Centipede (Little Wonders by CollectA)

For a while, CollectA lumped their terrestrial arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians under their ‘Insects’ collection. That collection is now referred to as Little Wonders and has two subcategories: Insects and Spiders and Reptiles and Amphibians. I have always loved CollectA’s insects and spiders. Unlike their ungulates and dinosaurs, they are not always the most exotic or unusual species, but I always like their solid design, paint applications, non-gloss finish, and texture. Also, they were one of the few non-Japanese companies to continue making standard-sized arthropod figures into the 2010s. Then, after releasing a European stag beetle in 2015, they stopped for five years. In 2020 they came back, with not one but two standard-sized figures, plus the amazing collection of miniature versions of their standard line. This review covers one of those standard-sized figures from 2020, the centipede (I plan to follow-up with the other, the black widow, in an upcoming week or so).

The figure is not identified as anything other than ‘centipede’ but is clearly meant to represent one of the giant centipedes in the genus Scolopendra. With nearly 100 species in the genus, a species-level ID on this figure is probably not realistically possible, but it can easily be attributed to any number of species of one’s choosing. Growing up in Phoenix, Arizona, near the base of South Mountain Park, I had the opportunity to see a few species in the surrounding deserts. The most impressive is the massive and brightly-colored S. heros!

This figure is 16.0 cm long total, including appendages and the bends in the body. Stretched out it would probably be closer to 20.0 cm. While this seems large, this actually puts into the 1:1 range of many species. The sculpt is fantastic, especially the modified front pairs of legs that have been adapted into the venomous mandibles (Scolopendra species are venomous, some to the degree that they can pose a medical threat to humans). The color is also realistic for a member of the genus, with subtle tans and yellows, tipped with brighter red (Scolopendra species can be colorful in nature).

If you are OK with the space this figure takes up, it comes very highly recommended. Probably the best standard-sized centipede figure readily available. I hope CollectA did not release this figure and the black widow just to have enough figures to release a mini collection. Let us hope they go back to making these critters on a semi-regular basis.