Animal Toy Blog reviewers

[AnimalToyForum]

Welcome to the inaugural Animal Toy Blog reviewers team! The Authors are as follows:

@bmathison1972 is the blog Editor and has also kindly agreed to edit and post guest reviews.

@Badger @Beetle guy @sbell are all Authors and should receive email notifications and login details shortly.

Thanks to you all for getting involved! I've created a 'reviewers board' on the forum, and will give all authors access to it shortly, as a place to discuss Animal Toy Blog stuff!

[bmathison1972]

Welcome everyone!

We look forward to your contributions! If you need inspiration on how to review a figure, you can look to the Dino Toy Blog for ATF walkarounds.

There is no format, and it is good to reflect the Author's personal writing style!

Here are some things to consider (not required, but things that may appeal to the audience):

1. Talk about the species, especially if it is something obscure or has a bizarre biological quirk (common things like lions and elephants probably do not need much of an introduction LOL).

2. Talk about the figure:
-what is is made of?
-what size and scale? Some people are scale-conscience and scales can be very helpful, at the very least the measurements
-is it one piece or does it have to be assembled?
-does the figure have a base? If so, is it permanently attached?
-is the figure unique or commonly made? If common, how does it compare to others?
-playability. Is it a toy or a delicate model?
-recommendations. Who does the figure appeal most to? Collectors? Taxonomic specialists?

3. Don't forget to click or create 'Categories'. These make the figure searchable with related figures. For example, for the tawny owl I picked 'Schleich', 'birds', and 'owls'. If you review a great white shark by Safari, you can choose 'Safari LTD', 'fish', 'sharks'. Early on, a lot of these will have to be created as we go, but eventually we will have a large block to choose from.

Thanks all!!!!!!!!!!

I am excited for this! Given all that is out there, it shouldn't take long to really get it off the ground!

[AnimalToyForum]

Good advice. Re: categories, I agree these should be quite broad and not too specific.

On the Dinotoyblog we also use tags for specific dinosaur genera. However, I'm not sure if such a system will work for extant animals because their scientific names aren't used as much as their common names, and the same animal may have multiple common names. Maybe we just stick to categories for now...

[suspsy]

I'm going to start working on reviews of the Southlands Replicas perentie, dingo, and red kangaroo once I get home from my vacation next week!

[bmathison1972]

I'm going to start working on reviews of the Southlands Replicas perentie, dingo, and red kangaroo once I get home from my vacation next week!

Thank you suspsy; I know they'll be great!

[Beetle guy]

Thanks Blaine, good guidelines!!

[bmathison1972]

Good advice. Re: categories, I agree these should be quite broad and not too specific.

On the Dinotoyblog we also use tags for specific dinosaur genera. However, I'm not sure if such a system will work for extant animals because their scientific names aren't used as much as their common names, and the same animal may have multiple common names. Maybe we just stick to categories for now...

Yes Categories should be general, and probably never below the order level (if that far). I just posted the Papo 2019 praying mantis and I gave the Categories: Papo, Arthropods, Insects, Orthopteroids. That way 'Orthopteroids' can cover crickets, grasshoppers, mantids, walking sticks, etc. Depending on how diverse the taxa are (in toy form, not nature) can determine how far we take things. For example, Reptiles can be simply grouped into: Lizards; Snakes; Crocodilians, Turtles and Tortoises, etc.

[sbell]

Welcome to the inaugural Animal Toy Blog reviewers team! The Authors are as follows:

@bmathison1972 is the blog Editor and has also kindly agreed to edit and post guest reviews.

@Badger @Beetle guy @sbell are all Authors and should receive email notifications and login details shortly.

Thanks to you all for getting involved! I've created a 'reviewers board' on the forum, and will give all authors access to it shortly, as a place to discuss Animal Toy Blog stuff!

Hey Adam, I got my email but couldn't get to the link until today, and it's expired! Can you please resend and I will get set up.

[AnimalToyForum]

Welcome to the inaugural Animal Toy Blog reviewers team! The Authors are as follows:

@bmathison1972 is the blog Editor and has also kindly agreed to edit and post guest reviews.

@Badger @Beetle guy @sbell are all Authors and should receive email notifications and login details shortly.

