Beauty of the Beasts is an online Etsy shop featuring resin animal figurines made by artist Qinguy Li out of Halifax, Canada. The site is probably best known for its Complete Feline Series which features nearly every, if not every, species of wild feline in 1:10 scale. They also have 1:10 tapirs, a brown bear, a spotted hyena, and just started a 1:10 canine series. I have three of the small cats I purchased a couple months back to see if I liked the products. The figure, well diorama set, I am reviewing today is from the canine series: Ethiopian Wolf Hunting Big-headed Mole Rat. The set comes in five pieces: the wolf, the mole rat, and three pieces for the base (including 2 that make up the mole rat’s burrow). There are currently three options for purchase: the diorama as I have shown here, a modified and slightly more expensive diorama with fake grass, and the wolf alone. I know people are going to ask, so I am going to say upfront, but no, the big-headed mole rat is not currently available for sale by itself.
Warning, this is an image-heavy post :).
The Ethiopian wolf, Canis simensis, as a wild canid endemic to the Ethiopian Highlands. It is considered one of the rarest canid species. The species lives on mountain ranges in the 3,000 – 4,000 m elevation range where they are specialized predators on Afroalpine rodents. The figure is displayed in a crouching, hunting pose, making it easy to calculate the scale. The figure is 10.0 cm from snout to the base of the tail, making it in the high end of 1:10 in scale (corresponding with the scale advertised by the artist). The detail is exquisite. I can describe it in detail, but we will let the photos speak for themselves:
One of the main prey animals of the Ethiopian wolf where their ranges overlap is the big-headed African mole rat, also known as the Ethiopian mole rat, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus. It is endemic to subtropical and tropical high-altitude grasslands in the Ethiopian highlands. The figure stands 3.8 cm high and is in scale with the wolf. One thing, is that the mole rat will not stand on its own; it has to be propped up on its burrow. I will be honest, it was the inclusion of this figure what made me buy the set. As with the wolf, I will let the images describe the figure’s detail:
I bought this diorama as a birthday present to myself early this April. I am currently displaying the set complete, since my shelves are arranged by continent and habitat, but if I ever go back to a taxonomic arrangement, I will split them out. If you want interesting species and can afford to drop a little money on some resin figurines, I seriously suggest you check out the Beauty of the Beasts Etsy site. You will not be disappointed, I promise. I am sure in time, I will invest in more of the cats, especially the smaller less-familiar species.
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This is an absolutely gorgeous set! Love the layout of it all, and the phenomenal sculpting. Did well to use a lot of photos, really brings it out. Great review. Wad it expensive?
Way out of my budget, but worth its penny judged from the pics and review. Really interesting mini diorama.