Blaine's Synoptic Animal Collection

My random methodology finally landed on one of the groups of birds (sensu classico). I have decided to break birds into four groups initially. These are partly phylogenetic, partly ecologic, and partly for convenience:

1. Group 1: flightless birds (Struthioniformes, Rheiformes, Casuariiformes, Apterygiformes, and related), gallinaceous birds (Galliformes), duck, geese, and swans (Anseriformes), and related.
2. Group 2: water birds: rails and cranes (Gruiformes), flamingoes (Phoenicopteriformes), grebes (Podicipediformes), gulls (Charadriiformes), albatrosses (Procellaniformes), penguins (Spenisciformes), storks (Ciconiiformes), boobies and cormorants (Suliformes), and pelicans, herons, ibises (Pelecaniformes), and related.
3. Group 3: birds of prey: Cathartiformes (New World vultures), Accipitriformes (hawks and eagles), Strigiformes (owls), and Falconiformes (falcons).
4. Group 4: everything else, including but not limited to: Trogoniformes (quetels), Coraciformes (kingfishers), Piciformes (woodpeckers and toucans), Psittaciformes (parrots), Passeriformes (perching birds), Cuculiformes (cuckoos), Columbiformes (pigeons and doves). This group might be broken up if the numbers become overwhelming.

Misc. groups will be put wherever they fit best.

I have beenpicking up birds regularly as I find them lately, because they are often unique figures at the species level, and for some reason they retire quickly.

For starters, we will be looking at Group 2. These are the Gruiformes and the orders that fall within the clade 'Aequorlitornithes'.

Order: Gruiformes (rails and cranes).
1. red-crowned crane, Grurus japonensis (Kaiyodo - Natural Monuments of Japan)
2. common moorhen, Gallinula chloropus (Kaiyodo - Chocoegg Animatales Series 5)
3. Okinawa rail, Gallirallus okinawae (Kaiyodo - Natural Monuments of Japan)

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Order: Phoenicopteriformes (flamingoes)
Just one for starters, the American flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber by Safari LTD (Wings of the World, 2018 repaint of a 2004 sculpt).

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Order: Podicipediformes (grebes)
1. great crested grebe, Podiceps cristatus (Kaiyodo - Chocoegg Animatales Series 4)
2. little grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis (Kaiyodo - Capsule Q Animatales - Biwako)

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Order: Charadriiformes (gulls, terns, snipes, puffins, and skuas)
1. black-tailed gull, Larus crassirostris (Kaiyodo - Chocoegg Animatales Series 4)
2. little tern, Sternula albifrons (Furuta - Chocoegg Animatales - Birds)
3. greater painted snipe, Rostratula benghalensis (male and female) (Kaiyodo - Choco Q Animatales Series 9)
I didn't need both genders, but they were sold as a pair on eBay.
4. Atlantic puffin, Fratercula arctica (Papo, 2009)

I have the south polar skua (Stercorarius maccormicki) by Kitan Club en route, but it's coming from a new Japanese dealer so I am not sure when it will arrive. I didn't want to delay imaging...

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Order: Procellariiformes (albatrosses and related)
1. black-browed albatross, Thalassarche melanophris (Papo, 2018)
At the time I bought this, I assumed it was a wandering albatross, until I learned otherwise on STS forum. So, I still need a wandering albatross (e.g. CollectA). It has been suggested the Safari 'giant' albatross is a Galapagos albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) due to its blue feet (although Safari specifically advertises it as a member of Diomedes), so I may get that one too, eventually.
2. short-tailed albatross, Phoebastria albatrus (Kaiyodo - Natural Monuments of Japan)
3. streaked shearwater, Calonectris leucomelas (Kaiyodo - Choco Q Animatales Series 6)

