a mile away. Overall, I'm very mixed on this figure, and while it is objectively the fourth best figure of the genus, I still much prefer the previous two figures over this one because they at least look like actual living animals and not a weird lizard creature that has been tarred and feathered.

Number 3: CollectA Deluxe Velociraptor (released: 2024)

Okay, now we're getting into the good stuff. The most recent figure on this list is the remake of CollectA's 2010 crack turkey. Not much to say about this figure honestly. The wings and tail fan are very good, and the overall detail is not too bad. It is however held back by its dopey appearance and incredibly dull colours. I think grey can look very good on Velociraptor (as shown with Prehistoric Planet), but this is not it; there is absolutely no variation with the colours here. It also has anatomical issues, though nothing too major. While it's still pretty good, I feel like CollectA could have done way more with this figure, but it is what it is.

Number 2: Carnegie Velociraptor (released: 2015)

In second place we have the rare Velociraptor from Carnegie, which was actually their last figure. It owes its rarity to its short production run, only being produced for a year. While the more recent CollectA outing is more accurate due to actually having wings, I find this one to be much nicer-looking, with an appealing colour scheme and subtle red markings on the head and tail fan. But yeah. This figure has problems. The feathering is not dense enough and the wings are hardly present at all. Don't get me wrong, it's still very good, just not perfect. With that said, it is now time to talk about the best Velociraptor figure of all time, and which one that is should be obvious by now...

Number 1: Safari Velociraptor (released: 2017)

I think I'm going to cry. This figure is absolutely phenomenal. EVERYTHING about this model is gorgeous. The detail is amazing, and it might even put Papo's offering to shame. The overall appearance is lifelike, but also so, so adorable, with it being super fluffy like it should be. And the colours. OH MY GOD THE COLOURS! This is singlehandedly one of the simplest yet most beautiful colour schemes on any dinosaur figure, period. Orange is without a doubt the perfect colour for Velociraptor. There is no other figure that even remotely compares to how fantastic this beauty is. The rest of this ranking might as well not exist with this one around. The wings and tail fan are perfect, they make the ones on the Papo and Carnegie figures laughable by comparison. And the pose... the pose is just beautiful. Using the wings as a balancing point is GENIUS. Instead of leaning on its hands like the Papo and the previous Safari outings or leaning on its tail like the Carnegies, they managed to make it so that it uses the tips of its wings to stand, and it works flawlessly. This means it achieves an actual pose a Velociraptor would have most of the time, with its body being held horizontally. Frankly, none of the subsequent dromaeosaurs by Safari Ltd. managed to capture the beauty of this Velociraptor's pose and colours. Really, the only thing that could hold this figure back would be warping or paint application issues on certain copies (like all Safari figures, unfortunately). But apart from that, this figure is a masterpiece. I applaud Doug Watson for making what is easily the best Velociraptor figure of all time.

Anyways, that's the end of this ranking. Share your thoughts down below.