Recent acquisitions

[Isidro]

6 centimeters in straight line from lower mandible tip to caudal fin lobe tips. It fits well with Schleich bowmouth guitarfish that I have and that it's in my opinion the best bowmouth guitarfish in the trade by any brand (despite the ugly eyes, that I've repainted).

[JimoAi]

@Isidro really enjoy ur indepth posts sand reasons

[EpicRaptorMan]

It fits well with Schleich bowmouth guitarfish that I have and that it's in my opinion the best bowmouth guitarfish in the trade by any brand (despite the ugly eyes, that I've repainted).

There's also the CollectA (88804) BowMouth Guitarfish available. It also looks good and nearly identical to Schleich's.

[Isidro]

Identical?? It's the double of the size! Plus badly proportioned, with a big head...

[sbell]

Identical?? It's the double of the size! Plus badly proportioned, with a big head...

But what's your opinion on the Colorata guitarfish? Or the Kaiyodo? Turns out, there's quite a few.

[Isidro]

I was unaware of Japanese brands bowmouth guitarfishes. Checked online now that you said. I dislike the Colorata "teenager". The Kaiyodo is much nicer, but still I favour Schleich one over the too glossy and probably too small Kaiyodo.

[Gecko08]

Yeah, I'm probably going to get the Schleich one too. Safari's is too much like a juvenile, and I don't collect juveniles.

My AAA Wolf Trap Anglerfish arrived! I'm so happy! 

[JimoAi]

My belated Xmas haul. Figures are by kaiyodo and furuta.
I plan to use the frogfish as the Giant frogfish due to the size of the figure

[bmathison1972]

very nice; I still need/want the orange frogfish

[Isidro]

Very nice additions. What size have the nudibranchs?

[EpicRaptorMan]

Mountain Nyala (CollectA)
Pere David's Deer (CollectA)
Marmot (Papo)
Mole (Papo)
River Otter (Papo)
Baby Harp Seal (Papo)
Edible Crab (Papo)
Snowy Owl (Papo)
Matschie's Tree Kangaroo (Safari Ltd)
Shoebill (CollectA)
Striped Hyena (CollectA)
Woodland Cairbou (CollectA)
Nautilus (CollectA)
Cardinal (Safari Ltd)
Arctic Hare (Safari Ltd)
Jackrabbit (Safari Ltd)
Two-toed Sloth (Safari Ltd)

[bmathison1972]

Mountain Nyala (CollectA)
Pere David's Deer (CollectA)
Marmot (Papo)
Mole (Papo)
River Otter (Papo)
Baby Harp Seal (Papo)
Edible Crab (Papo)
Snowy Owl (Papo)
Matschie's Tree Kangaroo (Safari Ltd)
Shoebill (CollectA)
Striped Hyena (CollectA)
Woodland Cairbou (CollectA)
Nautilus (CollectA)
Cardinal (Safari Ltd)
Arctic Hare (Safari Ltd)
Jackrabbit (Safari Ltd)
Two-toed Sloth (Safari Ltd)

Those are all great. I have all but three. My snowy owl is Schleich (although Papo and Safari both very good), my nautilus is Kaiyodo (CollectA is too big), and I don't have the baby seal (generally not into babies). But overall your choices are very nice!

[Isidro]

Nice list but we hope to be able to see photos of your haul!

I have the mountain nyala, the Pere David's deer, the striped hyena and the reindeer. All others are just too big, except maybe the Papo otter (I don't know its size) but anyway not a species enough exciting for me, and the baby seal, but I don't collect babies. For nautilus I have the Kaiyodo (still a bit big, but enough for me), and for snowy owl I hope to get my hands some day in the fabulous Kaiyodo masterpiece.

[EpicRaptorMan]

@bmathison1972 I thought about the Kaiyodo Nautilus, but I'm not much into stands. And I know you could remove the nautilus from said stand, but how would it not topple over?

I don't mind going bigger on this one.

@Isidro actually the mole and marmot are very reasonably sized I think and I'm pleased with those. It was something I worried about too, but the otter is smaller than I expected. Too small.

I don't go out of my way to collect juveniles, with only a few occasions. And here I already had the adult Harp Seal and I had some crappy no-name baby seal just sitting on the dresser with all the others. So when I saw the Papo one I decided I might as well get a decent representation.

[Isidro]

but how would it not topple over?

I display mine without the rod. Putting it carefully in a flat surface usually results in good standing, even if the figure is not very stable, but it will not topple over if it's let undisturbed.

[Isidro]

My newest haul, gift for Epiphany

1. Safari LTD Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). I has been hesitating between this model and the Schleich one for the Indian rhino. Safari looked like much more appealing for me in images so I went finally for it. Tough I have to say that the real figure looks less impressive than the photos that leaded me to chose it. A more matt finish would have favoured this figure, and the wrinkles and details are not as fine as in, say, the latest CollectA white rhino. However is still a splendid figure and the last rhino I needed for my collection. So a warm welcome for it




Here compared with rhinos of other brands and other continent (CollectA's white, Papo's black). This guy is as massive as the CollectA white. The Schleich one would have had the advantage of being slightly smaller, so it would fit better with my African rhinos.


