Month: September 2017

Mattel Teases First Look at Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom Toy!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom doesn’t release until June of 2018, but the toys will come a little sooner – specifically April 16th, 2018. While they have yet to be officially unveiled to the public, we suspect that Toy Fair in February of 2018 will be the date the curtain is formally lifted.

Thankfully the wait was made easier: Mattel officially yet quietly snuck in a first look in a recent article with Fortune!

Fortune recently ran an article titled “Can a Tech Makeover Save the Toy Industry?” where they went deep into the behind the scenes process of toy making with Mattel. It’s well worth the read, so be sure to check it out once you’re done with our Jurassic-centric splinter article. Buried within the article was an image showcasing their prototype creation process (pictured above), and in the mix of prototypes was a clear Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus Rex head!

Let’s take a closer look:

Right away the sculpt is clearly Jurassic, with a nice attention to detail when it comes to form factor – something recent Hasbro outings lacked. The skull and muscular structure looks dead on. This individual prototype seems to be lacking the finer levels of skin and scale detail, and at this time, it remains unclear if the final item will evolve in those regards. While there’s room for improvement with the aforementioned fine detail, the sculpt shape is the best the franchise has ever seen – especially the teeth, which are surprisingly perfect.

We’re unsure of what exact Tyrannosaurus Rex toy this represents (or if the prototype was printed in the correct size), but perhaps it’s our first look at the “Thrash N’ Throw T-Rex“? Mattel currently has an internal showcase for the Jurassic World lineup for license and retail partners – while we can’t get a look at the toys themselves, we can see a lot of work went into the display (pictured below). Whatever Rex head prototype represents, we’re sure the actual product is on display just out of sight there!

For more on the Mattel Jurassic World lineup check out our exclusive scoop article – though be aware some details have changed, such as the release date of the Legacy Collection being pushed back. Considering this is the first time a company outside of Kenner/Hasbro has handled the Jurassic license for an action figure toy range, we were nervous about what the future would hold – but as this first look shows, we’re in good hands with Mattel.

Are you excited for the Mattel Jurassic World toys? Let us know what you think of the sculpt pictured, and what you hope to see in the future!

Source: Fortune

Special thanks to Salernojp on JPToys for the heads up!

World’s First Screen Accurate Replica of the Jurassic Park Night Vision Goggles!

Posted on by Jack

It has been 24 years since Jurassic Park thrilled audiences upon release and still to this day the fandom is growing, with fans across the globe collecting and trading merchandise, making their own Jurassic Park Jeeps, visiting the filming locations, writing fan fiction, and some are even involved with creating prop replicas to match their on-screen counterparts.

JurassicCollectables has spent the past year building a screen accurate replica of the Jurassic Park night vision goggles and today he has debuted them! Four years of research have gone into this build which included sourcing every original part to ensure these goggles were 100% screen accurate.

Without further ado, we present… The Goatfinder Mark I!

These iconic goggles feature just before the main road attack in Jurassic Park – while searching in the rear of the tour vehicle, Tim finds the goggles and uses them to look for the goat that was used to lure the female Tyrannosaurus into view of the guests. They also feature in Jurassic World where Gray picks up an old pair from a maintenance shed behind the Visitors Center.

    

Dubbing this build the Goatfinder Mark I – JC successfully completely the project this month and even spoke with Special Effects Technician Michael Lantieri, who built the original goggles, and has signed this pair.

Amazingly, JC was able to source the same exact lenses used in the goggles which turned out to be from a 1990s Konica Aiborg. While researching for this build, Chronicle Collectibles shared some photos of the original screen used prop which allowed him to ensure accuracy with the shape, colour and finer detailing.

“I had to spray paint the goggles in the kitchen, which made my wife really pleased. I kept the room well ventilated but I wiped down surfaces afterwards and there was a bit of green paint on everything – even on the pepper grinder”

Along with the goggles and as part of his press release, JC has produced a fantastic behind the scenes video (embedded above!) that showcases the goggles in all their glory, and details his design and build process over the past year. It’s worth the 10 minute watch, and having been lucky enough to see this project develop over the past year, I’m excited to finally see it all come together!

Amazing work from yet another talented fan. Be sure to let JurassicCollectables know what you think of the goggles in the comments section below, and subscribe to his channel for a wealth of props, toys and other Jurassic Park collectables!

