Where do you get your figures?

[Advicot]

Do you use a particular store or website to get your figures? Does this source have rare and hard to find figures? Then share, in order to help people find figures that they want to add to their collection.

[bmathison1972]

For major non-Japanese companies I use:
1. Happy Hen Toys (online)
2. MiniZoo (online)
3. eBay (for retired or harder to find figures)

For Japanese I use:
1. Brett (new releases)
2. eBay

I'll probably start picking things up at zoos, museums, and aquariums, but for the zoos I visited in 2019, they either had 1) K&M playsets or 2) Chinese knockoffs, so I haven't gotten any 'souvenirs' yet.

[stargatedalek]

I also second the suggestions of Minizoo and Brett. I order almost exclusively through them.

As for gift shops, I think the last time I saw anything besides Schleich or bootlegs was at the Harvard Natural History Museum, back in I want to say 2016. Local museum doesn't even have Schleich anymore, just a few incredibly expensive Papo bootlegs.

[Advicot]

I bought a bunch of Chinamals when I visited a museum. I decided to get them as they were butterflies and tropical fish (I don't have many butterflies and tropical fish) After a long time of searching butterflies and tropical fish, I was able to identify the fish but not all the butterflies. The fish were identified as a bronze corydoras, common perch, copperband butterflyfish, cortez angelfish, flame angelfish and a yellow longnose butterflyfish.

I nearly always buy my figures from Modellpferdeversand, but I do sometimes get them from other websites and even my local toy shop which only sells Schleich and Bullyland Disney figures.

[bmathison1972]

I bought a bunch of Chinamals when I visited a museum. I decided to get them as they were butterflies and tropical fish (I don't have many butterflies and tropical fish) After a long time of searching butterflies and tropical fish, I was able to identify the fish but not all the butterflies. The fish were identified as a bronze corydoras, common perch, copperband butterflyfish, cortez angelfish, flame angelfish and a yellow longnose butterflyfish.

I nearly always buy my figures from Modellpferdeversand, but I do sometimes get them from other websites and even my local toy shop which only sells Schleich and Bullyland Disney figures.

@Advicot I can maybe help you identify the butterflies (if they were actually modeled after actual species). Take pics and post them in the Species Identification thread or send them to me via PM.

[Advicot]

They're found in my collection pics and they are the swallowtail sort of butterfly with bits of blue on its wings, the blue and white spotty one, the other swallowtail one of the same mould, the green one with the red and green wings. It's the post called my wild and domestic collection. Thanks @bmathison1972

[Avian]

I buy from Amazon for major brands such as CollectA, Safari, and Papo. Ebay for Japanese figures. Sadly, I dont have a toy shop in my area so I have no physical source to buy from.

[Isidro]

I've got my first model in the gift shop of an aquarium. Following this came a couple bought in the toys section of a commercial center, after a couple in a local stationery and after other two in the same commercial center. Then again five figures in five different occasions, all in stationeries. Then my first online order at spielzeug.guenstig.de and thenk bak to various bunchs of figures in stationeries, then the second online order at the same online shop, then two visits to stationeries, the my first order of Japanese figures via eBay, then another Japanese figure with eBay, then a bunch of Japanese figures via Brett, then another eBay figure, then an online buying at MiniZoo, then another at Modellpferdeversand, then one from TaoBao Focus, then a figure from eBay, then one bought in a pet shop, then a set of Japanese figures via eBay, then my first forum trade with a member, then another trade, then a stationery, then a toy shop, then an art supply shop, then another toy shop, then another trade with forum member, then the discovery of a goldmine of CollectAs in a toy shop previously unknown to me, then my first homemade model, then six different bunches of homemade models, then return to the CollectA toy shop, then two more bunches of homemades, then a stationery, then another homemade bunch, then return to the CollectA toy shop, then two more bunches of homemades, then eBay, then trade with a forum member, then another homemade bunch, right now I have another homemade bunch ready for be baked when I finish some models, but before that, tomorrow I hope to receive for Epiphany some bunch bought either in spielzeug.guenstig.de, Modellpferdeversand or Alcaceira.

[Badger]

Non-Japanese:
eBay
Minizoo (usually only for particularly large orders)
-For prehistoric figures, I usually use ED (and nothing else)
-I will likely try out Happy Hen Toys in the near future

Japanese:
eBay

[bmathison1972]

Non-Japanese:
eBay
Minizoo (usually only for particularly large orders)
-For prehistoric figures, I usually use ED (and nothing else)
-I will likely try out Happy Hen Toys in the near future

Japanese:
eBay

Happy Hen toys is cheaper for Safari because they are both American, but MiniZoo is cheaper for CollectA. I usually only go to MiniZoo when figures are not readily available in the US, or I am doing a large batch of CollectA.

[sirenia]

EBay, Minizoo and Amazon usually, others if reasonable and trustworthy.

[Lanthanotus]

Physical toy shops become more rare here in Germany every year which is a shame, but luckily there`s one like 10km from me which sells CollectAs, which is even more rare because this is "Schleich" country (even hard to find Bullylands here). I also bought several figures in physical stores in Australia when we travelled ther in the past (got my Southlands Diptrodon there aswell as several Yowies if you want to count Walmart purchases), but obviously I buy most stuff in and from German shops, mostly online, but never via Amazon, as we have several specialized online shops that are fast and reliable. I also often use ebay and fleamarket sites to hunt for discontinued figures.

[stargatedalek]

I also second the suggestions of Minizoo and Brett. I order almost exclusively through them.

As for gift shops, I think the last time I saw anything besides Schleich or bootlegs was at the Harvard Natural History Museum, back in I want to say 2016. Local museum doesn't even have Schleich anymore, just a few incredibly expensive Papo bootlegs.

Happy to report things have changed. I visited our local museum (Halifax Natural History) just a few weeks before things started getting bad and they had Safari in stock for the first time in a decade. No larger figures I was looking for but I bought a lot of good luck minis. Can always find somewhere to put more of those tiny jellyfish!

[endogenylove]

I tend to buy my figures online or at zoos/aquariums, but for people in the US, both Michaels and Hobby Lobby Craft Stores sell primarily Safari LTD with the occasional Schleich as well. Ever store I've been to has a fairly wide range of both classic animals, fantasy, and usually some prehistoric as well. I have not seen other brands besides those two but if you know something I don't let me know!