 Dr. Alan Grant Tactical Claw Pack
Silly fun for 1990s kids' kids
Jurassic Park '93 Classic Target Exclusive
Item No.: No. HMM94
Manufacturer: Mattel
Includes: Dr. Alan Grant, vest, green baby raptor, Kenner-colored Gallimimus, capture mask and cuffs, capture leg shackles, crossbow, capture claw, binoculars
Action Feature: Grappling hook launches, claw extends, scan DNA tab in app
Retail: $23.99
Availability: ca. August 2023
Other: Kenner pastiche
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I buy a fair amount of toys, and I pre-ordered this Dr. Alan Grant Tactical Claw Pack at Target back in 2023 - but things were getting kind of weird in the world, so I canceled it only to get it and its companion set off eBay (at a lower price) in 2026. It worked out for me. The set was part of a then-new, now-over Target exclusive program. Mattel launched with four exclusive Jurassic Park '93 Classic sets, although it's possible the deck was stacked against them. This was during a period where the big toy companies were trying to trend toward some sort of plastic-free or reduced-plastic packaging which not only collectors, but parents and kids seemingly hated. People want to see what they're buying, and box renders didn't cut it. These guys eventually hit final markdown, but not before Target had more sets in the pipeline and most of those also got marked down. Such is life.
This guy cost me about $10 delivered, and reviews show price tags from Target under $8. The set made pretty good use of its budget, but failed to make the case for its value. They did a good job bringing back Kenner's red and yellow packaging vibes, but showing buyers iffy renders or tracings of renders on the packaging didn't sell them on the set. But at least it's a set that shows you that the designer loves Kenner toys of the 1980s and 1990s.
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The headliner is Dr. Alan Grant and he seems to take some cues from Kenner, what with his dark blue short-sleeved shirt. I believe this is a nod to the movie's concept art. That figure also had knee pads on his pants, but Kenner used brown rather than green plastic. Mattel's grant matches the colors above the waist well enough, with a far superior Sam Neil likeness. This figure also has much better articulation, and is about 3/4-inches shorter. It's great to have a jointed waist, elbows, and knees so you can fit this guy in more vehicles and playsets.
Mattel frequently reuses parts for its humans, which is kind of vexing because I haven't found a very good clearinghouse of information showcasing Mattel's complete Homo sapiens offerings. Jurassic fan sites have lots of images, but not set up in a way that makes it easy to find answers to questions like "How many humans are there?" and "Which figures share parts?" As far as I can tell this was a new, or mostly new, or at least well-disguised mold. The silver zipper on the shirt doesn't have an obvious visible precedent, nor do these pants. It does a great job selling the idea of a Kenner figure, though, with just enough detail to not cause the set to be $40-$50. I would have loved a "JP" logo tag, but maybe Kenner doesn't like that. The figure has sculpted copyright information on the back of his shirt. It's kind of ugly, but the shade of blue does help it to blend in to the shirt a bit.
The figure has a walkie talkie in his back pocket, and while there are few reviews showing this part up-close it seems that it looking a little melted is normal. I peeked at a few videos and while it's hard to see and not in focus, the shape does seem consistently "off."
His gear is generous. The Tactical Claw is a simple, goofy accessory with a sliding light green claw in a dark green barrel that looks a lot like Soundwave's shoudler-mounted battery. It's light enough for Grant to be able to hold it, and you have to manually open the claw with your hand to get it on a dinosaur. It works, but it's not as cool as a jet pack or motorcycle like we got in the other sets.
If that wasn't enough, Grant also has binoculars and a removable vest for you to misplace. It's an incredible amount of gear for a single figure, and I think Mattel might have been better off taking out something or adding a second human. It's a lot to keep track of, and it's all pretty good too.
