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Play Visions, Wing Mau (=XX), and Club Earth

Started by dinocat62, January 14, 2013, 04:37:15 AM

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brontodocus

I never thought there was such a variety among them - and so many of them are representing European species, too! :o 8)


bmathison1972

thanks to Lance (weaselfan93) I now have the Coccinella novemnotata figure. I now have 4 species of Coccinella that can be confirmed at the species level!

TheAnimalStudyGuy

Quote from: dinocat62 on January 30, 2013, 02:16:04 AM
Hooved mammals

Giant Muntjac male (Noah's Pals)
Red River Hog (KM)
Bongo
Caribou
Giant Muntjac female (Noah's Pals)
Quagga
Tapir
Forest Buffalo
Banded Duiker
Serow (Kaiyodo)
Aurochs
Sable Antelope
Sitatunga


Hi, dinocat62 and the others! I just found out that the PV and KM figures are manufactured by Wing Mau, a Hong Kong-based plastic figure factory. Here's their link:
http://wingmau.com.hk/

By the way, did you got the Forest Buffalo on eBay, or from other retail store?

Kind regards!

bmathison1972

#83
I was going to make this a Blogpost, but I think it's a bit overwhelming for the Blog (at least all at once), so I decided to make it a forum post.

Today we are looking at an overview of the entire set of Beetles made by Wing Mau. I wanted a concise review for all the figures in the set to serve as a single-point reference for collectors. Related taxa will be imaged together, with a short note on geographic distribution. For many years I had 13 of the figures, and in just the last couple weeks miraculously completed this Holy Grail set with help and guidance from STS forum member NMR_Okapi!

First of all, yes, these figures are made by Wing Mau. For years, myself and others on the forums mistakenly thought the manufacturer was called 'XX" because the Wing Mau logo of a 'W' on top of an 'M' gave the impression of consecutive X's. I am not sure when the set came out, but it was probably in the mid-late 1990s alongside sets by Play Visions, K&M International, and Club Earth. Each figure is marked on the underside with the Latin name of the species (so there is no doubt to the intended species) and the Wing Mau logo.

The first pic below is a Beetles poster that is known to every entomologist who studies beetles. Every coleopterist and insect museum in the country probably has this poster hanging on its walls. It has become a staple among beetle enthusiasts. I am certain that this poster was the inspiration for these figures, as all 24 species happen to be on this poster and they are all marked with the same Latin names. The poster has a copyright of 1992, printed in Italy. The poster, as shown below, today hangs on my bedroom wall above my computer. It was a gift from a grad student in 1995, when I was an undergrad at the University of Arizona. She gave it to me for watching over her live insect cultures when she was on a collecting trip that summer (sorry for the glare; the poster is laminated).



Now onto the figures. I have made an attempt to image related taxa together. Nearly every species here is unique in toy/figure form.

Family Carabidae (ground beetles), from left to right:
1. green tiger beetle, Cicindela campestris. Europe
2. fiery searcher, Calosoma scrutator. North America



Family Histeridae (clown beetles)
1. Hister quadrimaculatus. Europe



Family Lucanidae (stag beetles), from left ro right:
1. Darwin's beetle, Chiasognathus granti. Argentina, Chile
2. Mesotopus tarandus. Sub-Saharan Africa
3. rainbow stag beetle, Phalacrognathus muelleri. Australia, New Guinea



Family Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles), from left to right, top to bottom:
1. Aphodius fimetarius. Palearctic, introduced to North America, Australia
2. green June beetle, Cotinis nitida. Eastern North America.
3. Dicranorhina berbyana. Sub-Saharan Africa
4. Jumnos ruckeri. Thailand



Series Elateriformia, families Buprestidae (metallic wood-boring beetles), Lampyridae (fireflies), and Cantharidae (soldier beetles), from left to right:
1. Anthaxia nitidula. Europe
2. Photinus pyralis. Eastern North America
3. Podabrus tomentosus. Eastern North America


Family Coccinellidae (lady beetles), from left to right:
1. two-spotted lady beetle, Adalia bipunctata (typical form). Holarctic
2. two-spotted lady beetle, Adalia bipunctata (dark morph). Holarctic
Note: even though there are two color morphs of this species, they made original sculpts for each, and did not just paint the same sculpt two different colors!
3. nine-spotted lady beetle, Coccinella novemnotata. North America (being displaced by introduced C. septempunctata and Harmonia axyridis)



Superfamily Tenebrionoidea (darkling beetles, and allies), from left to right:
1. ironclad beetle, Zopherus nodulosus haldemanni (marked Zopherus haldemanni). Texas, northern Mexico.
2. cardinal beetle, Pyrochroa coccinea. Europe



Family Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles), from left to right:
1. green tortoise beetle, Cassida viridis. Europe, North Africa, introduced to Canada
2. dogbane beetle, Chrysochus auratus. North America
3. Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decimlineata. North America, introduced to Europe



