Recent acquisitions

[stargatedalek]

I was wondering if it might have been that, I've only seen it in fish before, thanks.

As for that monarch, check your inbox.

Thanks sbell, I'll try reassembling it.

[stemturtle]

Slow loris, Nycticebus sp., Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.

Length is just over 1.5 inches or 4 cm. From a set of 5 fist pump figures.
Available now on eBay .

[bmathison1972]

Some buggies for Blaine!

First, the other version of Kaiyodo's cicada (Graphtopsaltria nigorfuscata, nymph). This one has (233b) darker eyes; the other (233a) has pale eyes (earlier in development). I did not have the intention of going after a figure that's merely an alternate version, but it was available relatively cheap.



next a stag beetle, Allotopus rosenbergi, by an unknown Japanese manufacturer. Not super detailed but a neat figure of a not-too-common species.



Three caterpillars I am really excited for. I was hesitant to order them as I feared they may be anthropomorphized (which they are not). They are not as detailed as Kaiyodo but nice and a good, solid PVC. I cannot tell from the papers who makes them, but clearly of the Japanese and gashapon-style. They are 'strap' figures, but the strap comes out easily via unscrewing. The species I have are:

1. Bombyx mori, pupa
2. Papilio xuthus, larva
3. Parantica sita, larva

Others in the set appear to be a larva and intermediate stage (early pupa?) of B. mori and two larvae of Papilio machaon (one with and one without extruded osmeterium). I need the rest of this set!



Lastly, the 'Bugs Museum' by Bandai (2000). A neat set. They are displayed like museum specimens, but the base and insect are separate, so you can display the insects without the base, and they come with a plastic cover (not shown in the images). The Japanese name, gender, and size are on a sticker you attach to the base. I will probably display them on the bases, but without the clear cover (cannot have them looking TOO much like specimens lol). The figures are smaller than I expected, being 20-25 mm on average length/wingspan. The species are:

1. Allomyrina dichotoma
2. Lucanus maculifemoratus
3. Dorcus hopei
4. Sasakia charonda
5. Papilio maackii
6. Papilio xuthus

Pretty sure the P. maackii is a 'unique' figure.

[bmathison1972]

More buggies for Blaine! This time some vintage insects off eBay (and no, they were NOT 10 cents on ebay lol). The figures are smaller than I thought; I have seen (or have) similar figures in 60-80 mm size range (see the sheep ked in the Arthropod Ectoparasites thread).
These are smaller, measuring 30-40 mm.

The paper card is marked 'DVS' which apparently is a vending machine company. These figures were made to be put in capsules (think, prehistoric gashapon figures LOL).

But what makes these fun is the species assortment. The ant and the stag beetle are bin-style standards. But then it gets exciting. There is a head/body louse and two sheep keds. A mayfly nymph. Two more beetles, one appears to be a rove beetle (Staphylinidae) and the other a pyrochroid or prionine cerambycid (elytral shape favors the former!). Two hemipterans which look like something akin to a chinch bug (Blissidae, Blissus sp.)!

[brontodocus]

Congrats, altogether! That slow loris is a cute figure.

But what makes these fun is the species assortment. The ant and the stag beetle are bin-style standards. But then it gets exciting. There is a head/body louse and two sheep keds. A mayfly nymph. Two more beetles, one appears to be a rove beetle (Staphylinidae) and the other a pyrochroid or prionine cerambycid (elytral shape favors the former!). Two hemipterans which look like something akin to a chinch bug (Blissidae, Blissus sp.)!

An interesting set, are those figures flat underneath, by the way? Superficially they remind me a little of what I've seen from the 1960s Mattel Thingmaker Creepy Crawlers (moulds and entire sets are still quite abundant on ebay) but these are different sculpts, of course. I'd favour Pyrochroidae over Prioninae, too, since the latter would usually have elytra tapering towards the tip. The antennae are a bit weird, they seem to be plumose instead of serrated or pectinate. And, yes, the hemipterans look like Blissidae to me, too. Quite a remarkable assemblage of obscure ones, here!

[stargatedalek]

I have that old Creepy Crawlers set! Or rather I had the old one but it was damaged so it got replaced by a Bugs Life tie-in 90's re-release but I use the original molds. I also have the "3D molds" version from just a few years back which honestly had potential but the idea of switching to disposable/reusable material was honestly a very bad one imo. The finished products do indeed look very similar to those (but I assume they are larger and of a stronger material as the Creepy Crawlers ones are somewhat fragile.). I don't think I have any sitting around anymore, but I'm off school now so I can probably cook a few up if anyone's interested in seeing some.

[bmathison1972]

Today I received 8 butterflies by Bullyland I found on Sandspielfiguren in Germany! They are designed to hang; I have removed the string but need to get pliers to remove the little rings .