There's also a grappling hook fired by a crossbow. This might not last for the ages - it uses a familiar rocket lock mechanism, but it is launched by an elastic cord. This will undoubtedly break down with time, but at least you can buy elastic cords and replace it yourself when the day comes. The light blue grappling hook launches from a green crossbow, and it doesn't go terribly far due to the tether. It's fun enough, but safety requirements in kiddo toys mean the cord can't be very long. It reminds me of a lot of those late-1980s and early 1990s accessories that were basically fidget toys before we had a word for them.
A tiny green Velociraptor hatchling is a nod to the novel, because they find a baby on the island when walking around. Or so wikis tell me, I haven't read the book in 34 years. It's cute and not the same mold they used for baby Blue back in 2018. Molded in green with black speckles, the figure has a dark dusting of green on her back and little yellow eyes. There is no articulation, and the samples may be bent slightly from being packaged. I straightened the legs out after dipping this figure in some boiling water. (Warning: do not do this, I do not want to be sued.)
Like many digitally sculpted toys, the detail is a little soft. Kenner and 20th century toymakers would often exaggerate the cuts, folds, and wrinkles so they stand out. Modern mold masters seem content to replicate the CAD files without embellishments. It's still good - it could just be a bit more detailed. You can see the work they put into her, she just doesn't reap the benefits at this small size. I'm sure the subtleties of the digital model look amazing at a workstation, but a 1 1/4-inch tall critter only has so much you can cram into it.
A Gallimimus is also included, this time in colors recalling the electronic Kenner "Speeder" release. (I always thought that sculpt was ugly, so I never thought about picking one up.) If the colors look familiar, they were applied to an "Attack Pack" Camp Cretacious toy that used the earlier, harder to balance standing up design. I think this one is the winner.
The mold is cast in brown, she has purple and red on her back. The pose and digital sculpt seem very similar to numerous previously released versions of the animal, but it's not identical. This one isn't quite as unbalanced as Mattel's first attempt at the animal, instead using a later design that stands upright with bigger feet. It's durable, and was packaged with some plastic between her legs to minimize warping. It worked nicely, given I opened her three years late.
I was surprised at the level of articulation. The tail only swivels, but everything else rotates and bends. I was incredibly surprised to find the legs could be posed outward a bit, and that the front limbs could also have a nice range of movement. The neck joint was clearly visible, and has a satisfying bumpy clicky feel as the neck bends down.
Eschewing the subtlety of a hankie in her pocket or a leather wrist cuff, this dino has full-on shackles or capture gear right out of the box. Before you can say "hey slow down there," you can snap these right on. The face gear has a plastic chain running down to cuffs for the wrist, and I was surprised it's stiff enough that the arms and legs will move together once geared up. You can also easily slide the cuffs over the legs. Everything more or less works as advertised.
For $24, you got a roughly $10 dinosaur, a roughly $10 human, a baby dino, and a lot of bonus gear. I would say that Mattel put the work in to give anyone that dared open the box a decent value, but if you aren't tickled by oversized action accessories you might not like this set very much. I regret not buying this one sooner and at full price - everything works pretty well and looks cool. Even though I have an old Kenner Grant, I appreciate the improved likeness and 3 3/4-inch size to better fit with my other toys. The dinosaurs are nifty to look at and are of a higher quality than I would have expected. Will I lose the vest or binoculars? Very possibly. But this set is basically worthless, so I can easily buy another if I want. I'd recommend checking this one out if you, too, love Kenner-era toys made by people who want you to have fun and don't particularly care about it being "collectible."
By itself it's a perfectly nice set, but if you have a few other vehicles and figures it really seems to pay off. I've been getting the other JP93 and Reimagined toys because they're good, weird, and surprisingly cheap between clearances and the secondary market. People aren't very keen on them. I think they're missing out. Like any collecting community, it would seem a lot of fans favor the Hammond Collection and are still trying to maintain the illusion of their toy collecting being some mature adult thing. As someone living in the future, allow me to assure you, they're all still toys for children. Buy what you like, and keep what makes you happy. This set makes me happy.
--Adam Pawlus
Additional Images
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