Kikimalou's Indian rhinoceros collection updated May 8 2024

Thank you Lilias

Roger wrote:

The Mojö model is a modern one, and the glam metal is dead for a long time.
Thanks for letting me know how the Sotorres model looks like.

You tell that to Lady Gaga  

It's already Tuesday

2002, in Japan Bandaï releases a series of animals from Ausralasia.
2002, in France, my collection is not yet born, it is only an idea, a confused desire.
2003 I start the job, I want to find these toys which made me dream in my youth. No forums, no TAW, few blogs... I scour eBay in all directions and I come across some very well sculpted animals, they are sold cheap by a Japanese eBayer.

Among them, an Indian Rhinoceros and her little one that I find irresistible. I only hope they are not as big as the Lineols I just bought!

When they arrive my wishes are granted, they are very beautiful, very finely detailed and... not as big as the Lineol.
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And not bigger than a Hausser elastolin…
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Nor that a Schleich…
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Or that a Papo
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Not much bigger than a lego
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So tiny and so finely carved!! I like a lot too, their reddish shades,..  very fine models!

It's wonderful that you still cherish memories of when you bought them. That's part of the figures' history, and I really enjoy reading about it. When you mentioned that they weren't as big as Lineol, the first thing that came to my mind was how the Elastolin rhinoceros looks like a triceratops, and it ended up appearing in the post later. These are irresistible figures, and it's easy to understand why you couldn't resist the temptation to collect these models, even though online interactions were quite scarce.

That pair is darling... great collection thus far!

These are the first rhinos in this topic that I also own. They look wonderful in your photos, the details are very good. I kind of forgot them, I should appreciate them more: I am going to have another look.

The quality of the Asia and the Africa Bandai series is amazing, especially considering that they were only included as a premium with confectionary (a kind of cake, I think).

I usually over look the rhinoceros in figures, mostly because the white is so ubiquitous--it is nice to see the Indian rhino represented! Beautiful collection so far, and as always, the history is just as interesting as the figures themselves. Love the little tiny ones, they certainly were not too large.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Their reddish shades are less obvious in real life but they give an exquisite depth to the models. The images you see are Macro and we inevitably discover things that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I can't promise that I will be able to recount all my encounters as accurately as I did, but some of these animals have had a very lasting influence on my collecting, and Bandai is definitely one of them. The Triceratops too

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

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Of course you should appreciate them more even if they are 1/72 . Indeed their quality is obvious for what was "Japanese Kinder eggs". I would love Ferrero would do the same thing... Even 20 years later. These Bandai sets remind me the "Prior" of my youth when I discovered them, only more modern and better finished.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] If White rhinos are ubiquitous in the XXIth century, the XXth one saw the Indian rhinos realm in Toys kingdom. I must admit that I also like the White Rhinos, nobody's perfect

Back to the 20th century for this fourth Tuesday meeting.

Destination? France and Argentina between the wars and after WW2.

The first rhino I present today is the BF (Blancherie Frères). The two Blancherie brothers produced in Paris, before WW2, what is for me the most beautiful series of wild animals in hollowcast lead ever produced.
This brand probably "copied" some Britains Ltd but most of the time the "copy" is better than the original. Is this the case for the Indian rhinoceros? Yes and... No
It is not a copy of any Britains ltd but it still has a strong family resemblance.  And the paint? The model is simple, no subtle shading like on other BF's, it's a rhinoceros, but a well applied paint job with the eyes always painted where they should be and not next to it, as too often in other hollowcast lead series.
It has the very recognisable BF markings with flattened legs on the inside.
The brand had to close its doors during the occupation between 1940 and 1945. The post-war period was difficult for the brand which had to face competition from aluminium toys and the emerging plastic. The story could have ended sadly there but the 90's offered to the collectors a real fairy tale or more exactly a miraculous treasure hunt. During renovation work in the old Blancherie house, a secret cache was discovered in a wall where many "brand new" models had been hidden and forgotten during the war years. This led to a huge auction and that is why you can still find BFs as new as recent models.
Some pictures of our friend

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I have tried everything... This little mole rat still manages to show his little green face every Tuesday  
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The second attraction of the evening comes from Argentina, this lead rhinoceros was produced by the brand EG Toys, famous for its production of toy soldiers and animal figurines. Many of them are known as copies of Britains Ltd but the brand has also created some original models like a Rhea. EG Toys has also been inspired by BF models, such as the sitting camel, and this is probably also the case for the Rhinoceros.
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Tonight you'll get three rhinos for the price of one. We are leaving Argentina to return to France, we are leaving lead for aluminum.

