Jurassic Park Series 1: Alan Grant

Year of release: 1993

Accessories:

-Aerial Net Trap with net

-Smart Bomb

-Pteranodon hatchling

-Collector’s Card # 11 (alternate card for 1994 re-release)

Description: Grant sports a simple and, as far as JP outfits go, iconic set of clothes. Most notable is his famous white hat, basically the hallmark of the Grant character. This hat is not removable since it’s stuck to the figure’s head. Second, there is the blue shirt with short sleeves, which is adorned with a small tag (also blue) carrying a black JP logo on the left part of his chest. Grant sports dark beige pants and dark greenish brown shoes, as well as knee patches and a belt of the same colour. A black flash light and walkie-talkie are attached to the belt at the front side. Grant’s hair, eyebrows and eyes are all coloured in the same shade of brown. He has a rather emotionless face and stands in an almost fully neutral position, except for his right lower arm which is raised upwards, almost like it’s gripping his belt.

The Aerial Net Trap is basically a large dark green backpack, carrying a black arm with grips on it which can slingshot the net (when loaded obviously) away when the small black lever on the bottom of the pack is pressed. Two pairs of large clamps stick out on the left side of the pack, so Grant can carry the net on his back by storing it between these. On the front side a frame of grey straps sticks out so the launcher can be attached to the figure. The net consists of two long grey sticks with small hooks on each end, and a black net between them. It can be loaded on the launcher by placing the sticks between the grips of the pack’s arm. The smart bomb is basically a grey tube with several protrusions sticking out, adorned with a typical ‘radioactivity danger’ logo (not painted in a different colour). Grant can hold it by gripping either one of his hands on the underside of the bomb.

The Pteranodon hatchling is posed in an active posture, its wings outstretched as if flying. If it weren’t for the head which looks to the left the figure would be nigh asymmetrical (the right wing is raised just a little higher). The underside of the animal is all bright grey, while the top of the wings and legs as well as the back is painted in a darker grey. Most of the head (including the crest) and neck is light blue, except for the lower jaw and throat. The inner mouth and eyes are black. A small white JP logo is found on the back of the right wing.

Analysis: for many, this is the most well known and popular JP figure. At the height of the JP craze in 1993-1994, virtually every kid owned one of these figures and most people vividly and fondly remember playing Dr. Grant with it. Since Grant was one of the most popular characters in the movie Kenner made figures of (JPS2 Malcolm was released later and unfortunately not in all territories) it was produced in large quantities, making it the most common JP figure. As such it’s one of the most recognizable JP toys. But objectively, is it any good?

Of course it is! Grant looks much like his movie counterpart and isn’t “enhanced” with any odd non removable details, like some of the other figures of both this and the following JPS2 line (Nedry with his gun, Tim with the ammo belt). However, he does come with a bit of a silly but also fun weapon. The Aerial Net Trap looks rather sophisticated and detailed but works according to a very simple design. Just place the net on the throwing arm, press the button and slingshot the net towards any creature you feel like capturing. Though the net is often thrown over a decent distance, it’s hard to really catch anything, but this provides a good challenge. Quite handy: Grant can use the Trap as a backpack and store the net between the clasps. Additionally, Grant comes with a weird radioactive bomb. It doesn’t do anything, it’s just a neat little extra.

The Pteranodon, not featured in the movie itself, is a cute little critter, though its posture and lack of poseability are a minor nuisance, particularly because it can’t stand but needs to be supported; otherwise it can only lie down. The fact it closely resembles the larger Pteranodon of this line makes up for the otherwise dull paint job.

Playability: just fine. Alan has the usual range of poseable limbs and head. The way his right arm is posed may hinder playability at times, but it does make for a fine Grant-holds-onto-hat pose when his arm is positioned next to his head. The Pteranodon has no moveable parts of any kind, which is usual for hatchling figures. The Aerial Net Trap is an interesting net launching device with both pros and cons. It’s handy Grant can strap it to his back with room to store the net, but when it’s attached to him it’s hard to use the launcher in an effective way. It’s more convenient to use the weapon separate from the figure, but in this case the straps are a nuisance since they disable the launcher to lie in a steady position. Still, the launcher works fine: pressing the lever makes the launcher sling the net away over a respectable distance. However, it’s not easy to catch any creatures with it, since it’s hard to predict where the net will end up. The bomb is just an extra gadget and has no functions to speak of. It has been speculated it can be used to grip both handles of the net together to make sure any creature caught in the net doesn’t escape, but it’s doubtful the designers of this toy had such a function in mind.

A word of caution: the net easily gets entangled with other toys and is thus damaged easily. Also, the legs of the little Pteranodon are quite fragile and have a tendency of breaking off with ease. So if you want to keep both intact, don’t play too rough with them.

Realism: though Grant’s outfit isn’t too dissimilar from what Alan Grant, as performed by Sam Neill, wore in the JP movie, it’s not an exact match either. The hat and blue shirt are a dead giveaway though. The facial features of this Grant figure don’t resemble Sam’s face at all, but overall this is a good enough toy version of the Alan Grant character. Alan’s weaponry wasn’t like anything seen in the movie and it’s just accessories to give the figure some action features. Pteranodons weren’t featured in the film, but this figure is fairly accurate and as a species unmistakable for other Pterosaurs due to the crest on the head. It’s a good thing this hatchling sports the same colouring as the adult version of this toy line, adding some welcome continuity.

Repaint: since this figure belongs to the very first JP toy line, it’s obviously not repainted. However, the figure would be repainted for the JP Series 2 line, featuring a new head sculpt but the exact same set of accessories, save a new hatchling (a Stegosaurus). The Pteranodon baby would not be repainted for later toy lines, but the Aerial Net Trap would. It was repainted for both the TLW exclusive Dino Tracker Set and the JP III exclusive Dinosaur Tracking Set, featuring different colours and a redesigned launching system (which was unfortunately inferior to the one used for this figure).

Overall rating: 8/10. Despite the few flaws of the Aerial Net Trap, this is one of the most classic and remembered JP figures, one which lights up deep feelings of nostalgia in anyone who ever owned it in the early days of JP toys. Besides, it’s just a cool figure with a lovely little hatchling. Also, it is very likely to be the most common JP figure of all toy lines and therefore still very easy to find for cheap prices, both MOC or loose.