Insects Nature Tube (K&M - Wild Republic)

[bmathison1972]

This is an overview/review of the entire Insects Nature Tube by K&M - Wild Republic. Unfortunately I do not know the year it was produced.

None of these figures are original, and these 'sculpts' show up in many generic bin/dollar/drug store sets, as well as other 'tube' sets, such as the original Safari LTD Insects TOOB (which I dont have yet, but from publicity photos, several figures are from the same molds, or copied from the same molds). None of the figures are marked with a species name, company name, or year of production.

There are 12 figures in the set; I will include sizes below. Most are probably not modeled after specific species but I will make some comments as I go.

On to the critters (in no particular order). Measurements are based on body lengths and do not include legs, antennae, cerci, etc:

1. mantid (length 80 mm)
generic



2. scorpion (length 55 mm to where tail curves)
Nice to not be monochromatic but....6 legs?!?!?!



3. fly (40 mm)
as generic as they come. Love the exaggerated mouthparts suggesting tabanid origins.



4. centipede (80 mm)
this is certainly the same sculpt as the Safari TOOB figure (the one from that set I do have), but at least Safari's figure is an attempt (paint-wise) of an actual genus/species.



5. spider (30 mm)
this sculpt shows up often in 'chinabug' sets



6. ant (53 mm)
nothing original here



7. cricket (40 mm not incl. antennae or cerci)
Most bin-style crickets are various shades of brown. I like the black/gray color scheme--could suggest it represents a Gryllus species. Antennae are a bit short for a true cricket.



8. grylloblattid (ice insect) (60 mm not incl. cerci)
These show up rarely in chinabug sets; this is the only time I have seen this sculpt by a major name brand. It is not identified as a grylloblattid, but the morphology suggests that was the inspiration. I have seen them on eBay advertised as earwigs, but the morphology does not support an ID of an earwig.



9. dragonfly (80 mm wingspan)
perhaps one of the darners in the genus, Ajax.



10. swallowtail caterpillar (58 mm)
complete with an extended osmeterium!



11. grasshopper (50 mm)
Again, the two colors is a nice touch making it slightly more different from a typical chinabug figure.



12. cockroach (43 mm)
Not a unique sculpt, but a refreshing color change (even if it is not very realistic).

[Roger]

Thanks again Blaine for presenting a complete K&M tube. Arthropods rarely are a priority to generic brands, so it doesn't wonder that they use chinabugs as you call them. Though, besides the butterflies tube, we can find a stag beetle, another beetle, a grasshopper, a large white butterfly?  in the European Garden Tube, a goliath beetle in the Record Breakers Tube, a hissing cocroach in Madagascar tube. Other arthropods like the scorpion in Desert Tube, a red crab in coral reef tube and another crab in Kelp Forest tube. Needing confirmation, a ladybug, monarch butterfly, and maybe some more in the illusive American Garden Tube.

[bmathison1972]

I have re-uploaded these images to Postimage, again glad Roger had them on TAI!