Been a bit distracted lately, but catching right back up…once again, with a very random assortment. Very. Broad range of quality, style, and taxonomy.
Jurassic World FK mini Allosaurus (Walmart)
So we’ll start with another mini figure from the Walmart Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom multi-pack (a few others can be seen here). This time it’s the very grey Allosaurus which…let’s just say, not their best model overall. The colour is of course uninspiring (same as the previously seen Apatosaurus) with that blobby splotch of, I guess, blood? It looks more like a dripping than a wound but overall seems unnecessary. These figures are honestly kind of asking for a repainting by someone that is good at this. One thing a repaint won’t help is adding some mass to the figure; it’s not uncommon to see theropod dinosaurs shrinkwrapped, but this one is pretty extreme. The set has some neat components, which might make it worth tracking down this (increasingly hard to find) set, but the Allosaurus is probably not one of them.
Schleich Mini Giant Anteater
Following the monochrome theme, we have another figure from the Schleich Minis series, this one first released in 1965 with the series. This is the Giant Anteater figure, number 10056. It is notable for being fairly detailed despite the simple design and very tiny size. My figure is from a later production, having picked it up in probably the early 2000s, but other than some of the black inking probably looks about the same. It has always, for example, been the simple green colour; as with most of them, the figure is a single colour, rubber figure. It almost feels like an eraser, but no. The whole series came to an end in 2005 (interestingly, Safari introduced their Good Luck Minis soon after…Bullyland had some around then too). Despite their simple style and relatively cheap at stores, these figures are pretty sought after by collectors now, and depending on the model can ask relatively high prices. On the other hand, the sizes of many make them great for dioramas and filling out scenes or displays.
Shapeways Pantylus
Even more monochrome! This time as much my fault though (because I don’t tend to paint), it is a Shapeways Pantylus, produced by the creator Prehistoric Creatures Shop (a Shapeways designer with fair number of unusual prehistoric models). As with many of the models, there are a lot of details which are more easily visible in person–but I think the photos capture some of it. This one is especially interesting because we don’t see a lot of weird tetrapods/leposondyls/’amphibians (sensu lato) from the late Palaeozoic (or Mesozoic…or early Cenozoic) and it is honestly one of the really good ones. It captures the odd proportions really well, and has a lot of life–note the skin folds along the side, reminiscent of a hellbender or similar salamander. I believe that the model is still available on Shapeways, and I definitely recommend it (and if you are inclined to paint, the white is probably the best option).
Kaiyodo Capsule Aquarium King Penguins
And now, from monochrome to ultra detail paint! These are three King Penguin figures released as bonus figures released with a Kaiyodo Capsule Aquarium series. At least in my experience, each larger capsule figure from the Series 12 Marinepia Matsushima Aquarium series (I can’t wait to visit one of those figures). Clearly, I have only three from that set overall (it’s hard to find and kind of expensive). Anyway, each capsule included one of three random King Penguin figures, a fuzzy brown chick (I have one), a moulted juvenile with adult colour (don’t have one), and an adult (I have two). Each is fixed to a small base with a ball joint, and the joints interconnect. And also, the balls fall break off easily. The figures themselves are little masterpieces, very detailed and with excellent paint jobs. They aren’t to scale (the juvenile is the same size as the chick) so they can look awkward. But if you were able to get a whole bunch you’d get quite the colony (again, not an easy feat). These would be great models for Antarctic scenes, but it would be tough to get them specifically because of their sources–and honestly, there’s no shortage of penguin figures in all kinds of sizes (like the aforementioned Safari Good Luck Minis, for example, although they’re Emperor penguins). But neat little bonus models with figures that I was seeking at least (I hope I get to show the Archerfish eventually…it’s so cool…)
