Toymany North American(?) Wildlife Set

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Here of course I could not resist a new wolf! But this set includes several other desirable species for many. Here is a walkaround of comparisons for each model with some compatriots by modern brands I felt were most similar/useful for contrast. Let's get into them!

The whole set (so far the largest in the "normal" scale for the brand and most expensive (outside of the smaller scale figures or some sets with accessories)


First off, my new prize possession. This raccoon can really only be described as... a bit ridiculous. To me it better represents a depiction of one as a pet (I have known someone who did have one...despite it being illegal in the state). Anyway, it rivals Papo's figure and makes Schleich's old one look like a toothpick!



I actually really like the mask on it though, and its feet are really well done (better than the schleich model here).








Alright, a bit of a mystery... A lynx? Or a bobcat? The color for a Canada lynx is wrong and proportions aren't great for one anyhow. Is this a European lynx perhaps? You will see part of my suspicion for this later. Either way, it is actually really a nice model and has great texture. Just not sure what species it was intended to be.




I LOVE its little *blep* tongue. It is only painted on, not scultped, but a nice unique difference anyhow.


The object of what I really wanted. I will admit, its not a fantastic wolf model. Its really close to being one however... I think it suffers mainly from a head being too small, hence why I chose the bullyland to compare it to as it has a similar condition. It has a great color scheme though! That is something many companies struggle with (looking at you bullyland...)








And here I tried to show that if only it had the Safari's skull proportions it would have been a fantastic figure!



Bison! This figure is rather small which surprised me, but otherwise it is great and speaks for itself I think.








I really like how this has the cape tapering further down the dorsal line than most figures.


The bears... probably the weakest points of the set for me. They are just too generic looking. They look more like teddy bears than actual bears. They aren't completely horrible, but not really up to my taste. THe only think I like about them is the chest patch as black bears and grizzlies can have these on some individuals.











Moose! This one has become a new fascination for me as it seems to present either a young bull without fully mature antlers or just an individual with a "rack" leaving some to be desired. Either way, I enjoy that aspect of diversity. The only feature I feel is truly wrong is the nose is not quite right (not square and broad enough).






And I like his open mouth. I feel it less to be grazing than making bellowing noises in a possible (albeit less confident) display.


Alright, the deer in the room now can be addressed. In my opinion, this is NOT an elk, but a red deer. There is nothing about this figure that speaks elk, even if you repainted it. I can't put my finger on it, but its just missing a certain something that would make it wapiti bull. *Also the reason I wonder if the smaller cat is a Eurasian lynx instead*






It has REALLY weird tine arrangement too. Most of the antler is fine, but at the end it has a rectangle arrangement. Can this occur in red deer? I know its not possible in elk, at least not in such a geometric fashion.




The bald eagle! Besides the beak, this is a wonderful figure. Reasons why to follow.


Because of the beak situation it sadly misses the proper regal profile of this species.






The feather texture is wonderfully done. This bird lacks some body girth. Perhaps its a juvenile?


Ok, lets talk about the feet. For one, check out those talons!


And for two, the stippling and texture on those feet is amazingly small but very much there to apreciate.




The gator! I was not expecting this to be a highlight for me, but it turned out much nicer than expected. It is rather small, but that's ok for me.










And the reason I admire it, again is for texture and detail. Look at all these denticles!






Steve Irwin once said that American alligators really just look like frogs... with teeth. With this gal, I can see what he meant.


Ok, now I saved my favorite 2 for last. First up is the mountain lion!




The personality and expression in this figure is amazing to me... they really nailed that feline snarl!


And just look at it next to the placid looking Papo,






And the pronghorn! It's got these lovely long stilts- I mean legs!


The face is a bit odd looking... again I think it has a small head.






And for anyone hoping it was a female... sorry guys, but this figure has all the parts that translate to male. (Some customization shouldn't be too hard though...)

Overall, I really like this set but realize that it will probably not be up to everyone's taste. For one, I thinkt the sculptor has a hard time with leg V torso V head proportions. I love that these all are fluffy and to me represent winter coats on all these animals very well (I have seen all of these in winter coats in the wild and they translated nicely). Let me know what you think of them, especially what you think of the deer and lynx!

[bmathison1972]

Not bad; the stand outs to me are the bobcat, eagle, gator, and raccoon!