I am continuing what seems to have become a tradition of mine, which is to review the next Kaiyodo Revogeo arthropod. Today we are looking at a pair of Japanese carpenter ants (Camponotus japonicus) which were released just last month. I discussed the geographic distribution and biology of this species here the last time I reviewed the species, so for this review I will focus exclusively on the figures themselves.
Spotted Eagle Ray (Marine Life by Papo)
5 (6 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
In the past reviews, I’ve lamented on how there isn’t enough rays represented in plastic. So far, in the last 3 years there have been quite a few cartilaginous fish figures made, some that are underrepresented: 2021 gives us a Helicoprion and Cretoxyrhina from PNSO, a really stylised great white shark branded as a megalodon from Papo, an awesome basking shark from CollectA, a set of stylized ray figures from Kitan Club, and a Xingu river ray by Kaiyodo.
Emperor Penguin (Wild Animals by Papo)
4.9 (11 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Well, it turns out that my previous review was in fact my 100th for the Animal Toy Blog and I completely overlooked that fact! So I guess I’ll celebrate with #101 instead. My subject is the Papo emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) with chick, yet another generous sample from Happy Hen Toys, bless them.
Noriker, stallion (Farm Life by Schleich)
4.1 (7 votes)
Before I begin the review, I would like to kindly thank our friends at Happy Hen Toys for who provided me with this review sample (my first!) for the Blog! If you end up being interested in this figure, you can certainly find it on their website or wherever Schleich toys are sold.
Moose (Wild Life by Schleich)
4.6 (16 votes)
The moose (Alces alces), also known as elk in Europe, is the world’s largest species of deer, and the second largest animal native to North America and Europe. It lives in temperate and subarctic climates around the Northern Hemisphere. Moose are popular as toys, and this makes selecting one for a synoptic collection somewhat of a challenge.
Great Dane (Best in Show by Safari Ltd.)
5 (5 votes)
Before I start my review I would again like to thank our friends at Happy Hen Toys who donated this review sample for the Blog! It’s a figure I have been contemplating getting for a while, ever since I started added some dog breeds to my collection, so it was a joy to have the opportunity to get it from HHT!
Virginia Opossum (unknown)
4.3 (12 votes)
The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is not an animal that you would expect to find an exhibit dedicated to at the zoo, but it is a fascinating North American animal that most of us probably have some familiarity with. Interestingly, opossums do not “play dead,” as many people say, implying a conscious choice, but rather enter a catatonic state when frightened by a predator, and anal glands produce an odor resembling the stink of a decomposing dead body.
Rose Chafer (Garden Animals by Papo)
5 (4 votes)
Before I begin this review, I would again like to thank our friends at Happy Hen Toys who generously donated this review sample for the Blog!
Today I will be reviewing the European rose chafer by Papo, new for this year. When promo pics of this figure were first released, it looked to me like Protaetia cuprea, commonly known as the copper chafer.
Cuban Crocodile (Baby Animals by Yowie Group)
4.1 (16 votes)
After discovering that Yowie figures were widely available in the United States me and my family went on a bit of a Yowie buying spree. Buying a few of the eggs just about every time we encountered them in the wild until we ended up getting more repeats than it was worth.
Griffon Vulture (Wild Animals by Papo)
4.3 (12 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
I’ve always been rather fond of vultures due to their large size, intimidating appearance, and the crucial role they play in consuming carrion. The Eurasian griffon (Gyps fulvus) is a very typical Old World vulture with quite a large population in Spain and much smaller populations scattered across the rest of Europe.
Flying Squirrel (Wild Animals by Papo)
5 (6 votes)
Before we begin the review, I would like to thank Happy Hen Toys for sending this figure along as a review sample. Happy Hen Toys is a U.S. distributor of animal figures, including some that are otherwise hard to come by in the United States. I highly recommend that you check out their selection.
Ocellaris Clownfish (Nature Techni Colour: Toba Aquarium by Kitan Club
5 (4 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
In a lagoon within the Great Barrier Reef, the little residents are out and about their colorful home doing what animals do to survive: eat, socialize, adjust to changes, reproduce, and not get themselves eaten. What appears to be a ball of hair is one of the more predatory residents: the sea anemone.