Recent acquisitions

[OkapiBoy]

Nice additions everyone.
So where can you get that  CBIOV takin figure? It looks nice. I hope CollectA will release one

[Beetle guy]

Two weeks ago the first two batches of these Australian Frogs came in. A third batch was lost in the mail and eventually turned up by the sender that send them over again.

These are all Australian species made by Lindsay Muir for the Hollow Log Collection. The figurines are cast in resin from original clay models.

Unlike the Frogs from the Hollow Log Collection by Jane Elwell shown earlier here, these are less realistic but not bad at all! They are more "clayed" by a formular than sculpted to match the species I think. I have seen Lindsay Muir make a frog on Youtube and it is not capturing the species in detail but more a figurine that captures the general idea. So I am going to repaint these, since the paint job is kinda sloppy and even do some additional sculpting using the figurines as starting point.

But really nice to have species never made before, and they do look nice even for a fan of super realistic that I am.

Green tree frog (Litoria caerulea), Great barred frog (Myxophyes fasciolatus) and Crucifix frog (Notaden bennetii).


Ornate burrowing frog (Opisthodon ornatus), Spotted marsh frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis) and the Giant burrowing frog (Heleioporus australiacus)


Corroboree frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi), Red eyed tree frog (Lotoria Chloris), Stripped rocket frog (Litoria nasuta) and Spotted marsh frog (Limnodynastes peronii.


Close up Red eyed tree frog (Lotoria Chloris)


Giant burrowing frog (Heleioporus australiacus)


Stripped rocket frog (Litoria nasuta)


Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi)


So three more are on the way. Will post them later.
Some of these are for sale like the Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi), the Stripped rocket frog (Litoria nasuta) and the Red eyed tree frog (Lotoria Chloris). Send a PM when interrested.

[Isidro]

Hello,
Some days ago I received a photo of some animal figures from a friend. He told me that he bought them in certain toy shop, and looks like they had decent variety.
I was unaware of that toy shop so yesterday I went to investigate.

What I've found is... a treasure cove!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL THE DREAMED COLLECTAS EVER ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a million times better shop than any others that can be found in my city: small grocery stores with few variety, commercial centers with only Schleichs, etc.

I bought three figures. Only three because I want to reach the 99 figures in my collection, leaving the 100th space for something more special. If it was not by that, I would have emptied the shelves of the shop, hahaha.

These are the three figures selected:

1. The babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa). There are two babirusas in the current market, this one from CollectA and other from Safari. I find the CollectA one much better. And finally it's in my hands! It's so wonderful! Also my first figure of the pig family



It's certainly too big in scale.... as big as a tapir!!! But scales are something you can't be very obsessed with, as there are no other good babirusas at smaller sizes...


In a clearing of the forest of Sulawesi jungle, two mysterious creatures share with joy the fallen fruits of some exotic tree...


2. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). This time, the CollectA and the Safari counterparts are equally excellent. There is a third figure in the market for this species, the Schleich's, that I find just ugly, especially those horns.



These are all my deers now. All CollectA's, since this brand is the best one with hoofstock undoubtely.

[Isidro]

3. The Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus). Another species that I have a special fondness for.



Himalayan Encounters:
What are you? I never saw you before...
Oh, I'm a Chiru and that's because I prefair the steppes, my hooves are too sensitive for your rocky habitat!


A more dangerous encounter... an adult tahr is a really excellent meal for a hungry Snow Leopard!


Making friends with an Asiatic black bear. Both enjoy watching the landscape...


Hello takin! You're too big for being a goat...


The Tibetan sand fox have a mix of curiosity, anxiety and fear. Will this tahr be a friend or a threat? I hope that he is a friend...

[AcroSauroTaurus]

[Isidro]

I have the same tiger, I think it's one of the best tigers in the trade.

[Isidro]

After a long pause making homemade models instead buying figures, I returned to the same shop where I bought the previous three. This shop have CollectA only, but as CollectA is my favourite brand and many wishes are still on my list, I had plenty to choose! So here are all my newest CollectA's!

1. First was the wild water buffalo, Bubalus arnee. This majestic beast have imponent hornspan and this is well represented in this figure. It's a big figure, a bit bigger than many bison figures of modern brands.



Water buffalos honour their name and their favourite hobby is to lie in shallow water


Here in a "moose-mood", this buffalo pulled some water plants out with the horns for making these succulent delicatessen more accesible


Thirsty tiger is carefully watched by this buffalo with prudence, but not with fear. A buffalo is more vulnerable to tigers while in the water, but if he can reach firm land, he is very well equipped for self-defense...


By the other hand, a sloth bear is just a pacific visitor and the buffalo doesn't care about it.


Here a comparison of my two buffalos, the African and the Asian ones! (African buffalo by Mojo Fun)

[Isidro]

2. The barbary sheep or adouad, Ammotragus lervia. I'm in love with this figure! It's so superb and well done! Those horns are so beautifully arched! The tan fur and the long beard are very well done too. This is a true masterpiece




In some region of the Sahara desert periphery, a shy fennec watches his horned neighbour. Probably these two guys meet often at the Atlas foothills?


