Walkaround: Oryctes nasicornis (Heller)

Walk-around of the European rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes nasicornis (Linnaeus, 1758) by Heller, No. 79402 (2000). This is my second review of a Heller model kit, following Coccinella septempunctata (http://animaltoyforum.com/index.php?topic=2075.0). Oryctes nasicornis occurs in the western Palearctic, including Europe (exclusive of the British Isles), northern Africa, west to Pakistan. It is the only dynastine in northern Europe. This figure represents a new species for my collection, and as far as I know, the only member of this species in toy/figure form (I do possess two figures of Oryctes gigas, by DeAgostini and Sega).

The model comes in 13 pieces (venter; elytra; pronotum; head (2 pieces), antennae (2), and legs (6), in solid black. Unlike the Coccinella figure, there were no decals.

I took a slightly different approach with this model. I painted individual parts first, and glued everything except the legs together. I then added the clear varnish to the individual legs and the completed body. After the varnish dried, I then glued the legs to the body.

I must admit, I am not crazy about the design of the legs here. It almost appears the pegs are on the wrong side and that the legs attach ‘upside-down’. If the pegs were on the opposite side, and the legs flip-flopped from their intended side of the body, they may look more natural. Even as is, I arranged the legs in a way that I thought looked most natural, and not necessarily what was spelled out in the instructions [you might also notice one of the tarsi broke off and I had to glue it back in the end]. Also, the top and bottom parts do not align well and there are small gaps in the seams.

The model is 95 mm (not including legs), making it roughly 2:1 for a maximum-sized major male.

I am also working on Heller’s Lucanus cervus model but have not been taking images along the way, so I probably will not do a review of that figure, but it will show up eventually in the Lucanus section of Bug of the Day.

On to the images:











and the final product:

Interesting!!