So the call went out among us bloggers which, admittedly, I don’t get to on here very often. But the suggestion was made for a ‘Hallowe’en’ theme–spooky, scary animals that might fit in with the season. I don’t generally have a lot of ‘traditional’ animals that might fit the bill (rats, bats, black cats, gnats…I got carried away, sorry).
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
Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (NHK Deep Sea Sharks by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S)
5 (3 votes)
I’m actually back! It has been quite a while since I added to the blog here (amongst everything else, I’ve been busy with my own thing!) But a call went out that Shark Week was coming up, so we needed more sharks! I knew I needed in, but wanted to look at a figure, and species, that would be less familiar.
Blue Malayan Coral Snake (Animal Kaiser by Bandai)
2.7 (6 votes)
Today, another post, another Bandai Animal Kaiser figure. After talking about the Velez Ray I realized that there were several from the Animal Kaiser series that would be worth looking at. So I went over the ones I have to see what would be interesting. This one really stood out, so I decided to talk about it.
Cool Reptiles Bucket, Part 2 (COG Ltd)
5 (3 votes)
And now I complete the review started here of a set of reptiles and amphibians from weird toy maker COG Ltd. As seen before, it is a set of very small herptiles (I will revive that term!) composed of 9 reptiles and 7 amphibians. Part one was 1 crocodilian, 5 lizards, and 3 snakes.
Cool Reptiles Bucket, Part 1 (COG Ltd)
4.3 (3 votes)
I’m back! Again! And this time I decided to approach a unique set, one that I have had for some time. It’s a bucket set produced by COG Ltd called Cool Reptiles–as will be seen in part 2, this name is a major misnomer (this is when the term “herptile” would be so handy)…Today, I am going to look over the reptiles.
Velez Skate (Animal Kaiser by Bandai)
5 (4 votes)
This post will be discussing an unusual figure from an unusual line–the line is the figures made by Bandai in conjunction with the game Animal Kaiser, and the animal is a Velez’ ray or Velez skate, Rostroraja velezi (Chirichigno, 1973). First off, ray or skate? Well, even Fishbase refers to it as a ‘ray’, but the genus Raja refers to the skates, which are a type of ray.
Wolverine (NWF Dairy Queen promo by Toy Major)
3.8 (4 votes)
It’s a bit of a chunky boi
Today I’m looking at a figure of a very familiar animal–from a rather obscure line! It’s the famous (infamous?) wolverine, Gulo gulo (Linnaeus, 1758). If we want to be really sub-specific, it’s meant to be Gulo gulo gulo, the Eurasian wolverine, if the differences between Eurasian and North American populations are different enough.
American Paddlefish (Tchibo)
3.5 (2 votes)
An unusual commercial toy of an unusual fish
Welcome to a new year, and I’m starting with a bit of a memorial piece. Today I will discuss the American Paddlefish–in honour of the recently-declared-extinct Chinese Paddlefish Psephurus. Unfortunately…there are no figures of that particular animal at all–and not that many images out there either (most of the news reports featured pictures of the American paddlefish).
Northern Angler Collection (Toy Fish Factory)
4.3 (4 votes)
Recently I discussed the new Gulf Coast Collection from the Toy Fish Factory released. Now I’m taking the opportunity to discuss the other new set, the Northern Angler Collection.
The good news is that you can click that link and get all of the background you need on Toy Fish Factory.
Gulf Coast Collection (Toy Fish Factory)
5 (4 votes)
So, after a long hiatus (sorry about that) I have finally gotten myself writing again–and of course it’s fish! Recently the company Toy Fish Factory released two new sets, a Gulf Coast fishes and a Northern Angler set. 2 sets were released previously, the American Angler and River Monsters.
For those who are unaware, I will give a bit of background, and then I’ll discuss each figure in detail–they are all small, and generally wouldn’t warrant a full write up each.
Ornate Horned Frog (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd)
4.4 (5 votes)
For this post I am revisiting a figure that I originally discussed on the Animal Toy Forum here, the Safari Ltd Horned Frog from 1997! This figure has a few sources of mystery around it due to a few factors–first, the line it is part of. In the few places it is referenced online, it is referred to as a part of the Incredible Creatures line–this makes sense as it is nearly perfect 1:1 scale and has the typical hollow-cast design.
Canada Lynx (North American Wildlife by Safari Ltd)
4.9 (7 votes)
Today I am in a city being hit by the first winter storm of the year…in September. Again. Which immediately put me in the mood to discuss an animal that might be far more comfortable with this miserable weather–the Canada Lynx Lynx canadensis Kerr 1792 made by Safari Ltd released as part of their North American Wildlife (NAW) line of animals in 2016.