The Japanese carpenter ant (Camponotus japonicus) is a widely-distributed species that occurs throughout much of East Asia, from Pakistan and Mongolia, east to China, Russia (eastern Siberia), and the Philippines, and Japan. Like other carpenter ants, colonies, which can consist of thousands of individuals, occurs in dead and decaying wood, such as logs and the dead, hollowed-out part of standing trees.
Golden Eagle (Wildlife by Mojö Fun)
3.2 (13 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is perhaps the most quintessential and famous of all eagles. For certain it is the most widespread, ranging across the continents of North America, Europe, and Asia. It has also figured prominently in human culture more than any other bird.
Reindeer, Special Holiday Edition 2022 (Schleich)
3 (4 votes)
Review and images by Saarlooswolfhound; edited by bmathison1972
Happy Holidays everybody! How ever you choose to celebrate this season, I hope that you choose to include some plastic animal figures to enjoy. They always seem to brighten my holidays! This year I have selected the new 2022 Schleich special edition reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) #72189 to present here.
Caterpillars to Go (Club Earth)
3.2 (6 votes)
Nearly two years ago to the day, I reviewed Club Earth’s Butterflies to Go collection after acquiring the last figures for that Holy Grail collection. Now today I get to do the same thing for the Caterpillars to Go collection, again having received the last figure in this Holy Grail Collection.
Bornean Orangutan (Wild Safari Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
4.4 (9 votes)
I had to take a photo of this figure for today’s daily ‘Museum’ post and decided to throw together a quick review of it for the Blog, especially since we don’t have have a this species on the Blog yet! The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is, as its common name suggests, endemic to the island of Borneo.
Citrus Long-horned Beetle (Diversity of Life on Earth: Stag Beetles Vol. 4 by Bandai)
5 (2 votes)
The citrus long-horned beetle (Anoplophora chinensis) is a cerambycid beetle native to East Asia. Larvae develop in various hardwoods, and the beetle is considered a pest of several ornamental and commercial food plants, including citrus, pecan, apple, sycamore, willow, pear, mulberry, litchi, kumquat, fig, and many others.
Oryol Mare, Dark Grey (Horse Country by CollectA)
5 (5 votes)
Review and images by Harecraft Horses; edited by bmathison1972
Much better known as the Orlov Trotter, named after their developer Count Alexei Orlov, this is a famous breed but not a common one outside its native homeland, and it’s fairly rare to see in model form, too. With nothing yet from Breyer, the market leader in the model horse world, we have to turn to the more toy-type brands : Mojo Fun have released their Orlov Trotter sculpt in two different shades of grey, and now CollectA bring us a brand new one.
ASSASSIN FANG Venomous Snakes (Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.)
5 (2 votes)
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.
Gray Wolf (Wild Animals by Papo)
4.5 (6 votes)
Rounding out my spooky animal reviews for October it’s time to look at one of the many renditions of the gray wolf (Canis lupis), an animal whose history is intricately woven into our own like few other animals. For much of human history, the wolf would have been a competitor and potential predator of humans.
Malayan Jungle Nymph (Ichiban Kuji World Insect Museum by Bandai Spirits)
5 (1 votes)
The Malayan jungle nymph (Heteropteryx dilatata) is a large phasmid (stick insect) endemic to the Malay Peninsula in Thailand, Singapore, Sumatra, and Borneo. It is sexually dimorphic, with the smaller males being 9-13 cm long and the larger females 14-17 cm long, with reports of some females reaching 25 cm in length.
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).
Arabian Mare, Liver Chestnut (Horse Country by CollectA)
5 (5 votes)
Review and images by Harecraft Horses; edited by bmathison1972
When the promotional pictures of this stunning mare from CollectA came out, I was really concerned they might be a ‘too good to be true’ thing, showing a one-off custom artist’s proof paintjob, and then the factory models would be plain and lacking in comparison.