Killer Whale, 2019 (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)

Review and images by caipirasuchus; edited by bmathison1972

Orcas (I prefer this term over killer whales), Orcinus orca, don’t need an introduction. One of the most popular marine creatures, it is also a very common species in the toy market. It’s not difficult to see why: big, beautiful, and presenting one of the most unique and striking color patterns in the animal world, orcas are everyone’s favorite. This time, we’ll look at the Wild Safari® Sea Life collection’s Orca, a very nice figure from 2019 and my first orca. Okay, I have to say, it’s not my first orca: when very young, my parents gave me one of those orca-shaped pool float, but I don’t know if it counts here in ATB… so the Safari’s one is my real first orca.

The model has a dynamic posture, with the posterior half of the body slightly raised and with a caudal fin a bit inclined to the left. It is not the most active pose when compared to, let’s say, the CollectA’s Pacific white-sided dolphin, but it’s also not a straight model. For my non-professional eyes, its proportions are well defined, with big pectoral fins typical for the species and a tall dorsal fin, which reveal the model as a male (the female’s dorsal fin is not tall and triangular, being smaller and falcate). The ventral surface is simple, with a very subtle line running anteroposteriorly. There is no blowhole. The model’s info is displayed on the ventral surface of both pectoral fins.

Here we enter the two small defects of this model, IMO. 1. The pectoral fins are not equal: while the right one is straight, the left one is a bit curved. 2. When seen in front view, the model gets strange proportions: it appears that the dorsal fin is not positioned in the middle of the back, but displaced to the left… or maybe is the head that is not well placed, being a bit turned to the right… In any case, this “issue” is so small that is difficult to note in other views.

About the coloration, everything that makes an orca so exquisite is here: the white eye-like patch on the head, the grey saddle on the back, the white venter with the peculiar lobe extending to the side behind the dorsal fin, the white ventral surface of the caudal fin bordered by black… Many orca toys present terrible deviations from these patterns, but (fortunately) it’s not the case here. The paint job is superb, the proportion between the parts is organic and the black (actually, dark grey) paint has a smooth, velvet-like touch that makes the figure really pleasing to look and even tempting to touch. But let’s complicate things.

Orcas are widespread animals with great geographical variation, called ecotypes. In short, they’re populations isolated geographically and/or genetically from each other and exclusive for certain regions, with peculiar ecological feats. Only in Antarctic waters, for instance, there are four recognized ecotypes, each very characteristic in behavior, size, and… color patterns. Major brands are unaware of these variations, as we had to wait until 2023 to see a specific ecotype represented in the toy market (the Safari Type D orca, a really must want). I don’t know if this orca male can belong to a described ecotype, but my guess is… no (although its large white patch resembles that of a Mediterranean or Icelandic populations). The variation between them can be very subtle. For my model, I fixed this issue by reimagining it as a Type C orca, as you can see here.

Finally, for the scale conscious. The model has about 15.3 cm long (6 ich), and 7.6 cm tall (3 ich). Considering that the males have a total length from 6 meters (in the Type C ecotype) to about 10 meters (in the Type A and Transient ecotypes), this model is 1:35 to 1:60, depending on your will to customize it as a specific ecotype.

All in all, this is a handsome figure that will fit very well in a cetacean collection!