Dino Valley

[dinoviper]

Brachiosaurus
Location Toys R Us
Price $19.99

By far on of the largest animals of the entire Chap Mei line was the Dino Valley 2 Brachiosaurus. This was a massive figure that was sturdy and had some articulation. This dinosaur was sold in a set at Toys R Us several years back when Toys R Us actually carried Chap Mei under the Animal Planet logo.
Although what was included in this set I had was traded or lost over time the set also came with a small zebra striped helicopter that held one figure. This vehicle was included in many other sets including Soldier Force and Wild Quest. I also believe a Chip White was also included w/ a pair of binoculars and a flashlight. For more on Chip please see my other Dino Valley and Wild Park reviews.

What makes this play set truly shine are the dinosaurs and it included two, a small Ornitholests and the mighty Brach... The Ornitholestes was a small nimble carnivore that lived in the late Jurassic. This Ornitholestes is simple a repaint of the Dino Valley version. The new paint apps are more realistic even though we don't actually know what these animals looked like. I do prefer this color over the original, in my dino-verse I use him as an Alpha male Ornithlestes while the Dino Valley versions are females. A more detailed review of Ornithlestes can be found in the Expedition Archives.

The star of this set of course is the Brachiosaurus and Chap Mei did a great job sculpting a believable animal. I must say off the bat this version is hands down the best Brachiosaurus a toy company has ever done and it is light years better then the pitiful Hasbro JPIII re-ak attack Brachiosaurus. Of course sadly Chap Mei did base this version off the Hasbro one. Another problem is the American version does not have a sound device inside it like the one over seas. I assume when you either pull down on the neck or pull the leg it makes a noise similar to the other electronic dinosaurs which preceded it. I would love for somebody on this website to upload sound files of what all the animals and dinosaurs sound like. In addition to the neck and single leg to move the neck can also rotate closer to the head. There is also a harness on his back for a single figure to fit in the seat rotates 180 degrees. The harness is also removable but removing the screw in the seat but I don't recommend doing this because the Brachiosaurus looks very odd with a large tab on the center of its back. There is also a ladder that folds up on the harness but it was not included in this version and can only be found on the electronic version overseas. Paint wise blue might not have been the best color to go with on this figure as with many other dinosaurs Chap Mei got a little too carried away the the blue paint. Like many of the other Dino Valley animals the Brachiosaurus suffers from the dreaded "short tail syndrome", however the actual animal was not known for a very long tail either so this defect can be overlook fairly easily. Of course the other gripe I have is the stance. Brachiosaurus legs were longer in the front then the back and its back was in an incline. It also had a straight neck similar to a giraffe for browsing on the tree tops. This Brachiosaurs is shaped more like an Apatosaurus with a S shaped neck a trait no sauropod ever possessed. However being one of the few large Sauropod dinosaurs a toy company has ever done it flaws are can be ignored.
I would like to mention that when this set was released with a bigger set including an electronic Brachiosaurus, Suchomimus and several smaller dinosaurs and figures was sold from Amazon.com an my still be available.

[dinoviper]

Dino Valley 3 Suchomimus
Location Rite Aid
Price $9.99

I have finally redeemed myself with all the other none Chap Mei crap I have reviewed here at this forum ;D Three CM reviews in one night ain't bad. The next set of long awaited figures from Dino Valley 3 are trickling into Rite Aid stores as I speak. Along with Soldier Force sets the only Dino Valley 3 packs I saw were the Avatar Blue Pentaceratops and the Halloween Suchomimus as I like to call him. While I only picked up Sucho I might go back for the other. I did not see the Dilophosaurus so I tend to believe he did not make it this time Which is unfortunate I sure hope somebody will carry the 2 electronic Dinos and the T rex. This set basically comes with a newly repainted Suchomimus which I like a lot over the DVII blue paint apps. He has the same articulation as before and I would very much not like to run into one of these while out Trick or Treating

Also included is the same generic Dino Hunter/Scientist character that came with the Dimetrodon and mini copter. He comes with a weapon tree same as the others for dinosaur expeditions.

If you got a Rite Aid in your area go and pick these guys up and while your at it pick up several of the Soldier Force packs as well we don't know if and when we will see more Chap Mei show up at these stores anytime soon.

[dinoviper]

Animal Planet Parasaurolophus Playset
Location Toys R Us
Price $19.99

Toys R Us in recent weeks has released several new sets of Dino Valley figures from all 3 lines and then some. To began is the larger of the 4 sets the Parasaurolophus Playset. This set includes nothing we have not already seen before however it does include a new vehicle from the Dino Valley III line not seen here in the United States. The set includes a figure, vehicle, 2 dinosaurs and accessories.

