This post is another Run the Set, although I don’t think it’s really a full set–just all of the figures I have that would be included. Here we have a number of prehistoric animals produced by Feves. Or called Feves…I’m not really sure if it’s a brand or a style. I know that they are originally based on prizes or treats that are placed in cakes during Epiphany. They get their name ‘Feves’ from the French word for ‘bean’–maybe those were the original prizes (in which case…not something I would want). Maybe they’re just kind of that size. I don’t even know if that’s really what happens now or if they’re just produced as collectibles. They are generally porcelain figures, and can be glossy or matte finishes; they can be highly detailed or relatively abstract or stylized; and they seem to represent just about anything. Of course I’m more interested in the animal ones–in this case, some really incredible prehistoric animal ones!
These first ones are some of the marine reptiles that they’ve made–I knew someone that was auctioning them off, and noticed several species that I had not (and generally still haven’t) seen available in other forms. One is the not-quite plesiosaur Pistosaurus, set on an small wave-riding back drop–a theme with all of the prehistoric marine animals I have. The other is the pliosaur Peloneustes. Again, familiar types of animals but species that generally don’t catch the attention of figure makers. Not really sure why these were picked but I’m glad to have them.
Now two more marine animals. The third is another marine reptile Temnodontosaurus–the only one that has been made by another company. One thing that is interesting is that despite the small size, each one is clearly crafted to represent it’s type of marine reptile. And they are labelled with the animal name to leave no doubt as to what animal was intended (a feature that would be appreciated on even some modern toy companies’ figures, but I digress). This is especially helpful for the fourth marine animal, and the real reason I needed this particular auction lot–the aganthan (maybe Craniate) Myllokunmingia. As far as themes go this seems…like a very outside choice. It’s three Mesozoic reptiles and a very early Palaeozoic not-quite-fish. But I’ll take it, since as a group and as a time period it tends to get overlooked anyway. And if you discount the few Pikaia figures, you’d be left with maybe one other hard to find one. Plus, it’s pretty much in real size.
The final bunch were available from the same seller, a trio of prehistoric mammals that also don’t get attention! As with the marine animals they are surprisingly detailed for being 3cm porcelain figures. And it’s great to have a prehistoric giraffe and horse finally (oddly, two groups that don’t get made by anyone…maybe a couple of other horses) and definitely cool to have a multituberculate. The best thing about the Ptilodus other than just having one is that the tiny size would allow it to fit into a lot of Cretaceous or Paleocene scenes at a pretty decent scale (but hide the base–there is no removing it, and any attempt would almost certainly shatter it).
So what can I say? They are definitely unique little figures. Being primarily from France could make searching for or receiving them tricky (unless you’re familiar with French–it’s the same way I tracked down most of my Starlux figures). I highly recommend chasing them down, and if these don’t suit you (for reasons I can’t fathom) at least go look around for them, there’s got to be some that catch your eye (I just recently purchased a set of fish ones, of course…I won’t have them by the time this posts though). They don’t take a lot of room to display, but they can also get lost among larger figures, something I haven’t quite figured out.
