FINAL RELEASES - CollectA 2015: FOREST LIFE - Woodland Caribou (88709)

It was a hard choice deciding between a Reindeer or the impressive Caribou.  In the end this species was chosen due to its large size and sometimes impressive antlers.  This is a male in all its glory with a large set of antlers.  The inspiration for this image came from a small pencil sketch.  I also attach that images for reference but please no direct comparisons as I know the images do not match exactly.  A number of images were used to create this model.

There is a small downside - the creation of the antlers took the longest and was an absolute nightmare for the sculptor - the intricacies, curves and non-symmetrical shapes were very difficult. The catalogue image below is based on the prototype, however during final production, recreating the antlers exactly has proved to be extremely challenging.  It is the first I ever heard from CollectA explaining to me the difficulties of making this and it shows that even with the best of intentions, recreating animals with intricate body parts can be a tricky problem during mass production.  The antlers will have been slightly modified and I hope that they are not drastically different.  Time will tell and I will share the images when I receive a copy of the first production plastic model.  another example is the antler plat directly above the face - it should be closer to the face but it would have been difficult to produce this in the final model.

There are some bulls that do have antlers that grow spectacularly in size and so this model is based on those unique specimens with over grown antlers and not just the common average antler type which can be smaller.

Anyway, enjoy!

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Image used for inspiration......

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Oh wow I don't buy many non-horse models anymore, but if the real model is anywhere close to the prototype I might have to get this one

It's so gorgeous! I want it!

I just can say WOW, thank you so much for this awesome figure!  
But why again a male?  

LOVE this one! Really amazing!!!! The pose is perfect, everything seems perfect! On my wish list that's sure!

Never understood the difference between a caribou and a reindeer...I always thought that the reindeers living in Alaska are called Caribou...perhaps someone knows the difference? :)
Anyway impressive figure :)

Duck-Anch-Amun wrote:

Never understood the difference between a caribou and a reindeer...I always thought that the reindeers living in Alaska are called Caribou...perhaps someone knows the difference? :)
Anyway impressive figure :)

As I know the caribous live in north america, the normal reindeers live in Europe.

Wow. Stunning figure.

simply AMAZING !!

WOW ! WOW ! WOW ! and more WOW !!!

Awesome ! Beautyful !!!

Too amazing I don't know on how many hearts I clicked

I have to say, I absolutely love caribou and reindeer, and this is the best model this year yet for me! I also have to say, I love how CollectA isn't afraid to release rare species of similar look to them (fallow deer, reindeer, and all their antelope) because most companies think of competition amongst the figures and low sales when people don't recognize a species, but they are covering a vast array of animal groups with a wide variety of species within that group and I just find that amazing. Great job CollectA!

I think i will add this figurine in my zoo:)

Wonderful model!!!!!

I think an impressive figure with a walking posture very well made.
Perfect to increase my herd of caribou !!

Ana wrote:

LOVE this one! Really amazing!!!! The pose is perfect, everything seems perfect! On my wish list that's sure!

me too
it is wonderful

Gorgeous!

Those are some impressive antlers.
I'm very curious to see how the final outcome will look.

Great animal

So mesmerizing! There are some astounding antlers on that caribou. I hope the modified antlers will still impress.

This is a great figure! wow.

I've also always wondered about the difference between reindeer and caribou. A little reading online suggests that the difference isn't terribly sharp. They all belong to the same species and there are lots of different types of subspecies. There are apparently as many, or more, observable differences between members of the species that are all called 'caribou' as there are between some of the members called 'caribou' and the members called 'reindeer'. The words are regional. (In general: 'caribou' is used to refer to the subspecies in alaska, canada and greenland, 'reindeer' for the subspecies in northern europe and asia.) And although there is some debate about this, sometimes at least some of the differences have been attributed to the claim that Reindeer are "semi-domesticated" or have been domesticated in the past. (Again, it doesn't sound like there is a lot of agreement there however.)

Anyway, this is just the result of brief sleuthing. I'm not pretending to be an expert and others can weigh in. I did find it an interesting topic.

Regardless, though, CollectA seems to be releasing a particular sub-species: Rangifer tarandus caribou, which are called 'Caribou' and not 'Reindeer'.

I hope the antlers will stay big.

Great model!
That bull would definitely make the Boone and Crocket record books!

THIS ONE WILL BE IN MY COLLECTION ONE DAY... FOR SURE

Wow,beautiful! I have the Safari LTD. Reindeer that I like alot but i'd love to have this one to go along side that one.