Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
As previously mentioned, 2023 has been a great year for cartilaginous fish fans with, many figures from big and small companies alike. Today, we will be taking a look at the Bandai’s Mini Sharks collection which is part of their Diversity of Life on Earth series.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
To close off my Yujin Saltwater Fish in Colour Part 1 reviews (see the first parts here and here), I am hereby reviewing the last 3 of the fish; they’re all the secret and chase pieces. Instead of going by numerical numbers, I’ll start from the weakest to the best (in my opinion).
In 2010, Kitan Club released a set of 8 jellyfish (well, technically 6 scyphozoans and 2 hydrozoans) in their Nature Techni Colour line. These figures were advertised as ‘soft strap’, meaning they were soft and rubbery and had a strap attached to the top of the bell (disc) so they can be dangled from hooks or other support or worn on keychains, etc.
Recently, when forum member Suspsy reviewed the Papo emperor penguin, I made a comment that I also had this figure, and it was one of only a couple figures I didn’t initially retain from Colorata’s Penguins of the World box set. After I published that comment it got me thinking, and I revisited the three figures from that set I didn’t retain (the other two were the chinstrap penguin and rockhopper penguin, both of which I went with Safari Ltd.’s versions).
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
While deep sea life figures are seen as a rare treat amongst the western market, Japan has been mass-producing them for many years since the early 2000s, where they have been made into both high quality figures for collectors and sometimes also cheap novelty toys.
Europe is a continent consisting of the westernmost peninsulas of Eurasia. It is said to be separated from Asia by a variety of natural features including the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, Ural River, and the Caspian and Black seas, among others. Truthfully though, the boarders between Europe and Asia, geological or manmade, are arbitrary.
In addition to being a country, Australia is also a continent, but the continent of Australia is not just composed of Australia itself. The Australian continent includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and most of the Coral Sea Islands as well as a smattering of other islands.
Review and images by Fembrogon; edited by bmathison1972
There’s a Gashapon for just about everyone, I’d wager. Bandai’s trademarked capsule toy brand (an onomatopoeia name for the “gacha-pon” sound of the machine crank and tumbling capsule) has been running strong for over forty years, covering just about anything that can feasibly be made into a miniature – from company mascots and popular anime characters, to erasers and food items, to even highly realistic insects and lizards.
Review and images by Saarlooswolfhound; edited by bmathison1972
This article marks my first multiple model (Safari Ltd. TOOB) production! Presented here are 14 figures, 7 original pieces and 7 later re-released with updated paintwork. The Cryptozoology Designer TOOB by Safari Ltd. #677504 was originally released in 2013 with simplistic paintwork, then re-released a few years after retirement with much improved paint schemes for most of the figures.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Disclaimer: I’ll be covering Version 2 of the Safari Ltd. Venomous Creatures TOOB bat ray, as it is the only figure I have from the TOOB and rays are my specialty when it comes to animal reviews. Also, another review would likely do a run through the entire set with the other figures.
Review and images by Birdsage; edited by bmathison1972
Here’s my review of one of the most interesting sets from Play Visions’ Habitat: Earth line of animal figures: the “Civets, Genets & Mongoose” collection from 1998. All of these tube-sized models are between 6.5-8.5 cm (~2.5-3.5 in) long and are marked with a number from 1 to 8, ©, PV, 1998, CHINA, and the name of the figure.
The Japanese carpenter ant (Camponotus japonicus) is a widely-distributed species that occurs throughout much of East Asia, from Pakistan and Mongolia, east to China, Russia (eastern Siberia), and the Philippines, and Japan. Like other carpenter ants, colonies, which can consist of thousands of individuals, occurs in dead and decaying wood, such as logs and the dead, hollowed-out part of standing trees.
Nearly two years ago to the day, I reviewed Club Earth’s Butterflies to Go collection after acquiring the last figures for that Holy Grail collection. Now today I get to do the same thing for the Caterpillars to Go collection, again having received the last figure in this Holy Grail Collection.
I’m a little late to the Hallowe’en party this year…but better late than never. And in that spirit, here’s a set of animals that, if you mess with them, ‘late’ could be your proper adjective. Animals that as a group tend to create a visceral if generally unnecessary fear and loathing, even though most are harmless.
Review of the complete set Aquatic Museum by Wing Mau. While in recent years, it appears Wing Mau is producing and marketing figures by Play Visions, Club Earth, and K&M International, this appears to be an original set of theirs. The set consists of six species of crabs native to Japan and surrounding areas, one of which is a unique figure (see below).
