Although there are a plethora of toy hammerhead sharks out there very few of them identify the toy as anything more specific than a hammerhead. Most people probably don’t even realize that hammerhead is not a specific species of shark but rather an entire family of sharks (Sphyrnidae) that includes 9 distinct species. One of those species, the winghead shark, is the sole member of the genus Eusphyra while the rest belong to the genus Sphyrna. The hammerheads range in size from the diminutive 3’ (92 cm) scalloped bonnethead (S. corona) to the massive and appropriately named great hammerhead (S. mokarran) which can reach up to 20’ (6.1 meters). The great hammerhead is the subject of today’s review.
Unlike most hammerhead toys this one clearly states what species it is supposed to be with the scientific name printed on the belly. Such is the case with all of the Kid Galaxy toys that I’ll be reviewing within the coming months, or however long it takes. As for Kid Galaxy as a company, I can’t say I know much about them. My daughter received a box set of these toys a couple Christmases ago. The toys all have some degree of articulation and by-in-large are quite decent looking, they’re also cheap with a set of three sharks currently going for $20 on Amazon. I’ve seen them around department stores as well and they also produce terrestrial animals and dinosaurs.
The great hammerhead toy measures 9” (22.8 cm) in length, as do the other sharks in the set; a great white and whale shark. So they’re not in scale with each other. Actual great hammerhead sharks average 11-15’ (3.5- 4.6 meters) but as mentioned already can get larger than that. So that means the scale of the toy can be anywhere between 1/14 and 1/26 in scale.
The toy itself is somewhat of a mixed bag. The head, fins, and tail are all made of a soft, rubber material that is accurately depicted and well detailed. The body on the other hand is cheap, hard plastic, with visible seams and open screw holes on the underside. If the entire toy was made of the softer material I would be singing it praises but the hard plastic bits really take away the realism from the rest of the toy. The shark is a male as indicated by claspers on the underside but they’re just part of the body and not attached to the pelvic fins as they should be. Also, the body only has 4 gill slits instead of 5.
These toys advertise themselves as being articulated but the articulation leaves a lot to be desired. The head and tail can swivel back and forth and the pectoral fins can move up and down. The range of motion is limited, with the tail in particular only able to wiggle at best. This toy is not the worst offender in the group, as we’ll see in later reviews. Even though this is an articulated shark toy, don’t expect the mouth to open and close.
Despite many shortcomings the toy does have some positive attributes. As mentioned before, the softer material parts are quite well done. The hammer shaped head or cephalofoil is a close match to actual great hammerhead anatomy. The slightly opened mouth has one row of individually sculpted teeth on the upper jaw and three on the bottom. Although the sculpting is decent the paint application is sloppy in the mouth where there’s an attempt to paint the teeth white and gums pink. Also, the overall proportions of the entire toy are a close match to the great hammerhead as well.
Overall this toy is a decent representation of a specific species of hammerhead but its primary function is as a toy and probably not a collectable. The hard plastic body takes away a lot from an otherwise appealing toy, insuring that it really won’t display well on a shelf. The limited range of motion makes it less fun for kids than you might expect. That said, my daughter doesn’t seem to mind its shortcomings and has a lot of fun with what is a decidedly affordable and educational toy.