 

Rumor: Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom trailer roaring online this November!

Posted on by Jurassic Outpost

Let’s get this out of the way – we put rumor in the title so people don’t misconstrue the news, and believe Universal officially announced this. They have not. However, we can confidently say that the Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom trailer will hit the net sometime around Thanksgiving, this November. We’re not sure of the exact date, but Universal has put out the word to retail and license partners that the marketing campaign, including the trailer, will formally begin then.

This marketing schedule aligns with that put into action for 2015’s Jurassic World, with the first trailer hitting November 25th, 2014. Let’s have a rewatch, shall we?

As a longtime fan of the Jurassic Park franchise, that trailer didn’t elicit much of an emotional reaction for me. It felt disjointed, rushed, and altogether generic. However, Jurassic World went on to break records in the box office, so I suppose it spoke well to general audiences. With that in mind, I would still prefer something tonally and emotionally in line with the franchise I fell in love with.

A good example of a trailer that achieves the impact and feeling I speak of would be the first one released for Star Wars The Force Awakens:

Now that is a trailer. It’s pure Star Wars, it sets the tone of the film, and it doesn’t share too much. It didn’t rely on typical modern blockbuster trailer tropes, and embraced its own identity and past. If Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom can achieve something half as successful, we’re in for a treat.

So what do you want to see in new the trailer for the anticipated fifth Jurassic Park film? Ian Malcolm? New Dinosaurs? Animatronics? Volcanic eruptions? Let us know! All we’re truly hoping for is something reserved and subtle – often times, less is more.

As an aside, If you’re more of a ‘see trailers in front of movies’ type of person, you’ll want to see Star Wars The Last Jedi this December 15th – that should be your first chance to catch the Jurassic World sequels footage on the big screen.

Jurassic World almost had a second hybrid dinosaur, and we finally have pictures!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Ah, hybrids. Love them or hate them, you can’t help but be a bit fascinated by their rocky history in the lead-up to Jurassic Park 4. At a very strange point in time, Jurassic Park 4 nearly had dinosaur human hybrids that wielded weapons – thankfully, that idea was quickly abandoned. Jurassic World of course brought the hybrid idea to life with the Indominus Rex, but believe it or not, she almost shared the screen with another fictional chimera.

Enter the Stegoceratops.

Many of you probably already know this weird dinosaur was almost in Jurassic World. It had not one, not two, but three toys, made an appearance in Dr. Wu’s secret lab, and was featured in Jurassic World the Game by Ludia. When it first appeared at Toy Fair 2015, Hasbro claimed it was a fictional creation by their team – but when the movie came out, it became clear there was much more to the story.

Information and images of its role in Jurassic World have remained elusive, but finally some HD concept renders had surfaced thanks to artist Bodin Sterba!

Bodin didn’t have much to say about the Stegoceratops on his blog post, other than it was cut from the film – however, we have heard the scene involved Owen and Claire stumbling upon an adult and juvenile in the wild. Claire expresses her surprise, saying she didn’t know this dinosaur was on the island, and the Stegoceratops charges Owen as he gets too close to the infant. However, some of those specifics remain unconfirmed for now – perhaps more art will surface and tell the story in time!

If you’re wondering why the Stegoceratops was cut from the film, you can thank Colin Trevorrow’s son. Speaking to Empire Magazine in 2015, he had this to say:

“In an earlier draft there was a scene where Chris [Pratt] and Bryce [Dallas Howard] come across another hybrid in the jungle. It informed them that Dr. Wu has been making other hybrids under her nose. Then my six-year-old son watched Return Of The Jedi, and said to me, ‘Dad, if Leia is also a Jedi that means that Luke isn’t unique.’ It was like, ‘Ha! Okay.’ And for some reason I applied that to this other thing and felt like there could be only one [hybrid dinosaur]. The idea that there was more than one made it feel less like the one synthetic among all the other organics, and suddenly it seemed entirely wrong to have it in the movie. I suddenly hated the idea but the toy still exists as a kind of remnant because Hasbro toys are locked a year out.”

I have mixed feelings about the Stegoceratops. I’ve been over hybrids before they were even featured formally, and while I dig the Indominus design, I feel this one is a little too outlandish. I loved the 1998 Jurassic Park toy line Chaos Effect, but I never wanted to see crazy dino hybrids like that in the films.

