The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is the U.S.A.’s premier freshwater gamefish. An estimated 30 million Americans target the species, creating a $60 billion dollar industry. I admit it, I’m one of those 30 million Americans. I’m an avid fisherman and the largemouth bass has been my favorite species to target ever since I was a small boy catching bluegills alongside a dinky little farm pond, where the comparatively elusive and gigantic largemouth bass ruled as the apex predator.
Whitetip Reef Shark (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
5 (5 votes)
Quite a few shark species go by the name “reef shark”. Blacktip, Caribbean, grey, and the subject of today’s review, the whitetip. But while all those sharks belong to the Carcharhinus genus, the whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) does not. But these sharks are not called reef sharks because they’re related.
Mini Sharks (Diversity of Life on Earth by Bandai)
5 (4 votes)
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.
Long-tailed Chinchilla (Wildlife by CollectA)
4.7 (6 votes)
Cuteness alert! Walk-around of the CollectA Wildlife 88722 Long-tailed Chinchilla, Chinchilla lanigera Bennett, 1829; originally produced in 2015. It’s quite a tiny figure, snout-vent length would be around 50 mm if the figure was stretched out and the tail adds another 28 mm so the scale is approx. 1:5.
Saltwater Fish in Colour Part 1, Part 3: The Secrets (Yujin)
5 (4 votes)
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).
Jellyfish Collection (Nature Techni Colour by Ikimon)
3.3 (4 votes)
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.
Green Anaconda (Wildlife by Mojö Fun)
4.8 (16 votes)
Review and images by Kikimalou; edited by bmathison1972
After Schleich and Safari Ltd. in 2022, Mojö Fun is also offering its version of the famous green anaconda, Eunectes murinus, new for 2023. Until now, my collection has lacked a serious representative of the species. Initially tempted by the Safari Ltd., I finally fell for the Mojö version.
Shortfin Mako Shark, 2017 (Wild Safari Sealife by Safari Ltd.)
4.6 (8 votes)
Shark Week may be over but after posting two back-to-back sharks I wanted to keep this ball rolling for at least a couple more reviews. Plus, it’s Shark Week as I write this, so I’m still feeling sharky. Today we’re looking at the 2017 shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) by Safari Ltd.
Great Grey Owl (Bullyland Birds by Bullyland)
2.8 (5 votes)
As I write this review, the 2023 Safari Ltd. Wings of the World Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa) is currently en route to me. I thought it would be a good opportunity to review the 2010 rendition by Bullyland, which the Safari figure will replace, before it goes into the sales/trade/donation bin.
Great White Shark (Folkmanis)
4 (7 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Behold, I give you the biggest shark toy in my possession, the great white (Carcharodon carcharias) from Folkmanis! I came across this magnificent puppet in a local toy store more than fifteen years ago. I was in my mid-twenties at the time, single without any children, and the price tag was a hefty $89.99 Canadian.
Goblin Skark (The Sharks Vol. 2 by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.)
4.3 (6 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
The goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) is the only living member of the family Mitsukurinidae, with other members dating back to the early Cretaceous, which is in the order Lamniformes which includes such All Stars such as the great white, mako, basking, megamouth, and others.
Giant Freshwater Whipray (Freshwater Monsters Mini by Hellbender Museum)
5 (6 votes)
It’s Flat Shark Friday! It’s Shark Week! It’s now Flat Shark Shark Week Friday! Okay, that’s as absurd as the model that I’m looking at today–and make no mistake, despite the size of the figure (and this being a ‘Toy’ blog…) this one is not for playing. Although I won’t judge, because it’s so great to handle.
Goblin Shark (Sealife by CollectA)
4.9 (12 votes)
In 1889 fossils of an unusual Mesozoic shark were described. It was named Scapanorhynchus, Greek for “shovel-snout” due to the elongated blade-like snout that jutted out over its face. Nine years later an unusual 42” (107 cm) immature male shark with similar anatomy was caught in Sagami Bay, Japan and formally described as Mitsukurina owstoni, commonly known as the goblin shark in English and the tenguzami in Japanese.
Greenland Shark (True Scale Museum Collection: Sharks by Larami)
3.8 (9 votes)
Review and images by Alopias superciliosus; edited by bmathison1972
The Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is the largest of the Sleeper Sharks (family Somniosidae), and one of the largest extant species of sharks, attaining lengths of up to 23 ft (7 m) and weighing up to 3,090 lbs (1,400 kg).
Frilled Shark (Diversity of Life on Earth: Mini Ancient Fish by Bandai)
5 (6 votes)
The frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) is an enigmatic anguilliform shark in the family Chlamydoselachidae. There is one other extant member of this family, the South African frilled shark (C. africana). They are considered among the most primitive extant sharks. Frilled sharks occur nearly worldwide, usually in the waters of the outer continental shelf and upper continental slope.