Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Chameleons are a wondrous family of lizards famous for their colour-changing abilities, independently moving eyes, and lightning fast tongues. They are found throughout all of Africa and Madagascar, and range all the way into the Middle East, southern India, and parts of southern Europe.
Review and images by Harecraft Horses; edited by bmathison1972
A very beautiful and exciting arrival to introduce, first – one of the 2022 ‘mid year’ releases, although that term is a little bit laughable when they arrive right at the end of the year (or sometimes into the following year) in my country!
Review and images by Harecraft Horses; edited by bmathison1972
Today we’ll be looking at one of 2022’s regular runs by Breyer, the one I was most excited to see and own – Adamek the Akhal-Teke stallion.
He is absolutely stunning!
I loved this sculpt right from when it was first revealed, it really nails the conformation and character of the breed, and although I was sad the two best Akhal-Teke colours got used up on unattainably rare and expensive exclusives (a sooty buckskin to the Premier Club, then metallic cremello for a limited Breyerfest SR), I do think this colour looks good on him.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is perhaps the most quintessential and famous of all eagles. For certain it is the most widespread, ranging across the continents of North America, Europe, and Asia. It has also figured prominently in human culture more than any other bird.
Review and images by Bonnie; edited by bmathison1972
I went dog figure hunting yesterday and I was surprised in the best possible way to find that our local Schleich shop had lots of the 2023 models in stock! I am happy to say that most of them look just as good if not better in real life, I didn’t look that closely but I think Schleich have released some beautiful models this year which is a good thing!
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Pufferfish and porcupinefish belong to the order Tetraodontiformes, which also includes the ocean sunfish, spikefish, file and triggerfish, and the box and cowfish. They can be found in marine, brackish, or freshwater environments depending on the species (porcupinefish are only in marine environments) and are characterised by their ability to ‘puff up’ when threatened.
Review and images by Harecraft Horses; edited by bmathison1972
My first must-buy of Mojö’s horses this year was the rearing cob, a really good addition to the range to complete the family – even though they already had a mare and youngster, the new rearing pose for the stallion means he’s plenty different to the others, and that he’s fun for photography as well as play.
Review and images by Harecraft Horses; edited by bmathison1972
Much better known as the Orlov Trotter, named after their developer Count Alexei Orlov, this is a famous breed but not a common one outside its native homeland, and it’s fairly rare to see in model form, too. With nothing yet from Breyer, the market leader in the model horse world, we have to turn to the more toy-type brands : Mojo Fun have released their Orlov Trotter sculpt in two different shades of grey, and now CollectA bring us a brand new one.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
If you had to name the most fearless and ferocious bird in the world, which one would you choose? The great horned owl, which regularly preys on hawks and other owls larger than itself? The harpy eagle, which boasts the biggest talons of any bird of prey and can carry off a 15-pound sloth?
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
No other sea creatures are associated as much with the darkest depths than anglerfish. These predatory fish come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes but can all be identified by their bioluminescent appendages and enormous mouths lined with frightful fangs! I’ve been a fan of anglerfish since first reading about them as a child and thus I find it perplexing how they seldom seem to show up in toy form.
Review and images by Harecraft Horses; edited by bmathison1972
When the promotional pictures of this stunning mare from CollectA came out, I was really concerned they might be a ‘too good to be true’ thing, showing a one-off custom artist’s proof paintjob, and then the factory models would be plain and lacking in comparison.
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The African bush or savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the biggest of all three extant elephant species and the biggest of all extant land animals. An average bull stands 3.2 metres (10.5 feet) tall at the shoulder and weighs around 6.6 tons, but the record specimen was around 3.9 metres tall and 10.5 tons in weight.
Review and images by Harecraft Horses; edited by bmathison1972
This year CollectA have treated horse collectors to several re-releases in a new paintjob. Unlike wildlife collectors, model horse enthusiasts tend not to mind this at all – so many breeds come in more than one colour, and the variation is great for building an extensive herd.
Review and images by stemturtle; edited by bmathison1972
Eastern tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum (K&M). Length is 10.5 inches or 27 cm.
This figure is made of soft rubber. The paint did not hold up well to my granddaughter’s play, so I touched-up the green spots.
Review and images by Harecraft Horses; edited by bmathison1972
This is, as I’m sure all CollectA horse fans will recognise, an older mould re-released in a brand new colour for 2022.
Here he is alongside two of the older releases on the mould; the original Black Appaloosa Stallion from 2010, and the Buckskin Appaloosa (sometimes listed as Light Brown Appaloosa Stallion) from 2021.
