The honey bee. Apis mellifera. Probably the most iconic insect in human history. Surprisingly, not commonly made in toy form, at least not at the species level by manufacturers of collectible animal models (almost every ‘bin-style’ set of toy bugs has a generic bee, however). Also, when bees are made, they are rarely super accurate models; I suppose it is because it is such a familiar animal, it is easily recognizable with minimal effort (sort of like an elephant; it doesn’t have to be a good elephant, but a smooth, gray mammal with a trunk, pair of tusks, and big floppy ears will be immediately recognizable as an elephant).
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
Grasshopper (Wild Animals by Papo)
4.5 (2 votes)
Today I am continuing my review of the 2020 Papo invertebrates with their grasshopper figure. First, we should discuss the possible identity of the species. Given the shape (especially head shape), color, and that France-based Papo likes to focus on its local fauna, I am identifying the figure as the common green grasshopper, Omocestus viridulus.
Butterflies (Junior Groovies by Innovative Kids)
4.5 (2 votes)
Today I will be reviewing a collection of butterflies by Innovative Kids. It is from their Junior Groovies collection, which is a lot like the familiar Groovy Tube Books collection, but for a younger audience (ages 3-6, or, in this case, 48-year-olds who collect toy insects). First of all, I should thank STS forum member Saarlooswolfhound for alerting me to this on Amazon.
Life Cycle of an Earthworm (Safariology by Safari Ltd.)
4.4 (5 votes)
Earthworms! Everyone is familiar with them in some capacity, whether they represent those vermiform creatures that come out onto the sidewalk after a rain storm, to your favorite bait used for fishing, to your garden partners in the compost heap, to the snack you see the robin plucking from the ground!
Japanese Giant Mantis (Diversity of Life on Earth – Japanese Giant Mantis by Bandai)
5 (2 votes)
The Japanese giant mantis (Tenodera aridifolia) is a large mantid distributed in Japan, Taiwan, and China. There has been some confusion on the taxonomic identity of this species, as the Chinese mantis (T. sinensis), which is more familiar to most casual observers and non-specialists, was originally described as a subspecies of T.
Shrimp (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
5 (3 votes)
Today we are looking at a review of, and for me a total reassessment of, the ‘shrimp’ produced by Safari Ltd. in 2015 as part of their Incredible Creatures line. When I first received this figure, I was very happy for it, since it was the first arthropod produced by Safari in five years (that wasn’t part of a TOOB or life cycle set), but also had some stark criticisms for it.
White Rhinoceros, baby (Wild Safari Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
4 (4 votes)
I recently bought a lot on eBay, mainly for some Play Visions prosimians and bats. Within this lot was this baby white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simium) by Safari Ltd. Normally I do not collect baby animals to compliment adults, but this a rather nice figure, especially given it was produced back in 1996.
Emperor Dragonfly (Wild Animals by Papo)
5 (4 votes)
Today I am continuing the 2020 Papo arthropods with the emperor dragonfly, Anax imperator, a species distributed throughout much of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and west-central Asia. Anax imperator belongs to the family Aeshnidae, which includes the green darner (A. junius), which is common here in North America and is the more-commonly made species of the two.
Monarch (Wild Animals by Papo)
4 (1 votes)
Today I will be continuing the reviews of Papo’s 2020 arthropods with the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. This is one of 5 insects (6 arthropods total) produced by Papo in 2020. Interestingly, it is the only arthropod in their entire collection to-date that is not naturally European, given that Papo is a French company (more on that later).
Ladybug (Wild Animals by Papo)
4.3 (3 votes)
In 2016, Papo released their first two arthropods, a European wolf spider (a.k.a., tarantula) and a fat-tailed scorpion, which probably represent the best spider and scorpion figures outside of Japan (and the wolf spider may just be the best spider figure, period!). For someone like me who, at the time, only collected arthropods, this was a welcome sign!
Red Swamp Crayfish (Living Things Series by Fujimi Mokei)
4.7 (3 votes)
Today I am reviewing a model kit by Fujimi Mokei in their Living Things Series collection. The subject of the review is the red swamp crayfish (also called the Louisiana crayfish), Procambrus clarkii, which is No. 24 in the series. The kit was released earlier this year. Forum member Isurus reviewed another model kit in this series, the Chinese mantis, although that review featured a walkaround of the final, painted product whereas mine will take the reader on a step-by-step assembly process!
Butterflies to Go (Club Earth)
5 (1 votes)
I recently completed a Holy Grail collection, so I thought to share it on the Blog. I am referring to the Butterflies to Go collection by Club Earth. I am not sure when it was released, but it was probably alongside the classic Play Visions collections in the late 1990s. The set consists of 12 species of butterflies.
Life Cycle of a Honey Bee (Tarlin)
4.5 (2 votes)
Today we are looking at an interesting collection from a company called Tarlin (I must admit, I had never heard of them before learning about this set). The set, which came out recently this year, is simply called ‘Bees’ and features developmental stages and brood chambers of the western honey bee, Apis mellifera.
Firefly (Chick-Fil-A Properties, Inc.)
2 (3 votes)
Walkaround of a novelty food premium, a firefly by Chick-Fil-A Properties, Inc., originally released in 2014. I like food premium figures. They are often unique, original releases, that tend to disappear quickly after being released. As such they are often difficult to obtain and over time may fetch a bit of money to acquire them!
Centipede (Hyde and Eek! Boutique by Target Brands)
3 (1 votes)
OK, this is a rather fun and goofy review to celebrate Halloween! I often like to do reviews of obscure or unusual figures, or neat figures of odd or unfamiliar brands. Today I bring you the review of a centipede, gen. sp. by Target Brands, as part of their Hyde and Eek!