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Order Sphenisciformes (penguins).
A very popular group. For starters, I have ignored the bottlecap series by Kaiyodo, focusing first on the traditional brands.
1. emperor penguin, Aptenodytes forsteri (Papo, 2008)
2. rockhopper penguin, Eudyptes chrysocome (Safari LTD, 2019)
This is a 2019 repaint of a 1998 sculpt.
3. little blue (fairy) penguin, Eudyptula minor (Stuart Sales Services, 2018)
The Science and Nature figure is probably a little better, but this one came in a set with a couple unique species, so I'll go with it for now.
4. yellow-eyed penguin, Megadyptes antipodes (Yowie USA - Wild Water Series, 2019)
5. chinstrap penguin, Pygoscelis antarcticus (Safari LTD, 2008)
6. gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua (Mojo Fun, 2013)
7. African penguin, Speniscus demersus (Papo, 2016)
8. Humboldt penguin, Spheniscus humbolti (Safari LTD, 1997)

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Order Ciconiiformes (storks)
1. Oriental stork, Ciconia boyciana (Kaiyodo - Natural Monuments of Japan)
2. white stork, Ciconia ciconia (Papo, 2014)
3. marabou stork, Leptoptilos crumenifer (Papo, 2016)

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Order Suliformes (boobies and cormorants)
1. anhinga, Anhinga anhinga (Safari LTD - Wings of the World, 2014)
2. great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo (Kaiyodo - Choco Q Animatales Series 6)
3. blue-footed booby, Sula nebouxii (Safari LTD - Wings of the World, 2017)

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Order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, ibises, spoonbills, herons, etc.)
1. black-crowned night heron, Nycticorax nycticorax (Kaiyodo - Choco Q Animatales Series
2. shoebill, Balaeniceps rex (CollectA, 2016)
3. Australian pelican, Pelecanus conspicillatus (Science and Nature - Animals of Australia)
4. American white pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchus (Safari LTD - Wings of the World, 2004)
5. great white pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus (Papo, 2011)
This figure is larger than I would have liked but it was the best readily available.
6. Japanese crested ibis, Nipponia nippon (Kaiyodo - Natural Monuments of Japan)
7. roseate spoonbill, Platalea ajaja (Safari LTD, 2016)
8. black-faced spoonbill, Platalea minor (CollectA, 2010)

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These birds look so real, your collections look amazing.

Beautieful birds, exactly my taste

Gosh ! What a great collection you have !!!

And your presentation is priceless

SUSANNE wrote:

Gosh ! What a great collection you have !!!

And your presentation is priceless

I agree with Susanne.

Amazing collection, lots of wonderful species

Wonderful birds

your collection is increasing very fast with only great pieces! congrats Blaine!

Your collection of birds is magnificent and completely different from mine.
As you know, I rarely include Japanese figures in my collection.
My notes go to penguins once it is the group minimally comparable with my choices.
I was convinced you'd start with the Colorata set that I love a lot but never acquired.
It has an Adèlie penguin, little penguins and magellanic among others.
My Adèlie penguin is the incredibly good one from Happy Kin Toys. My king penguin is the equally good one from Schleich. - if you want the Schleich one, be aware that the mould was later used for an emperor penguin and this one is retired and was only available for a single year.
I have the Schleich African penguin, it was released 3 yars before the Papo figure and to be honest, I still continue liking better the Schleich even if the Papo is a good choice too.
I also have the Safari chinstrap but it is actually the same figure you can find on Colorata box.
For a Galápagos penguin, I have a Safari toob but the Bandaï looks really beautiful.
My little penguin is the S&N, surely nicer and if you ever get it, be sure you get the better color variation.
Curious your choice for a yellow-eyed penguin, I have the SSS but it is an illusive figure and not a masterpiece.
My Magellanic is from Maia & Borges but it is huge for you.
As mentioned before, some of these the best choice is Colorata and both you and I could fill up some gaps once they have a few species not in yours neither in my collection.

Thanks Roger. I had completely forgotten about the Colorata box, and they seem to be a good size! I am looking into it...

bmathison1972 wrote:

Thanks Roger. I had completely forgotten about the Colorata box, and they seem to be a good size! I am looking into it...

I'm glad of being of use. By the way, the last picture of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is a helpful picture to check the size of these penguins.
Now I noticed that you will have some troubles to get a brown pelican. The Safari one, that I have, is very rare as it happens with all Safari discontinued figures. Though, this particular one is especially hard to find. The other alternative, the Schleich brown pelican, is also rare and absurdly expensive. However, if it is a fact that it is a precious collectible, it is surely a bad representative of the species once it is just a random white pelican painted in brown but without the typical markings of the species contrarily to what happens with the Safari figure.

