I recently completed a Holy Grail collection, so I thought to share it on the Blog. I am referring to the Butterflies to Go collection by Club Earth. I am not sure when it was released, but it was probably alongside the classic Play Visions collections in the late 1990s. The set consists of 12 species of butterflies.
Humpback Whale (Maia & Borges, Schleich, Mojö Fun)
4 (5 votes)
Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972
This review will cover an exceptional mysticete, the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). The humpback is a well-recognized whale due to its breaching behavior and unique appearance. While placed in a separate genus from most other rorquals, modern genomic studies consistently report the humpback whale as the closest relative to the fin whale (Balenoptera physalus).
Pacific Oyster (AAA)
5 (4 votes)
I’ve always had a fascination for my local wildlife and since moving to the U.S. state of Maryland I’ve taken a special interest in the local fauna here, including the unassuming but economically and ecologically important oyster. Although the Chesapeake Bay is most well known for its blue crabs (which I’ve covered before), the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is a significant local animal as well.
Leopard, youngster (AAA)
2.5 (2 votes)
When most think of big cats in heraldry, most will think of lions, rampant on shields, but very often they will represent another of Africa’s magnificent big cats, the leopard (Panthera pardus). These rosette-marked cats had large ranges across Africa and Asia, now only pockets of their former territories remain, pushed out by humans, by hunting and loss of habitat.
Bighorn Sheep (Wild Safari North American Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
4.3 (6 votes)
Review and images by endogenylove; edited by bmathison1972
When travelling through the hills and mountains of the American west, it is always advisable to scan the cliffsides for signs of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis); I’ve seen them myself. Bighorn sheep are a type of wild caprine that span the majority of the Rocky Mountains, from southern Canada, through the United States, and into the Baja Peninsula of Mexico.
Asian Elephant, cow 2012 (Wild Life by Schleich)
4.3 (4 votes)
This review makes a good companion to the first one I submitted, which is essentially a plush version of this plastic figure. An Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) female, with the classic smiling mouth, double-domed head, and convex curve to the back. I believe this is the second version of the Schleich female Asian elephant of three that I am aware of.
Asian Green Mussel, large (AAA)
5 (4 votes)
Without question one of the most neglected groups in the animal toy hobby are members of the phylum Mollusca. Sure, there is a decent selection of cephalopods out there but other classes are mostly ignored, including the class Bivalvia. On the one hand it makes sense; our hobby is a niche one as is but people that collect toy bivalves are rarer still.
Asian Elephant (Webkinz Signature by Ganz)
4.5 (4 votes)
Now becoming increasingly rare, the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) has had a long history with humans, often being trained to do work; especially in India. They are also the closest living relative of the extinct woolly mammoth. Though we usually think today of the Asian elephant as a denizen of the Far East, such as in India, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, historically in classical and ancient times they also roamed stretches of modern-day Iran and even nearly as far west as the northern part of Palestine, near Syria.
Life Cycle of a Honey Bee (Tarlin)
4.5 (2 votes)
Today we are looking at an interesting collection from a company called Tarlin (I must admit, I had never heard of them before learning about this set). The set, which came out recently this year, is simply called ‘Bees’ and features developmental stages and brood chambers of the western honey bee, Apis mellifera.
Gray Whale (Maia & Borges, Schleich, Mojö Fun, Unknown Company)
4.7 (3 votes)
Review and images by callmejoe3; edited by bmathison1972
Today’s review will cover the Northern Pacific voyager, the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). The gray whale is a very well-known mysticete due to frequent sightings during whale-watching tours along the American west coast. Gray whales were also known as the ‘’Devil-fish’’ due to the aggression they display when defending against whalers and natural predators.
Gorilla, baby sitting with banana (AAA)
3.3 (6 votes)
Primates. The order of which humans and our closest related species belong to. One of the groups that we are also included in are the great apes, the largest being the gorilla (Gorilla gorilla). These magnificent African apes are critical endangered and need protecting. It has many, many figures of the species made.
Monitor Lizard (AAA)
5 (4 votes)
Don’t worry, this is not a case of déjà vu, I did indeed review a AAA monitor lizard already. But AAA produced several monitor lizards and this one, although it’s probably the same species as the last one I reviewed, is substantially different. The last time I reviewed one of these I admitted that I was unsure what species it was supposed to be.
Saiga Antelope (Wildlife by CollectA)
5 (5 votes)
As strong winds swept across the steppe, vast herds of grazing animals can be seen dotting the landscape. It would be easy to mistake the scene as something out of Africa. After all, rhinos, elephants, big cats, and antelopes can be seen in the distance. But this is not Africa, the vast landscape stretching before us is the Eurasian steppe during the last ice age.
Firefly (Chick-Fil-A Properties, Inc.)
2 (3 votes)
Walkaround of a novelty food premium, a firefly by Chick-Fil-A Properties, Inc., originally released in 2014. I like food premium figures. They are often unique, original releases, that tend to disappear quickly after being released. As such they are often difficult to obtain and over time may fetch a bit of money to acquire them!
Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Wildlife by CollectA)
5 (3 votes)
Review and images by suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) was one of the largest woodpeckers in the world and certainly the largest to inhabit North America. Tragically, after relentless decades of hunting, pollution, and deforestation, this magnificent bird is largely believed to have gone the way of the thylacine and the quagga.