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.
Type: Set
Aquatic Museum (Wing Mau)
5 (1 votes)
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).
Sharks of the World Box Set (Colorata)
3.5 (6 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Happy Shark Week to everyone who loves sharks! This is the time of year where TV programs go out of their way to showcase shark-based programs, most notably Discovery Channel and National Geographic. These programs help open the doors to knowledge on these animals and help the general public understand, instead of fear, these misunderstood creatures, although some programs may over sensationalize rather than give true facts.
Sahara Desert TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
4.8 (8 votes)
The Sahara Desert covers about 25% of the African continent and is the largest hot desert in the world, with an area of 3,600,000 square miles (9,200,000 km). This immense ecosystem is made up of sand dunes, some of which are 500’ tall, stone plateaus, sand seas, gravel plains, dry valleys, and sand flats.
Barnacles (Nature Techni Colour by Kitan Club)
5 (3 votes)
Today we will be looking at the complete Barnacles collection that was released by Kitan Club in 2012 as part of the Nature Techni Colour line. The set features 18 figures representing nine species of barnacles. The figures are either magnets, ‘strap’ figures, or are pins designed to be work on clothing or backpacks.
Figure Pictorial Book of Gakken Insect (Bandai)
5 (1 votes)
Today we will be looking at a rather fun set called Figure Pictorial Book of Gakken Insect (well, at least that’s the translation) by Bandai. The set was produced in 2003 and contains five species of Japanese arthropods. When I initially started focusing on arthropods, this was one of my ‘Holy Grail’ collections; luckily I was able to secure it fairly early on.
Tropical Fish (Play Visions)
2.9 (7 votes)
With recent discussions on the STS forum on the identity of Play Visions’ Tropical Fish collection from 1996, I was inspired to review the set on the Blog! These figures are all marked with very generic common names, and the species-level identifications are all community-based. If anyone can offer up better identifications, let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
Gray Wolf, mother and pups (Boxed Sets of Wild Life by Schleich)
3.7 (3 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Wolves (Canis lupus) are burdened with an unjustly sinister reputation for a variety of reasons and one is the centuries-old myth of werewolves. One most frightful tale is that of Peter Stubbe, ‘the Werewolf of Bedburg.’ In 1589, he confessed under torture to having received a wolfskin belt from the Devil that allowed him to transform into “the likeness of a greedy, devouring wolf, strong and mighty, with eyes great and large, which in the night sparkled like fire, a mouth great and wide, with most sharp and cruel teeth, a huge body, and mighty paws.” I will not go on to describe the many horrific crimes Stubbe committed, or the equally horrific punishment that was meted out to him on October 31, but suffice it to say, you shouldn’t read the entire story if you’re squeamish.
River Monster Collection (Toy Fish Factory)
4.3 (3 votes)
Thalassophobia is defined as the fear of deep and vast bodies of water, and the unseen creatures that lurk in them. Even if you don’t suffer from this phobia, I dare any person to look out upon the surface of any large body of water and not wonder about what strange and potentially dangerous creatures lurk unseen under its surface.
Crabs (Habitat Earth by Play Visions)
4 (4 votes)
Today is a review of the complete set of Crabs by Play Visions, Habitat Earth series (1996). Another in the taxonomically-diverse sets of animals released by Play Visions in the mid-late 1990s. I have made some taxonomic changes to a couple figures in this set since I first presented it on the ATF back in 2016, so it seems like a good time to introduce it to the Blog!
Sharks (Play Visions)
5 (2 votes)
In honor of Shark Week, I have decided to post a brief review of the Sharks collection by Play Visions, originally released in 1996. I collect sharks because they are animals, but I must admit it is a group, at least among common and familiar animals, that I have little experience and knowledge with.
Fleas, Lice, and Ticks (Play Visions)
3.5 (2 votes)
OK folks, here we are. I was finally able to complete this holiest of Holy Grail sets, thanks to STS forum member NMR_Okapi who found me the last missing figure! Most of you who follow me on the Blog and forums know I am a professional parasitologist, so it should be no surprise that this has been one of the most sought-after sets for someone like me.
Butterflies of the World Collectors Case (Safari Ltd.)
3.5 (2 votes)
This is a review of the complete Butterflies of the World set as part of Safari LTD’s Collectors Case series. The undersides of the figures are not detailed, so an overall review of the set seemed more valuable then doing reviews for individual figures. This is one of three butterfly sets by Safari.
Saltwater Fish in Colour Part 1, Part 2 (Yujin)
4 (3 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Continuing on the review of Yujin’s Saltwater Fish Part 1, here’s a look at the second half of the set.
Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus)
Size of figure: 4.8 cm
Size: 22 cm
Scale: 1:4
Color: yellow body with half black on top and white on the lower half of the head, transparent pectoral and caudal fin, pale blue on the end of dorsal and anal fin, and black eye spot on the either side of the anal fin
Diet: hard and soft coral polyps and small crustaceans
Species frequency in being made into toy form: rare
Base: sand with rock
Notes: a butterflyfish with a typical butterflyfish shape; not the most exciting butterflyfish for Yujin to go with but the reason why they went with this species might be because of the butterfly fish character in Finding Nemo is a yellow longnose butterflyfish.
Saltwater Fish in Colour Part 1, Part 1 (Yujin)
4.3 (3 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
There are roughly 34,000 species of fish inhabiting the World’s oceans, seas, ponds, rivers, and lakes in the present, but many more species have already gone extinct or have yet to be discovered. In recent years, many figure companies have had their fair share of fish figures, although are usually outclassed by the more popular mammals.