Anybody got a favorite animal figure?

[Birdsage]

Personally, I don't have one particular favorite, but five of my favorites include:
Maia and Borges Falcated Duck (This species of duck is not well known in the Western world. It is quite impressive that this Portuguese company made this species for us. It's quite an accurate figure, something which can't be said for the loons and grebe from the same series.)
Happy Kin Toys Arctic Terns (Charadriiformes are surprisingly overlooked as figures, despite being the third largest order of birds ahead of the Passeriformes and the expanded Caprimulgiformes. Most of the figures for this order are generic "seagulls" and Atlantic Puffins, and there are no known sandpipers and only one plover. The Arctic Tern is at least somewhat well known, so you would expect there to be more, but this is the only figure. It depicts a pair of Arctic Terns on ice.)
Tree House Kids Bighorn Sheep (I am quite lucky to have in my collection what I consider the best figure of this species. And when I say "best" I mean better than all other figures by a mile. All others are of too big or too small except for the Safari one, and that one has red eyes and an odd rufous coloration)
Yowie Blue-winged Goose (This species is both very obscure and quite threatened. We are fortunate to have an accurate figure of this fairly unknown species. Knowing that a figure such as this could help raise awareness for conservation, it's a real shame that Yowie series get discontinued after several years.) CollectA Saola (The king of unknown and unstudied animals. It has only been seen a few times, as mentioned above by another user. This species definitely deserved to be made into a figure.)

[Vaquita]

I have too many favorite figures for my own good, but if I were to pick one, I'd say the Zoorasia Golden Snub Nosed Monkey figure. It's hard to articulate why, but it really resonates with me. Plus, I like primates and snub-nosed monkeys are among my favorites. Second place would go to the Safari Ltd. Deinonychus, simply for being a spectacular figure.

[EpicRaptorMan]

CollectA Saola (The king of unknown and unstudied animals. It has only been seen a few times, as mentioned above by another user. This species definitely deserved to be made into a figure.)

Agreed. When I saw CollectA offered the Saola I just had to grab it.

However, I was disappointed to find that the horns had bent together at the tip...maybe due to the packaging? I've seen some of individual Saola figurines with this same defect.
I tried to straighten the horns out myself but to no prevail.

[SAgirl2004]

My favorite animal figure is definitely Mojö Fun's giant anteater from 2023. I love how anatomically accurate and beautiful he is, as well as how much attention-to-detail is included. I am the proud owner of him, and he is easily one of my most prized possessions.

[JimoAi]

the Safari ltd 2016 great white. would be the Schleich 2018nif not for the crappy material

[SAgirl2004]

As my username implies, I collect South American animal models, with an emphasis on Brazil since that country has the coolest wildlife in my opinion. My two favorite animal models are my giant anteater from CollectA, who I named "Brasília," and my capybara from CollectA, who I named "Coco." I love them for the fact that they are my two favorite animals and how anatomically and color correct they are. I also bring them everywhere with me. In addition, Brasília was my holy grail ever since CollectA announced her for 2024. Anybody else have favorites from their collection they would like to share?

[Isidro]

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[JimoAi]

Papo whale shark. idt it will change for the time

[EpicRaptorMan]

the Safari ltd 2016 great white. would be the Schleich 2018nif not for the crappy material

Interesting. I went with Papo for my Great white.

[Sim]

I hate the Papo great white shark.  It has an artificial expression that successfully annoys me whenever I see it.  I have two great white sharks, the Schleich 2013 and Toymany 8-piece shark set versions.  They are my favourite great white shark figures as I feel they look like one.

[EpicRaptorMan]

@Sim well here you go:

I think it looks really good aside from the discolored lower jaw.

[bmathison1972]

@Sim well here you go:

I think it looks really good aside from the discolored lower jaw.

the image isn't showing but rather displayed as an attachement.

[EpicRaptorMan]

@Sim well here you go:

I think it looks really good aside from the discolored lower jaw.

the image isn't showing but rather displayed as an attachement.

Keeps happening when I try posting photos on this website.
Lost cause at this point i suppose. 

[Gwangi]

Aside from the weird jaw the Papo white shark also appears too short bodied, just compare this picture (from JimoAi) with the identification illustration below and make note of the dorsal fin placement in relation to the pectoral fins.





As far as white sharks go I have Schleich's 2013 figure. I like it a lot but wish it was larger. I also have the MBA white shark, partly for nostalgia and partly because of its larger size.

[sbell]

Aside from the weird jaw the Papo white shark also appears too short bodied, just compare this picture (from JimoAi) with the identification illustration below and make note of the dorsal fin placement in relation to the pectoral fins.





As far as white sharks go I have Schleich's 2013 figure. I like it a lot but wish it was larger. I also have the MBA white shark, partly for nostalgia and partly because of its larger size.

I still have my MBA white shark! From 1993!

It hung in my high school locker. Alongside a first release Carnegie Mosasaurus and Elasmosaurus. Have them too

[JimoAi]

the pelvic fins are ridiculously tiny and they messed up the claspers. I'm still sticking with her Schleich one despite complaining about the material

[Gwangi]

I still have my MBA white shark! From 1993!

It hung in my high school locker. Alongside a first release Carnegie Mosasaurus and Elasmosaurus. Have them too

I had one in my youth as well but donated it long ago, when I was a foolish teenager. I found my current copy in an antique store for $5. Couldn't say how old it is though, I wouldn't know the difference between the production runs. Same story for the Elasmosaurus.

[sbell]

I still have my MBA white shark! From 1993!

It hung in my high school locker. Alongside a first release Carnegie Mosasaurus and Elasmosaurus. Have them too

I had one in my youth as well but donated it long ago, when I was a foolish teenager. I found my current copy in an antique store for $5. Couldn't say how old it is though, I wouldn't know the difference between the production runs. Same story for the Elasmosaurus.

Elasmosaurus is easy to tell. If it's blue, it's a late version.

If the neck is high and upright, it's original.

I mostly know mine are original releases because they both came out in 1991, and I had mine in 1993 (maybe 1992... that's when I started the last year of high school)!

[JimoAi]

@Gwangi @sbell to sum up the problems with the Papo white shark

jaw seam

lower jaw does not match the main body

Too short

notch too pronounced on first dorsal fin + dorsal fin is too forward

pectoral fins is too wide with 1 being larger than the other

caudal fin is too small

Pelvic fins are way too tiny. Claspers are too small + the should be connected to the pelvic fins

Even though this was my first great white shark that looks like one, I cannot defend this model in that it's not a very good great white shark figure. The best white sharks are the 2016 Safari LTD, 2013 Schleich which the smaller size isn't too off-putting as it's a male specimen, the 2018 Schleich one which I've gone past the plastic issue and it's the best one anatomically

[Gwangi]

I still have my MBA white shark! From 1993!

It hung in my high school locker. Alongside a first release Carnegie Mosasaurus and Elasmosaurus. Have them too

I had one in my youth as well but donated it long ago, when I was a foolish teenager. I found my current copy in an antique store for $5. Couldn't say how old it is though, I wouldn't know the difference between the production runs. Same story for the Elasmosaurus.

Elasmosaurus is easy to tell. If it's blue, it's a late version.

If the neck is high and upright, it's original.

I mostly know mine are original releases because they both came out in 1991, and I had mine in 1993 (maybe 1992... that's when I started the last year of high school)!

There are a couple different brown Elasmosaurus though and I cannot remember which is older.


Thanks for the rundown @JimoAi, I could tell it had a lot of issues but since I don't have it in-hand I didn't feel like scrutinizing it further.