Family Cerambycidae (long-horned beetles), from left to right:
1. musk beetle, Aromia moschata. Palearctic
2. Phosphorus virescens jansoni (marked Phosphorus jansoni). Africa
3. spotted longhorn, Rutpela maculata (marked Strangalia maculata). Europe


dinocat62

Quote from: MansoBoricua on April 29, 2020, 05:40:54 PM
Quote from: dinocat62 on January 30, 2013, 02:16:04 AM
Hooved mammals

Giant Muntjac male (Noah's Pals)
Red River Hog (KM)
Bongo
Caribou
Giant Muntjac female (Noah's Pals)
Quagga
Tapir
Forest Buffalo
Banded Duiker
Serow (Kaiyodo)
Aurochs
Sable Antelope
Sitatunga


Hi, dinocat62 and the others! I just found out that the PV and KM figures are manufactured by Wing Mau, a Hong Kong-based plastic figure factory. Here's their link:
http://wingmau.com.hk/

By the way, did you got the Forest Buffalo on eBay, or from other retail store?

Kind regards!

Retail a long time ago probably Toys R Us.

bmathison1972

#85
Today I am showing the complete set of Wing Mau snakes. Most, if not all, of these figures were also produced for Club Earth as part of their To Go series. There are 12 species in the set, all representing North American species. On thing that makes this set neat is that it is dominated by colubrids, which usually get ignored in toy form because most are are not venomous like the elapids and vipers nor gargantuan like the constrictors and pythons.

All species are marked with the 'XX' Wing Mau logo and the common name in English. They are roughly 13.0 cm long, not stretched out, on average. They are all also unique sculpts, meaning they did not take the same sculpt and paint it different colors to represent different species (even though there are similarities in poses).

Reptile enthusiasts like @Gwangi and @suspsy might enjoy this set  :)

1. desert patch-nosed snake, Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis.
Despite the detail in these small snakes, this figure is not sculpted with the characterstic nose patch.



2. western blind snake, Rena humilis.
This figure actually comes stretched out like all the others, but I contorted it myself to this pose.



3. yellow-bellied water snake, Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster.



4. eastern ribbon snake, Thamnophis sauritus sauritus.



5. Arizona coral snake, Micruroides euryxanthus.
This figure replaces the Play Visions version in my collection! I know, it is surprising to replace a PV figure, but the Wing Mau figure has a much better length-to-width ratio of the body! This is a species I saw in the wild back in Arizona.



6. California kingsnake, Lampropeltis californiae.
So, two things about this figure. First, it is stamped 'desert kingsnake', which typically refers to L. splendida. Secondly, this figure comes in two color forms. The other color form actually better resembles L. splendida, but the version I have here looks more like L. californiae. When these figures were first produced, L. spendida and L. californiae were subspecies of the common kingsnake, L. getula (and some authorities probably retain the old system). The face should have more yellow and the rings should go to the end of the tail.



7. northern pine snake, Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus.



8. eastern copperhead, Agkistron contortrix.
The figure is marked 'southern copperhead'. This figure would be much better if the head was the proper shape; it is a bit too elongate for this species.



9. blacktail rattlesnake, Crotalus molossus.
I normally don't alter figures, but this one I did slightly. The black base of the tail before the rattle was missing, so darkened it up a bit with a Sharpie marker ;-)



10. rubber boa, Charina bottae.
Like the western blind snake (above), I contorted this figure into this position. Looks better to me :).



11. western smooth green snake, Opheodrys vernalis blanchardi.



12. southern ring-necked snake, Diadophis punctatus punctatus.
I always liked ring-necked snakes! On this figure, the yellow ring is a little farther down the body than it should be, but still easily recognizable as this species.


Gwangi

Oh yes, I like those a lot. Thanks for sharing. I didn't even know they existed.

Birdsage

I would particularly like to obtain the following (non-Wing Mau) sets:
Parrots and Cockatoos
Fleas, Ticks, and Lice/Parasitic Arthropods
Arctic
Congo? (Unknown, includes forest buffalo, leopard, gorilla, etc.)

Also these Club Earth Sets:
Birds to Go (particularly the duck, osprey, and vulture)
Snakes to Go
Lizards to Go (specifically the collared and zebra-tailed lizards)
Frogs to Go
Ants, Termites, and Angel Insect
Arctic

And also the Wing Mau beetles.

The Wing Mau Beetles, Snakes, Lizards, and Frogs cannot be found on the Wing Mau site, but some PV items are, so I will try to obtain these rarer items from that site.



Sim

@bmathison1972, would you be able to bring back the photos in your post about the Wing Mau snakes?

bmathison1972

Quote from: Sim on June 08, 2025, 10:30:25 PM@bmathison1972, would you be able to bring back the photos in your post about the Wing Mau snakes?

Sure. I'll get to it when I can.

bmathison1972

Quote from: bmathison1972 on June 08, 2025, 10:42:08 PM
Quote from: Sim on June 08, 2025, 10:30:25 PM@bmathison1972, would you be able to bring back the photos in your post about the Wing Mau snakes?

Sure. I'll get to it when I can.

Sorry the images must be on my previous computer; I can't find them.

