Comparison of small butterflies:TM, Bully, Safari, Insect Lore, K&M, others

[bmathison1972]

Comparison of TEN butterfly-centric sets. I am doing this for two reasons. One, to keep all these together in one place and two, for my Bin Sets post (essentially, I am using this forum to organize my collection, LOL, but it gives forum members a resource they may be interested in).

For several of these sets, identifications were made by me or other forum members. I suggest you go to the original posts to see discussions and justifications.

A. Bullyland Butterflies
This is one of at least two sets of butterflies by Bullyland. These figures came with strings in their backs to be suspended in the air (hence the ugly screw holes in their backs). They were sold by their common English names.

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. common brimstone, Gonepteryx rhamni
2. common morpho, Morpho peleides
3. red admiral, Vanessa atalanta
4. Old World swallowtail, Papilio machaon
5. painted lady, Vanessa cardui
6. Eros blue, Polyommatus eros
7. European peacock, Aglais io
8. small tortoiseshell, Aglais urticae



B. Unknown manufacturer (Club Earth Knockoffs)
This set is definitely a knock off of the Butterflies To Go set by Club Earth (a set for which I only have four figures). I am not sure my set is complete either, as I have 11 figures when the original CE set had 12 (plus they are stamped on the bottom and I am missing number 4). Identifications are based on their CE counterparts, which were marketed with English common names.

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. purple emperor, Apatura iris
2. monarch, Danaus plexippus
3. great orange tip, Hebomoia glaucippe formosana
4. Union Jack, Delius mysis
5. Cairns birdwing, Ornithoptera euphorion
6. Cramer's mesene, Mesene phareus
7. Cypris morpho, Morpho cypris
8. Genoveva azure, Ogyris genoveva
9. eastern tiger swallowtail, Papilio glaucus
10. crowned hairstreak, Evenus coronata
11. purple-spotted swallowtail, Graphium weiskei



C. K&M Butterflies Nature Tube
This is a set of 12 butterflies by K&M International. Some were clearly modeled after actual species, some it was hard to say and difficult to confidently identify. Again, I refer you to the main discussion on the forum for justifications of identifications.

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. paradise birdwing, Ornithoptera paradisea
2. batwing butterfly, Atrophaneura semperi
3. yellow zebra, Graphium deucalion
4. Andromeda satyr, Cithaerias andromeda
5. monarch, Danaus plexippus
6. broad-banded page, Siproeta superba
7. crowned hairstreak, Evenus coronata
8. European peacock, Aglais io
9. southern dogface, Zerene cesonia
10. common green birdwing, Ornithoptera priamus
11. paper kite Idea leuconoe
12. silver-bordered fritillary, Boloria selene



D. Butterflies Mini Polybag
A set of 12 very small butterflies by K&M International. Four of them I am still baffled by.

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. great orangetip, Hebomoia glaucippe formosana
2. unknown
3. eastern tiger swallowtail, Papilio glaucus
4. Diana morpho, Morpho diana
5. European peacock, Aglais io
6. swallowtail, Papilio sp.
7. unknown
8. Genoveva azure, Ogyris genoveva
9. Menelaus morpho, Morpho menelaus
10. unknown
11. black swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes
12. unknown [I had previously considered this the paper kite, Idea leuconoe, based on Safari and larger K&M figures but I am taking it back]



E. Butterflies Authentics Collection (1997)
The Butterflies Authentics collection by Safari LTD. These figures were marketed with common names.

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. paper kite, Idea leuconoe
2. common morpho, Morpho peleides
3. tailed jay, Graphium agememnon
4. scarlet leafwing, Siderone galanthis
5. orange-barred sulfur, Phoebis philea
6. (green) swallowtail, Papilio blumei



F. Butterflies TOOB
The Butterflies TOOB by Safari LTD. Figures were marketed at the species level. There are four sculpts with two paint jobs each.

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. green swallowtail, Papilio blumei
2. white-angled sulfur, Anteos clorinde
3. regal hairstreak, Evenus regalis
4. Garlepp's swallowtail, Papilio graleppi
5. orange-barred sulfur, Phoebis philea
6. jazzy leafwing, Hypna clytemnestrata
7. red glider, Cymothoe sangris
8. Menelaus morpho, Morpho Menelaus



G. Butterflies of the World Collectors Case
The Butterflies of the World Collectors Case, by Safari LTD (2001). It consists of 12 figures, that were marketed at the species level in French, German, Spanish, Italian, and English.

