Before I start this review, I must thank the @Kenc and the kind folks at Toymany for sending me this complete set as a review sample. I normally save my overall analysis and thoughts on the figure or set for the end of the review. However, I was floored by the quality of these tigers!
Author: bmathison1972
I am Blaine, known by bmathison1972 on the forums and blogs. I am a professional parasitologist specializing in agents of human disease, including medically-important arthropods. I am also an amateur entomologist and study Nearctic click beetles (family Elateridae). Historically, much of my collection was devoted to insects and other arthropods, but in late 2018 I started building a Synoptic Collection of other species, to have one good exemplar of any animal species (my personal ‘Natural History Museum’). Other hobbies include hiking, bird-watching, running, and lifting weights, but my other ‘big’ hobby is visiting sports arenas, especially baseball stadiums. Whenever I travel for work (which I do with some frequency), I always check to see if there is a local college, independent, minor, or major league team to see.All reviews by this author
Green-winged Teal (Large Ducks by AAA)
5 (4 votes)
The Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) is a small dabbling duck that occurs throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere. Historically, the American populations were classified as either a subspecies of the Eurasian teal (A. crecca carolinensis) or as a valid species (A. carolinensis), but now the American and Eurasian populations are lumped into one widespread species.
Monarch Butterfly, caterpillar (Hidden Kingdom Smithsonian Insects by Safari Ltd.)
5 (4 votes)
In following the trends of Safari Ltd.’s Tennessee Aquarium Salamander, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Marsh Education Fish collections, I am going to attempt to finish, or assist in finishing, Safari’s Hidden Kingdom Smithsonian Insects collection (the lubber grasshopper, black widow, and flea have already been reviewed). If I remember correctly, the figures were originally produced by Safari in the late 1990s alongside a traveling museum exhibit sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution that featured large animatronic insects.
Star-nosed Mole (The Mysteries of Living Things Encyclopedia by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.)
4.7 (3 votes)
The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is an animal that has amazed me since childhood, and not unlike the osprey of my last review, a species I always wanted a figure of. I am genuinely surprised it took this long for one to be produced. Maybe there have been others, I am not privy to every animal figure or toy produced throughout history, but today’s 2024 model by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Osprey (Wings of the World by Safari Ltd.)
4.9 (12 votes)
I do not engage in the ‘wishes and wants’ and ‘predictions’ threads on the forums. For one reason, I like to be surprised, and I find it more rewarding when something is announced that wasn’t expected. Secondly, is that many people’s wishes and wants tend to be really obscure things that have a low probability of getting produced, thus resulting in disappointment when official announcements are made.
Hermit Crab (Marine Animal Models by TNG)
5 (9 votes)
Despite having the common name ‘crab’, hermit crabs are not ‘true’ crabs, meaning they are not a part of the clade Brachyura. They belong to its sister group, Anomura, which also contains porcelain crabs, squat lobsters, mole crabs, and king crabs. Broadly speaking, hermit crabs encompass the superfamily Paguroidea which includes the king crabs.
British Shorthair, 2024 (Farm World by Schleich)
4.7 (7 votes)
To start this review I again extend my thanks to the folks at Happy Hen Toys for donating this review sample. I had this figure on my radar when it was announced, but was hesitant to pursue it. I am grateful for the opportunity to receive it so I can evaluate it in-hand!
Wildcat (Large Woodland Animals by Bullyland)
4.6 (13 votes)
Before I start this review, I must thank the folks at Happy Hen Toys for yet another review sample! It’s been a pleasure working with them in recent years and their generosity is very much appreciated.
Phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary history of life on Earth, and one of my favorite disciplines of Zoology.
Pig Family Playset (Toymany)
5 (6 votes)
Before I start this review, I must again thank @Kenc and the folks at Toymany for gifting me this set as a review sample for the Blog!
The set we are looking at today consists of eight figures of domestic pigs. There are four sculpts: 1) sow, standing; 2) boar, sitting; 3) piglet, resting; and 4) piglet, standing.
Frogs Figurines Playset (Toymany)
5 (8 votes)
Today I will be presenting a brief overview of the 2024 Frogs collection by Toymany, which was kindly gifted as a review sample by @Kenc and the folks at Toymany for the Blog. This was intended to be posted yesterday when the set was announced, but I was traveling for work so it’s coming up a day late.
Bats (Play Visions)
5 (3 votes)
There are two mammals, or perhaps broadly groups of mammals, that exemplify Halloween. One is the black cat. The other is the bat. Bats have a long history in human folklore, tradition, and fictional literature and cinema. In North America, the Creek, Cherokee, and Apache viewed the bat as a trickster god.
Tobacco Hornworm (Accoutrements)
4 (3 votes)
Mosura ya MosuraMosura ya MosuraMosura ya Mosura
Hard to believe my first two Halloween-inspired posts this year would be sphingid moths, not a group of animals typically associated with being scary, spooky, or dangerous. But after having very recently acquired this big bad beast, I had to channel my inner Shobijin and summon it for the Blog!