Sim

#91
Thanks for looking for them @bmathison1972!  I saw on Toy Animal Wiki that the snakes have more than one version to them.  One version seems to have slightly "cheaper" looking paintjobs, while the other has more "solid" colourations.  I had the latter when I was little although it didn't come with the rattlesnake.

Which version of the figures do you have, B.?  Also, which versions do you think are more accurate to the real animals?  I will list my thoughts below.

1. Western blind snake / Rena humilis
 
According to its Wikipedia page, this species is purple, pink or silvery brown.  The second version looks more accurate with that in mind, coming closer to "silvery brown" while the first version is orangish brown.  However I have seen a photo of this species where it has the colouration of the first version, so I think that version is more accurate.

2. Rubber boa / Charina bottae
 
According to its Wikipedia entry, the rubber boa is "typically tan to dark brown with a lighter ventral surface but sometimes olive-green, yellow, or orange."  The first version is orange and quite similar to some photos I've seen of this species.  However the second version matches some specimens' colouration as seen in photos...

3. Smooth green snake / Opheodrys vernalis
 
The first one looks more accurate to me as it isn't completely solid green.

4. Plain-bellied water snake / Nerodia erythrogaster

According to the photo above, the two versions represent different growth stages, which is supported by this species' Wikipedia page.

5. Ring-necked snake / Diadophis punctatus

There isn't an alternate version of this figure on Toy Animal Wiki, so maybe it didn't look different in the two sets of the snakes?

6. Western patch-nosed snake / Salvadora hexalepis
 
This time, the first version looks more accurate to me.  I've never seen this species look like the second figure.  The Wikipedia page for this species says "All subspecies are yellowish with blackish lateral stripes in various arrangements.", which supports the first version being more accurate.

7. Eastern ribbon snake / Thamnophis saurita
 
The first version has the yellow midline stripe of this species and lighter lower jaw too.  The second version lacks these which makes me think it is less accurate.

8. "Kingsnake" / Uncertain species

So, this one has a drastic difference in appearance between the two versions!  I'm also not sure if the two figures represent different species and what species they represent.  Toy Animal Wiki says the species of these figures is Lampropeltis getula/Eastern kingsnake.  But in your post, B., you note that at least two other species were considered conspecific with the aforementioned species, and this includes the desert kingsnake (Lampropeltis splendida) which is what this figure is labelled as.  So, this figure could represent one of these other species.  But I would like to know which species the grey and red version could represent?  I haven't seen any kingsnake that looks like it...

9. Pine snake / Pituophis melanoleucus

The orangish one looks more like the Mexican pine snake, Pituophis deppei, to me.  I'm not sure either colouration is very accurate, what do you think?

10. Arizona coral snake / Micruroides euryxanthus
 
I'm not sure which is more accurate, if any, but I have the Mojo version of this species, which I'm happy with.

11. Black-tailed rattlesnake / Crotalus molossus
 
The first one looks more accurate to me, based on the appearance of its markings.

12. Eastern copperhead / Agkistrodon contortrix
 
I adore the colouration of the second figure, but after extensive looking at photos of this species, I've come to the conclusion the colouration is most likely not accurate and that the first one has more accurate colouration.

Sim

I've done further looking into the kingsnake situation and I think the first version of the Wing Mau kingsnake has its colouration based on the gray-banded kingsnake (Lampropeltis alterna) or a similar species.  I don't know why this was done when the figure is labelled desert kingsnake.

bmathison1972

#93
Quote from: Sim on June 14, 2025, 09:43:17 PMI've done further looking into the kingsnake situation and I think the first version of the Wing Mau kingsnake has its colouration based on the gray-banded kingsnake (Lampropeltis alterna) or a similar species.  I don't know why this was done when the figure is labelled desert kingsnake.

You need to understand these were produced in the 1990s when the nomeclature was very different than it is now. I discussed this when mine came up in my daily Museum thread:

https://animaltoyforum.com/index.php?topic=2715.msg34881#msg34881

EDIT: I have also edited my post above with images for those that have come up in my daily Museum thread. I'll fill in the gaps as they come up.

Sim

Thanks for the link!  I had used the forum's search function in your thread for "wing" to see if any of the Wing Mau snakes had come up as I couldn't remember if they had, but due to the search function not working it brought up no results...  I see we came to the same conclusion regarding the grey version of the kingsnake.  I think the figure could indeed be based on the desert kingsnake, some of the patterns of the Wing Mau snakes don't appear to be exact matches for the species they are labelled as.

Where did you find your set of Wing Mau snakes?  I've recently found the alternate versions and I'm planning to have some repainted if I can't find the versions with the different colourations!

bmathison1972

I got them on eBay but I can't remember if I got a complete set or pieced them together over time.

Somw of the alternate color versions were released by Club Earth. Wing Mau made figures for Club Earth, Play Visions, and others. I have never seen a CE release of the snakes so I don't know if have the WM logo or not (the caterpillars and butterflies don't)


Sim

I'm wondering if the Wing Mau copperhead is actually based on a corn snake.  I've read that (despite physical differences between the two) the corn snake can be confused with the copperhead.  The Wing Mau figure's head shape, slender build and colourations look more like a corn snake's to me.  Who knows though?