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

Wonderful additions,especially the Chamois.

Kikimalou wrote:

The February family portrait  
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what an absolute treasure is here! The elephant is amazing, and the hermit crab is a beauty. I love hermit crabs.

I love the celluloid buffalo. It looks like it is moulting it's winter to summer coat, and where the stamp is.
Is it hollow inside Christophe? I think all these celluloid type figures seem to be hollow.

And the chamois is such a beauty! Does it have leather, or card ears? I love the tiny little hooves and horns, and the expression on the face.

That unknown lion is very handsome. It has a huge flowing mane! and the expression on the face - wonderful!

Amazing that so many vintage, and nearly antique models are in excellent pristine condition. The crocodile really is superb, and the baby hippo too. The lion does indeed have a curious lip line to him yet he looks very similar in style and appearance to the unknown one.
It's great to see your camels side by side with their paint differences. I like that a lot in models, the painting variations.

Thank you Taylor and Annette

Yes the Celluloïd bison is hollow as all the celluloïd I know.

The Chamois has no leather and the ears are thin but solid.

I usually avoid to collect painting variations, I have not enough place for that. About these two dromedaries, it's not just the paintwork that's different, it's above all the differences in the moulding that jumped out at me. The new one has a less elaborate paint job than my first, but a lot more texture.

April 25! It's high time I introduced my new arrivals for March.  

March was a month of great discoveries and unexpected arrivals, but also of great sadness... For a collector, of course.

For sadness, I won't show any photos... I'm currently renovating my home and I've had to put some of my collection away in drawers. The work has taken longer than expected, and it's still not finished. While rummaging around in my drawers I discovered that one of them had been contaminated and that part of my Clairet collection and also some Starlux were rotting, some models had melted and clumped together. Fortunately, the other drawers were unharmed. Losing a collection built up over many years in just one month got me thinking about the future and, for the moment, I'm not at all sure I want to repair the damage and invest time and money again in these models, which have now disappeared.      

But let's move on to much more positive things. In March, I was able to get hold of a handful of celluloid toys. After a bit of research, I discovered that they were all of German origin and from a manufacturer I didn't know: Paul Hunaeus Celluloidwaren-Fabrik.  
We've already discussed this manufacturer [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]  
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One misfortune never comes alone and I lost the boar when I tried to put them away. I have two left hands and the boar eluded me and lost two legs in the fall. The quantity of material, the Celluloïdes are very hollow, a repair is alas unthinkable. Given the rarity of these models I'm not sure I'll ever find another boar.  
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In the Belgian Composition department, I've finally got my hands on the very funny Durso American bison.... It's still intact today.  
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Let's move on to life's little miracles. My friend Sandor (aka Dutch Bear) sent me a wonderful present, a 1971 Marx Indian Rhino. I was desperate to find it one day, regularly scouring eBay.US for it when mine was in the Netherlands... Thank you again Sandor for this fantastic gift.  
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In the series, gifts from a friend, Rogério kindly sent me four figurines.  
Firstly, two Indian rhinos, a Chinese one and a Hong Kong one inspired by the old Britains Ltd.
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And an incredible baby Indian rhino produced by Miniland at the end of the 2nd century.
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And finally the Papo polar fox. I bought this model when it first came out but life's ups and downs separated me from it. I decided to do without it when Kaiyodo produced its Wild Rush...    I recently discovered that an Arctic fox was absolutely missing from my 1/12 collection. Papo happens to be an excellent choice for this role and Rogério has filled the gap!
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Despite their prohibitive price, I also welcomed two Naturalism birds of prey, the Black-and-White hawk-eagle because it's a new species in the world of toys, and the Harpy eagle because I was no longer satisfied with the Colorata. These models are really beautiful and I hope that Naturalism will continue to produce this type of series, at a more reasonable price.
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I had quite a few Noah's Pals in the 2000s but I'm not a fan of that series so I let almost all of them go. Only a few weeks ago a discussion on STS about foxes brought the two Jackals to the forefront. Fortunately they are still easily found on the web. The cherry on the cake, they're really at 1/25.
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I also integrated two CollectA that I missed, the Muskox and the Porcupine.
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I also hosted the Safari Ltd Leopard gecko which make the day of my 1/1 scale shelves.
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And then I fell for the IC Komodo dragon, I have resisted for years, arguing that I already have enough excellent representatives of this species on different scales. In order to reconcile my fierce and inflexible will and the compelling desire to succumb to temptation, I decided that this model would be perfect to embody a 1/20th scale Megalania.  
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At last the March portrait family
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So many beautiful new models! The Naturalism eagles are certainly worth it! Although may I ask where you purchased them? I ordered mine via yoybuy last year and they were around $12 per figure.

