Some years ago, I was driving around some rural backroad in the Finger Lakes region of New York when I rounded a corner and was greeted by a herd of roughly 70 American bison (Bison bison). Big, imposing, and majestic, my heart skipped a beat. I was not expecting to see a herd of bison in New York. These bison were of course locked behind a fence, however. It was a bison farm I had happened upon, one of many where more than 180,000 bison live not in the wild, but on ranches across the United States. That they were captive animals didn’t seem to matter though, I was still awe struck and shocked to have seen them there. I can only imagine what it must have been like to have seen millions of them stretching for miles in the American heartland. Bison might seem out of place in New York vs. the Great Plains but in their heyday, bison ranged from New York and Florida, west to California, north to Alaska, and even south into Mexico.
Picking a figure for my animal collection to represent this important and iconic species was no easy task. There are many excellent bison to choose from. I have a bit of a buyer’s dilemma whenever it comes to selecting the more popular species for which a glut of figures exists. Then CollectA announced a new bison for their 2022 lineup and looking at the impressive production photos I thought “this is the one”. Now that I have it in hand, let’s see how it measures up to my high expectations.
The CollectA bison is advertised as a plains bison (B. b. bison) which are generally smaller than the other sub-species, the wood bison (B. b. athabascae). Bison are collectively the largest extant animal in North America. Wild bison cows typically weigh between 790-1,200 lbs. (326-544 kg) while bulls weigh between 1,000 and 2,200 lbs. (453-997 kg). With its sculpted scrotum and sheath the CollectA figure is clearly a bull. Bull plains bison can stand 6’ 1” (186 cm) at the withers while the CollectA bison stands 3.5” (8.89 cm) which puts the figure at 1/20 in scale. The figure has a head-rump length of 5”. I think I would have preferred a slightly larger bison, this one looks smaller than it should amongst my other North American animals.
The CollectA bison is presented in a static pose with the head facing forward and left hindlimb pushing off the ground. Despite his smaller than preferred size he is still an imposing bison with great shelf presence. His front half appears massive compared to his more modest back half. This contrast in stature allows the bison’s powerful front half to plow through snow or spar with conspecifics while also being quick and nimble when needed thanks to the leaner backend.
This bison is beautifully detailed with a thick, layered, shaggy coat over his head, neck, shoulders, and forelimbs. Closer inspection reveals individually sculpted hairs that follow the various contours of the face and body. His face has a calm, benevolent expression but overall, this is a bull in his prime and not to be trifled with.
A covering of shorter, fine hair detail can be seen elsewhere on the body, and this too is nicely sculpted over his rounded torso and the underlying anatomy of his hips and hindlimbs. Tufts of long hair are also present on his tail and on the tip of his sheath. Four digits are sculpted on each limb and the undersides of his weight bearing hooves are slightly concave, a close match to the real animal.
The CollectA bison is painted in various shades of nicely blended browns. He is darkest around the face and underside with his back and torso being a blend of lighter, chocolate browns. His shoulder hump is a lighter shade of brown and there’s a pale wash over his shoulders and the top of his head, giving him what look like frosted tips. His horns, hooves, and muzzle are gray, and his eyes are black. His nostrils and eyes are painted with a shiny finish to appear wet.
I’ve seen some suggest that this bison is also a bit too clean and perfect, and that’s a criticism I can understand. Seldom is a bison’s coat so pristine and some patches of peeling, shedding hair or missing tufts would have added a nice touch of realism. Also, aesthetically speaking a slightly larger and wider head would have been appreciated, but I would consider any of these closing remarks to be nitpicks.
Of the bison figures currently in production this new one from CollectA ranks among the highest. I consider it a vast improvement over CollectA’s original bison and one more befitting CollectA’s excellent existing catalog of ungulates. The CollectA bison is currently in production and retails for about $8-12. If you’ve been having trouble deciding on a bison, or want another for your existing herd, I highly recommend this one.
A beauty!