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. I was originally going to write this review for posting during Shark Week, but CollectA’s new sharks bumped it down.
My first review of a shark for this blog was also for a shortfin mako, the 1997 figure by Safari. This review will be my 20th shark review! That 1997 mako was a swell figure for its time but my collection needed a more modern representative of the species. There are two standard size shortfin mako figures currently available, this one and another from CollectA. Overall, I liked the sculpt and paintjob of this Safari figure better than CollectA’s, so it won the day, but it still has one glaring inaccuracy that we’ll get to later. I won’t get into the natural history of the shortfin mako too much as I already wrote about it at length in my other shortfin mako review. It was also discussed in the review for the CollectA figure.
The Safari shortfin mako measures 6.25” (15.8 cm) in length. The actual shortfin mako reaches a length of 6.5—9.5’ (200-290 cm) with exceptional specimens reaching 13’ (400 cm) and females growing larger than males. The lack of claspers on this figure indicate that it represents a female. Scaled down from a length of 9.5’ the figure comes out to be 1/18 in scale.
The figure nicely replicates the streamlined, cylindrical body plan of the shortfin mako, a body plan perfectly adapted for speed. The shortfin mako is the fastest species of shark, capable of reaching speeds up to 43 mph (70 km h-1). The snout is long and pointed (the species name is Greek for “sharp nose”) with large, black eyes, and a U-shaped mouth. The individually sculpted teeth are large, narrow, triangular, hooked, and fantastically sculpted. These teeth, coupled with its speed, allow the shortfin mako to pursue and snare other fast pelagic fishes such as tunas and billfishes. Five long gill slits are sculpted on each side of the head.
The fins are accurately sculpted with notably small second dorsal and anal fins. The tail is lunate (the genus name is Greek for “equal tail”), and the pectoral fins are shorter than the length of the head, which helps identify this as a shortfin instead of a longfin mako. Overall, the model is fantastic except for one glaring omission. The figure has no caudal keel, which is a lateral ridge on the caudal peduncle that strengthens the tail and adds stability. It is an essential part of what makes the shortfin mako so quick and maneuverable. The 1997 Safari figure even has it, which makes its omission here particularly perplexing.
The figure is painted dark blue dorsally and white ventrally with a gradual fading and blending between the two colors. The blue covers the entire tail and the dorsal surface of the pectoral and pelvic fins, as it should. The underside of the snout and around the mouth are white which in life helps distinguish the shortfin mako from the longfin mako. The inside of the mouth is pink, and the teeth are white. The black eyes are coated with a glossy finish.
The Safari shortfin mako is an almost flawless figure but the missing caudal keel cannot be overlooked and takes points away from it. Personally, I also find the static pose less interesting than the one used for its older counterpart. For those wanting a more dynamic posture and the caudal keel I would suggest CollectA’s, just know that it has its own weaknesses as well. Make sure you read the review for that one too. The Safari shortfin mako is currently in production and retails for about $6.50.
Pretty ironic this one omits a pretty key feature that the original got right
This and the 2016 great white has faint or no caudal keel at all but at least it’s rectified with the salmon shark having the keel. While this one has the lateral keel missing, the collectA has the gills too short and caudal fin is too small and it’s worse in some of the newer rendition! Still waiting for a definitive mako from Schleich or Papo.
I like the gills on this one much better than those on CollectA’s. And the paintjob too, among other things. I would consider this the definitive shortfin mako for the time being, even without the keel.
I almost went with this figure for my shortfin mako, because it doesn’t have the ‘bent’ posture that has become trendy with figure of this species. However, I consulted brotodocus’ walkarounds of both, and he seemed to favor the CollectA version, so that’s what I ended up going with.
There’s a figure by Toymany that has the lateral keel and appropriately large gills that is roughly in the standard size range. it’s about 10.7cm not accounting the figure is in a curved position