It fits much more nicely with rhinos of same brand and same continent: the absolutely must-have Safari Sumatran rhinoceros.


And for last comparison pic, with other Indian megafauna.

[Isidro]

2. CollectA's Sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) male. This one was not originally into the list that I gave to the Three Kings, I linked the Safari one instead, that I favour in terms on paintjob. But the online shop where these figures were bought, Alcaceira.com had run off of the Safari sable antelope (that, don't forget, it's a retired figure) despite still having it announced as available), and replaced it by the CollectA one. They warned the Three Kings about this change, but of course they don't warned me as the figure should be a surprise. Well, actually is not a change that I mind very much. The three big brand sable antelopes (CollectA, Safari and Mojo) are all quite good, and while probably the CollectA is the less nice of the three is still a very good figure.



It only needed to be a bit retouched for making it better:



I will not pot comparison pics because both Antelopes (and especially CollectA's antelopes) and African Savannah animals, are categories with too many possible figures to put them all in a single shot



3. Safari LTD's Atlantic White-sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus). One of the best figures for 2020. This figure is trully magnific. The finish is especially good, this figure have not the glossy finish that make other figures shine too much, but looks like actually more silky/satin. It's very well painted and comparing the pattern with online images of the species I see that it don't need to be repainted.



The most obvious comparison pal is the CollectA's Pacific white-sided dolphin. The Safari's atlantic have the same size than the CollectA's pacific and they fit very good together. Tough the dorsal fin and the fluke of Safari's are noticeable smaller in proportion than CollectA's and I think more realistic. (And yes, for those of you that are wondering - I repainted slightly the CollectA's dolphin).

[Isidro]

4. The mighty Papo's Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo). Many of you acquired this figure new for 2020, so it don't need much a presentation.



The promo image don't show the trademarks sculpted under the wings, but it have and they're apparent, if that's something to consider for your purchase:



The figure is absolutely stunning, but what I love more is the backside. The perfect hue of greenish-golden colour have been added to the wing feathers, and the small feathers of shoulders and scapulars are something for admire so much, what an intrincate tiny work!



Here the cormorant in good company of other waterbirds:





5. And finally I left for the end my most favourite figure of the batch and the one that filled me most with joy: the unbeatable Safari LTD's Double-wattled Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius). This figure was in my wishlist since ever and now finally is in my hands. I prefaired it very much over the CollectA one due to lack of base, better leg appareance, better paintjob in head-neck and a better helmet (that is inclined aside, as often happens in the real bird). The eyes and the facial expression is just like the one of a real cassowary, a thing that the CollectA figurine don't reach. I don't mean that CollectA's cassowary is bad, in fact is quite good and the second better of the cassowaries available in the trade, but the Safari one is just one step further up



The New Guinea team...


and here the Aussie Bird Club.


With these new acquisitions my shelves got soooooo overcrowded that I'm thinking seriously in resume my collection. I literally have no space left. However you know what this hobby means: when you get completely depleted of space, you still need to buy more figures 

[EpicRaptorMan]

The trademark under the cormorant wing is a bit annoying, but not nearly as much so as the trademark on the back of CollectA's Rockhopper Penguin :0

[bmathison1972]

Some random eBay finds to close-out 2021:

1. slender seahorse (Hippocampus reidi) by Schleich
2. Safari Ltd. American green tree frog (Dryophytes cinereus) - replaces my K&M figure
3. Safari Ltd. barking tree frog (D. gratiosus)
4. Blip Toys European green toad (Bufotes viridis)
5. Blip Toys hourglass tree frog (Dendropsophus ebraccatus)
6. Safari Ltd. white-lipped snail (Cepaea hortensis)
7. Starlux brachiopod (Paraspirifer sp.)

Note: the snail and frogs are from a lot on eBay; they are a bit big for my tastes, but they are such nice examples of interesting taxa, I'll retain them for now.



Next, some miscellaneous Japanese figures:
1. crystal jelly (Aequorea victoria) by Ikimon
2. a pair of Japanese carpenter ants (Camponotus japonicus) by Epoch - this completes a set for me!
3. three crabs from Yell's 2021 'Cable Chokinso Crabs' collection: bowed fiddler crab (Tubuca arcutata), floral egg crab (Atergatis floridus), and Japanese freshwater crab (Geothelphusa dehanni); the ID on the fiddler crab is my own, as it seems to be the go-to species by Japanese manufacturers as of late.
4. 2021 Kitan Club dung beetle (essentially a wind-up toy) - my next Blog review!