Japanese non-Kaiyodo companies - new for 2014

[brontodocus]

Edit 2015-01-06: This is now the thread/poll for 2014 releases of Japanese companies other than Kaiyodo. So now you can choose five of your favourite 2014 releases by Kitan Club, Favorite, and Eikoh.

So here is a thread dedicated to the 2014 releases of animal toy figures by Kitan Club. There are not that many 2014 releases – the Nature of Japan sets 1&2 were released before 2014 and set 3 will come out around March 2015. There are also many quite unrealistic figures which I deliberately left out (if there's really need for them, okay, but I assume they will probably not be all too popular among our members, anyways). So this is what I compiled so far:

First, the Nature Techni Colour Nankyoku (South Pole) set, seven regular figures plus one secret (a group of Emperor Penguins). Helge (postsaurischian) had posted photos of all but the secret in this thread: http://animaltoyforum.com/index.php?topic=937.msg9415#msg9415 and I'll just quote his entire post with photos here:

  Here's the 2014 Nankyoku set:




01 - Emperor Penguin



02 - Emperor Penguin children



03 - Adelie Penguin



04 - Rockhopper Penguin



05 - Killer Whale   (I'd prefer the term Orca)



06 - Leopard Seal



07 - South Polar Skua

And then there is a set of eight Flapjack Octopi (all the same sculpt but with different colours):


In 2014 Kitan Club also released two sets of "marking dogs" which may be of interest for at least some collectors among us. Apparently, set 1 and 2 contain the same figures, only with different colour variants. Seems there are no more than four different sculpts altogether, a Chihuahua, a French Bulldog, a Shiba, and a Toy Poodle:


In December 2014 there was a new set of six owls with some rarely made or even unique species represented. Represented species are: Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Ural Owl, Bengal Eagle Owl, Snowy Owl, and Spectacled Owl. Despite the fact that these are quite cartoonish and over-simplified, I'll add them here:


And also in December 2014 there was the release of a life-size Nature Techni Colour Giant Isopod, Bathynomus giganteus:

More photos here.

In 2014 we learned about a previously unknown brand, Eikoh. They released four sets (each with eight figures) of various wild animal figures in their Miniatureplanet line. Helge (postsaurischian) gave an overview here: http://animaltoyforum.com/index.php?topic=1078.0
I'll re-use his photos in this thread, too, hope you are okay with that, Helge?

These are Vol. 1&2:

Vol. 1: Lion (male), Zebra, Lowland Gorilla (male), Shoebill, Galapagos Giant Tortoise, Giant Panda (walking), Prairie Dog, Otter. Vol. 2: Lion (female), Polar Bear, Lowland Gorilla (female), Toco Toucan, Hippopotamus, Giant Panda (sitting),  Capybara, Humboldt Penguin.

This is Vol. 3:

African Elephant, Cheetah, Flamingo, Crocodile, Skunk, Six-banded Armadillo, Reticulated Giraffe (high browsing), Thomson's Gazelle.

And Vol. 4:

Mandrill, Blue Wildebeest, Snowy Owl, Black-backed Jackal, Beaver, California Sea Lion, African Elephant (calf), Reticulated Giraffe (normal).

Also in 2014, Favorite released more "Softmodels" by Japanese master sculptor Hirokazu Tokugawa who was previously responsible for a few special museum releases by Favorite (Tarbosaurus bataar, Saurolophus angustirostris, and the "Tamba sauropod" now known as Tambatitanis amicitiae). While nearly all of his regularly available Favorite models are representing prehistoric animals (Smilodon, Woolly Mammoth, Anomalocaris, and Dunkleosteus) he also sculpted the single addition to the already existing Marine Life Softmodel series, a Giant Squid, Architeuthis dux:


So that's twenty altogether. I'll add a poll and you can vote for your favourite two Kitan Club 2014 figures. Edit: Now there are 53 figures to choose from. I changed the possible votes to five, I guess those of you who had already voted before the change can delete their previous votes and renew them to get five instead of two votes. Sorry for any inconvenience and many thanks to Blaine (bmathison1972) for the suggestion to put Kitan Club, Favorite, and Eikoh in one poll.

[AnimalToyForum]

I can do without the set of peeing dogs 

Otherwise this is a difficult choice...

[brontodocus]

I can do without the set of peeing dogs 

Otherwise this is a difficult choice...

The dogs are not even the weirdest figures I found when I was browsing Japanese companies' websites yesterday evening. The Gashapon market also brought things up like cats draped onto sushi rolls or figures of sausages that were carved to resemble giant isopods.

[brontodocus]

Edited this thread, you can now choose your five favourite 2014 animal toy figures by Kitan Club, Eikoh, and Favorite.

[AnimalToyForum]

Revoted So far it look like we are mostly on the same page with our choices.

[postsaurischian]

I finally voted in all categories .
Thanks for all the work, Andre & Adam!

[AnimalToyForum]

I finally voted in all categories .
Thanks for all the work, Andre & Adam!

It was mostly down to Andre but thanks all the same