Our third character is a Louis Roussy (LR), a French brand born in 1924 and which notably produced two series of wild animals in aluminum before ceasing production in 1956.

The "Large Animals" series has a very recognizable "airbrush" painting, the "Small Animals" series has a slightly more "rustic" painting. the Rhino is part of the "Rustic" series but even small in size it is the biggest of the evening. the layout of the legs is a bit different from the other two but I think the family resemblance is obvious.
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Egyptian-style little faces with Ivory horns    

BF
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EG Toys
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LR
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Some comparisons ? First the BF and EG Toys, same pose but the EG Toys is a bit shorter with a shorter head too
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The BF and LR
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All together now
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With a Schleich
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3 beautiful pieces but I prefer the BF!

Three wonderful pieces of history and as always very interesting to watch and read.
The Eg Toys model is really too close to the BF but not a copy. Inspired for sure. I see some ressemblance with the Britains but they're enough different to bear their own identity.
I'm learning so much with this topic, thanks for giving your time to provide us so beautiful posts.

Nice again

Thank you alain and Andreas

Roger wrote:

Three wonderful pieces of history and as always very interesting to watch and read.
The Eg Toys model is really too close to the BF but not a copy. Inspired for sure. I see some ressemblance with the Britains but they're enough different to bear their own identity.
I'm learning so much with this topic, thanks for giving your time to provide us so beautiful posts.

The first time I saw the EG Toys the BF influence jump out at me, It was only when I could compare them "in the flesh" that I discovered their differences.
Of course there are similarities with the adult Britains but the bond between these three seems stronger than that with their Brittish counterpart.
So I didn't add because they deserve a Tuesday post of their own, certainly next week.

I missed the Bandai last week. They are adorable!
The three vintage guys are lovely, too, I like the glossy one especially

Excellent taste Anna

Great trio. Is the BF rhino always painted in a glossy way or was glossy paint used in a particular period? BFs are usually not so glossy or are they?

The BF is glossy but not more than a Britains Ltd, it's the other two that are more matte.

The Rhinoceros on Tuesday will be 20th century Germans.

The Bullyland brand, founded in 1973, has produced five references of Indian Rhinoceros and two of Java Rhinoceros. Five references but only three moulds, two figures having changed references over time.

I only own two of them, the Bullyland 63482 Rhinoceros from the "Mini wild" series having always escaped my radar.

So I'm going to tell you about the Rhino from the "Medium wild" series and the "Large wild" series. Let's be clear about these names, neither of them would deserve the label Large or Medium these days.

Let's start with the "Medium", first produced in 1980 in soft plastic, it was a contemporary of the Britains or the Starlux, in a very different style. it’s life will stop in 1999.

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With the green Mole rat
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The second is the Rhino "Large" which was born in 1991 and will disappear in 2010 along with this entire series.
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With the Mole rat
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Family photos
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With the last Schleich
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That first rhino has such a grumpy looking face. It looks like a potoo with the shape its mouth is.

Really lovely rhinos! There is something to love about them all.

Thank you Andreas and Paige

Yes the first one is Droopy the grumpy Potoo bulldog unicorn

Interesting that the first Bullyland was made around the same time as the Starlux and Britains. Quite different in style from Starlux and Britains, but the small Bullyland is also a nice looking model, though I prefer the later larger model. I am wondering, could any of the Javan rhinos that Bullyland made be 1/32 scale?

The older one is indeed less detailed than the "large" one, it is however much better proportioned.
Alas Roger, the Javan rhino are way too big to be in 1/32.

Thanks, then I don't need to search for one. Yes, both Bullylands have their slight imperfections but also their charms.