Comparison of Small Spiders: PV, CE, K&M, and an unknown mfr

Spiders Comparison

Ever get small, yet relatively realistic, spiders in lots or bin sets? Ever wonder what the species is or who makes them? Me too! I am creating this comparative thread to show the figures that were released in four spider-centric sets in the mid-late 1990s, and beyond. Three sets are by major brands: Play Visions, Club Earth, and K&M International. The fourth set is by a currently unknown manufacturer that essentially copied the Club Earth set.

Below are the sets, their release year (when known), and species composition. I am lucky to have every figure except one (does anyone have an extra Club Earth black widow?).

I. Play Visions – Habitat Earth: Tarantulas and Spiders
Release Year: 1995
Set Review: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Figures, left to right, top to bottom:

1. Indian ornamental tarantula, Poecilotheria regalis
2. Costa Rican zebra tarantula, Aphonopelma seemanni
3. Mexican red-kneed tarantula, Brachypelma emilia
4. black widow, Latrodectus mactans
5. green lynx spider, Peucetia viridans
6. black-and-yellow argiope, Argiope aurantia

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II. Club Earth – Spiders to Go
Release Year: unknown
Set Review: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Figures, left to right, top to bottom:

1.black-and-yellow argiope, Argiope aurantia
2. black widow, Latrodectus mactans [image courtesy of froggie – this is the one figure in all four sets I am still missing…]
3. wolf spider, gen sp. (possibly Lycosa tarantula)
4. red widow, Latrodectus bishopi
5. funnel-web spider, Megahexura fulva [note, at the time of this writing, this species is misidentified on TAI as Atrax robustus]
6. crab spider, Thomisus onustus
7. crab spider, Misumena vatia
8. purseweb spider, Sphodros rufipes [note, at the time of this writing this species is misidentified on TAI as Atypus sp.]
9. spitting spider, Scytodes thoracica
10. raft spider, Dolomedes plantarius
11. cobalt blue tarantula, Haplopelma lividum
12. tarantula, gen. sp. probably the golden-brown baboon tarantula, Augacephalus breyeri

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III. K&M International – Spiders Bulk
Release Year: 1997
Set Review: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Figures, left to right, top to bottom:

1. desert tarantula, Aphonopelma chalcodes
2. black widow, Latrodectus mactans
3. African baboon spider, Pelinobius muticus
4. spiny orb-weaver, Gasteracantha cancriformis
5. Mabel orchard spider, Leucauge venusta
6. St. Andrew's cross spider, Argiope keyserlingi

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IV. unknown manufacturer; a set of predominately Club Earth knock-offs
Release Year: unknown
Set Review: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Figures, left to right, top to bottom:

A. black widow, Lactrodectes mactans [labeled ‘red widow’ on the underside; same sculpt as H (below)]
B. crab spider, gen. sp.
C. purseweb spider, Sphodros rufipes
D. raft spider, Dolomedes plantarius
E. green lynx spider, Peucetia viridans
F. spitting spider, Scytodes thoracica
G. Costa Rican zebra tarantula, Aphonopelma seemanni
H. red widow, Latrodectus bishop
I. tarantula, gen. sp. [this might represent the Mexican red-kneed tarantula, Brachypelma smithi]
J. crab spider, Thomisus onustus (blue morph)
K. tarantula, gen. sp. probably the golden-brown baboon tarantula, Augacephalus breyeri
L. tarantula, gen. sp. [this is labeled 'tarantula' but is modeled after the CE 'wolf spider'; perhaps it is Lycosa tarantula?]

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Very interesting

widukind wrote:

Very interesting

Yes, indeed

The same concept, no doubts. It is also evident that all of them are based in real animals even if some keep somewhat generic or hard to identify. It is intriguing to see them compared like that. As you know, we call them using the brand names they were sold but we never know who really originated these moulds. Knockoffs or unbranded may be more common than we expect. Luckily we have these marked with anything else and they could be grouped in order to know what really exists. I hope you can find the missing black widdow.

Thanks to WhiteLightningWolf, I now have the CE black widow [will leave images as-is, though]

Thanks to stemturle on the ATF, I have changed the ID of one of the generic tarantulas from CE and the unknown set to the golden-brown baboon tarantula, Augacephalus breyeri