Recent acquisitions

[PortJackson]

CollectA Basking Shark has landed! and.... She's perfect 

and a satisfying line up of filter feeders...

[JimoAi]

CollectA Basking Shark has landed! and.... She's perfect 

and a satisfying line up of filter feeders...

Could I see more photos please?

[callmejoe3]

CollectA Basking Shark has landed! and.... She's perfect 

and a satisfying line up of filter feeders...

I ordered mine from Minizoo a while ago. Can't wait to get it.

[bmathison1972]

Mine should be here soon too!

[bmathison1972]

Got 8 figures from Japan today (via Canada).

First, the complete Bandai set, 'Kani', featuring four species of crab:
1) giant mud crab (Scylla serrata)
2) floral egg crab (Atergatis floridus)
3) spectacled box crab (Calappa philargius)
4) red-streaked box crab (C. lophos).

@stargatedalek - you are right, the C. lophos is a modification of the Dango Mushi figure, but the sculpt is a little more refined and the paint is better (e.g. detail in the eyes). The carapace for the C. philargius is not the same as C. lophos; they created a separate sculpt for the former! Also, the C. philargius is new in toy/figure form.



I also got four of the Kitan Club Fukkura FukuFuku Kingfisher figures:
1. white-throated kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis
2. collared kingfisher, Todiramphus chloris
3. Javan kingfisher, Halcyon cyanoventris
4. blue-breasted kingfisher, Halcyon malimbica

To my knowledge they are all new/unique species in toy form. They are a bit stylized, but luckily kingfishers have a look that allows for some stylization without coming across as too 'cartoony'.

[bmathison1972]

Today, the first wave of CollectA 2021 came in (or, the ones I want in the first wave): basking shark, Mongolian horse, lobster. The lobster is a given of course. The basking shark replaces the Safari one, which is very very rare for me to replace a Safari shark. The new CollectA one is an improvement and a better size next to my other sharks. The horse is probably the biggest surprise. I am not interested in horse breeds, but the Mongolian is an ancient breed, virtually unchanged for centuries and today still primarily used by nomadic and tribal societies in Central Asia.

[OkapiBoy]

Nice new additions.
I don't have time to take pics yet, but I did get the Safari maned wolf and 🤔 not impressed at all, it's not very good.
The CollectA version in my opinion is so much more beautiful despite being smaller.

[bmathison1972]

Nice new additions.
I don't have time to take pics yet, but I did get the Safari maned wolf and 🤔 not impressed at all, it's not very good.
The CollectA version in my opinion is so much more beautiful despite being smaller.

Yes I am keeping my CollectA one. I didn't even try to get the Safari one.

[bmathison1972]

Got in the three Safari 2021 figures I wanted: Daspletosaurus, Baryonyx, and the black leopard. Bought them from @sphyrna18

Baryonyx has always been a favorite dinosaur, so when I added them to my Synoptic Collection I was hoping Safari would release a new one! The black panther will serve as the Indian subspecies, Panthera pardus fusca, since I have CollectA figures specifically marketed as Amur and African varieties and the black morphotypes are more common in Indian and Southeast Asian populations. (besides, the type specimen of the Indian leopard is black, hence the epithet, fusca!).

While I was add it, I also ordered the Malawisaurus and Parasaurolophus. The Parasaurolophus is much nice in-hand; publicity shots make it look too smooth and too bright of yellow. The microsculpture on the figure is great.

[JimoAi]

Am getting these. Not sure if they are fully knockoffs as they are enlargement of the sculpt for the eagle ray and goblin shark but shrinking for the grouper     

[bmathison1972]

The eagle ray and grouper are Safari Ltd knock-offs; the goblin shark might be a Colorata knockoff

[JimoAi]

The eagle ray and grouper are Safari Ltd knock-offs; the goblin shark might be a Colorata knockoff

Not too sure if shrinking or enlarging the sculpt is Totally bootleg as supposed to just recasting the sculpt. The eagle ray is based on the kaiyodo one

[bmathison1972]

A few new things.

First the new 2021 fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. in the latest line of their 'Encyclopedia of Dangerous Organisms' collection. A nice attempt, but if you know your ant anatomy, you can tell by looking at the petiole that it is not an accurate likeness of S. invicta ;-)



Next another set of Takara's Beetles of the World Collection. For years I had one set but I recently discovered it was one of 6 sets! Today I got most of the fourth set! The figures in this set are small, and somewhat stylized, scarabeoid beetles. They come permanently affixed in little clear boxes, with the Latin name and gender on the lower side. They come in male/female pairs. This set includes: 1) Hexarthrius parryi, 2) Dorcus alcides (with major and minor males to go with the female), 3) Prosopocoilus javanus (new/unique species in toy form?), and 4) Odontolabis stevensi. None of these species are commonly made at all.

