What's new on Kikimalou's diplays ? Season 2 ! updated May 10

Each are great! The Bandaî bugs are very beautiful and the CollectA Koolasuchus is very tempting!

So it seems the Pygmy spiny-tailed skink has got two new members
Alain, I can’t wait to see some koolasuchus pics from your Cretaceous Languedoc

Kikimalou wrote:

So it seems the Pygmy spiny-tailed skink has got two new members
Alain, I can’t wait to see some koolasuchus pics from your Cretaceous Languedoc

A little bit of my personally old spirit of STS. You can see and find a wonderful new figure for your own collection

Indeed it is a part of our dna

Thanks for your explanations about the French expressions.
That's the right hippo for your 1:15 scale project.
I confess I also love that skink. Toy industry is so weird these days.

bmathison1972 wrote:

I reached out to one of the eBay dealers of the skink and asked who made it. They said they made it in 'their own factory' which translates to 'Shantou Yixinsheng Toys Co., Ltd.' I couldn't find any information on this company but there were lots of 'Shantou' toy manufacturers, many of which produced obvious 'knockoffs'. I suspect someone made the original sculpt of this skink and sold it to multiple factories in China and the 'manufacturer' will vary based on who it was purchased from.

EDIT: One on eBay was only USD 9.99 so I bought it

You can find the usual information here but it is basically the same for all these Chinese manufacturers.

     It's already 29 December and I haven't posted my November and December newcomers. It's time for me to get involved!  
Of course there were a few happy arrivals, but my studio was inaccessible... My house is being renovated and it's still a real mess.

I welcomed again a few Bandai 'Diversity of Life', two gladiators called Copris ochus and Eupatorus birmanicus and the magnificent and very expensive Coconut crab. In the case of the latter, I managed to find one before the price went through the roof.  
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I also fell for the Bob Kinkajou. It's been on my wishlist since its creation, of course you have to accept the presence of the white tree, but everything about this model makes me happy.  
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Four Colorata came in to fill in some corners here and there. I'm not a big fan of Zoogeography boxes, but I was able to buy a few models I was interested in as a spare.
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PNSO was not to be outdone, although the 2023 production left me feeling a bit underwhelmed, with too many theropods that look too similar for a non-specialist collector like me.
I still had to welcome a few latecomers from 2022: Deinocheirus and Therizinosaurus. They're also theropods, of course, but so different and weird!   I already had Papo and Safari Ltd but they're not on the same scale and look so different...
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This year has seen me contract a dangerous addiction - I'm now hooked on Haolonggood. Four of them broke my heart and my wallet these two months: the pair of blue Dilophosaurus, the Megalodon and the extraordinary Megaraptor. Just look at this racing beast with such tiny feet that can still stand on its own!    
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To finish with my modern additions, here is the Schleich blue poison frog and the Takara "Lion & Meerkat", I don't have many articulated models but this one made my heart melt.
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The oldies department was not left out. First of all, the plastic category was enriched by two Jeol thanks to the kindness of Rogervpg, the hyena and a zebra   . I like the latter, but the Jeol hyena is for me one of the little jewels of the 70s.
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Still in plastic, another rarity, Danish and from the fifties this time, the moose from Reisler. I've been hunting it down for a long time and it's escaped me more than once. I was lucky enough to find it, hidden away in a lot at a very tempting price.
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From the fifties too but in aluminium, the Quiralu bison from France
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And now, a few composition animals.
First a series of small toys, more than probably made by Kienel. They enhanced my ”eyebrow” series I began with the zebra and dromedary.
For me, this kind of discovery is the cherry on top of a wonderful cake. Once again, what they lose in realism, they gain childhood flavour.
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It's time to introduce you to two wild boars. They are from Petitcollin and are made of composition. A collector on the SP1/32 forum was trying to identify them and I found their origin in an old catalogue.  At the same time, this collector sold them to me at a bargain price.  They are really unlikely rarities, Petitcollin is a company founded in 1860 which is especially known for its celluloid bathers then in Hollowcast vinyl in the sixties.
The company also produced a few animals in composition and aluminium, but this was a confidential production and much remains to be discovered.
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Finally, do you remember these[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]? I found three members of the family, the same material, the same green eyes and the same string tail. Like the Kienels, I find them absolutely adorable.  
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That's it for 2023, apart from the last two family portraits.
November
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December
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Interesting collection of critters, Kiki

It might surprise you to know I did not collect the large Bandai coconut crab. I have about 5 good representatives of this species that are much smaller.

I considered getting the Haolonggood megalodon (I like its base) but I'll stick with CollectA's for its size!