I know these two are not sympatric, but they're from Northern Africa deserts anyway, so... let's join to the animal party

[Isidro]

3. The common wombat, Vombatus ursinus. Another of the figures that has been in my wishlist for ages, and of course I didn't changed my mind after the announcement of the new Schleich release of a wombat with hooves instead claws





Behind, it shows us a little surprise.... I usually don't collect figures where more than one animal is visible (such as emperor penguins with a chick between the legs), but this one is quite unobtrusive and in fact adorable!


Until now my only marsupial was the Schleich's quokka. Maybe this is a common encounter.


And another easy encounter in the wildlands of Australia... (the echidna is by Southlands Replicas)

[Isidro]

4. The black-backed jackal, Canis mesomelas. Another lovely figure, with very accurate shape and a position of walking slowly.




Here with my other CollectA canids:


Male springbok is disgusted contemplating the potential threat of a jackal that can go after the newborn calfs of his herd. But usually, an intimidating position and short persecution is enough to get ride off the jackal.


Poor cheetah! If were not enough with being constantly menaced by lions, hyenas and leopards, she also must deal with robbers of her kills... But the cheetah is ready to kill the jackal if he don't run away shortly!

[Isidro]

5. The red river hog, Potamochoerus porcus. Well, I forgot taking a picture after repainting it (I did with my mobile, but my mobile don't have connection with my PC). But I think many of you are familiar with the appareance of the model as sold by CollectA, with all dark face. If not, here is an image from Google:


Honestly I'm proud of the repainting! It looks much more a red river hog now!




Thirsty river hog in the river!


The Congo Basin couple that I used so many times for my new Central African additions...


With my also recent babirusa bought in the same shop, these are all my suids!

[bmathison1972]

That 'Google' image of the red river hog is by forum member @Kikimalou

[Isidro]

6. The pygmy hippopotamus, Hexaprotodon liberiensis. A perfect figure again! It's my only hippo, but for the common hippo I've also chosen CollectA's one (that is in the same toy shop) and I will buy some day. A collector friend complains about this pygmy hippo being too big, but I find it as perfect-sized




And the usual Congo Basin couple is atonished for see new neighbours from his region coming and coming on almost daily base! Now the red river hog and the pygmy hippo join the homemade Picathartes, duiker and goliath beetle

[Isidro]

That 'Google' image of the red river hog is by forum member @Kikimalou

Well, I'm sure he don't mind that but if he needs that I can substitute the image by a link to it

7. And by last... The Tasmanian tiger, thylacine or, as I prefair from the usual common name in Spanish, the marsupial wolf
There are various thylacine models for choose, all of similar size and well done. I think CollectA's is the best one, tough the others are very good too. It's yawning in the typical fashion of this species, famous for his wide gape.




It's also a female nursing a pup like the wombat


Reading the menu of the restaurant! 


The famous evolutive convergence item... marsupial wolf and canids


And now in the natural history museum, these are my extinct animals for now! Thylacine, quagga (repainted from Mojo Fun), and as anticipation, a soon-to-be-painted easy to guess homemade

[Advicot]

Labrador Duck??? 

[Isidro]

Nope look at the triangular head and more slender bill

[Advicot]

Oh. Is it a Pink-headed duck??? 

[Isidro]

It will be Still didn't had time for start painting any of the figures hehe

[stargatedalek]

I haven't posted acquisitions in a long while, a lot of that probably because things have been appearing one by one for the past months so I didn't really have that push to get back into the habit.

This story actually starts with another toy. A few weeks ago I tried to order this* whopping 69cm Dilophosaurus. Sadly the factory apparently cancelled the entire run due to production quality concerns. The seller was incredibly helpful in figuring everything out and when everything was found out they were even kind enough to offer a discount. I decided to pick out a few toys of roughly equal total cost, and settled on these two terror birds of unknown origin and two bootlegs of the Safari Eastern Screech owl.

*
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Large-Dinosaur-Figure-T-Rex-Brachiosaurus-Stegosaurus-Soft-PVC-Collector-Kid-Toy/254398656742?hash=item3b3b5770e6:m:m_MW2yVmqlOv89iEl51z54A

A few weeks later and today I found a package, strangely labeled from Germany and not China. Not knowing anyone personally from Germany and certainly not expecting anything from there, I was honestly kind of scared to open it but was delighted and relieved to be greeted by a little owl face. Does anyone know if this is something that Ebay does? Something like the distribution centers they use in North America?




I'm quite a fan of the original owl, and have always thought about getting some extras to customize (perhaps into saw whet owls). But being recently retired it already fetches a relatively high sum so I've been putting off getting a few extras for a while now. There wasn't anything else in the price range that I really wanted from the seller so I decided I might as well see how these ones held up and I'm quite glad I did. I think they will fit the role well.




I don't know anything about where these terror birds come from other than that the factory that made them apparently has no plans to make more runs in the future. They have hard plastic legs and soft plastic for the rest of the body, which works surprisingly well and they are quite sturdy.

[bmathison1972]

These Chinese bootlegs are frustrating. On one hand they are bootlegs...on the other, they are often much better painted than the Safari originals!!! I have been to a couple aquariums in the last couple years here in the US, and you are seeing more and more of these Chinese bootlegs of the aquatic Incredible Creatures figures. I wonder sometimes if the aquariums know they are selling figures that could be potentially hurting US-based Safari LTD?!?