Thankful for- 2023

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Alright, I wanted to start this topic over here too; this is something I have done on STS for a few years now. As in the past, I like to reflect on the collecting year as it comes to a close. I find that its nice to revel on new additions just one more time and its nice to think on the joy of collecting. I have so many wonderful friends whom have given me treasures, or things that I was able to pursue and purchase after a long search, or any number of other scenarios. Anyway, I will update this topic periodically with some of my favorite additions from this year, and I encourage anyone to contribute if they like! 

First off... every year I find that there are "themes" to my collecting focus. This year I got enamored by elephants! 


Of the prehistoric kind.This past spring and summer I learned of Eofauna and TNG and fell IN LOVE with their prehistoric mammals! I put off getting them as prehistoric figures are often so much more expensive and are just not as big of a focus for me (or so I thought). But then I noticed that the Eofauna and TNG mammals I wanted were going out of stock in some places amd began to panic. But still, trying to save on shipping I waited until I found a place with all 4 Eofauna in stock! When they arrived I fell in love! Then I had to piece together the TNG models but was able to track them down in the end. I love the stegodon and smilodon the most from that series. 

Then, in the fall, the stars seemed to align. I found a Safari Ambelodon for sale for a reasonable price but in the UK. Luckily, I have one my best friends who lives there and was so gracious as to help me out (THANK YOU AGAIN Taylor!). A short while later, I also found the Bullyland gomphotherium state-side and snapped one up! Lastly, after missing out on several listings of the Safari smilodon cub over the last few years (the high bids quickly got out of my wallet's price range) Jolie so kindly posted a link to a very reasonable buy-it-now listing on ebay! 

Thus, it has been a very productive year for the prehistoric category of my collection this year.

[BlueKrono]

That Smilodon cub is rare indeed! I'm glad I stopped by to see this stunning array, but I'll be taking a break from the ATF for a while since a (totally legit, animal-themed) game seems to have taken over the toy forum and there's no way I know of to mute a specific thread.

[JimoAi]

Was about to do a similar thread but you've beat me to it!

Anyways, 2023 was a great year for me as a fish collector. Not only we got 2 rarely produced sharks from collectA, we have my most anticipated figure: the Papo spotted eagle ray, a new shark set from Bandai with 2 rarely made species, a silky shark from safari, a new stingray from Kitan Club, 2 new fish sets from Takara tomy and a new fossil fish from Bandai. Not forgetting about Toymany's new shark set with the stellar Bonnet head, Mako and great white included.

For the prehistorics, even though I don't collect them as much anymore, there were a lot of stellar releases like the Pnso Alamosaurus, CollectA mosasaurus, Haolonggood Apatosaurus, Megaraptor and entire roster line up.

Also for this year I've started cutting my collection down ABIT to obtain only what I think are the best which made me replace alot of figures as well.

My highlights for this year include the Pnso saurophagonax and Alamosaurus, Haolonggood Megaraptor and Apatosaurus, CollectA right whale, Mosasaurus and Koolasuchus, Safari ltd Type D orca, Everglades toob, Silky shark, Utahraptor and therizinosaurus, Bandai's shark set sans the hammerhead, Toymany's new great white shark, Favourite co Icthyosaurus and finally, Papo's kronosaurus and Spotted eagle ray.

Unfortunately, the 2024 releases doesn't interest me at the moment with the CollectA placerias being the only one currently interesting me right now. However, I do hope that Bandai could reveal a second shark set as well as many other surprises as well as prehistoric goodness from Pnso and Haolonggood as well as safari's offerings.

[SerAndrew]

This is a nice thread and I now realize that I should have been including the year of obtention of my figures in catalogue... I only have the release year.

But anyway, from the top of my head, this year was a bit more quiet than last year, in which I got frenzy with jap purchases via dealers. Still, I got some remaining Kaiyodo rarities, probably the weirdest ones being the henkelotherium and microraptor by Kaiyodo.

