The Dino-Riders Tyrannosaurus Rex with Krulos, Bitor, and Cobrus Evil Rulon Warriors is a 1/24 scale toy action figure set based around a battle between the heroic humans and the evil Rulon Alliance, both of which ride mind-melded dinosaurs loaded to the teeth with futuristic heavy weapons and armor on a prehistoric planet earth.
Released in 1988 by Tyco Toys together with a 14 episode cartoon series, it was quite possibly the single greatest toy concept ever created!
Note: 1988 vs 1987, my current understanding is that while many Dino Riders toys are advertised on eBay as 1987 models, this is due to copyright / trademark registration dates (Eg. "©1987 TYCO") shown on product packaging and stamped on the products themselves, however this is simply when the names were registered and possibly when they were actually manufactured, but the actual release date for the first Dino Riders onto US, UK, and other markets was 1988. Check out The Golden Age of Tyco for more detail on when landmark products like this were released.
Story and Animated TV Series
Tyco's marketing efforts were always strong, with memorable TV commercials and incredible artwork on the toys packaging making you fully hyped for the toy before you even got your hands on it.
Yet it was the deregulation of children's television in the United States in 1984 that would supercharge Tyco's hype machine, changing the relationship between toys and TV shows forever, allowing a greater amount of advertising to be directed at children. This led to the creation of cartoons that were essentially extended commercials for toy lines, such as "Transformers," "G.I. Joe," "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," and of course "Dino-Riders". While today we might argue that these cartoons were some of the best and most memorable of the 80s, it's also fair to recognize what they were designed for - to sell toys.
The "Dino-Riders" animated TV series aired from 1988 to 1990, consisting of 14 episodes, and told the story of the human Valorians and evil alien Rulons who were sent back in time due to a malfunctioning time machine, and forced to do battle on a prehistoric earth.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex was a major plot point in the first episode, with the leader of the Rulons 'Krulos' using their technology to enslave and mind-control a T-Rex, outfitting it with lethal weapons for combat.
Rulon Pilots
The evil Rulan Alliance would typically be found riding the most dangerous carnivorous dinosaurs, with the T-Rex being their 'most terrible war machine of all'. It featured a high mounted pivoting station where Krulos, leader of the Rulons, could command his army and have his minions Bitor and Cobrus dish out laser bolts via side, front, or tail cannon mounts.
Features and Actions
Absolutely loaded with features, the Rulon Tyrannosaurus Rex comes with:
- Head mounted Rulon Brain Box with rotating laser guns
- Fully articulated figure (Krulos) atop the pivoting command tower
- Gattling-gun laser cannons on one side
- Articulated figure arms rear deflector shields
- Cobrus activates the Death Grip claws (which don't seem much better than Rex's own little paws!)
- A 'museum quality replica' dinosaur - it's important to acknowledge this was from the 1980s, and comparing it with the average plastic dinosaur made today, 40 years later, is an unfair comparison.
- Real jaws that open and close
- Motorized Walking Action - takes 1 x 'D' battery
- Loads of armor and accessory pieces decorating every inch of the figure, ready to do battle!
More exciting details can be seen on the packaging, which is another great example of Tyco's ability to fully market an item, not just with TV ads and cartoons, but by making the box almost as exciting as the toy itself, just as they did with their Tyco R/C range.
Imagine waking up on Christmas morning to find this under the tree! How stupendously cool does it look in there! Just fantastic, so much opportunity!
I can remember the kids who had these, proudly bringing them into school for show and tell, and boy was I jealous!
Parts List
The Tyrannosaurus Rex shipped with dozens of small and moderately sized accessories, including plates of armor, rope, weapon mounts, platforms and structure, as well as laser cannons, and the three Krulon pilots.
Power
A single 'D' cell battery powered the mechanical walking motion, adding some weight and stability to the toy.
Packaging and Artwork
Like most of Tyco's most popular toys, they put as much effort into the presentation and packaging as they did with the toy itself, a key factor (IMHO) in their rapid rise to toy store royalty in the 1980s - 1990s.
The illustration of the Rulon Tyrannosaur is no exception, immediately bringing you into the battle, and selling you on the whole concept immediately. This is one bad beast. Illustrated by Tyco's most prolific and talented artist Ken Smith, who also created the majority of the popular Tyco RC car illustrations, the Tyrannosaur is and the overall Dino Riders background are simply wonderful, poster worthy, and in a word... epic.
Click the boxes below to see greater detail.
Dino Riders Tyrannosaurus Rex in Popular Culture
One of the best known Dino Riders figures, the T-Rex has become part of modern popular culture.
Appearing in South Park's Imagination Land episode, we can see a Dino Riders T-Rex bounding across the field to battle (if anyone knows of a better scene, let me know!). In Robot Chicken's Season 7 "G.I Jogurt" episode they produced a complete 45 second skit using the actual Dino Riders toys! (Note: Robot Chicken is not intended for children)
Robot Chicken's parody of Dino Riders used the actual toys. Note this is not intended for children!
Availability and Collectability
Easily the most recognizable member of the Dino-Riders universe, it's not hard to find a completely bare / au naturelle Tyrannosaur without any armor or accessories on eBay for around $30 USD, however once you start adding accessories the price begins to launch into the stratosphere. I find it ironic that as a child, most kids were'nt lucky enough (their parents not rich enough) to own this Rulon wonder-weapon, instead opting for one of the smaller dinos. And yet 30+ years later, here we are and to obtain a complete T-Rex in a box you'll be looking at... $19,000.00 USD.
For regular collectors like me, simply getting my hands on an unboxed T-Rex with a few dozen key parts at $10-$50 each is not going to be a cheap endeavor. Still, like all vintage toy hunting, half of the fun is persistence and the never-ending hunt for a bargain.
