Discovered in Russia, Kileskus is a relatively small tyrannosauroid that lived during the Middle Jurassic period some 166 million years ago. While its remains are rather fragmentary, they are enough to determine that their owner was a proceratosaurid, closely related to Guanlong and Proceratosaurus itself.
Mattel released what I believe to be the very first toy of Kileskus in 2024. Part of the basic Danger Pack series, it measures 18 cm long and stands slightly under 7 cm tall at the hip. It is sculpted with its right foot forward and the tip of its tail swaying to the right.
The Kileskus‘ main colour is a flat muddy brown. The head is dark brown with white for the throat and lower jaw. The eyes are orange, the tongue is pink, and the conical teeth are yellowish. Topping it off are white markings on the head crest and the underside of the tail. It is not a flashy colour scheme, but it is an appropriately sinister one.
Like many other Mattel theropods, the Kileskus is something of a mishmash of integument. It has scales and wrinkles on its head and torso, but it also has thick scutes covering the back of its neck and the front of its thighs. Three rows of small spikes run from above the hips to about halfway down the tail. And finally, there are shaggy feathers covering the back and the dorsal half of the tail. It is very likely that the real Kileskus had feathers, but the spikes and scutes not so much.
Like many other Mattel theropods, the Kileskus has oversized feet, overly chunky legs, and a tail that’s too short. However, the arms look to be of decent proportion and the hands are correctly oriented. There is currently no direct fossil evidence for a large, blade-like crest adorning the snout, but given that other small proceratosaurids had them, there’s no reason to think that this one didn’t.
The slide-out scan tab is located on the Kileskus‘ back. As you can see, the sticker on this one here has come clean off after too many play sessions with my kids in the bathtub or at the beach. No matter, they never cared about it in the first place. The Kileskus has the usual articulation: a lower jaw that opens to about 50 degrees, a hinged neck, rotating shoulders and hips, and of course, a rather pointless rotating tail.
Inaccuracies notwithstanding, the Mattel Kileskus is a unique, fierce-looking, and fun toy, one that me and my boys are happy to have in the household. It even recently enjoyed the honour of being one of four Mattel toys to come on our family trip to Alberta, along with the Alioramus, the Borealopelta, and the Hypsilophodon (which I told them was a Canadian Parksosaurus instead). We had fun playing with them in the hotel jacuzzi, so money well spent. 🙂
This review is dedicated to the memory of my fellow reviewer Luis Perez AKA EmperorDinobot, who tragically succumbed to illness on July 21 at the age of only 36. I did not know him all that well, but I can say that he was a very passionate individual who was fiercely devoted to his family, his friends, and his principles. He was also a longtime member of the dinosaur toy collecting community, with a particular fondness for Jurassic Park and Beasts of the Mesozoic products. He was originally slated to review the Kileskus, so I reckon he would have appreciated me doing it to honour him. He will indeed be missed.
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