The Greatest Beetle Legend (Maruka)

[bmathison1972]

Review of the complete set of The Greatest Beetle Legend by Maruka. I was completely unfamiliar with this brand when I stumbled upon this set on the Japanese Yahoo! auctions. At a glance in the packaging, the figures appeared to be knock-offs of small Sega or Kabaya figures, but in fact they all appear to be original sculpts (well, original compared to anything else I have). They all have a round, flat surface on the bottom which suggests they may have been copied from something with magnets? If they are copies or knock-offs, I am not sure of what.

There are eight figures, each representing major males of large flashy scarabaeoid beetles (as the name of the set suggests). None of these species are uncommonly made, and they represent fairly standard fare. The Lucanus cervus is uncommon among Japanese manufacturers, so that was a pleasant surprise (even though it is commonly made outside of Japan). The figures are the same size as small Sega beetles or most gashapon-style figures. They solid-piece PVC and have detailed texture. Some are more accurate than others...

The figures came in a blister pack. On the back, the figures are identified to the species level., along with their Japanese names and some other stats in Japanese.

I am going to forgo my usual breakdown of each species, and all the companies that made each of these species, since all of these species are commonly made in toy/figure form and have been previously covered in other reviews of mine. So, on to the pics (in numerical order on the packaging):

001. Dynastes hercules.



002. Lucanus cervus.



003. Chalcosoma moellenkampi.



004. Prosopocoilus giraffa keisukei.



005. Prosopocoilus inclinatus.



006. Allomyrina dichotoma. [marketed as Trypoxylus dichotomus]



007. Chalcosoma caucasus.



008. Megasoma elephus.