I bought 8 species, and I do not know how many were made. Most are European species. The species are:
TOP ROW, left to right:
swallotail (presumed Papilio machaon)*
European peacock (Aglais io)
Eros blue (Polyommatus eros)*
MIDDLE ROW, left to right:
red admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)*
blue morpho (Morpho peleides)
BOTTOM ROW:
painted lady (Vanessa cardui)
small tortoishell (Aglais urticae)

Those with an asterist (*) are unique figures (Kaiyodo did a larva of P. machaon but not aware of any adults made). Of those that are not unique, they are still very rarely made (only M. peleides has been made 3+ times). They are pretty nice, although the N. antiopa color scheme is more off that I would have liked.

EDIT: I should mention the size of these is comparable to TM, Safari LTD Toobs and Cases, K&M Tubes, etc. so they fit right in with many other butterfly figures.

EDIT 10/24/16: corrected IDs. If you go to the Sandspielfiguren site you might find many of these figures mixed up.



The dealers also through in this Carabus figure. I have the green version of this figure, which I call Carabus auratus. Do any of you Europeans know which species would have blue elytra like this?

[stargatedalek]

Michaels had Safari toobs 50% off so I got the alligators alive toob. Gonna be frank, it's not the nicest toob but I think I will get a lot of use out of it.



This is actually my second toob snapping turtle, I bough the river toob version individually (unfortunately it was feeling elusive today) and they are painted differently.


Softshell is interesting




As expected the scaled down versions of the larger molds are among the best in the set.




These three are posed so similarly, I can't help but see these three as a series of improving sculpt quality.



Not as pleased with these ones. Why they didn't reuse that lovely river toob water moccasin instead of this more generic one I don't get.


These ones are very detailed, but the pose is easy to misinterpret.

[bmathison1972]

First, two more DeAgostini beetles, Goliathus orientalis (right) and Mecynorhina polyphemus (left). Because of the expense (and duplication of many species and genera already made) I probably wont actively pursue too many of the DeAgostini beetles, but I can't resist a couple cetoniines!



Secondly!! Three of PV ectoparasites!!! Special thanks to dinocat for these! Left to right: scabies mite (Sarcoptes scabiei), head louse (Pediculus humanus), and hard tick (Dermacentor species or maybe Amblyomma maculatum?). The hard tick is labeled 'deer tick' which usually implies genus Ixodes. However the presence of festoons and eyes immediately rules-out Ixodes. The soft tick in the series is also mis-labeled (as a chigger).

[sbell]

Received a whole pile of stuff to end 2015! ALmost everything came from Japan through Brett, except for the Paleo-Creature Pachycrocuta all the way from Spain via Jetoar!



It's very scattered but:

Favorite Megalodon & Archelon
Neko Works Greenland shark and Starry Smooth Hound shark (two of the latter)
Furuta Hypostomus
Kaiyodo ChocoQ Painted Frogfish with associated goby (any idea on the species, for those who have it?)
Kaiyodo Hokkaido Sakehaline tamien
Kaiyodo Deep sea Delafish (on Viperfish base--I seem to get a lot of those with different owners!)
Kaiyodo Paleozoic re-release Eusthenopteron, Bothriolepis, Pterygotus & opabinia
Kaiyodo Sendai Aquarium Wolffish
Nature Technicolor (Science Technicolor) Planarian on strap
22 Yujin Freshwater fishes, from Release I and II; with almost the right number of bases! Fortunately, almost all are doubles--but I did finally track down an elusive Carp figure, plus the gold Carassius auratus langsdorfii. So expect those walkarounds, plus a few comparison shots from various Series I & II that I can now pair up (loach, snakehead, flounder...I think that's them).
And...an empty Colorata Box (Marine Mammals). Because it was there, and I use them to stay organized...

And I still get to put everything together! Although I may leave some of the Yujins bagged in case other people might be looking--once I know what's there!

I also received the Jurassic World Blu-Ray box with T.rex and I.rex models (not pictured). Good models for a so-so movie.

[Jetoar]

Really and greatfully haul Sbell. I am really happy that your hyena has arrived safe  .

[brontodocus]

Congrats, altogether! Sigh, I still have to get me Hirokazu Tokugawa's latest Favorite models. Blaine, those two DeAgostini beetles seem to be among the best of the entire series. While I have the Goliathus orientalis, I've still been unable to find the Mecynorhina polyphemus. Oh, and since the light spots on the outer margins merge with each other it is apparently M. p. confluens (the most widespread subspecies which is also the one in culture).

[bmathison1972]

I've bought several things around the same time, so I thought I'd just batch and show all the pics at once when the figures all come in.

First a giant vinagaroon (Mastigoproctus giganteus). This was sold as a 'giant scorpion' as part of Primeval (TV series) action figures. The figure is made by Character Options Ltd. Normally I wouldn't collect such things, but this has to be the best representative of a vinagaroon (not a scorpion)!!! Would only be nicer if it was darker to black. [note, no AAA scorpions were hurt in the acquisition of this figure :-P ]



Secondly a dozen 'chinabug' style beetles by Imperial Toys from 1990. The set is called Bugs n' Jug and includes a pair of forceps, magnifying glass, and a mini field guide. Most of the beetles are somewhat generic so I won't burden you with all of them, but I did want to share these 5. Top row, from left to right are a wedge-shaped beetle (Ripiphoridae), click beetle (Elateridae), and tumbling flower beetle (Mordellidae). The bottom row, left to right, are a giraffe weevil (Attelabidae) and a straight-snout weevil (Brentidae). This is my FIRST ripiphorid and mordellid, and the other three families are relatively rarely made.
I might do a review of the entire set once I can get reliable names for the 12 beetles.



