Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Today I want to introduce you to the figure of another instantly recognizable bird. But again, despite its worldwide popularity, the choice of figures is comparably few. The more welcomed is CollectA’s 2015 release.
“Kiwi” derives from the native Maori language and – as quite common in bird names – refers to the call of the animal. In this specific case however, it may be that the Maori ancestors initially applied the name to a migratory curlew and later applied the name to the flightless ratite because of the superficial similarities of brown feathers and long curved beak. The home of the kiwi bird is New Zealand and today everything there is “kiwi”, the Chinese Gooseberry, the western inhabitants, the country. All this popularity has not saved the kiwi from being severely threatened by habitat loss, traffic and, probably most important of all, invasive species such as cats, foxes, weasels, and dogs, to name a few. It is believed that out of 100 chicks hatched in the wild, only 5 survive to their adulthood. Being flightless and laying only one to three eggs during a breeding season makes this species especially vulnerable. Five species are recognized, and all are listed as vulnerable or threatened. Today the survival of the genus relies on human assistance.
DNA testing showed that the different species of the genus Apteryx split from each other millions of years ago. Nevertheless, any non expert would be hard pressed to tell the species apart. Toyanimal.info lists CollectA’s figure as Okarito kiwi (Apteryx rowi) but the CollectA website does not seem to specify which species it is.
From the tip of the beak to the round hind-end, the figure measures 7 cm while it stands 4 cm high, including the base. The beak itself measures 2 cm and may be a tad bit too long. But it is straight, slightly downcurved and very pointed. It looks great, but I guess a toy’s safety standards may not really apply to this rapier. Overall, this is the best kiwi toy figure; the detailing is just great for a figure in its price range. The somewhat untidy feathering is sculpted nicely and decked in black with a brown dry brush. Grey highlights the face where the ear openings are clearly visible. The only real inaccuracy is the slightly enlarged hallux that is also shown as a weight bearing digit in the left foot.
That said, this figure is a nice gem no toy bird collector should be without.