Roger wrote:

bmathison1972 wrote:

Thanks Roger. I had completely forgotten about the Colorata box, and they seem to be a good size! I am looking into it...

I'm glad of being of use. By the way, the last picture of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is a helpful picture to check the size of these penguins.
Now I noticed that you will have some troubles to get a brown pelican. The Safari one, that I have, is very rare as it happens with all Safari discontinued figures. Though, this particular one is especially hard to find. The other alternative, the Schleich brown pelican, is also rare and absurdly expensive. However, if it is a fact that it is a precious collectible, it is surely a bad representative of the species once it is just a random white pelican painted in brown but without the typical markings of the species contrarily to what happens with the Safari figure.

Yes the Schleich brown pelican was on eBay but too expensive for now. The Safari one would be nice if I can ever come across it

The Brown Pelican from Schleich maybe resembles a juvenile one.

OK, time for the cestaceans (whales and dolphins). I have to admit, just like with the sharks, this is a group that historically even when I was a generalist years ago, I didn't care to collect. They are big, expensive, and take up a lot of surface area but little space. Times and quality have changed and the recent cetaceans have sparked a new love for them by me (the old MBA figures are still among the best, and often readily available, but too big for my current tastes).

For the cetaceans, I decided to pursue 'standard' sized whales but, when possible, 'TOOB-sized' dolphins or porpoises. That way the figures are more realistic next to each other with regards to scale. Most of these are not in scale with each other, a difficult feat with cetaceans, but I think TOOB-sized dolphins (thank you, Safari LTD!!!!) look better next to standard whales. There are a couple standard dolphins or porpoises, just because they are figures of rare/unique species and there are not better options.

Due to the size of the figures, I am presenting them differently, instead doing shots of them on the display shelves. There will be one big shot and then a couple closer shots. You might notice two things about these images:

1. Yes, the manatee and dugong are there too. I am displaying these groups together for ecological reasons, not taxonomic.

2. You might wonder what that empty shelf in the upper right is for? That is where the pinnipeds will sit when I do miscellaneous carnivores :-).

Taxa in the images:

Family †BASILOSAURIDAE (basilosaurs)
1. Basilosaurus, †Basilosaurus cetoides (CollectA, 2017)

Family BALAENIDAE (right whales)
1. bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus (CollectA, 2014)
Reviews on the ATF suggest the Safari figure is probably a little more accurate in terms of curvature of the mouth, but the paint job on the CollectA figure outways minor morphologic nuances.
2. southern right whale, Eubalaena australis (Safari LTD, 2017)
There are three species of Eubalaena and they cannot be separated morphologically, Safari did not market this as a given species, so I took the conservative approach and designated the type species.

Family BALAENOPTERIDAE (rorquals)
1. sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis (Safari LTD, 2018)
2. blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus (CollectA, 2018)
3. humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (CollectA, 2009)

Family ESCHRICHTIIDAE (gray whale)
Molecular data suggests the gray whale should probably be placed within Balaenopteridae.
1. gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus (CollectA, 2018)
This might be my favorite of all these figures :-)

Family DELPHINIDAE (oceanic dolphins)
1. Hector's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori (Stuart Sales Services - NZ Wildlife Figures Pack, 2018)
2. short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus (Safari LTD, 2014)
I've seen the CollectA pilot whale representing the long-finned pilot whale, so I may have to get that one at some point.
3. killer whale, Orcinus orca (Safari LTD, 2019)
4. Dolphins TOOB (Safari LTD, 2019) - 10 species
sorry to be lazy here; those of you that want or have this TOOB know the species composition.

Family MONODONTIDAE (Arctic whales)
1. beluga, Delphinapterus leucas(Papo, 2014)
2. narwhal, Monodon monoceros (CollectA, 2013)

Family PHOCOENIDAE (porpoises)
1. vaquita, Phocoena sinus (Safari LTD, 2019)

Families PHYSETERIDAE and KOGIIDAE (sperm whales)
1. sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus (CollectA, 2018)
2. pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps (CollectA, 2014)

Family PLATANISTIDAE (Ganges river dolphin)
1. Ganges river dolphin, Platanista gangetica (CollectA, 2013)

Family ZIPHIIDAE (beaked whales)
1. Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris (CollectA, 2016)

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] this one is for you :-D

OK, that is going to be all for about a month or so...
next up, freshwater bony fish!