Thanks for them Blaine, I only had one Coconut crab, the Yujin, I still love it but the Bandai is too amazing for me to miss.
The CollectA megalodon is pretty good too but the Haolonggood really got me.
I think they're pretty similar in size.

So many wonderful additions congrats! The coconut crab is stunning! So far with BotB I've been sticking to felines, but that Kinkajou has been tempting me!

The dinosaurs are stunning too. I don't know how much longer I can shy away from PNSO or Haolonggood

Petitcollin produced 3 large boars (3 different poses) measuring 14 cm long more or less and 3 small boars (3 different poses). The scale of the big figures is bigger than usual in the compo figures.
If I am not mistaken they are also heavier.
Do you have any stock or catalog images or with other animals that the brand has manufactured?

I love the string-tailed critters! Great new batch my friend!

Ahhhh, I was curious what 'Bob' kinkajou meant LOL, but now I learn its BeautyofBeasts on Etsy. It's awesome but I can't bring myself to pay $70 for a single figure of that size, at least a figure of something outside my taxonomic specialty. I will have to remain content with the Noah's Pals pair.

A lot of diversity with many old rareties, many very realistic models fom Bandaï, PNSO, Haolongood and the Jeol hyaena difficul to find!

 The Colorata sets are very expensive to order. Fortunatly for my wallet, their toony look does not tempt me too much! 

Great collection.The Kinkajou,Malayan Tapir and Lion are really lovely.

I enjoy so much that you bring so many brand, interesting information, great pictures and fantastic figures.
I'm quite impressed with the Haolonggood being able of supporting its weight over those delicate limbs. Are these figures made of a low density material?

Congratulations on such a beautiful new family for the end of the year Christophe!

Your collection tastes are very refined and eclectic - and I love how you have such impressive composition figures alongside superbly impressive dinosaurs by PNSO. They really do make beautifully detailed models.

I love the string tails and the eyebrows most of all! I think the string tails are just wonderful. Are they smaller than 1/32nd scale? Sorry, I'm not good at judging scale outside of anything I can't recognize but I think the Colorata jaguar is 1/32nd, so the string tails would be way bigger?

It's so wonderful that you are able to gather all these very old remarkable models together - all the compositions! They are incredibly small compared with the 1/32nd Jeols.

My favourites (if I had to choose) would be the super cute and adorable meerkat!! and the eyebrow polar bear and string tail giraffe:)

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Thank you Be careful, Haolonggood is a very very addictive brand, even more than PNSO for me;;; and even cheaper

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Petitcollin produced 4 large boars and 4 small boars. I will show a few pics in the catalogue section soon

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I felt in love for the string-tailed critters too. I guess I will show more from time to time

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I can't bring myself to pay $70 for a single figure of that size too but sometimes I forget. The first time I saw it I knew my Noah's Pals was going to leave me.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] The Colorata sets are indeed expensive, the Geographic ones are too much toony I agree but some models are very nice and some sets are incredible like the fossil fish, frogs, Marine turtles, Reptiles...

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Thank you for them Taylor

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I'll have to weigh them, but yes, the material is dense. This brand really amazes me, even more than PNSO. Each model I buy prepares me to pounce on the next. The care taken with each piece is impressive, and the price is very reasonable for such quality.
I think TNG, PNSO and Haolonggood have opened up a new niche, offering toy collectors models that are closer to resin models but much cheaper.
Clearly, there are enough dinosaur collectors to make this work. I hope that wild animal collectors won't be forgotten in the future.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] The string tails are bigger than 1/32nd scale, they are Schleich size. There is no jaguar in my pic but a clouded leopard which is the same size (maybe a bit bigger) than the Britains leopard
The Kienel are small compared with the 1/32nd Jeols but these are Miniatures series, most of composition models are bigger than "1/32". In fact, the format of today's majors is similar to that of compositions.
Your favourites are awesome

Beautieful again, especially the oldies and the kinkajou. And i have seen my question was answered before i ask you :)

Kikimalou wrote:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I'll have to weigh them, but yes, the material is dense. This brand really amazes me, even more than PNSO. Each model I buy prepares me to pounce on the next. The care taken with each piece is impressive, and the price is very reasonable for such quality.
I think TNG, PNSO and Haolonggood have opened up a new niche, offering toy collectors models that are closer to resin models but much cheaper.
Clearly, there are enough dinosaur collectors to make this work.  I hope that wild animal collectors won't be forgotten in the future.

Interesting, maybe someday, when you find time, you make a comparison between a PNSO and Haolonggood similar models to present the differences between companies. Being superior to PNSO sounds as a huge praise.

