MONSTER [BOOTLEG] TOY SPOTLIGHT #01 - that 12" rubber Imperial/Trendmasters hybrid aka 'Super Dinosaur'

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G1985
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MONSTER [BOOTLEG] TOY SPOTLIGHT #01 - that 12" rubber Imperial/Trendmasters hybrid aka 'Super Dinosaur'

Post by G1985 »

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Someone new asks for information about this figure every couple of months, usually in the 'TK's Official "Identify this figure/kit" Thread', so I decided it could use it's own write-up that we can point to, to help newcomers when they come across one.

This figure is odd in that it's not exactly a copy or bootleg of another figure, although most people mistake it for the Imperial 13" figure for good reason. The unique sculpt blends parts of other figures: the body and tail borrow from the 1985 13" Imperial figure. The arms and legs, or at least the hands and feet, are from the 1994 Trendmasters 10" light-and-sound figure but blend into the Imperial-styled parts fairly seamlessly. The head itself also draws heavily from a Trendmasters figure, but the eye and muzzle shape lead me to believe it's copied from the rubber-skinned "walker" figure and not the 10" figure. The center row dorsal spines are not those of the Imperial figure, and are positioned differently along the back, but they're not the Trendmasters version either.

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I've seen photos of a figure sporting an Imperial-like hang tag which called it "Super Dinosaur". I've also seen photos with tags that simply call it "Godzilla". I've read that these figures were manufactured by Guangdong Ausini Toys of Guangdong China, but I have no way of verifying this. The only marking on the figure itself is the label "Made In China" on the underside of the right foot. With no manufacturers' mark on the toy itself, it's impossible to verify who the actual manufacturer was - but what should we expect? These are unlicensed Godzilla figures!

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The figures can be found in a wide variety of colors, some evoking other figures. Some mirror the colors of the Imperial figures. Others mirror the Trendmasters "Power-Up" Godzilla, green with chrome-blue dorsals. Some seem like they're trying to be a Burning or Meltdown Godzilla. And quite a few appear to use whatever plastic and paint colors were lying around in the factory that day.

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Finally, one last bit of speculation. Some of these figures are molded in black rubber with painted highlights, and others are molded in a flesh-colored rubber that is then fully painted (note the shoulder joints in the below photo). These flesh-colored ones appear to have more mold flashing around the seams than the black-rubber versions, leading me to believe that the flesh-colored ones are later-bootlegs of the black-rubber ones.

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I found a YouTube video where someone reviews a black-rubber, Imperial-colored one:
Last edited by G1985 on Thu Jan 11, 2018 2:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Mac Daddy MM
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Re: MONSTER [BOOTLEG] TOY SPOTLIGHT #01 - that 12" rubber Imperial/Trendmasters hybrid aka 'Super Dinosaur'

Post by Mac Daddy MM »

I love this thing. I have a black and silver variant.

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Quote of the Year:
plasmabeam wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 3:03 am Hear me out on this. What if Godzilla is actually Suko’s father? In GvK when Godzilla defeated Kong and they were roaring at each other, what if Godzilla inseminated Kong at that moment and that’s why they were screaming?

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Re: MONSTER [BOOTLEG] TOY SPOTLIGHT #01 - that 12" rubber Imperial/Trendmasters hybrid aka 'Super Dinosaur'

Post by SpaceG92 »

+1 you win the page for thread title alone.


Man I remember this thing. I never had it, but I keep seeing it pop up literately everywhere. From discount toy racks to ebay.

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Re: MONSTER [BOOTLEG] TOY SPOTLIGHT #01 - that 12" rubber Imperial/Trendmasters hybrid aka 'Super Dinosaur'

Post by MechaSkeleturtle666 »

I remember that Super Dinosaur! It was everywere when i was a kid. I saw one at at flea market last summer, kinda wish i had picked it up since i never had one. :/

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Re: MONSTER [BOOTLEG] TOY SPOTLIGHT #01 - that 12" rubber Imperial/Trendmasters hybrid aka 'Super Dinosaur'

Post by Tyrant_Lizard_King »

I've never seen these guys in the wild but I've seen dozens of the Godzilla-esque toys with generic dinosaur/dragon spines.
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Re: MONSTER [BOOTLEG] TOY SPOTLIGHT #01 - that 12" rubber Imperial/Trendmasters hybrid aka 'Super Dinosaur'

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

I have a variation of this, a small six inch one. It’s pretty cool. Obviously a bootleg, but it’s fun.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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G1985
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Re: MONSTER [BOOTLEG] TOY SPOTLIGHT #01 - that 12" rubber Imperial/Trendmasters hybrid aka 'Super Dinosaur'

Post by G1985 »

LSD Jellyfish wrote:I have a variation of this, a small six inch one. It’s pretty cool. Obviously a bootleg, but it’s fun.
I'd love to see that. Got any pictures?

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