However, the oddness of seeing Stegosaurus plates and spikes on a Ceratopsian aside, I really like the design. While many assumed the dinosaur was part Triceratops, the design is wholly Nasutoceratops inspired. Remove the hybridized features, and this dinosaur would fit right in the roster of classic animals roaming Isla Nublar – it looks majestic, and oozes that prehistoric Jurassic charisma.

Are you happy the movie did not include additional hybrid dinosaurs, and are you a fan of the Stegoceratops design? Be sure to sound off in the comments below, and stay tuned for the latest news!

Source: Bodin Sterba Design

Concept art from Jurassic World reveals another alternate look of the Indominus Rex!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Jurassic World was released in 2015, and much too the disappointment of many fans, there was no artbook sold nor concept art gallery on the Blu-ray. As such, we have had to pour over the internet, and hope that individual artists post their work from the film for fans to appreciate.

Today concept artist Ian Joyner uploaded a new early image exploring a very different look for the Indominus Rex to his Instagram. Ian previously shared some alternate approaches to the Pteranodons, which we have also included below:

While I prefer the final look of the Indominus, I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this look as well – it’s perhaps a little more reminiscent of the Giganotosaurus as opposed to the final films albino Abelisaurid appearance. Moving to the Pteranodons, while there isn’t much variation in the art, I vastly prefer the variants with the longer head crest. They look less monstrous, and more at home in the Jurassic Park franchise.

In fact, I liked the unused Pteranodons so much I had to give them a splash of color to satiate my imagination:

Want to see more concept art? Check out our posts that go over the work from Seth Engstrom, which included the monstrous looking Indominus below!

As always, sound off in the comments below, and stay tuned for the latest news!

Source: Instagram, ArtStation

Hurricane Iniki halted Jurassic Park production 25 years ago today

Posted on by Josh Evans

Before we start this story, the team of Jurassic Outpost would like to offer our thoughts and prayers to those who have been affected by the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.

Unfortunately this time of year is known for hurricanes and on September 11, 1992, the production of Jurassic Park had filming temporarily halted as Hurricane Iniki, a category 4 hurricane, hit the island of Kauaʻi as well as other Hawaiian islands. Today marks the 25th anniversary of this natural event.

To learn more about Hurricane Iniki and how it impacted the Jurassic Park production, please check out the 2009 episode of Storm Stories below.

On this 25th anniversary of Hurricane Iniki, let us know your thoughts below and on our forums. Also please keep the victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in your thoughts and prayers.

Sources: Hurricane Iniki Documentary on Youtube

New Concept Art from Jurassic World Evolution!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

We’re all concept art fans here – there is just something entirely captivating about seeing something go from concept to creation, which is why we always want to see more. We’re driven by the ever present curiosity of how things changed during development, what brought it to life, and of course, the desire to see some nice artwork. Ultimately, we’re Dr. Grant asking “How did you do this?” and waiting for John Hammond to say “I’ll show you.”

Jurassic World Evolution is a video game releasing alongside Fallen Kingdom in Summer 2018 – and unless you’ve been off the grid, you’ve seen the trailer and read all about it. Just in case you have not, we’ve included all the details you could ever need below, including the trailer.

Jurassic World Evolution evolves players’ relationship with the Jurassic World film franchise, placing them in control of operations on the legendary island of Isla Nublar and the surrounding islands of the Muertes Archipelago. Players will build their own Jurassic World as they bioengineer new dinosaur breeds and construct attractions, containment and research facilities. Every choice leads to a different path and spectacular challenges arise when ‘life finds a way.’

Jurassic World Evolution releases Summer 2018 on Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC

To bring the trailer to life, Frontier Developments teamed up with Realtime UK to produce the epic pre-rendered feature. Realtime are a talented VFX company who have worked on numerous TV, Film, and Game projects. Courtesy of the Realtime Instagram page, we have the first beautiful concept art images of Jurassic World Evolution!

[Images removed at the request of RealtimeUK]

That Tyrannosaurus looks ferocious and terrifying – and yet, entirely awesome. We cannot wait to learn more about this game, and of course hope to see more artwork from both Frontier and Realtime in the future!

As always, stay tuned for the latest news, and sound off in the comments below. Thanks to SciFied for the heads up!

