The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is an iconic animal in the American West. Currently living in the Salt Lake region of Utah, I myself can barely go a couple days without seeing them, whether in my neighborhood, while running or birding up City Creek Canyon, commuting through the University of Utah Campus, our outside my office and lab at the University’s Research Park.
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
Executioner Wasp (Brave Wilderness by Curatorial LLC)
4 (9 votes)
For my last ‘spooky’ review for October 2023, I will be reviewing a figure of the executioner wasp (Polistes carnifex), which was produced by Curatorial LLC for Brave Wilderness, a YouTube about animals and nature. I was first alerted to this figure by an STS forum member, and to be honest, before I was made aware of this figure, I had never heard of Brave Wilderness (then again, I don’t use YouTube for watching programs).
Black Widow (Hidden Kingdom Insects by Safari Ltd.)
3.7 (6 votes)
In what seems to have become an annual trend, I am reviewing a southern black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) as part of the ‘spooky’ October reviews. In 2021, I reviewed one by Eastern Unlimited that was specifically sold as Halloween decor. Last year I reviewed Safari’s 1998 figure that was released for the Smithsonian Insects line.
3D Dangerous Sea Creatures Pictorial Book (The Access)
4.2 (10 votes)
For my next October review I will be giving a brief overview of the entire 3D Dangerous Sea Creatures Pictorial Book collection by The Access (also known as Access Toys), which was released just a couple months ago this past August 2023. I was originally going to just review the jellyfish, but was convinced to review the whole set by forum member JimoAi.
Giant Devil’s Flower Mantis (Bandai and Bandai Spirits)
5 (6 votes)
I have decided to start my ‘spooky’ October blogposts with a trio of ‘diabolical’ insects! I am talking specifically about Idolomantis diabolica, commonly known as the Devil’s flower mantis or giant Devil’s flower mantis, one of the world’s largest mantids. It is native to the rainforests of East Central Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Somalia, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Uganda.
Small Tortoiseshell (Little Wonders by CollectA)
4.9 (7 votes)
Having recently showcased CollectA’s small tortoiseshell butterfly (Aglais urticae) in my daily ‘Museum’ posts on the ATF, I thought it would be a good opportunity to review it for the Blog! I was contemplating just migrating over my forum walk-around, but I am not happy with those images, so I took new ones for a fresh review.
Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly (Safariology by Safari Ltd.)
3.8 (10 votes)
The monarch, Danaus plexippus, is probably the most commonly made species of butterfly. It’s been made by several major company, including CollectA, Safari Ltd (at least five times), Papo, and K&M International (at least twice), and is a common edition to insect and butterfly tubes, blister packs, and box sets ( couple examples on the Blog, here and here).
Fish Assortment 2 (Wonder World by Kenner)
3.4 (7 votes)
Today I am reviewing a set of four animals I originally bought for just one of the figures. The set, which was being sold on eBay, was alerted to me on the ATF by forum member NSD Bashe. The set is called Fish Assortment 2 and it is one of four components of a larger collection that’s part of the Wonder World line by Kenner, a subsidiary of Hasbro at the time it was released (1995).
Bumble Bee (Garden Animals by Papo)
4.1 (7 votes)
The genus Bombus, which includes the bumble bees, consists of over 250 species worldwide. They occur in most terrestrial habitats throughout the Americas and the Palearctic, but are absent in much of Africa, the southern Middle East, much of the Indian subcontinent, Australia, and New Zealand (although they have been introduced to the New Zealand and Tasmania).
Jellyfish Collection (Nature Techni Colour by Ikimon)
3.7 (6 votes)
In 2010, Kitan Club released a set of 8 jellyfish (well, technically 6 scyphozoans and 2 hydrozoans) in their Nature Techni Colour line. These figures were advertised as ‘soft strap’, meaning they were soft and rubbery and had a strap attached to the top of the bell (disc) so they can be dangled from hooks or other support or worn on keychains, etc.
Great Grey Owl (Bullyland Birds by Bullyland)
2.5 (10 votes)
As I write this review, the 2023 Safari Ltd. Wings of the World Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa) is currently en route to me. I thought it would be a good opportunity to review the 2010 rendition by Bullyland, which the Safari figure will replace, before it goes into the sales/trade/donation bin.
Frilled Shark (Diversity of Life on Earth: Mini Ancient Fish by Bandai)
5 (7 votes)
The frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) is an enigmatic anguilliform shark in the family Chlamydoselachidae. There is one other extant member of this family, the South African frilled shark (C. africana). They are considered among the most primitive extant sharks. Frilled sharks occur nearly worldwide, usually in the waters of the outer continental shelf and upper continental slope.