To began the figure Quikgun Wallace is in a plain white shirt white shorts a typical paleontologist/safari type. He has simple articulation in the neck, arms and legs and not much else. The scientist comes with a blue backpack, claw grabber, red spot light and binoculars. In addition to that there is a T rex skeleton that comes on a weapon tree that you put together. The skeleton is perfect for dioramas in pieces laying in dirt or sand.

Next up are the dinosaurs. Nothing new or exciting here both are from the Dino Valley II line. The first is the herbivorous Parasaurlophus the one and only plant eater of the new Animal Planet series. The other is a Ornitholestes a small carnivorous hunter of the late Jurassic. For more on these 2 beasts please see the reviews I made below...
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The gem of this set to me is the vehicle. Called the Sling Rover this all terrain vehicle is actually a little unusual as it does not have an additional passenger seat up front. Instead the driver sits in the center of the vehicle and the passenger sits behind him. The Sling Rover has 4 rolling wheels, a manual sling net trap attached to the bumper and a manual rotating spot light. The Sling Rover fits 2 figures comfortable.
This set and the 3 others are at Toys R Us today some pick them up while they last to complete your Dino Valley collection and customization.

[dasaman]

Hi,

Just got into Chap Mei after discovering one or two playsets at a store nearby my house. The vehicles are awesome!

From the Dino Valley line, I actually bought a MOC Skinny Bones McButt figure from ebay. It's packed with Harmony logo, I suppose it's a chainstore somewhere. I'm still waiting for it to come, we'll see how it goes!

[Ghouldrool]

This is a new configuration I found that was just released in our stores. I'm positive that Sneaky Tweak, the white raptor, could only be found in a medium set along with a snare vehicle and not in a small set like this. Also included is a nice repaint of the pterodactyl, which, I believe, was also released in Animal Planet sets in the US. The white repaint of the old Dino Quest raptor really works, and only moreso when used alongside the white 'Utah' Raptor which can be found in Stone Age Dinosaur sets.

[dinoviper]

Light & Sound Velociraptor
Location Toys R Us
Price $14.99

The Light & Sound Velociraptor was originally part of the Stone Age series then repainted in the Dino Valley 3 line. It has now made its way to North America as part of the Animal Planet exclusives only to Toys R Us. The Velociraptor itself is bigger in scale to a 4" action figure it shares with. It does wonders in the MOTU and MOTUC line. It features movable legs and slashing arms when pressed activate the action feature in the jaws and lighting up the quills on the head. It gives off a primordial scream not included in any of the animal figures released in North America before. The Light & Sound Velociraptor is a cunning and deadly addition to any ones dinosaur collection.

[dinoviper]

Light & Sound Stygimoloch
Location Toys R Us
Price $14.99

The Light & Sound Stygimoloch is a new addition to the Dino Valley line. It has never been produced in any past Dinosaur lines and may be a new addition to either a Dino Valley 4 or Stone Age 2 line. The Stygimoloch is a type of Packycephalosaurus from the late Cretaceous. It was a herbivore and the domed head is up for controversy as to rather is it for defense of some form of sexual display. The Light & Sound Stygimoloch is bigger in scale due to the electronic feature. It features movable back legs and arms. When you press the button on its back it activates the light and sound feature butting the head and lighting up the dome on the top of the head. This is a pretty exciting animal very detailed and playable. I wonder what Chap Mei has planned in future dinosaur lines.

[jafaristew]

Dino Valley is BACK! As shown in the posts above, I too was at Rite Aid today & saw that Dino Valley: Escape from Primal Danger figure & dino. They only had 1 white clad adventure guy with 1 Suchomimus dino (3 of the same set). Pictured a few more on the back of the box (1 named "Five Horns" a T-Rex, & a couple others). If you are interested in this I suggest hitting your local Rite Aid.

[dinoviper]

Light & Sound Spinosaurus
Location Toys R Us
Price $14.99

The Light & Sound Spinosaurus or "Black Spine" as it goes by in the Dino Valley III series is the 3rd figure released in 2012 for the Animal Planet exclusives at Toys R Us. This version has a really nice paint job with solid black body and red stripes. Originally released in the Stone Age line this variant is much cooler looking then the original. Spinosaurus moves his legs and when you press his right arm he slashes with both arms chomps down with its jaws and its sail lights up. While Black Spine is under sized compared to his Spinosaurus cousin from Dino Valley he is a great figure to collect.

[dinoviper]

Mega Dino Research Station
Location Toys R Us
Price $49.99

This is the first massive playset Toys R Us has released for the Dino Valley line for $50. It comes with a ton of vehicles, figures and equipment. I'll review each of what it comes with one at a time. Most of what is included in this playset is brand spankin new and has never been released by Chap Mei before at least here in the United States. This set is worth picking up for both children and collectors there is so much crambed into the box both with like.







