Recent acquisitions

[brontodocus]

Congrats, sauroid and Blaine! The Kaiyodo Red Data Animals Bowhead Whale is a wonderful figure. And the NBGI ray is something I should look out for. Good to see that Blaine's international parcel was quite fast. I have the mosquito, too, somewhere. And I guess the ant is indeed made by Bullyland: http://www.sandspielfiguren.de/index.php?main_page=product_sandspielfigur_info&products_id=168 - probably one of the Bullyland minis?

[sauroid]

thanks bmathison and brontodocus...
a few more
Re-Ment polar regions/sea animals

[bmathison1972]

Congrats, sauroid and Blaine! The Kaiyodo Red Data Animals Bowhead Whale is a wonderful figure. And the NBGI ray is something I should look out for. Good to see that Blaine's international parcel was quite fast. I have the mosquito, too, somewhere. And I guess the ant is indeed made by Bullyland: http://www.sandspielfiguren.de/index.php?main_page=product_sandspielfigur_info&products_id=168 - probably one of the Bullyland minis?

Last night I found a ladybug and rhinoceros beetle from Bullyland and the TGF toys website and ordered them. Not sure where all these Bullyland insects are coming from. Are they older figures I was unaware of, or did they release several in recent years? I'll post pics when the ladybug and rhino beetle arrive.

Interestingly several of these (incl their grasshopper, stag beetle, ant, and maybe rhino beetle) are VERY similar to a set I bought in a dollar store about 8-9 years ago. The question is...who is copying who? 

[sbell]

congrats on your new figures everyone.

mine
my second NBGI skate/ray

Do you seriously have two of this particular one? Because I'm sure I can find something to trade you for it! I was lucky enough to chase down the Skate figure; it's on its way soon.

[brontodocus]

Last night I found a ladybug and rhinoceros beetle from Bullyland and the TGF toys website and ordered them. Not sure where all these Bullyland insects are coming from. Are they older figures I was unaware of, or did they release several in recent years? I'll post pics when the ladybug and rhino beetle arrive.

Interestingly several of these (incl their grasshopper, stag beetle, ant, and maybe rhino beetle) are VERY similar to a set I bought in a dollar store about 8-9 years ago. The question is...who is copying who? 

As far as I know those Bullyland figures are all older, retired ones. The rhino beetle (which looks more like a Phanaeus or similar horned Coprinae to me) was quite abundant in toy shops in Germany about 15 to 10 years ago, if I remember correctly. At that time they were also offering AAA sculpts like e.g. the Big-headed Turtle (which was stamped "snapping turtle") so this makes the question who copied whom even more difficult.

Edit: Oh, I've just seen Re-Ment cuteness overload! Congrats again, sauroid!

[bmathison1972]

Last night I found a ladybug and rhinoceros beetle from Bullyland and the TGF toys website and ordered them. Not sure where all these Bullyland insects are coming from. Are they older figures I was unaware of, or did they release several in recent years? I'll post pics when the ladybug and rhino beetle arrive.

Interestingly several of these (incl their grasshopper, stag beetle, ant, and maybe rhino beetle) are VERY similar to a set I bought in a dollar store about 8-9 years ago. The question is...who is copying who? 

As far as I know those Bullyland figures are all older, retired ones. The rhino beetle (which looks more like a Phanaeus or similar horned Coprinae to me) was quite abundant in toy shops in Germany about 15 to 10 years ago, if I remember correctly. At that time they were also offering AAA sculpts like e.g. the Big-headed Turtle (which was stamped "snapping turtle") so this makes the question who copied whom even more difficult.

thanks for the explanation; I am sure the 'chinabugs' were copied from Bullyland. I'll post the pics when I get them.
BTW I also felt, from the pic online, the rhino beetle looked more like a coprine scarab!