Roger wrote:

Kikimalou wrote:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I'll have to weigh them, but yes, the material is dense. This brand really amazes me, even more than PNSO. Each model I buy prepares me to pounce on the next. The care taken with each piece is impressive, and the price is very reasonable for such quality.
I think TNG, PNSO and Haolonggood have opened up a new niche, offering toy collectors models that are closer to resin models but much cheaper.
Clearly, there are enough dinosaur collectors to make this work.  I hope that wild animal collectors won't be forgotten in the future.

Interesting, maybe someday, when you find time, you make a comparison between a PNSO and Haolonggood similar models to present the differences between companies. Being superior to PNSO sounds as a huge praise.

I don't currently have any similar models from either brand. I'm not saying that Haolonggood is superior to PNSO. Haolonggood has one advantage over PNSO, and that is a lower price for similar quality. Haolonggood's packaging is just as effective as PNSO's, but it's less ostentatious, and there's no booklet or poster either. PNSO's packaging is impressive, and so are the bonuses, but I'm not interested in that and it adds to the price.
Haolonggood fascinates me with the simple beauty of its models, neither too much nor too little for my taste.

Kikimalou wrote:

Roger wrote:

Kikimalou wrote:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I'll have to weigh them, but yes, the material is dense. This brand really amazes me, even more than PNSO. Each model I buy prepares me to pounce on the next. The care taken with each piece is impressive, and the price is very reasonable for such quality.
I think TNG, PNSO and Haolonggood have opened up a new niche, offering toy collectors models that are closer to resin models but much cheaper.
Clearly, there are enough dinosaur collectors to make this work.  I hope that wild animal collectors won't be forgotten in the future.

Interesting, maybe someday, when you find time, you make a comparison between a PNSO and Haolonggood similar models to present the differences between companies. Being superior to PNSO sounds as a huge praise.

I don't currently have any similar models from either brand. I'm not saying that Haolonggood is superior to PNSO. Haolonggood has one advantage over PNSO, and that is a lower price for similar quality. Haolonggood's packaging is just as effective as PNSO's, but it's less ostentatious, and there's no booklet or poster either. PNSO's packaging is impressive, and so are the bonuses, but I'm not interested in that and it adds to the price.
Haolonggood fascinates me with the simple beauty of its models, neither too much nor too little for my taste.

OK, I understand now. It is a big praise anyway. I must take a look to these Haolonggood to see if I can get one someday to check myself how do these figures feel in hands. :)

The end of the year is the time for me to take one last look back at 2023 and learn a few lessons about myself.
Despite my resolution to reduce or at least contain my collection, I welcomed 247 animals into my jungle, representing 55 different brands.

155 are modern productions, 52 are compositions, 25 are vintage plastic, 10 are vintage metal and 5 are resin or other.

216 represent current species, 21 Mesozoic and 10 Cenozoic.

They are divided into: 140 mammals, 35 arthropods, 21 reptiles, 17 birds, 17 dinosaurs, 7 fish, 6 amphibians, 3 molluscs and 1 tardigrade.

The top 5 brands collected are: Bandai 31, Kaiyodo 22, Papo 17, CollectA 14 and Pfeiffer 13.

One might conclude that I am basically a collector of mammal models, with a preference for recently made models.
I think this is wrong because it is easier to collect a modern mammal figurine than anything else.
Finding 87 vintage animals, in good condition and at an acceptable price, is an entirely different sport. I'm even impressed with the 2023 crop.

My collection has taken an unexpected direction this year, adding 35 arthropods is a first for me, most of which are lifesize or smaller in scale. I don't know if I'll be able to continue in this direction as I'm running out of space.

Here's a retrospective of my 2023 addictions.  

January
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February
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March
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April
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May
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June
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July
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August
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September
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October
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November
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December
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Have a good New Year's Eve and see you tomorrow!

This year was expectacular to your collection, I want the birds of september.

Beautiful pictures Kikimalou.
I've officialy run out of space a year ago, so I understand your frustration. But I also understand the urge to collect more... I also bought a Bandai wasp and spider because they are so amazing. The details on these things are insane. Since I've bought them I can hardly resist buying more insect figures. But I just can not start another collection. I've already giving up on my dogs and sharks, just to make space. Is there a AA for animal collectors? LOL

Bloodrayne wrote:

Beautiful pictures Kikimalou.
I've officialy run out of space a year ago, so I understand your frustration. But I also understand the urge to collect more... I also bought a Bandai wasp and spider because they are so amazing. The details on these things are insane. Since I've bought them I can hardly resist buying more insect figures. But I just can not start another collection. I've already giving up on my dogs and sharks, just to make space. Is there a AA for animal collectors? LOL

Ha! I could use one.