First up we have the new figures I don't know what they call themselves but they do have the DV logo on there uniform. Each figure has 5 points of articulation and you get four figures two with helmets and two without. While the only equipment they come with are a capture claw and backpack. These figures are going to be to busy driving the vehicles and operating the station to worry about petty assessories.



Also included is a pair of dino hatchlings and an egg attached to a weapon tree. Once you carefully remove the figures you can place them inside the egg and close the shell up around them as if they are hatching from an egg. You get 4 dinos a Tyrannosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops and a Hadrosaurus plus 2 egg shell pieces. Its always nice to see Chap Mei adding a few small surprises to their figure lines.





The Helicopter has been released before in several Chap Mei lines it holds one figure and has rotating fan blades, movable search light and opening canopy. It also includes a hook underneath to transport figures and equipment. The helicopter is way too large to land on the helipad on the roof of the research station.





Next up is the new all terrain vehicle with four rolling wheels, rotating machine gun and rope hook. It holds up to two figures and you can fit certain peg weapons into the holes around the vehicle. The canopy opens to fit the driver and it does have some cool details inside. Further study appears to be the undercarrage of the Dino Valley III jeep made to look like a new vehicle.









The smaller dinosaur included is Sneaky Tweek a Deinonychus repaint from the early Dino Quest line. This Raptor has movable legs and when you press the button on his back his arms slash and jaws bite. This is on of those figures that has stood the test of time and has appeared several times in other Dinosaur lines. One of my favorite dinosaurs from Chap Mei.



The Dilophosaurus is a new figure never before released and is quite impressive. Being my favorite dinosaur since childhood I had to own this playset if only for the Dilophosaurus. The dinosaur features movable legs and arms a trigger underneath the tail lets loose a striking neck with flapping frills and light up eyes and crests. The sound is new and is a prehistoric shriek if I ever heard one. Size comparison puts him about in the same scale as the Mega T rex and they both would make one heck of a fight. While an actual Dilophosaurus only grew to 20ft in length and stood as tall as a man. There is no evidence that Dilophosaurus ever had a frill or a sail on its back. This dinosaur to me is a hybrid of both Dilophosaurus and Spinosaurus. Sort of like the Chaos Effect line where Ingene was cross breeding different prehistoric animals for there on genetic research. Since both dinosaurs are similar in many ways both having a kinked snout and long slender body. Dilophosaurus existing in the early Jurassic may have been the great grandfather to many of the later big carnivores like Allosaurus, Spinosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.







Finally we come to the Research Station the Holy Grail of Chap Mei Playsets. Similar in appearance and scale to the Jurassic Park Command Compound this playset comes with 6 fences that snap together in all sorts of configurations. The main door acts as a draw bridge as dinosaurs are transported through the door and out the fence on the other side. The front also has an adjustable elevator with moving guns, claw launcher that pivots and elevates. A observation post with moving night vision infrared binoculars a helipad for small vehicles and a ladder that attaches to the pad. On the back are two gate swing fences and a machine gun that fits the upper fence in case some of the animals tries to escape.

[jafaristew]

Thanks to the great & inspiring shots here I went & picked up 2 of the Dino Valley 3 sets for myself! The Suchomimus w/Quickgun Wallace set from Rite Aid & the awesomely HUGE Research Station from TRU!! Chap Mei rules!! ;D

[Ghouldrool]

A BIG thanks to Dinoviper and Jafaristew for posting these pics of the new and revamped Dino Valley line. Chap Mei is back in business with this line, for sure!!

I have not been able to find these myself, as they've not been released in the Netherlands as of yet and due to moving my internet connection has been offline for two months. But I've returned!

[Ghouldrool]

This is a picture of a very common Dino Valley series I box. This set has been picked up by Chad Valley in Great Britain and you could probably still find it there. The Spinosaurus is an old mainstay nowadays, but this box has the creature in its original green paint scheme.

The new 2012 Dino Valley has seen the re-release of that blue one man helicopter, as well. With a more spiffy paint job, of course.

[Ghouldrool]

For those of us who do not know the Dino Valley series I Pteranodon, this set is great. It features two versions of the prehistoric flyer, only to be outdone in size by the Stone Age Dinosaurs Pterodactyl which is gigantic. Seeing older sets like this still in the original box is great, and I shall continue to post pics like this for all to see when I find them.

[Ghouldrool]

This box features one of the first (and some say best) colour schemes for Chap Mei's large chinook helicopter, which is of course well known from Soldier Force, but has been included in almost all Chap Mei lines when they could get away with it. As such, it's a familiar sight by now. However, finding one still in its original box can be really tricky!

One has to admire Chap Mei for being able to cram so much content in a set that was priced at the same price point as a medium sized Star Wars vehice.