[brontodocus]

thanks for the explanation; I am sure the 'chinabugs' were copied from Bullyland. I'll post the pics when I get them.
BTW I also felt, from the pic online, the rhino beetle looked more like a coprine scarab!

LOL, I just realised today that I actually have the Bullyland "rhinoceros beetle" - it was part of a larger lot of used figures but it's missing a leg so I never photographed it and subsequently forgot about it...

Meanwhile I got some new stuff...


K&M Wild Republic insects, the huge ones. BTW: While the left one in the bottom row has colours that match the weevil Eupholus dhuyi or a similar species, the sculpt itself looks more like a ground beetle. I already thought about transforming this one to Carabus (Procerus) gigas or something like that.


(Female) Edible Frog, Pelophylax kl. esculentus by 3B Scientific.


Safari Ltd Vanishing Wild Collection Baby Mountain Gorilla and Baby African Elephant.

And on Wednesday I went to Ikea and found something new - they now have display cubes ("Synas") made of quite thick polycarbonate and with LED lighting. I don't know exactly how I will use them but I had to take two of them home. They are approx. 24*24*24 cm. Here are two photos to give an impression of size (Kaiyodo Dinotales Series 1 Tyrannosaurus versions and Safari Ltd Wildlife Wonders Asian Elephant with Papo Tiger):

[bmathison1972]

Meanwhile I got some new stuff...


K&M Wild Republic insects, the huge ones. BTW: While the left one in the bottom row has colours that match the weevil Eupholus dhuyi or a similar species, the sculpt itself looks more like a ground beetle. I already thought about transforming this one to Carabus (Procerus) gigas or something like that.

I have all the insects except the butterfly (I bought them individually from a toy store in Arizona).

You know...maybe the blue one is a carabid...I always thought it was an emerald weevil from color alone. Some of the sculpts are just 'off' enough to make them go either way.

For example, what do you think the butterfly is? I am sure it is supposed to be a monarch but I've seen it sold online as a viceroy.

Lastly, what do you think the thing is in the very lower right? Totally a frankenstein insect with features of hemiptera and coleoptera. Best guess they failed at making a firefly. Because I bought mine individually, not sure if there was packaging that stated what they are supposed to be.

The best are the pentatomid, carpenter ant, and blowfly

[Fukuiraptor]

Brontodocus, those display cases look great!  How much do they cost?

[sbell]

Brontodocus, those display cases look great!  How much do they cost?

I was just at an Ikea (in Canada) and never saw those. We probably never will...

[brontodocus]

Thanks for the comments, guys!

You know...maybe the blue one is a carabid...I always thought it was an emerald weevil from color alone. Some of the sculpts are just 'off' enough to make them go either way.

For example, what do you think the butterfly is? I am sure it is supposed to be a monarch but I've seen it sold online as a viceroy.

Lastly, what do you think the thing is in the very lower right? Totally a frankenstein insect with features of hemiptera and coleoptera. Best guess they failed at making a firefly. Because I bought mine individually, not sure if there was packaging that stated what they are supposed to be.

The best are the pentatomid, carpenter ant, and blowfly

Well, the butterfly is most likely supposed to be a monarch since it's painted after one or after a monarch-mimicking species but it's a bit generic, too. Since it has six fully developped legs I have two options: One is to cut off the anterior legs and the other is to regard it as a non-nymphalid. Since the forewings are a bit elongated I was initially reminded of Papilio antimachus, the proportions would nearly fit for a female (males would have much longer forewings) but the colours don't really match. I've been considering giving it a repaint to match a female birdwing, either Troides or Ornithoptera, because it could serve as a life-size figure then (I measured approx. 210 mm wing span, if the forewings were positioned so that their rear end was at a right angle with the body axis we'd have around 200 mm wing span).

The package my figures came in was a polybag and there was no information about the individual figures, either. My guess is that the orange beetle is a miscoloured carrion beetle. They usually have clubbed antennae or distally broader antennae, a flattened pronotum, and often shortened elytra. Although I didn't find an exact match regarding elytra shape I think Diamesus osculans comes more or less close but that would require a repaint, too.

