Vault Tales 185 FigureFrenzy Coati, Gorilla, Sea lion, Penguins, Mammoth

Here we are with another Figure Frenzy! A bunch of small bites for a bunch of small figures!

Schleich minis Coati

First up, we have a figure from back when Schleich was really doing some interesting things. Like this model, a small, rubber figure as part of their mini line. It was a pretty broad range of animals, almost all of which were single colours. I used to come across them in various stores in the late 80s up to the early 2000s, although I think they were discontinued before then. They were available in bulk lots, so it was a matter of picking through bins in stores. That made it super exciting to find a Coati figure, which at the time was even less common. They even had individual item numbers, this one being 10060. For such small sculpts (all of which were original) they have a lot of detail. Of course, they are long discontinued. And surprisingly expensive these days, if you can find them. But worth it if there’s an animal of interest.

Safari Good luck minis Gorilla

Sticking with the mini theme, we have a figure from Safari’s Good Luck Minis series, their tiny gorilla. It’s highly reminiscent of the Schleich minis, made of similar rubber material–although most have a bit more colour on them. Another thing about the Safari minis is that they are based on larger figures from their other line; this can include models and paint schemes from the toobs and the regular figure lines. This tiny gorilla is number 343322 in the series (so also, like Schleich, each figure is individually numbered). The figures are well made of course, and their tiny size would make them great for tiny dioramas! Like many of the GLM figures, this one is at least still available.

Safari Good luck minis Sea lion

And another Safari Good luck mini! This California Sea lion (yes, they are that specific) is in some way a little better than the gorilla figure, is only because there’s a lot more paint detail visible. Given the tiny size (these figures are only about 3cm at best) it reflects the original WS Sea Life figure very well. The item number is 342422 on this figure…but unlike the gorilla, this one is no longer in production.

FUL (Nayab) Marine set Penguins large & small

Next up, some other little figures…but not exactly on par with the Safari or Schleich figures. I’ve actually visited the set before, looking at a pair of snails figures from the two sizes of marine sets. Like that pair, the two penguins are similar in size and paint scheme. They’re certainly not as exciting or unusual as the snail figures…penguins are quite common as figures, even in this size range. These ones aren’t specified to species, but the little bit of yellow probably indicates a king penguin. Regardless, the figures are part of larger sets that contain some interesting species, but I wouldn’t suggest making a huge effort for these specific penguins.

Unknown maker Mammoth

Finally, a small rubber mammoth figure. I know nothing about the maker or even where I got it from. Most likely in a random lot of figures, or a tossed-in extra with a trade or sale. As a mammoth figure I can definitely say that it is a mammoth figure. That’s about it. I couldn’t say whether it’s still available or not, but let’s be honest, this isn’t a figure that would really be on anyone’s list of wanted figures. Decent enough toy I suppose.