It’s going to be all living animals today! No extinction here! Hopefully! And a pretty broad taxonomic range too!
Safari Ltd Pets Toob Llama
Let’s start with the mammal, a Llama from the Safari Pets toob, item 683704. I don’t have a ton to say about it–other than it’s a pretty decent figure. The pose is kind of interesting, probably chosen as it suits a toob better than a full standing one. I also really appreciate the colour palette that was chosen; most llama figures are the more familiar whites or browns. This, to me, really helps it stand out. The sizing is also great–it’s tricky to measure but it appears to be about 1:30 scale, which is a pretty frequent scale for a lot of mammals and other figures; most larger standalone figures would be quite a bit larger in scale, so this figure could work for all kinds of scenery. The set itself is fine, and should still be available, so that’s great for collectors–or fans of llamas (which are one of those currently-popular critters these days!)
The Access 3D Pictorial Book “Marine Fish Model” Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish
And next is a fish figure from a strange Japanese set, one which I visited before. Since that time, I learned that it is from a company/producer referred to as ‘The Access’ (maybe something is lost in translation), in their 3D Pictorial Marine Fish set. This figure is the Longnose Butterflyfish. Admittedly, as far as fish go, I don’t collect a lot of reef/tropical marine fish. Not sure why that is…maybe their familiarity? Or maybe I just need limits!? The figures in the box set overall are serviceable, although rarely the best versions of those animals. The set is usually found from Japanese sources, and for collectors and fans of fish it seems reasonably available, either in the box or (like mine was) loose.
FUL (Nayab) Plumed Basilisk
And then another lizard from the Nayab/FUL set (a few were seen here and here). As always, the figures are distinctive but only occasionally identifiable…but this figure is very clearly a Plumed Basilisk, which are distinctive enough to be unmistakable for any other lizard!
As always, these types of figures are great as toy sets or as diorama/scene fillers. The scale is kind of big of course, but it does help give some texture. They could even fit in and around displays if lizards (and a few salamanders) are of a particular focus. As I’ve said before, I do appreciate this set to round out a collection of toys. I believe that the set is now distributed most widely by Wild Republic and given their wide reach, it shouldn’t be too hard to find!
Bin figure Mudpuppy
Not that long ago I looked at what I believe is a fire salamander from a random bin set, and this is going to be another one–this time a Mudpuppy. Or something similar. It’s a little generic, and definitely lacks the patterning that would normally be expected. Maybe it represents a different species; I can’t find anything specific but of course with bin figures they don’t always hew too closely when it comes to paint design. Mudpuppy (at least, a proteid species of some kind) is the most likely identification based on the gills and the four legs (so, animals like amphiuma or sirens are unlikely); and the long skinny body is not very axolotl-like. Anyway, it is an interesting figure, like the other models I was able to get from that store (just once, annoyingly). And the kind of generic style can actually be useful, as they could easily fit within scenes and dioramas as well (given the age of Proteidae after all). I wish I could say that these models are easily findable, but I’ve only ever seen it once, and that’s a shame. Coupled with the above Nayab set, it could be a great collection of lizards/salamanders figures, which I always maintain is a sorely needed group of animals figures. There are a few other mudpuppy figures, one of which is readily available from a Safari toob, and yes, it’s better, but the unique style of this one makes it worth looking for.