But I'd say that the bit that made me happiest was the TNG squad. I have them all except the smilodon which I dislike. They look superb with the Eofaunas as you can see above.

Also, I admit I was pretty excited about the CollectA goblin, because I wanted the species and the jap representatives were not good for me. But I don't like it so much in the end... Maybe because I has a too prominent space in my display, so I'll try to hide it a little bit and give more presence to other species. Boto was good, but also not as good as in pics. So, not really excited about 2023 releases.

Probably the most interestings are the ones to come, the type D orca and the grey parrot from Safari, but they will take long to reach Europe... (Good thing, since I'll have to re-arrange the birds to make some space to the parrot).

Another surprise were the ToyMany penguins and sharks, which are quite good and complete the group so well, specially the penguins. The only thing that spoils the joy is, again, the display nightmare, which for me is awful, specially for sharks. I have to fight that battle this Xmas...

Ah! I forgot, Mojo anaconda was very wellcome, since I didnt had that species before and was a big gap for me!

Anyway, if someone's interested these are my newcomers among the 2023 releases. And most of my newcomers from this year are among the new releases so...

Just waiting to see how 2024 behaves!
Expectation is many Papo's and probably a new game, the 3D printed figures...

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Thank you all for your contributions! I enjoy reading these kinds of posts.

Switching it up to some fish from this year.



I was so thrilled when I put on Marsh Education (of Arizona fishes) to get the rest of this set! My first model.of this series was the bonytail chub found in a thrift store in Salt Lake City a decade ago. Then I bought 4 more from Marsh and waited AGES hoping they might get the last one in stock again someday... alas, they did! This loach minnow is very pretty to look at anyhow.

The Bully salmon was a recent score from a good friend on STS. While not ascribed to a certain species, I still find it to be very nice to look at and enjoy its coloration.

Lastly, the Mahi Mahi. Apparently a copy of a japanese model but of otherwise unknown provenance. I now have 3, different colors. For whatever reason I am obssessed with this figure and keep an eye out ebay for variations and hope to find out more about the maker someday.

[EpicRaptorMan]

The Mahi Mahi has been on my wishlist for a Western manufacturer to produce for some time now.

[Saarlooswolfhound]

I hope someone does a Mahi someday!

Another small group: Toros Bravos bull and a set of Wing Mau cats. 



The bull came from and STS friend and I am very grateful for it as these models are magnificent and are hard to get in the US. I have 3 now, all from the same person! It is nice to have a STS friend who appreciates domestic animals like I do. Then from another STS member I got this set of cats. While being more of a dog person in real life, I do really love cat breeds too. When I was a teenager I loved the scottish fold and here are 2. As an adult my taste has changed to the lovely American Curl and I couldn't believe when I saw someone made not one but TWO of them!  I also love persians which is a bit atypical for me as I tend to not appreciate the brachycephalic trait in any animal, so there is a pair of them also (and note they are not in the all too famous white color!).

[Saarlooswolfhound]

I think this will be nearly the end of my "thankful for" models.



This year was a great year for my prehistoric collection. It really livened up. Not only did I find another grail in the WWD series Ophthalmasaurus but I got several PNSO models that enriched that group for me. I was SO excited to see the eatemmenosuchus by Safari I HAD to have it! And I snagged the elusive Scutosaurus and Leptoceratops for myself this year also.  Not only these but a great friend on STS got me some Bullys also!

[bmathison1972]

I initially got that PNSO Archaeopteryx but the damn thing would never stand on its own. I replaced it briefly with the Kaiyodo Dinotales model and then finally the Favorite model (which it took me some time to track down in North America...)

DId you get the Leptoceratops the same time you got the one you were nice enough to gift me? 

[Saarlooswolfhound]

I did get them around the same time, about a month between mine off ebay amf yours from a friend off STS. The PNSOs are a bit rough that way, the little guys seem to warp easily.