I guess I need the other sets now...Darn, lol...



Lastly, some random figures representing neat and unusual species: 1) Bandai Galapagos penguin, 2) Cadbury Yowie biscuit star, and 3) Kaiyodo red-flanked bluetail (pair):

[stargatedalek]

Those Dango Mushi (adjacent) crabs are awesome! Happy to see they live up to the hype.

[bmathison1972]

So, these are not new acquisitions, but rather 're-acquisitions'. When I was in Arizona the last couple days, I spent a night at my old roommate's place where all of my pre-2007 figures were stored (before I started specializing in arthropods). Most I have re-acquired or got better versions of, but I did bring home these as I don't have these taxa yet:
-Bullyland Anchitherium
-Bullyland Chalicotherium
-Play Visions Major Mitchell cockatoo
-Schleich Glyptodon
-Schleich beech marten
-Schleich European bison
-Bullyland edible snail [not a new species, but I can have two representatives of cool terrestrial mollusks ]

[Advicot]

Oh my, you had some great figures there, the Schleich marten and wisent are on my wishlist, however the chalicotherium is charming in his own way 

[Isidro]

Very nice, especially the cockatoo and bison. From this angle the Chalicotherium looks a blond sitting female moose

[Isidro]

A new batch obtained thanks to a trade!

1. Big-eyed thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus), Safari LTD Monterey Bay Aquarium. This is an old and long-time retired figure, substituted by the brand for a pelagic thresher shark in current production. I don't have any thresher shark and I find it a nice opportunity. However the figure once received was not as magnific as spected. The paintjob is very bright, glossy. Seams are more noticeable than I think. The mouth have no teeth, and it's white inside. And the gills are not sharply defined. But overall is a good figure. I think that I must repaint it.



Here with other Safari sharks:


2. Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus), Schleich. Also an old and retired figure. This one is very special because it's the first time in the history of my collection that I substitute a figure. It replace my CollectA mountain goat, that I never liked. This disturb my chronological order or species acquired but that is not so important. The important thing is that Schleich represent the species infinitely better than CollectA. Especially the body shape. The CollectA goat is just a croquette with legs. The tall, humped, laterally compressed body of the goat is clearly well done in the Schleich model. The other improvement is the fur. CollectA goat is absolutely woolly with curly hair. While Schleich have straight hair as it happen in real mountain goats. However it's not perfect, Schleich goat have the fur not very sharply detailed, the mouth and nostrils also not sharp (however better shaped than in CollectA), and the horns blunter than the CollectA one. Also Schleich have thicker legs. I wonder if I should cut the horns and made thinner ones instead, then it would look more realistic. Or is that a sacrilege in an old retired figure?

[Isidro]

3. Wolverine, Gulo gulo, by Schleich. Just perfect in all senses.




All my mustelids for now:


I think Mr. Wolverine that you're crazy if you think you can fight against a healthy big male reindeer like me...


4. The spotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari, from Safari LTD. Obviously this one was bought just for repaint it, that I will do in next days.



All my rays:

[Isidro]

And the two better for the end:

5. Monkfish, probably Lophius litulon, by Eikoh. A new brand for my collection. This figure is perfect. It catches well the shape of the pectoral fins of an alive monkfish (very different from the folded fins of a dead monkfish as we see them in fisheries). The upperside is glossy (as in a dead monkfish, I think that a more matt paintjob would represent better an alive monkfish). The lure is sculpted and folded against the head (I didn't noticed before that the lure is represented in the figure)



Monkfishes live in deep water but not "very" deep water. So it can match perfectly with other bathial fishes like these, even if monkfish is benthic and the others pelagic:


And the best of all: the matamata turtle, Chelus fimbriatus, part of a turtle set by Yujin/Takara Tomy. It's absolutely amazing!!!! The sculpt is totally perfect both in carapace and head!



All my turtles:


Finally my only amazonian fully aquatic critter is not alone anymore:


By the way, should I list it under Yujin or Takara Tomy? Yujin would be new brand for me while for Takara I already have a crested ibis...