Wonderful Cetacean collection. I'm really impressed. I also like your presentation. Thanks to you I know now how beautiful the new Safari Orca is. And also the Basilosaurus is incredible.

Your collection is also a bit like Christmas.

The core of your cetaceans collection is based on CollectA figures. That is a wise decision. I also think the grey whale is one of the most incredible figures of this batch.
I don't know if you are being more selective with cetacean species but you stepped some you can find on Maia & borges range. If you have troubles finding them, I can always try to see what can I find locally.

Yes, the Gray Whale is even more impressive when you have it in your hands.
And yes, Maia & Borges has the short-beaked Common Dolphin, the close relative of the long-beaked Common Dolphin from Safari. Moreover, the Right Whale from Maia & Borges is a real North Atlantic Right Whale, because it has a bluish colour. My old Prof said, that more North Atlantic Right Whales show this colouration than the North Pacific ones . So, in my collection the one from M&B (thank you again, Roger ) is my North Atlantic one and my older Right Whale from Schleich is the North Pacific one. I'm still waiting for a Right Whale white a white spot on its back, because this is typical for Southern Right Whales.

And if you are interested in Orca subspecies, which also could be real separated species, the new one from Safari is a perfect Southern Resident. Whereas Schleich's Orca from 2013 is a Type 2 North-Eastern Atlantic one.

Megaptera wrote:

And if you are interested in Orca subspecies, which also could be real separated species, the new one from Safari is a perfect Southern Resident. Whereas Schleich's Orca from 2013 is a Type 2 North-Eastern Atlantic one.

Very very interesting. I hope that you will share all this also here :)

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Time for the third and final group of fish, the freshwater bony fish (Osteichthyes), although some of these species do have a saltwater component to their life cycle. This group of fish has been largely ignored, especially by 'major' western companies. And when western companies do produce them, they are usually too big for my desired sizes (e.g. Safari LTD Incredible Creatures). Even someone like me, who normally focuses on arthropods, must admit that freshwater fish are one of the most neglected groups among toy/figure manufacturers.

I started with a complete set (minus secrets) of Yujin Freshwater Fish Pictorial Book 1, the Colorata Fossil Fishes box, and two sets by Toy Fish Factory. I filled in some gaps with some from Furuta, Kaiyodo, Replica Toy Fish, and a few from the second Yujin set. I am sure [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] will tease me and remind me how many species I am missing, but remember this is just a base to start with. I will gradually add to it over time.

Like with the marine Osteichthyes, I am following a 2016 classification of the Perciformes (sensu lato). Also, as with the marine Osteichthyes, I am doing one image per Order, so this will be another image-heavy post.

Sarcopterygii, Order Ceratodontiformes (lungfish).
One figure, the Queensland lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri (Colorata)

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All remaining orders are part of the Actinopterygii:

Order Polypteriformes (bichirs).
One figure, the saddled bichir, Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri (Colorata)

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Order Acipenseriformes (sturgeons)
1. lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens (Replica Toy Fish)
2. Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis (Colorata)
3. beluga sturgeon, Huso huso (Yowie USA)

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Order Lepisosteiformes (gars)
1. alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula (adult by Colorata; juvenlie by Replica Toy Fish)
2. longnose gar, Lepisosteus osseus (longnose gar)

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Order Anguiliformes (true eels)
I presented several of these when I did the marine Osteichthyes, but only one here, the giant mottled eel, Anguilla marmorata (Kaiyodo)

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Order Osteoglossiformes (arowanas)
1. pirarucu, Arapaima gigas (Colorata)
2. Asian arowana, Scleropages formosus (Malaysian gold highback variety by Yujin; Malayan blue variety by Colorata)
I am retaining both color forms as they may eventually be split into different species; it is a hot topic of debate right now.