From left to right, top to bottom:
1. orange-barred sulfur, Phoebis philea
2. broad-bordered grass yellow, Eurema brigitta
3. purple emperor, Apatura iris
4. paper kite, Idea leuconoe
5. great orangetip, Hebomoia glaucippe formosana
6. tailed jay, Graphium agememnon
7. common morpho, Morpho peleides
8. scarlet leafwing, Siderone galanthis
9. large oakblue, Arhopala amantes
10. orange albatross, Appias nero
11. eastern tiger swallowtail, Papilio glaucus
12. green swallowtail, Papilio blumei



H. Toy Major
The butterflies by Toy Major. No one is sure how many there are. They have been marketed many ways. All are stamped 1996 but have surely been re-released several times since. Sculpts have been reused for different paint jobs. The vast majority of them were clearly modeled after real species, although sometimes they have been hard to identify. Again, I refer you to the main posts for discussions and justification of names. I have 32 at the initial time of this writing, so they will be divided into two images.

Left to right, top to bottom
1. Ancyluris formosissima
2. Graecian shoemaker, Catonephele numilia
3. Menelaus morpho, Morpho menelaus
4. purple-spotted hairstreak, Graphium weiskei
5. crowned hairstreak, Evenus coronata
6. red admiral, Vanessa atalanta
7. large tortoiseshell, Nymphalis polychloros [doubtful ID]
8. red glider Cymothoe sangaris
9. pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor [markings depict ventral side]
10. Wallace's golden birdwing, Ornithoptera croesus
11. Claudina agrias, Agrias claudina
12. mourning cloak, Nymphalis antiopa
13. California dogface, Zerene eurydice
14. star sapphire, Asterope sapphira
15. anise swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon
16. noble swallowtail, Papilio nobilis [doubtful ID]



Left to right, top to bottom:
17. coral jewel, Hypochrysops miskini
18. Cramer's mesene, Mesene phareus
19. Genoveva azure, Ogyris genoveva
20. monarch, Danaus plexippus
21. unknown (color variant of Graphium weiskei
22. unknown
23. purple emperor, Apatura iris
24. small copper, Lycaena phlaeus var. schmedtii
25. large true forester, Euphaedra sarcoptera [marking depict ventral side]
26. Paris swallowtail, Papilio paris
27. Cairns birdwing, Ornithoptera euphorion
28. southern dogface, Zerene cesonia
29. eastern tiger swallowtail, Papilio glaucus
30. lesser purple emperor, Apatura ilia
31. common buckeye, Junonia coenia
32. queen, Danaus gilippus



I. US Toys
A generic set of eight butterflies by US Toys. Clearly influenced by better-known companies. US Toys figures are released in various sets with different numbers of figures and species. I am pretty sure the set of eight I have was bought at a dollar store back in Arizona.

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. eastern tiger swallowtail, Papilio glaucus
2. unknown [painted like a morpho, but with tails]
3. unknown [painted like a morpho but with tails]
4. monarch, Danaus plexippus
5. great orangetip, Hebomoia glaucippe formosana
6. Cramer's mesene, Mesene phareus
7. unknown [painted like a morpho]
8. Cairns birdwing, Ornithoptera euphorion



J. Big Bunch-O Butterflies
A tube set by Insect Lore, this is the Big Bunch-O Butterflies, released in 2013. This set has not been previously reviewed on the forum by me, so the identifications are new here. Frankly this is a disappointing set. After all the cool life cycles Insect Lore produced with unique figures, along came this set in which the figures are of the exact same sculpt (and in many cases color) of the Nature Tube and Mini Polybag figures by K&M International (see above).

Left to right, top to bottom:
1. luna moth, Actias luns [this ID is based on the similarly-colored TM figure]
2. unknown
3. unknown [but could be something if we snoop around]
4. milkweed butterfly, Danaus sp. It is probably meant to be the monarch, but I think the common tiger D. genutia is a better fit with this color pattern.
5. Diana morpho, Morpho diana
6. Old World swallowtail, Papilio machaon (looks dark, maybe the subspecies P. m. hippocrates)
7. European peacock, Aglais io
8. unknown
9. swallowtail, Papilio sp.
10. swallowtail, Papilio sp.
11. unknown
12. black swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes
13. great orangetip, Hebomoia glaucippe formosana
14. Genoveva azure, Ogyris genoveva
15. Diana morpho, Morpho diana
16. Menelaus morpho, Morpho menelaus
17. unknown
18. unknown

[Isidro]

Four of them I am still baffled by.

Why? Just put any random butterfly name to them... The result can't be any worse than many of the supposedly identified ones that doesn't looks like absolutely nothing like the species represented.