Today I again decided to explore my entomological roots and again used a random number generator to decide which figure to review. It landed on number 241, which in my Excel file is the current location of the Miyama stag beetle (Lucanus maculifemoratus) that was produced by F-toys for the 2011 release of their Insect Hunter line.
Domestic Pigeon (Unknown Company)
4.5 (2 votes)
Review and images by stargatedalek; edited by bmathison1972
Not long ago I received an eBay coupon as a consolation prize in one of their contests. Unsure what to spend it on, I remembered seeing some surprisingly impressive birds made using a plastic base with real feathers attached and decided to see if they were in fact any higher in quality than the equivalents I once had from many a local dollar store.
Giraffe (Wild Life Africa by Schleich)
4.6 (8 votes)
Review and photographs by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
With their super-long necks and equally long limbs, giraffes are among evolution’s most wondrous marvels. It was long thought that there was only one species and nine subspecies, but a 2007 study proposed that there may be six species (at the very least genetic populations), including the reticulated giraffe, Giraffa reticulata.
Velez Skate (Animal Kaiser by Bandai)
5 (4 votes)
This post will be discussing an unusual figure from an unusual line–the line is the figures made by Bandai in conjunction with the game Animal Kaiser, and the animal is a Velez’ ray or Velez skate, Rostroraja velezi (Chirichigno, 1973). First off, ray or skate? Well, even Fishbase refers to it as a ‘ray’, but the genus Raja refers to the skates, which are a type of ray.
Budgerigar (Farmland by Mojö Fun)
3.9 (7 votes)
Budgerigars aka parakeets (Melopsittacus undulatus) are easily the most popular pet bird in the world. We enjoy their playful antics, cheerful chatter, ability to mimic humans, and the plethora of selectively bred color variations they come in. But like all domesticated animals they have their roots in the wild where they live far different lives from those in our cages.
Bat (Wild Animals by Papo)
5 (3 votes)
After rodents, bats, which make up about 20% of all mammal species, form the second largest mammalian order, Chiroptera. Consequently, many bat figures (although not quite as many as the size of the group would suggest) have been made over the years, with one of the more recent attempts being Papo’s first, and so far only, bat figure, released in 2018, which is also the subject of this review.
Primates TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
5 (3 votes)
Review of the 2019 Primates TOOB by Safari Ltd. I had bought this set early on when I started my Synoptic Collection, mainly for the marmoset and tamarins. I have since retained the bonobo and sifaka too, pending eventual release of standard-sized figures of these species. This TOOB is another example of Safari Ltd recently upping the game in their TOOB sets, with others being Whales (2018), Dolphins (2019), Great Lakes (2020), African Savannah (2020), and Pelagic Fishes (2019).
Wolverine (NWF Dairy Queen promo by Toy Major)
3.8 (4 votes)
It’s a bit of a chunky boi
Today I’m looking at a figure of a very familiar animal–from a rather obscure line! It’s the famous (infamous?) wolverine, Gulo gulo (Linnaeus, 1758). If we want to be really sub-specific, it’s meant to be Gulo gulo gulo, the Eurasian wolverine, if the differences between Eurasian and North American populations are different enough.
American Paddlefish (Tchibo)
3.5 (2 votes)
An unusual commercial toy of an unusual fish
Welcome to a new year, and I’m starting with a bit of a memorial piece. Today I will discuss the American Paddlefish–in honour of the recently-declared-extinct Chinese Paddlefish Psephurus. Unfortunately…there are no figures of that particular animal at all–and not that many images out there either (most of the news reports featured pictures of the American paddlefish).
Nile Crocodile, 2016 (Wild Life by Schleich)
4.2 (11 votes)
Review and photographs by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Crocodiles are some of the most awesome and ancient predators on Earth, and as such, they have proven quite the mainstay in the world of animal toys. Indeed, it is probably fair to say that they are the most popular and frequent reptiles to appear in toy form.
Rattlesnake (Fingerlings: Untamed Snakes by WowWee)
3 (2 votes)
Review and images by stargatedalek; edited by bmathison1972
Quite the mouthful of a title this one has. Introducing “Toxin the Rattlesnake”, part of the Untamed Snakes set of the Fingerlings line by WowWee.
Full disclosure, this toy is awful and no one should ever buy it, I regret doing so heavily.
Secretary Bird (Wildlife by CollectA)
4.8 (5 votes)
Review and images by MammothsProductions, edited by bmathison1972
Sagittarius serpentarius. To many, these words are an arbitrary phrase, without meaning or purpose. Yet, to avid birders and ornithologists, these two annunciations bring thoughts of regal wings gliding through the air, of the brilliant dance between the bird and the serpent.