Giraffe Stag Beetle (Revogeo by Kaiyodo)

Today I am continuing reviews of Kaiyodo’s Revogeo arthropods with the giraffe stag beetle (Prosopocoilus giraffa) which was released in late 2021. This is the fifth figure in the series following an emperor scorpion (2019), red-clawed crab (2019), Asian giant hornet (2020), and Japanese giant water bug (2021). Next up will either be a stag beetle in the genus Dorcus or a Japanese carpenter ant. Prosopocoilus giraffa is the largest member of the genus Prosopocoilus; it is sometimes placed in the genus Cladognathus, along with P. confusius, although most authorities recognize Cladognathus as a subgenus of Prosopocoilus. The giraffe stag beetle occurs in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, from the Indian subcontinent to Indonesia. Larvae breed in the rotting logs of dead hardwood trees and adults are attracted to sap flows. This species has become somewhat of a standard among Japanese toy and figure manufacturers, so it is no surprise it has joined the Revogeo line. I have to be honest, I almost didn’t get this figure, since I have several others already, but in the end I gave in.

Like past Revogeo figures, this P. giraffa is nothing short of spectacular. It is large and heavily articulated, but assembly is not required (unless displayed in flight, see below). Body length (including mandibles) comes to 20 cm for a scale of 1.6:1 for a major male (maximum length of males about 12.3 cm). The paint job is very well done, and even features such as the tarsal pads, the underside of the elytra, and galeae are highlighted.

There are 25 points of articulation: 1) base of the mandibles, 2) prothorax/mesothorax juncture, 3) base of each leg, 4) femoral-tibial juncture, 5) tibial-tarsal juncture, and if displayed in flight, base of both elytra and both flying wings.

The figure can be displayed in four different ways: 1) off any base with elytra closed, 2) on a short magnetic base (not shown; probably best for displaying on vertical metal surfaces), 3) in flight on a base with a short swivel arm to elevate it slightly (as shown in my pics), and 4) in flight on the base with a longer swivel arm. I tried to photograph it on that last option, but the insect was too heavy for the arm to hold it properly! I could probably tighten the joints with a screwdriver, but I plan on displaying it on this shorter arm anyway. In order to display in in flight, the folded elytra pop off and a separate piece of mesothorax goes in its place. That piece of mesothorax has four ball-and-socket joint pegs to accommodate the flying wings and elytra. Also, in order to display it up off of the base, the hole that receives the peg is under the prosternum, which pops up to reveal the hole (meaning, if not displayed on a base, the hole can be hidden!).

As previously mentioned, P. giraffa has become a standard among Japanese manufacturers. Today’s figure is a model for serious collectors, and it size, cost, and articulations may be undesirable for anyone other than specialists. However, because of the frequency of this species in toy form, there are plenty of other options of this species available. At the time of this writing, I have 16 other figures by Access Toys, Bandai, Bandai Spirits, Colorata, DeAgostini, Epoch, Hayakawa Toys, Maruka, Sega, ShanTrip, and Yell. Of these, the Colorata is probably the best in a neutral pose and the Epoch ‘Flying Beetles’ figure is the best in flight.