I actually just ordered (hopefully) the entire Naturalism owl set. They should be arriving in the mail soon. Provided all arrive they were about $9.50 each. I will do a walkaround when they arrive.

The Safari IC models are really great! They take up so much space but are really worth it in my opinion.

Love the older models too!

I bought my Naturalism birds on Aliexpress. I tried to buy via Youbuy in the past but I missed a whole set of Naturalism eagles then, it was impossible to get them home so I stopped using youbuy.

I like a lot of IC but, as you said, they need a lot of place so I must do picky choices among them.

Thank you for the older models Annette

Kikimalou wrote:

I bought my Naturalism birds on Aliexpress. I tried to buy via Youbuy in the past but I missed a whole set of Naturalism eagles then, it was impossible to get them home so I stopped using youbuy.

I like a lot of IC but, as you said, they need a lot of place so I must do picky choices among them.

Thank you for the older models Annette

Oh I’m sorry you missed the set! Did they just not ship to your country? Or did it get lost in the mail?

My eagles arrived fine, hopefully my owls will too. I’ve only used it once so I’m not sure how reliable it is.

I don’t use Aliexpress but I’ve seen more and more people use it so I might try that too

A interesting choice of old and modern treasures

Very sorry to hear that some of your Clairet and Starlux models got infected. It's so sad to loose models in that way. I hope that one day, you'll find them again for a good price.

The figures from the Paul Hunaeus Celluloidwaren-Fabrik have a very charming style - I especially like the polar bear and fox. I am surprised you don't like Noah's Pals. I do even though I don't have any. The Jackals are good!

aw Those celluloids are beautiful.
Love the 2 bears.

A whole load of wonderful additions!!!!

Many old rareties! And I like a lot the IC Komodo dragon and the naturalism harpy!

Very nice collection .I want the Naturalism birds and the Komodo dragon.

Thank you all to be here

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], I missed the set beacuse I bought only four of them and Youbuy told me later It was not enough to send them to me...
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I sincerely don't know if I will spend more money to buy the Clairet again, I have so much thing s to add and not enough money to do so alas.
Yes I don't like a lot Noah's Pals style even if I had 17 pairs in my collection a long time ago. I'm not saying they're bad, they just don't give me a lot of emotion.

@Dutch Bear Indeed Bears are one of the Big Five of the Celluloïd jungle. Do you have some ?

I'm so sorry about the damage to your difficult to replace collection pieces! Moments like that are devastating, but I am glad to see other new lovely figures finding a home with you to balance it. Those celluloids are beautiful. I also love the gecko. I would have him if I have anywhere at all to put him I think!

I'm sorry for your misfortunes. That thing abot Clairet is almost disturbing. I also remember my desperation when a Lineol fox fall down from my hands and it got broken. I felt so guilty that my enthusiasm as a collector almost vanished. frtunately, Yvette made me feel a normal collector telling me it happens with all of us even wen we are very careful. Fortunately a forum friend retouched it and it got perfect and Yvette meanwhile found more Lineol foxes for me. It is hard to accept when it happens but it is far from being a big problem for our lives. It is easy to write now, when it happened it felt like a cataclysm to me.
I'm glad my humble gifts arrived safely and that you will give use to them.
Congratulations for your new figures. I really like the Naturalism birds of prey, I considered to get them because I'm sure they would fit my taste but it was not the right moment. Those will turn rare for sure, I recomend them to everyone because I'm sure that those who won't get them now will regret later.

Thank you Jill and Rogério for your concern.  
Of course, in my life as a collector I have seen models break (I have two left hands with a hole in my palms) but what has just happened is on a completely different scale, the plague has come to my house and produced a massacre: no guilty but no cure either. Just thinking about it still affects me.  

April saw the arrival of two parcels, one from the USA and the other from China.

The first came from Paige   , who is kind enough to be my US address and always sends me impeccable packages that save me a lot of money on postage costs, which have become insane on both sides of the Atlantic.
April's parcel was particularly heavy…

