If your kids are fascinated by dinosaurs, and many are, you might like a recommendation on some of the best dinosaur toys out there. Being a paleontologist and museum professional for many years I do have some experience with quality dinosaur models.

Without a doubt some of the best and most accurate models you can get for dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals are from the Carnegie Collection. A number of features of these models, produced by Safari, make them highly recommended.

First, most of the models were sculpted to the same scale, 1:40. This means that almost all the models can be directly related to each other, so you can easily compare the size of a Brachiosaurus with an Apatosaurus, for example. Not every model is the same scale however, so you do have to watch that as it could be misleading.

Sauropod dinosaur models from the Carnegie Collection. Left to right are Camarasaurus, Diplodocus, Brachiosaurus, and Apatosaurus.

Another significant thing about the Carnegie dinosaur toys is that they are all hand painted, meaning that there are no two models that are identical. Each one is a bit different and special.

Finally, the models have been in production since 1989, and they add new species to the series almost every year. Some species from the series are retired from the line, meaning they are no longer available commercially, which might give them some collector appeal. And occasionally species already represented in the series are re-sculpted based upon new scientific evidence about their appearance or mode of life.

Various dinosaur models from the Carnegie Collection. Back row, left to right, Spinosaurus, Kronosaurus, Plesiosaurus, Deinosuchus, Tyrannosaurus. Front row, left to right, Allosaurus and Pteranodon.

The Carnegie models are some of the most accurate dinosaur toys on the market today, and we use them regularly in our museum education programs. If you are looking for some great models, these are hard to beat.

Pick yours up at the Boneblogger store. Look in the recommended section.