Source: Realtime UK Instagram

Pez to bring the Jurassic World goods alongside Fallen Kingdom in 2018!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

When it comes to merchandise tie-ins, Universal Pictures has spared no expense with Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom. Not only will Mattel and Lego bring the goods, not only will there be a videogame, and not only will there be chicken nuggets… there will also be Jurassic World Pez!

First shown off at the Sweets and Snacks Expo this year, PezCollectors shared the first images and details from the lineup:

“The Jurassic World assortment will be released April [2018] with T-Rex, Dilophosaurus and Blue the Raptor. The dispensers feature just the head of the dinosaur on pez stems and they look pretty awesome!

This is in addition to the Jurassic World Gift tin which will be coming out June [2018] with full body T-Rex, Blue the Velociraptor, Triceratops and Mosasaurus on click and play stems. This tin will feature Jurassic World Click and Play Pez and a Jurassic World board game in which the tops of the pez can be used as playing pieces.”

The Tyrannosaurus Rex, Blue, and Triceratops also appeared on the recently unveiled Fallen Kingdom promo merch (in fact, the Triceratops sports a similar pose), and now the Mosasaurus and Dilophosaurus join them. While the first three are certainly part of the new film, as they have film renders and art, the Mosasaurus and Dilophosaurus remain unconfirmed. It’s very possible that they were simply included in the lineup due to their popularity with kids and fans alike (much like with many Jurassic World 2015 toys).

Will they return?

Further, the packaging art is not sporting Fallen Kingdom assets, but rather the keyart seen on the product range from 2015. However, it is stressed that the assets are placeholder and it is very likely to change come 2018 when the items release.

Are you excited for Jurassic World Pez, and what other tie-in brands would you like to see the dinosaurs on? Sound off in the comments below, and as always, stay tuned for the latest news!

Source: PezPalz, PezCollectors

Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom merchandise shows off the return of Blue, Rexy, and reveals Volcano

Posted on by Asees Sandhu

Update: The products on display were mockups, and not fully representative of final items. While the art assets were real, they were not meant to be officially released. As such, we have removed the images at the request of NBCUniversal and TenFourCreative.

It’s time to eat some Fallen Kingdom chicken nuggets then brush your teeth with Fallen Kingdom oral hygiene products! We have our first look at the key art for Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom that will be seen on the multitude of tie-in products to be released alongside the movie. The art also reveals the anticipated return of fan favorites Blue and Rexy, while also revealing two other dinosaurs and the much discussed volcano!

[Image removed at the request of NBCUniversal and TenFourCreative]

Examining the two featured dinosaurs, Blue is looking pretty much the same as she did in Jurassic World but this time she appears to be somewhat less bulky. Although it is hard to see any changes to the Rex given what we have infront of us, we would assume there would be very little changes to her design that we saw in Jurassic World.

[Image removed at the request of NBCUniversal and TenFourCreative]

As you can see, the packaging for the sequel appears to be using ILM renders for the dinosaurs whereas the Jurassic World packaging had an illustrated version of the old Rex. What’s interesting is the choice of dinosaurs that are being used this time around. There will be two different types of packaging that we will see; one featuring the Rex and volcano, and the other being Blue with the jungle backdrop. It should also be noted that an adult and juvenile triceratops and pteranodon can be seen on some of the products but it is too early to tell if they will headline any products like Blue and Rex. Aside from the Rex and Blue who were obviously going to return for the sequel, the art seems to indicate that triceratops will also be featured in some capacity. The pteranodon that we see seems to very similar to what we saw during the marketing of Jurassic World, which could mean that it was an asset from the that movie rather than Fallen Kingdom just tacked onto the products for the new movie.

If you’ve been following along with the set pictures that we’ve been posting, you can once again see a broken down gyrosphere in the background of some of the art. The product art also reveal the erupting volcano which is all but officially confirmed to be a featured in the movie. We have speculated and provided evidence as to how it may play into the movie in several articles over the past few months. This is also not the first time we have seen volcanos or embers in Fallen Kingdom promotion with some of the earliest appearances being the character and dinosaur posters from the Licensing Expo earlier this year.

It should be noted that we have heard that the Lego line for Fallen Kingdom will be featuring the design with the volcano rather than the design with Blue against the jungle backdrop. It can be assumed that Mattel may also be doing the same. Stay tuned for more on that soon.

What do you think about the packaging for Fallen Kingdom and do you prefer this style over what we had gotten with more simple designs from Jurassic World?

Source: tenfourcreative