I still had one corner to fill on my 1/4 shelf and this AAA Rhesus macaque mummy volunteered to do it.
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In the Heavyweight series, two ERTLs from the 90s made the trip: A zebra and a gorilla (there's a Walkaround [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for those who are curious).
I always wonder how children were able to play with such heavy toys, perhaps there were lots of little Schwarsy at the time but I can't remember.  
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Straight from the late 80s, I got my hands on the painted Funrise Indian rhino, very lightly it has to be said.
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I've been waiting a long time to get my hands on the two RAE Warthogs. I like Warthogs, don't you?
Hong Kong manufacturer RAE has produced a whole series of animals for ARCO Noah's Ark gas as premiums.
For a Frenchman of my age, this series is very intriguing, as many of the models look exactly like those offered by Injecta Plastic, a brand located in Macau, as premiums for manufacturers such as Prior, Rena...
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Along with the two pigs came a donkey and a horse, both of which have an old-fashioned charm that I enjoy.
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Three Celluloid animals of unknown brands also found a place in the baggage compartment: a white bison, a brown bear and a lion.
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One last for the road? An Imperial Tyrannosaurus in hollow plastic. It's not very realistic, either for today's standards or even for those of the era in which it was born.
But what am I supposed to do with such a thing?  
I think I'm building a synoptic collection, not in the sense of a model by species, but rather as offering a general view of the Animal toys realm. Curiosity is one of my many flaws. So I finally have an Imperial in hand. I chose a Trex because it looks incredible.
I also think that my way of collecting is threefold that of an evolutionist: I own animals from the Cambrian to the present day because I love the history of life on Earth.
I own figures from the 19th century to the present day because I love the global history of Animal toys.
Thirdly, I like the history of ideas and representations we make of animals that have long since disappeared. Dinosaurs are perfect for this and the Trex is the one that leaves the most choice.
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With the package from China, we will stay in the extinct species with the modern interpretations of Haolonggood and PNSO. These two brands are revolutionising the market for dinosaur collectors by offering models that are not entirely toys, as Safari Ltd and CollectA can do, or expensive resin models.
So this month I fell for three Haolonggood Ceratopsians, 1/35 Chasmosaurus and Kosmoceratops…
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…  and 1/25 Pentaceratops !
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I'm not an "absolutely all species of theropods" collector. The subtle differences between a Zhuchengtyrannus, a Gorgosaurus, a Daspletosaurus, an Albertosaurus, a Tarbosaurus and a Tyrannosaurus do not move me enough to go into debt.  
I'm just collecting a few significant species. The Megalosaurus has a special place, it is the first dinosaur in the order of discovery and it was a European species. As I grow older, I feel the desire to collect the extinct species of my continent, a new fancy...
I find PNSO's work on this one mind-blowing. So here is the 1/30 PNSO Megalosaurus.  
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At last the April team all together
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I agree with you on the PNSO theropods. I only have two (Therizinosaurus and the new Spinosaurus) but I haven't gotten any others of their deluge.

Congratulations Magnificent
I love the rhino beautiful pose


The AAA super monkey; At the start of my collection, I sold everything too big and too heavy for children

Stunning additions!Congrats!The ERTL Zebra is a real gem!along with the AAA Rhesus Macaque!

Thank you guys

I've got three PNSO theropods, the Deinocheirus, the Therizinosaurus and now the Megalosaurus. Maybe I will go this year with the new Spinosaurus and the Torvosaurus (an European species again).

Ilike very much the Rhino pose, it is my third one, the Miniland in grey, the Funrise in black and now the painted one.

The zebra is like the Gorilla, a bit too bulky but with a lot of charm.

The megalosaurus is fantastic,

oh wow!! once again I am stunned by the Family Photo!
the size of the gorilla and zebra!! OMG! they must weigh a tonne!?
even the Trex is a giant.

I like your explanation of yourself as a collector and I can see that perfectly in your collecting style. It is commendable:)
Collecting is not a simple feat, there are many intricacies in each person's collection so I really enjoy finding out these precise details of style, choice, whys etc :)

Congratulations on another gathering of new friends Christophe. That's very kind of Paige to assist you across the pond with these.

I think the detailing on the bison is superb. The attention to detail in the tiniest little curls and swirls is mesmerizing. I really love how exquisite this model is.
There's something olde world about these celluloid models that I find very appealing indeed. And they always seem to be rather on the fragile side for play-with toys.

 These Ceratopsians and megalosaurus are awesome and I notice that they have no cheeks like our old Starlux ones and that megasolaurus has no lips..

Fernando, the Megalosaurus is indeed a great model, I'm delighted to have bought it

Annette the gorilla weight 1kg267 I'm glad you find my collector stories interesting, I'm always a bit afraid of annoying people with them.

About the Celluloïd batch, I bought it because of the bison, I love the details, curls and swirls too. As for their weight and fragility, they are the exact opposite of the two ERTLs.

Alain, on the subject of Ceratopsian cheeks, this is a very topical issue. I have a view on the matter: both hypotheses are plausible and everyone can choose between the camp of Safari Ltd and Papo (Cheeks) and that of PNSO and Haolonggood (No Cheecks).
As for the theropod lips, it's a bit the same, although I believe they had them. I say believe and not think because I don't know enough about the subject. I'm not a purist or a hair-splitter, so I'm fine with either as long as the model looks good. For example, I'd like the Haolonggood Carnotaurus to have lips as I find it weird with its mouth closed, but as for the Megalosaurus, that's not a problem.
For the Trex I'd like to have both, I have the Rebor "Grab'n Go" without lips and I'm going to buy the Eofauna with lips.