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. This year I am reviewing the 2006 version by Safari Ltd. which was produced for the Hidden Kingdom Insects line. I had intended to review this one last year too, to compare the two, but I was really sick last October and could only muster up one review. I’ve covered the distribution and biology of the species in those two aforementioned reviews, so for today’s review, I will just focus on the figure itself.
The figure has a body length of approximately 6.0 cm (excluding appendages) for a scale of 7.5:1-4.6:1 for a female specimen.
Unlike the Smithsonian Insects figure, this HK model is much smoother. The body, including the abdomen, is a correct shape for this species, and the ratios of the lengths of the legs looks pretty good, too. Also, the legs are softer and semi-rubbery in their composition. Like with many spider figures and toys, the eye arrangement is incorrect, with only two stylized eyes sculpted onto the cephalothorax. Spinnerets are sculpted, which is a nice touch.
The color is a solid jet black, with no highlights or variation in shade as seen in the Smithsonian figure. The only spot of color is the characteristic red hourglass on the ventral side, which is bright red.
Overall this isn’t a bad figure of a black widow, but much simpler than its Smithsonian counterpart. I feel the shape and proportions are better than the 2020 rendition by CollectA. So, if you wanted a black widow and don’t mind the size, this might be one of the better options that are currently readily available. In 2018, the remaining Hidden Kingdom figures were rolled into the Incredible Creatures line, but this spider should be available wherever Safari products are sold.
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