Japanese giant mantis (Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. - B.I.G. Insects)

[bmathison1972]

Walkarounds of the Japanese giant mantis, Tenodera aridifolia (Stoll, 1813) by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. (T-TARTS), B.I.G. Insects. I should note, these Japanese mantis figures are sometimes marketed as T. sinensis, which has been considered conspecific or a subspecies of T. aridifolia, but T. sinensis is now considered a valid species. I am not an orthropterist but I consider these mantids made by Japanese companies to be T. aridifolia unless otherwise convinced.

These two figures were released as the 'non-scarabaeoids' in the 2015 and 2016 B.I.G. Insects sets. Each year T-TARTS releases a set of 'big' insects that includes four scarabeoid beetles and one 'other'. In 2017 it was a Japanese carpenter ant and this year it is a forthcoming migratory locust!

The 2015 figure is 13.5 cm long and the 2016 figure is 10.0 cm long, making the 2016 figure 1:1 and the 2015 figure slightly larger. Like all T-TARTS figures, there is some assembly. The 2016 figure followed suit with the scarab beetles and has metal rather than plastic wing covers.

On to the pics of both (2015, then 2016, then both):

2015:











2016:











Both: