For the author’s overview of this species, please see this review
Despite many killer whale figures having been produced, it has been about 2 years since I’ve last covered this species. Most of them tend to fall short of my standards, but maybe things will be different for the Monterey Bay Aquarium series that rarely leaves me disappointed. The killer whale adult and calf pair are the last of the 1992 MBA releases to be reviewed on this blog.
The adult female is about 17.5cm long, corresponding to the 1:30-1:45 scale. The whale is posed in a downward-arch, aligning to my own preference. The sculpt of the overall anatomy matches the higher quality of the rest of the series. The MBA killer whale is more slender compared to many other brands, which I think ultimately works well. I cannot think of too many other figures that look as good as this one, aside from Schleich’s most recent release.
Underneath, we can see the mammary slits for this whale, like the other adult cetaceans produced in the series’ early years.
The first few photos show an older version of this figure (top), likely how it appeared upon release (aside from the yellowing). The paintjob is competent for the time, though the eyes appear too big and the saddle patch’s absence is distracting. This is corrected in newer revisions (bottom).
The mouth detail falls short as usual. The teeth barely molded for the lower jaw and non-existent on the upper jaw. However, I appreciate the original paintjob (top) attempting to depict the black patches on the palate of the killer whale’s mouth, which is simply plain pink in the newer version (bottom).
The calf measures about 12cm, corresponding to a calf about 1-2 years old rather than a newborn. Given the size, the sculpt is impressively comparable to the adult.
The saddle patch is often less visible on calves, so it makes sense for it to not be depicted.
My issues with the mouth aside, I’d say the MBA female killer whale and calf were definitely the only killer whale figures I would recommend to most, until the current Schleich figure was released. I really would have liked to see this line produce a male. For those interested, the female is still in production while the calf has been retired for nearly 2 decades. If vigilant, you will often find lots or single-listings for the calf from second-hand merchants. Maybe one day, Safari Ltd. can treat us and re-issue some of these sculpts.
This killer whale figure, despite its very few flaws, is still THE definitive killer whale figure, IMO. There are a lot of good to great Killer Whale figures, but the Monterey Bay Aquarium figure just seems to capture the athleticism, power, and grace of real killer whales. Also, the figure can be displayed vertically, standing on its tail and it looks like it is breaching. When I was a kid I actually wrote Safari a letter asking about a male to go with this figure. I don’t remember how they replied specifically, but it was a general statement that they would consider it. Sometime around that time (probably 1993 or 1994), I remember there was a documentary on tv about orcas, and one of the people interviewed must’ve been at the Vancouver Aquarium, and they had several orca toys sitting on their window ledge or desk, one of which looked like the Monterey Bay figure, only male. I searched for years to find that figure, to no avail. Regardless, the MBA figure sets a very high bar for killer whale figures, and most fall way short of meeting it. Great review Callmejoe3! It was long overdue!