5 (2 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Continuing on the review of Yujin’s Saltwater Fish Part 1, here’s a look at the second half of the set.
Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus)
- Size of figure: 4.8 cm
- Size: 22 cm
- Scale: 1:4
- Color: yellow body with half black on top and white on the lower half of the head, transparent pectoral and caudal fin, pale blue on the end of dorsal and anal fin, and black eye spot on the either side of the anal fin
- Diet: hard and soft coral polyps and small crustaceans
- Species frequency in being made into toy form: rare
- Base: sand with rock
- Notes: a butterflyfish with a typical butterflyfish shape; not the most exciting butterflyfish for Yujin to go with but the reason why they went with this species might be because of the butterfly fish character in Finding Nemo is a yellow longnose butterflyfish. This figure is sculpted with its dorsal spines erect and turning to its left, possibly to flare up as it feels threatened by a rival or a predator, or it’s getting ready to swim away.
Crowned Seahorse (Hippocampus coronatus)
- Size of figure: 6 cm
- Size: 13.3 cm
- Scale: 1:2.2
- Color: chocolate brown body with fine black and white spots scattered around the body with transparent pectoral and dorsal fins
- Diet: copepods and amphipods, larger individuals also taking mysids
- Species frequency in being made into toy form: unique
- Base: sand with live rock
- Notes: the leaflet did not state this figure to be any specific seahorse but according to some collectors, it represents the crowned seahorse, which is a shame as all the others are so accurate to the species they represent. The tail is sculpted freely and not gripping onto a coral or seaweed or curled, like several other seahorse figures.
Fire Goby (Nemateleotris magnifica)
- Size of figure: 4.7 cm
- Size: 5-9 cm
- Scale: 1:1-1:1.8
- Color: white on the front half of the body and red on the tail end, yellow wash on parts of the head, dorsal fin and pelvic fins, darker red streak on the edge of the dorsal fin and a black midline on second dorsal fin, caudal and anal fin and sky blue outline on the eye.
- Diet: algae and zooplankton
- Species frequency in being made into toy form: rare
- Base: sand with live rock
- Notes: a relatively small species, this figure is mostly incompatible with most collectors, except those who don’t mind scale, although I wish this figure was a tad smaller. Despite being the most species-rich family, gobies are quite underrepresented in toy form. The fire goby seems to be among the most popular species made, with a few others from Wing Mau and Yowie, but this Yujin one is the best and is easy to pass it as the real fish. It looks to have half a pupil, which gives it an angry look. The figure is sculpted as if the fish is slightly curled up, probably getting ready to ‘dart’ away from a predator.
Coral Grouper (Cephalopholis miniata)
- Size of figure: 7.1 cm
- Size: 26-50 cm for a mature individual
- Scale: 1:3.5-1:7
- Color: red body with very dark brown eyes that appear black in most lights, orangish red pectoral fins, sky blue outline on dorsal, caudal and anal fins, sky blue outlined in black spots scattered around the body
- Diet: mostly schooling fish like sea goldies; crustaceans
- Species frequency in being made into toy form: very rare
- Base: live rock
- Notes: The largest figure in the standard set, this figure is nothing but impressive. Despite groupers being such an impressive grouper of fish, like all other living animals, these fish are underrepresented, even the larger species; heck, there isn’t a figure of an adult Queensland grouper yet. This figure is sculpted turning to its right, either to hunt down its prey, presumably a shoal of small fish, or swimming away from a larger fish. It has the acrylic rod insertion hold on the bottom unlike most figures in the set, which is a nice bonus. One of the main highlights of the set!
Clown Triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum)
- Size of figure: 5.3 cm
- Size: 30-50 cm
- Scale: 1:5.5-1:9
- Color: black body with yellow beak outline with a white band, white nasal stripe, yellow patch on the back with black spots, half yellow and white keel with black spots on the back, tail ends with white outline with black around the tail and yellow streak around the boarder of the transparent dorsal and anal fins
- Diet: crustaceans, mollusks, tunicates, and urchins
- Species frequency in being made into toy form: rare
- Base: sand with live rock
- Notes: Along with the coral grouper, this is the most striking figure in the set and the most colorful. It’s the most distinct species of triggerfish and the only one I’m aware made by a toy company with the exception of the queen triggerfish made by Safari Ltd. Although it will be as big as the coral grouper when fully grown, Yujin made it smaller than the coral grouper for some reason. This figure is sculpted turning to the left, probably to display the infamous behavior of aggressively defending its nest against divers. The dorsal spine is sculpted in a resting position, which erects when the fish is under threat.
Japanese Pineapplefish (Monocentris japonica)
- Size of figure: 4.5 cm
- Size: 17 cm
- Scale: 1:3.5
- Color: yellow body with black markings on the head and body, a paler yellow body, dark brown eyes and translucent black mucous pit
- Diet: shrimp and smaller fish
- Species frequency in being made into toy form: very rare
- Base: live rock
- Notes: The most unusual figure in the set due to it being a rather deep sea species, but a welcome one. The figure is stiffer than the others which is appropriate as the real fish is quite rigid due to the large rough scales, giving it the nickname knightfish. The mucous gland is sculpted and the large spine around the pelvic fin is present. These fish have 2 pits on the lower jaw near the corners of the mouth which contains bioluminescent bacteria, which glows green as a juvenile and red as an adult, which is not shown here as the mouth is sculpted closed. The figure is sculpted in a neutral position as there is not much flexibility in this species.
Who lives in a pineapple (fish) under the sea?
Luna Lionfish (Pterois lunulata)
- Size of figure: 5.4 cm
- Size: 40 cm
- Scale: 1:7
- Color: beige body with a darker beige around the face, brownish stripes on the fins and body, beige fin rays and translucent beige fins and spines, silver eye
- Diet: smaller fish and small crustaceans
- Species frequency in being made into toy form: very rare
- Base: sand with live rock
- Notes: it looks like a stereotypical lionfish, not unlike similar looking species like the devil firefish (P. miles) and red lionfish (P. volitans), it lacks reddish coloring for the most part. The figure is sculpted with its pectoral fins unfolding from the side as if to use it to flair up against a potential prey. The fins are made of a flexible material as if it will most likely break off easily. This lionfish has probably the most elegant sculpt in the whole set thanks to the pectoral fins. A lateral line is sculpted, too. Kaiyodo also made a version of this species, as well as the red lionfish.
Overall, this set is a fantastic set, and the figures are near perfect even after 17 years. My main gripe is the size of some figures (predominantly the smaller species) and the absence of a marine angelfish. This set has been retired for over a decade and outside of the clownfish, blue tang, Moorish idol, royal gramma, seahorse, yellow longnose butterfly, yellow tang, black-and-white damselfish, and fire goby, the remainder of the set is quite expensive. The full set with the secret humphead wrasse, blue damselfish, and moray eel with cleaner wrasse can run you about several hundred dollars. These fish figures are among the best produced on the market with very little competition. I do hope that this set gets re-released or get an update by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S., with updates to the old sculpts and maybe even new species just like the other saltwater fish sets. Also, it’s World Fish Day so have a fishtastic day!
Also, thank you to Colorata and Yujin for bringing these sets to fish collectors!