Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Disclaimer: I’ll be covering Version 2 of the Safari Ltd. Venomous Creatures TOOB bat ray, as it is the only figure I have from the TOOB and rays are my specialty when it comes to animal reviews. Also, another review would likely do a run through the entire set with the other figures.
The bat ray (Myliobatis californica) is a medium-sized species of ray inhabiting kelp forests, estuaries, and rocky-bottomed shore lines in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Exceptional specimens can get up to 180cm in finspan, although they are usually smaller. They are in the middle of the food chain, feeding on benthic fish and invertebrate, which they use their snouts to dig out of sediment, and are themselves preyed upon by sharks and marine mammals. A pelagic species, these rays use their fins to flap through the water, similar to manta rays and other eagle rays. These fish are quite commonly fished for sport and food, as well as kept in places like the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In some aquariums, they are kept in touch tanks to allow visitors to feel these rays. In the wild, they are classified as “Least Concern” with a stable population.
About the figure: this figure measures 5.5 cm wide and 9 cm from snout to tip of the tail. There isn’t much information on the size besides the birth and maximum finspan. The ray is 30 cm when born and the largest specimen attain a finspan of 180 cm, putting the figure on the 1:5-1:33 scale, so a large variation in scale. For me, I’m databasing this figure as a juvenile specimen in my collection. This figure was initially release in 2011 and was repainted in 2016, which is the version that is reviewed today. The rest of the TOOB includes a Komodo dragon, an Indian cobra, a yellow-bellied sea snake, a cane toad, a fat-tailed scorpion, a centipede, a brown tarantula, and a stonefish.
The figure is sculpted in a casual swimming pose with the fins flapping and the tail slightly turning to the size. All the trademark features are present: spiracle openings on the dorsal region, a tiny dorsal fin, the venomous barb (which the animal can have 1-3 of), oval eyes, mouth and nostrils on the underside, and 5 gill slits (although they seem to be a little too asymmetrical, likely messed up during mass production). The pelvic fins should be a tiny bit more angular too and I feel the striations are way to bold. The tail is in my opinion one of the best parts; it is appropriately long and not cut short like with many other ray figures.
This bat ray was sculpted by the ever talented Doug Watson, who has sculpted many figures for Safari, with his most well known being the prehistoric life figures (his ceratopsian sculpts are amongst the best in the market). The figure is molded in the same plastic used in the larger Safari Ltd. model, albeit thinner and the base colour is a lighter chocolate brown colour for the main body with a creamy underbelly. Real bat rays are normally greyish but there are brown-colored specimens and some match closely to this figure. The eyes are just painted a pitch black colour. Being a post-2016 but pre-2018 TOOB figure, Safari Ltd. has gotten lazy with the paint on the figures, with more often or not way worse color schemes than their predecessors, and this bat ray is no exception. The first release was a grey colour with a white belly. While it still has those pitch black eyes, it has the wingtips and underside of the tail base painted, which is more accurate to the real bat ray, making the original superior in the paint department. Since the later runs tend to have inferior paint job, your best bet is to get the TOOBs in their original production run to avoid disappointment, unless you can paint your own figures, of course.
Despite the flaws, this is a nice little figure of a never-before-made species (despite being a relatively common animal) and it’s unlikely that another version of this species will be made anytime soon. The brown version reviewed here is still in production; however, the grey version is now retired (although eBay should still carry it along with the older versions of the rest of the set, either loose or as a whole TOOB). I do wish that more rays would make their way in the market, even if it’s the typical stingrays, as there is a lack of species of this group, making me feel that they are amongst the most neglected vertebrate figures. As long as these figure companies dish out new releases, I will remain hopeful there are more to come.
I actually have the whole toob, though i am a very new user in this blog and don’t know how to make a review.
I would suggest looking at other reviews that covers an entire set/TOOB and follow suite or get inspiration for format. Email pics and text to [email protected] and someone will post it for you!
I like this ray, but I honestly believe that it being a TOOB figure limits it. I would snatch it up instantly if I was made in a standard size to match the cow-nosed ray.