Big Cats: Toob vs Tube

Now I've got both Safari's and Wild Republic's collections of small big cats, I thought you might like a brief comparison.
I am in no way, shape or form a felid expert, so if I drastically misidentify a species feel free to shout!

Now, the Safari toob is nice. There are some molds that are better than the others (the tiger is an older model, and it shows), but there's one big drawback which I'm sure you can spot right away: There are 11 models, but only 7 poses. Both the tiger and jaguar get three models each, two standard colors and one variation (melanistic jag, white tiger). Why couldn't they have included that lovely bobcat from the desert set instead, or given us a mini snow leopard?
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All in all, I give them an A for sculpting, a C for diversity, and a B for posing (aside from the lion and jaguar, they're all in standing or walking pose).


The WR tube is a lot harder to review. In some respects it doesn't compare well with the Safari. The WR minis are generally more a kids' line than the Safari toobs, which have gotten a lot more collector-friendly over the years, so these are more play models than diorama models.
First, the good news: This set has 12 models, all represent different species and are clearly labeled as such. They are: Lion, lioness with cub, puma, housecat (manx), tiger, snow leopard, clouded leopard, regular leopard, cheetah, jaguar, serval and ocelot.
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However, the sculpting leaves something to be desired. Though some models are really good, others show that whoever designed them doesn't quite understand anatomy or biomechanics
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Though most of the species are identifiable on sight, this one confused me. Is it a prehistoric giant rodent? A fossa? No - turns out it's a puma. I'm a huge fan of bases on models (makes them look all arty and non-toyish), but the big blob of greenish brown isn't doing this model any favors.
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On the plus side, I'm pleased to see that the size acceptance movement has started to penetrate the feline world. Cheetahs don't have to be sleek and skinny, you know! Nah, it's nice to see models portraying pregnant animals for a change.
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In all then, I'm giving the WR tube a C for sculpting, A for diversity, and an A- for posing - at least they've tried, even if they didn't always succeed.

Fantastic pictures sumo!
The only available here in Portugal is the Wild Replublic felines polybag! Not excelent, but much better than other older polybags I know! Safari usually is more accurate but we miss some interesting species, the smaller felines of toobs and polybags are nice to dioramas while the larger haven't much interest for it!

Wery intersting, Sumo !

I love to see them, because I have had the WR -figueres, - most of them - for many years.
Only they are marked K & M INT !!!

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SUSANNE wrote:

Wery intersting, Sumo !

I love to see them, because I have had the WR -figueres, - most of them - for many years.
Only they are marked K & M INT !!!

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It´s the same figurines. Wild republic isnt a brand, it´s a company that sells animals from different brands (like nayab and k&m) under their name

Thanks for all these great pictures Sumo, they're really super.

Arrakai wrote:

SUSANNE wrote:

Wery intersting, Sumo !

I love to see them, because I have had the WR -figueres, - most of them - for many years.
Only they are marked K & M INT !!!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

It´s the same figurines. Wild republic isnt a brand, it´s a company that sells animals from different brands (like nayab and k&m) under their name

Thank you Anna

Thank you for the review Sumo. It's interresting to compare.

Alas, it's still a pity to see that K&M or even SAFARI ltd don't give us the same quality as PLAYVISION and YUJIN did.