Thanks to you all for getting involved! I've created a 'reviewers board' on the forum, and will give all authors access to it shortly, as a place to discuss Animal Toy Blog stuff!

Hey Adam, I got my email but couldn't get to the link until today, and it's expired! Can you please resend and I will get set up.

Sure, no probs.

[Takama]

I am amazed that the ATB was finally made.

I never thoght that such a Blog was possible.

I will say that I will not be able to write for it. Mainly because my knowledge on Modern animals is not very extensive, when compared to dinosaurs, and some other Prehistoric creatures

Speaking of Prehistoric Creatures.   Could the Wild safari Coelocanth be imported from the DTB to the ATB?  Since that Replica represents a MODERN Genus?

[AnimalToyForum]

I am amazed that the ATB was finally made.

I never thoght that such a Blog was possible.

I will say that I will not be able to write for it. Mainly because my knowledge on Modern animals is not very extensive, when compared to dinosaurs, and some other Prehistoric creatures

Speaking of Prehistoric Creatures.   Could the Wild safari Coelocanth be imported from the DTB to the ATB?  Since that Replica represents a MODERN Genus?

Actually, yes that's a good idea! The coelacanth review is one of mine anyway, so I give myself permission. 

[bmathison1972]

I am amazed that the ATB was finally made.

I never thoght that such a Blog was possible.

I will say that I will not be able to write for it. Mainly because my knowledge on Modern animals is not very extensive, when compared to dinosaurs, and some other Prehistoric creatures

Speaking of Prehistoric Creatures.   Could the Wild safari Coelocanth be imported from the DTB to the ATB?  Since that Replica represents a MODERN Genus?

But you have lots of good walkarounds. You can write the basic descriptions of the figures (form, size, dimensions, quality, etc.) and then Adam and I can 'fluff' up the science/background info if you want .

[sbell]

So question--I caught an earlier comment that walk arounds will be altered or lost. Should we reblog the ones we've done?

[bmathison1972]

So question--I caught an earlier comment that walk arounds will be altered or lost. Should we reblog the ones we've done?

Yes. If you have done a walkaround for something you can just 'tranfer' that text and images to the blog (but in the blog's format, or with the blog's nuances, such as alternating images and text). You can copy the text direct or you can edit it to accommodate the blog. Adam said we would keep the walkarounds active for now, but may eventually phase them out.

[Beetle guy]

Perhaps I am misunderstanding but..

I hope the old sega beetle walkaround I did stay up.. havent the time really to redo them. And some figurines arn't in my collection anymore.
Also Brontodocus has loads of walkarounds.

[AnimalToyForum]

Perhaps I am misunderstanding but..

I hope the old sega beetle walkaround I did stay up.. havent the time really to redo them. And some figurines arn't in my collection anymore.
Also Brontodocus has loads of walkarounds.

Don't worry, I certainly won't remove any walk-arounds before they're migrated to the blog, or remove any at all, for now. We will need to have a think what, if anything, happens to the walk-arounds section in the long run but we can create a separate topic for that later - it sorta depends on how successful the Animal Toy Blog is.

[bmathison1972]

Perhaps I am misunderstanding but..

I hope the old sega beetle walkaround I did stay up.. havent the time really to redo them. And some figurines arn't in my collection anymore.
Also Brontodocus has loads of walkarounds.

Don't worry, I certainly won't remove any walk-arounds before they're migrated to the blog, or remove any at all, for now. We will need to have a think what, if anything, happens to the walk-arounds section in the long run but we can create a separate topic for that later - it sorta depends on how successful the Animal Toy Blog is.

exactly! Perhaps for some of the 'overviews' those can migrate over to the Animal Toy Lines pages.

EDIT: But there are NOT plans to delete anything, at least for the foreseeable future [sorry realized I forgot the 'not'; that's very important LOL]

[AnimalToyForum]

Yes, that would make sense!

[suspsy]

I've submitted a review of the Southlands Replicas perentie. Next up is the red kangaroo.

[Gwangi]

I might be a new face around here but I have a feeling most of you know me over on the DTB. Anyway, I don't technically "collect" extant species but I still have quite a few between myself and my daughter. Now that there's a blog I'm certainly more inclined to pick more up too. Anyway, just submitted my first review, the Safari horseshoe crab.