What do we have here? A new format. I realized that a lot of the time my random number generator picks figures from the collection that might not necessitate a full entry, or require more than a couple photos. So as the figures get picked, I will choose a few and discuss them together. It is unlikely that they will be that closely related thematically–instead it will be a quick opportunity to give a brief glimpse at how broad my collection can get in terms of species and of brands or places of origins! This time around just happens to be three Japanese figures–two from very different Kaiyodo series, and one from a game/show series! Okay. Not so broad this time in terms of origins.
Kaiyodo Birdtales 3 White-Spotted Char
First up is another Kaiyodo figure from another bottlecap series. This is a White-spotted Char, part of the Birdtales series…yes, a bird-focused series, and I of course have the fish (I think it’s the only one I have from any Birdtales). This is item number 8 from Series 3 (as indicated by the blue cap base)–meaning that there are three series in total, started in 2012. Despite the name the series were more focused on fluvial/watershed nature overall–there are arthropods, other fish, mammals, and amphibians, as well as a lot of birds. I have heard that these series might actually be available–that is a good thing. But of course they’re only sold in Japan.
I got this figure in a lot of Japanese figures, I think from a friend/source of Japanese figures. He likely had a few figures around and I saw an opportunity to add a new fish–so here we are. As with all Kaiyodo figures of the era, it’s a small (5cm long), brilliantly done little figure. The leaping pose on the rocky baseis especially nice, with the fish leaping through the water surface. Sadly, mine arrived with a broken fin–but I think I actually managed to glue it back together fairly seamlessly. I highly recommend this or other Birdtales figures–the detail is very nice, and the diorama-like bases are a nice added touch.
Kaiyodo CapsuleQ Museum Northest Tohoku Salamander
Next, another Kaiyodo figure, this time from the more recent Capsule series. Specifically, it was released (around 2013) as one of a range of CapsuleQ Museum sets. There’s a large variety in the CapsuleQ Museum series (not to be confused with Capsule Aquarium…it can get tricky to keep straight) that can range from aquatic and prehistoric animals–and many of them featured specific regions of Japan (like the Tiger Shark from the Yaeyama Islands series). The regional series often featured more variable models than what I would normally collect (even scenery and models of islands) but of course, an excellent little salamander is exactly what I would have.
This figure is similar in style to man Kaiyodo models, coming in several pieces that need to be built together. The dark colour serves well to hide the seams, but it is also an excellent representation of the real animal, something we’ve come to expect from Kaiyodo figures. It doesn’t have a base or diorama as part of it, but the figure displays nicely. I again would suggest any fan of amphibian figures to track one down–I think they might still be available (in Japan, as always).
Playmates Dinosaur King Maiasaura
I discussed a Dinosaur King figure once long ago, and we’re back with another one. This time it’s a Maiasaura figure. As I mentioned, they were a series released by Playmates in support of the Dinosaur King show/game (still not sure what). This was also part of the first series, which was a little easier to find. As it was, the Maiasaura was the first figure I ever got (alongside a Daspletosaurus in a two-pack). Over time I was able to get that whole series, but ended up with two of these! Only one’s on display though.
Considering the source (again, animated series or something), they did a not-terrible job representing a Maiasaura. a dinosaur that often gets overlooked in favour of, say, horned and armoured or theropod dinosaurs–but there are actually a number of different ornithopods in the series. And the burst of colour is kind of a nice change, even if it is very unlikely to be realistic. They’re nice figures though, and I think a lot of people would be happy add them to a collection–and unlike the previous two Kaiyodo figures, this one would be child safe. Unlike those Kaiyodo figures, the Dinosaur King figures are not in production anymore.