Brontodocus, those display cases look great!  How much do they cost?

They were €29.99 each but we have an Ikea Family Card and got them for €24.95 each.

I was just at an Ikea (in Canada) and never saw those. We probably never will...

Possible, but who knows? I've never seen them before, either and they may be just reaching Ikea stores around the world right now? I remember your BESTÅ cabinets were completely new to me until I've seen your photos, those may have been released later in Germany than in Canada. Oh, and they were on display in the kids furniture department, I wouldn't have expected them there and I just saw them when we were taking a short cut through the kids furniture department.

[Jetoar]

New cubes are really awesome  .

[sauroid]

thanks Dr. Andre. you got an awesome haul too.

some newcomers
Yujin series 2 chelonians





Yujin series 1 Graptemys nigrinoda and Geochelone gigantea

Colorata japanese bullhead sharks

Colorata zebra sharks

Colorata Reptiles boxed set (the radiated tort is missing from the set)









AAA African Elephant

AAA hippo (wish it wasnt smiling tho)

[bmathison1972]

lots of nice reptiles, Sauroid.

Today I received the honeybee (Apis mellifera) life cycle by Insect Lore. I stumbled upon this on accident on eBay! I bought most of my IL life cycles several years ago, I was unaware of this set which, based on the package, came out in 2013!

It's my favorite of the three honeybee LCs I have (the other two are Tedco Toys and Safari). The adult is also now one of my favorite honeybee figures (notice the pollen baskets on the hind legs!!!!). The wings arent in a realistic pose, but that's OK.

[sbell]

thanks Dr. Andre. you got an awesome haul too.

some newcomers
Colorata zebra sharks

How did I not know there is a Colorata Zebra shark? I've had my set for 9 years now! Is there a year on the bottom?

So--want to trade for something from Colorata that's just as weird and rare?


It's a mini Colorata Manta Ray (note the ruler)--I still have one sealed in a plastic bag. I also have a spotted seal and orca I'd throw in (they're out of package).

[brontodocus]

Yay, congrats again, sauroid and Blaine!

Finally I got the last of the 2014 Mojö Fun figures I wanted to have (plus a few other figures):

[sbell]

So thanks to Brett I have a new box off figures from Japan! Oddly, it is entirely aquatic. Not sure how that happens.

First, the new Favorite Dunkleosteus and Anomalocaris (soft models, the smaller ones--I just couldn't bring myself to spend on the big ones--and these ones are big enough).


Then a few small figures--new Kaiyodo Tiger shark, Bottlecap Matamata turtle, and two Animal Kaiser figures, the Velez skate and the Piraya piranha:


Finally, I have a third set of the Colorata Fossil Fishes box. Mostly because of the blue arowana!


I did get the whole box. But I haven't opened any of the rest.

I'm pretty sure I'm about to put them up for sale or very specific trade. In my sales/trades thread though.

[sauroid]

VERY cool stuff bmathison, brontodocus and sbell.
@sbell: the colorata zebra shark is from 2002. one of the figures from an old discontinued shark set, which also includes the first version of the jap. bullhead shark i posted above.

[GiselleGazelle]

My new acquisitions from the past few days. Toys R Us were doing 3 for 2 on Schleich and Mothercare were doing 20% off. I must say it was a bit embarrassing going into Mothercare to purchase a toy for MYSELF, haha! It's one of the best selections for Schleich in my home town. Fortunately I had my mother looking after my infant nephew nearby so I had an excuse to be there.

[sbell]

VERY cool stuff bmathison, brontodocus and sbell.
@sbell: the colorata zebra shark is from 2002. one of the figures from an old discontinued shark set, which also includes the first version of the jap. bullhead shark i posted above.

Good to know re: the zebra shark. Are you sure you need 2?