Turkey, tom (Safari Farm by Safari Ltd.)

Review and images by Saarlooswolfhound; edited by bmathison1972

In honor of the American holiday of Thanksgiving, here is a poultry to satisfy any bird lover’s appetite. The Safari Ltd. #242929 turkey (Melagris gallopavo), released as part of their Safari Farm line in 2007 and still in production today, is a marvelous avian figure. Not only does it boast fantastic sculpting detail but also wonderful paintwork, thus far unique in the turkey offerings available from major brand producers. The only true modern rival being the CollectA release, perhaps the display of each tom would entice hens to gather round…although, sadly, there are none as of yet. In which case I will help the Safari model out with the collector audience by exalting its beauty, and perhaps convince others to consider this handsome guy for their shelves.

Firstly, our tom measures in at about 2 ¾ in tall (or 7 cm) from spur to tail fan tip, and about 3 in wide (or 6 cm) from each tail feather edge. He is made of a solid plastic which gives the model a nice sturdy heft. Besides that, this male specimen was sculpted to be in a posturing display theme, a visible strut gives a certain mood to the figure as a whole, as does each individual fluffed up feather on his breast and tail. Even the wings, firmly pointed downward and slightly outstretched, also help to present his size and health to imaginary females a.k.a. the model presents species typical behavior. The paintwork is something to be marveled at, especially for a Safari brand model which often leaves something to be desired here, is actually done quite skillfully. The head dutifully displays the red tissues and white marbling indicative of his robust health as well as his anxiety to both court females and deter other males; and the blue shading around his eyes begins to indicate his excitement, perhaps from defeating a rival or catching the eye of a hen. This small detail is appreciated by those who understand how the naked skin on a turkey’s head can indicate simple mood patterns. The body feathering has a dark composite background but cleverly utilizes a light metallic green and orange sheen on the feather tips in specific areas, just like the real animals themselves. The banding on the wings can help the illusion of size or flash Morse code like messages to other animals. And of course, the magnificent tail spread like a victory flag or the bright red wattle resting beside his powerful beak can attract the attention of all around.

Now for some basic facts on these underrated animals. The real animals live in many regions of North America spanning from Canada to Mexico. There are several subspecies, some more colorful or varying in size than others, such as the eastern wild turkey, Rio Grande turkey, Osceola wild turkey, Gould’s wild turkey, South Mexican wild turkey, and Merriam’s wild turkey, as well as the domestic varieties. They are omnivorous, eating opportunistically on small animals and plant matter. A common feature of these amazing birds are their wattles and caruncles, the fleshy growths apparent on naked skin regions such as the head. Males aren’t the only ones to display for mates, females have been recorded as displaying for males as well! A young turkey is called a poult, while a young male is called a jake that will mature into a tom and mature females are dubbed hens. They can run up to 18 mph on foot and hit speeds of 50 mph on the wing. Around the 1900s, they nearly went extinct and were only allowed to recover with conservation efforts. Today they number around 6.5 million!

Now whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, give the wild turkey, and this Safari model, a second thought. They are not simply food items for humans or other wild predators, they are magnificent birds all on their own.