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Order Cypriniformes (carp, minnows, loaches)
1. domestic goldfish, Carassius auratus (Yujin)
2. Langsdorf's goldfish (ginbuna), Carassius langsdorfii (Yujin)
This is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of C. auratus.
3. common carp, Cyprinus carpio (Yujin)
4. rosy bitterling, Rhodeus ocellatus (Yujin)
5. big-scale redfin, Tribolodon hakonensis (Yujin)
6. pale chub, Zacco platypus (Yujin)
7. kissing loach, Parabotia curtus (Kaiyodo)
8. three-lips, Opsariichthys uncirostris (Kaiyodo)

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Order Characiformes (tetras, piranhas, and relatives)
1. goliath tigerfish, Hydrocynus goliath (Toy Fish Factory)
Nice species but not crazy about the paint job on this guy.
2. red-bellied piranha, Pycocentrus nattereri (Toy Fish Factory)
This figure came in one of the TFF sets but it will probably be eventually replaced by the 2019 Papo figure or maybe the Kaiyodo bottlecap figure (if I can get it at a decent price)

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Order Siluriformes (catfish)
1. reddish bullhead, Liobargus reinii (Kaiyodo)
2. Sterba's catfish, Corydoras sterbai (Kaiyodo)
3. channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Toy Fish Factory)
4. vermiculated sailfin catfish, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (Kaiyodo)
5. Lake Biwa catfish, Silurus biwaensis (Kaiyodo)
6. goonch, Bagarius yarrelli (Toy Fish Factory)

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Order Salmoniformes (trout and salmon)
This large group was not covered under the marine Osteichthyes.
1. Colorado river cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus (Replica Toy Fish)
2. greenback cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii stomias (Replica Toy Fish)
3. chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta (Yujin)
4. cherry salmon, Oncorhynchus masou masou (Yujin)
5. Biwa trout, Oncorhynchus rhodurus (Kaiodo)
This is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of O. masou.
6. golden trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita (Replica Toy Fish)
7. rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss mykiss (Yujin)
8. Sakhalin taimen, Parahucho perry (Yujin)
9. white-spotted char, Salvelinus leucomaenis (Yujin)

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Order Esociformes (pikes)
1. northern pike, Esox lucidus (Replica Toy Fish)
2. muskellunge, Esox masquinongy (Replica Toy Fish)
3. tiger muskie, Esox lucidus x E. masquinongy hybrid (Replica Toy Fish)

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Order Osmeriformes (freshwater smelts)
Just one, the ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis (Yujin)

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Order Anabantiformes (snakeheads and related)
1. northern snakehead, Channa argus (Yujin)
2. giant snakehead, Channa micropeltes (Toy Fish Factory)
3. paradise fish, Macropodus opercularis (Yujin)

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Order Beloniformes (ricefish)
One among the freshwater species, the Japanese rice fish, Oryzias latipes (Yujin)

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Order Cyprinodontiformes (killfish, pupfish, etc.)
Just one, Devil's Hole pupfish, Cyprinodon diabolis (Yowie USA)

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Order Centarchiformes (temperate perch)
1. bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus (Toy Fish Factory)
2. largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides (Kaiyodo)
3. white crappie, Pomoxis annularis (Toy Fish Factory)
The verdict is still out on the species, but Sean and I have discussed and are leaning to the white crappie over the black crappie. Besides, the artwork on the tackle box it came in depicts the white crappie.
4. Japanese perch, Coreoperca kawamebari (Kaiyodo)

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Order Moroniformes (temperate bass)
Just one, the striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Toy Fish Factory)
I like the background color of this figure more than the RTF figure, but wish the stripes were somewhere in between the two...

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Order Gasterosteiformes (sticklebacks)
Just one, the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus (Yujin)

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Carangia, incertae sedis:
the barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Yujin)

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Order Tetraodontiformes (pufferfish and related)
Just one among the freshwater fishies, the grass puffer, Takifugu niphobles (Yujin)

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Beautiful. They are all wonderful. I also love the fish from Roy Fish Factory, but it's hard to get them in Germany.

I don't have many of these, besides a few Replica Toy fish and some other sporidical addition. I don't give too much focus to this group of animals. In any way I mean it lacks interest but a good set of species needs a good investment once most are Japanese. You are really building a very decent group of fishes from every kind.

I see that Kaiyodo and yujin, are two brands with interesting models

And you have one lot.

Beautieful fishes :)