Also, the Butterfly Set and Death Valley Set from Schleich (2015). Nothing too exciting but since Schleich doesn't really make arthropods (not since the long gone mini line), these will have to do. The butterflies come with an agave-like plant; the insects themselves are generic but may be interpreted for a monarch and a pierid of sorts. The Death Valley set has a spider, scorpion, millipede, and a cow skull. Assuming by 'Death Valley' one would think they are meant to represent species of the southwestern US. As such the millipede is probably an Orthoporus sp., the spider might be a tarantula (possibly akin to Aphonopelma sp.), and the scorpion is anyone's guess. It looks like an emperor scorpion, but those do not occur in North America. The millipede is nicer than I thought and I actually like it more than the Safari Cave Dwellers figure.



The cream of the crop, three ectoparasites sold as 'Canine Skin Parasites' by GPI Anatomicals (2013). There is a mite, flea, and tick. Since the emphasis is on dog parasites, the mite is Sarcoptes scabiei (but a different subspecies that causes scabies in humans). The flea is the dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis. The tick...well the tick is a bit of a disappointment. Everything about the tick shouts 'Ixodes' BUT the figure has festoons which Ixodes do not!!! Even the anal groove is based on Ixodes! Ixodes spp. are usually not problematic on dogs, and a Dermacentor or Rhipicephalus sanguineus would have been better (maybe that is why it has festoons, applying Dermacentor or Rhipicephalus features to an Ixodes...). The sarcoptid mite is the real highlight for me.
The figures are large; the flea is comparable to the Safari LTD Smithsonian figure and the tick is comparable to the 3B Scientific model. They are independent figures but come with a base they can be displayed on (I will probably use my newfound clay skills to create my own base for the flea; the others are can be displayed as is).
The card at the back of the base has general info as you can see here, but the back side of the card has anatomical diagrams, but the life-sized representation of the organism and the figure's magnification. For those playing the home game, the magnifications are as follows: mite (330x), flea (50x), tick (32x)
I bought these through AnatomyWarehouse.com and they are on the expensive side. But well worth it for the serious or specialized collector.

[stemturtle]

Bmathison1972, congratulations on a great haul of treasures. Although I am partial to collecting species by scientific name, and appreciate your predicated identification of the millipede from the Death Valley set, we may have to concede that this figure is generic. Schleich used the same millipede for the African great watering hole playset. But I like it too.

[bmathison1972]

Bmathison1972, congratulations on a great haul of treasures. Although I am partial to collecting species by scientific name, and appreciate your predicated identification of the millipede from the Death Valley set, we may have to concede that this figure is generic. Schleich used the same millipede for the African great watering hole playset. But I like it too.

yeah it's generic but fun to guess the species. Honestly I like the Schleich millipede. I wish it was larger, like a typical CollectA insect size

[bmathison1972]

two more parcels (and the last for a while I think...)

First, a firefly as a food premium toy from Chick-Fil-A. Normally I wouldnt collect such things, but food premiums can often be rare and unusual collectors items. Not very realistic but the 'butt' does light up! The leaf is 95 mm between its widest points.



Next some goodies from Sandspielfiguren in Germany. Two AAA hermit crabs (love hermit crab figures) and an AAA green darner dragonfly. The dragonfly was sold as Bullyland (Sandspielfiguren makes a lot of errors in their marketing) but it turned out to be AAA. Also, a mini lobster by Bullyland.

[sbell]

Just got some fishy goodies from France! Mostly from a company called PRIOR:



Some of the real gems:

Electric catfish:


Hoplo cat (?):


Pike cichlid?


Archerfish


A cool little fish that I can't quite name yet...


A characin of some kind that, agian, is escaping me right now:


A neat skate:


And a...something. I honestly have no idea on this one--possibly a deep-sea fish of some kind. It's more of a solid plastic than the others, like a Marx figure.


And, as a surprise, a neat little plastic hyena (of a brand I have to determine):


Any IDs are welcome, since PRIOR doesn't use name markings. And I have spares of some, so they may need new homes!

[stargatedalek]

The colour isn't quite right, but I think the black fish might be Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog) based on the shape and patterns.

[sbell]

The colour isn't quite right, but I think the black fish might be Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog) based on the shape and patterns.

I kind of hope you are right--I don't think I am aware of any other killifish figures at all!

[sauroid]

takara TOMY arts buthid scorpion (i am just assuming it is a Buthid because of the shape of the tail). it is big, sized like a Pandinus or a Heterometrus.



btw sbell, the killie looks more like a Cynolebias, and the "characin" looks more like a Cyprinid.