Tasmanian Devil (Wildlife by Mojö Fun)

With the extinction of the thylacine the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) claimed the title of the largest extant marsupial predator, weighing up the 18 lbs. (8 kg.) in the case of males. Not a terribly impressive size for the largest marsupial predator, I’ve had cats that outweigh the Tasmanian devil! But what it lacks in size it makes up for with one of the most powerful bites relative to its body size of any mammal, and a famously pugnacious attitude. Although they’re primarily scavengers they’re also opportunistic predators that will take just about anything up to the size of small kangaroos. Like the thylacine, the Tasmanian devil once lived on mainland Australia but became extinct there over 3,000 years ago. A population of them was recently re-introduced to southern Australia.

Several figures exist of the Tasmanian devil and most of them are quite good. Those by Safari and CollectA are among the best and have been reviewed here already. The one we’re looking at today is by Mojo Fun and was released in 2022.  Mojo Fun can be hit and miss with their figures and is usually regarded as a lesser company in our hobby. Their Tasmanian devil is fantastic however, and that’s because it was originally produced by Southlands Replicas, a company owned by Minizoo (who we’re all familiar with, no doubt) and whose figures were sculpted by Jason Smit. Although they made fantastic models, Southlands Replicas ultimately went under and now Mojo Fun is releasing some of their models under their brand name. It’s good to see the molds for these excellent models weren’t completely lost and can live on in some capacity.

The Mojo Fun Tasmanian devil is rather dynamic in pose, with its large head lifted and its mouth wide open, showing off its bone-crunching dentition. The figure is reared back somewhat, as if the devil was taken off-guard by another devil while scavenging a meal. Competition and ferocity are high among devils at feeding sites. The right forelimb is lifted slightly with only the fingertips touching the ground, as if it’s using it to push itself upwards and back.

The devil is depicted with an accurately squat, muscular, and sturdy build, a proportionally large head, a tail that measures about half its body length, and forelimbs longer than its hindlimbs. Male devils are larger than females and can have a head-body length of 25.7” (65 cm). The figure measures about 2.75” (6.9 cm) in total length with a head-body length of 2.25” (5.7 cm). That puts it at about 1/11 in scale.

Fine details include well sculpted dentition, a tongue within the mouth that’s curled along the edges, and grooves along the roof of the mouth. Little furrows are sculpted along the muzzle, to emphasize the baring of the teeth. Thick folds of skin are sculpted along the back of the neck and the fur nicely follows the contours of the animal’s body. Five digits are clearly sculpted on each hand with four toes on each foot, which is accurate for devils.

The figure is painted black with white markings on the chest and rump. The inside of the mouth is pink, and the teeth are white. Although the paint application on the teeth appears cleaner on the Southlands Replicas version it’s also extremely well done here, with precise application and no bleeding of the paint. The inside of the ears and inside surface of the hands and feet are dull purple.

I sadly got into this hobby too late to enjoy Southlands Replicas when they were in production, so I don’t have any of them. Thankfully, at least some of their sculptures get to live on thanks to Mojo Fun. When I came across this devil in person, I was blown away by how excellent it was when compared to the other Mojo offerings surrounding it. I could tell it was a cut above the rest and had to have it. It was only after purchase that I realized it was the Southlands Replicas devil given new life. The Mojo Tasmanian devil is currently in production and retails around $4-6. Highly recommended!