And here we have the final trio of the original 3″ fish produced by Replica Toy fish, the second half from the ‘pond fish’ set. Similar to my look at the two halves of the American Angler set (here and here), the first Pond Fish set featured a range of taxonomic groups, and this second half will be all from a single family–Centrarchidae, the basses and sunfish.
Author: sbell
Hey, my name is Sean, known as SBell on this and many other forums. I have a background in physical anthropology and vertebrate palaeontology but I don’t do any of that now. I have been a dedicated animal figure collector for over 25 years, with a focus on freshwater, prehistoric and unusual fishes (sometimes there’s overlap!); prehistoric mammals; other interesting prehistoric animals; and modern carnivores (especially hyenas), but I will also pick up almost anything that appeals to me (I recently realized that includes salamanders...huh). I used to run an online figure store for a while, then transitioned that into a personal blog about my figures there as well. Recently, that blog was adopted into the ATB/DTB umbrella and can now be found here, mostly as a curated site so that it isn't lost (you can find it here now) When I’m not taking endless photos of my figures for posts or managing my ridiculous collection database I spend time taking care of the fish tank (polypterids rule!), being with the family, and trying to get outside before the Canadian winter forces us inside.All reviews by this author
Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Yellow Perch (3″ Pond Fish set Part 1 by Replica Toy Fish)
4.8 (9 votes)
Back with another trio from the original dozen three inch fish released by Replica Toy Fish. When packaged in the small acrylic tubes, it was referred to as the ‘Pond Fish’ set. While the ‘Northwoods’ set featured popular angling fish found primarily in northern North America, the next six are normally considered more southern in their natural distribution–but as with any popular sport fish, they’ve found themselves spread, legally or not, into many other regions of North America and the world.
Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Tiger Muskie (3 Inch Northwoods Fish set Part 2 by Replica Toy Fish)
4.8 (6 votes)
I’m back with the second half of the Northwoods set from Replica Toy Fish. I looked at the other three species here, and now I’ll look at the other three, also three popular sport fish in more northern areas of North America (one of which is naturally found more broadly). The species today are all in the family Esocidae, the pikes: the muskellunge Esox masquinongy, the northern pike Esox lucius, and the tiger muskie Esox masquinongy x lucius (a hybrid of the northern pike and muskellunge).
Tiger Muskie (6 Inch Series by Replica Toy Fish)
4.9 (13 votes)
And another six inch figure from Replica Toy Fish. This time it’s a hybrid species, the tiger muskellunge or tiger muskie, Esox lucius x masquinongy or Esox masquinongy x lucius (it depends on on which the male is, indicated first). The tiger muskie, as indicated by the species name, is a hybrid animal animal with northern pike and muskellunge parents, and are usually sterile.
Northern Pike (6 Inch Series by Replica Toy Fish)
4.9 (16 votes)
Back with another of the larger figures from Replica Toy Fish, this time the ‘six inch’ northern pike Esox lucius. This is a species that is familiar throughout a broad Holarctic range in cool waters across North America, Europe, and Russia, plus populations have been introduced in other areas as well.
Smallmouth Bass, Brook Trout, Walleye (3 Inch Northwoods Fish Set Part 1 by Replica Toy Fish)
4.7 (17 votes)
I’m back with another look at some Replica Toy Fish models. Last time was the 6″ channel catfish figure, this time I’ll be looking at one of the initial sets of three inch figures. There were two sets of six, but I will split them into two posts of three figures just to keep them a little shorter!
Channel Catfish (6 Inch Series by Replica Toy Fish)
4.9 (9 votes)
I guess it’s been too long since a fish review…or maybe I just realized it would be good to start reviewing the long-lost series of figures from Replica Toy Fish (RTF). For those not aware, this was a company that existed from around 2010 to 2017 or so. In that time, several wonderful fish models were made, focused almost exclusively on freshwater North American species, primarily ones familiar to anglers (that was the originally conceived target market…don’t get me started).
Common Raven (Wild Life Europe/Forest Life by Schleich)
5 (7 votes)
Happy Halloween! I got the special date this year, so I’m bringing you thrills and chills…in the form of the Schleich common raven, Corvus corax, item number 14241. The way ravens are closely tied to all things sinister and spooky was already well-covered a few years ago, an animal well-established throughout the northern hemisphere.
Sea Lamprey (Great Lakes Fishery Commission by Safari Ltd)
5 (7 votes)
Back in time for Halloween with our scary animals! Some are traditionally ‘Halloween’ animals, but this one is more in the spirit…one that rightly feels disturbing and causes nightmares in some places for real. I am speaking of the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus, one of those animals that just seems appropriately creepy for the season.
News: Fauna Figures moves home!
5 (4 votes)
For those who know me, back in 2019 I started my own blog site to explore my collection: Fauna Figures. The blog was a follow up to my online store of the same name. As my collection ranges across time and taxa (currently 4432 figures, and it was much higher when I started – lots of sales/trades, but also continual additions) I discussed all manner of figures, companies, and ‘clades’ or ‘grades’.
Longnose Lancetfish (Mini Collection Deep Sea Fish by Bandai)
4.2 (5 votes)
We’re back with another small figure from Bandai in their mini capsule series. I failed to recognize before that all of these models are part of what is now called the “Diversity of Life on Earth” series, which covers not only these capsule animals but a number of other figure types.
Red-cheeked Salamander (Great Smoky Mountains Park Shop by Safari Ltd.)
5 (6 votes)
Over the course of the summer I reviewed the entirety of Safari’s famous and sadly discontinued Tennessee Aquarium Salamanders line, a set of 7 life-like and life-size models released in 1995 (one in 1997) and retired in the mid-2000s. But I also hinted at a spiritual successor that, while not in the line, fits alongside them in theme, style, and production…also geographically.