1/32 scale animals

The Eikoh giraffe is better in 3D than in my photos. Not 100% realistic, but aesthetically quite appealing.

Recently, I received a Starlux musk ox from Christophe/Kikimalou. Once I got used to the fact that the Starlux style is very different from the Kaiyodo style of my other musk ox, I really started liking this figure.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 
He is 4.7/150 cm at the shoulder. A large musk ox, as Lent (1988, Mammalian Species) says they are 120-150 cm. Wikipedia says 110-150 cm and ADW gives a smaller range of 125-135 cm (probably too small, as males are considerably larger than females). Here he is with the Kaiyodo, which is 4.1/131 cm. Both are great models of musk oxen even though they look very different.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 
Starlux made their musk ox in two different sizes. The smaller version, which I got from Willybacoman, is 3.7/118 cm. The horns suggest that it is a male, but if we pretend that it’s a female, it may just be 1/32 scale. Except for its size, it’s really identical to the larger version.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Kiki and Willy, what a pair!
when I entered this place, more than 10 years ago, the first thing I found was Kiki and Willy drinking something in the village pub. I think itt was red wine and Bacardí. I still remember them trying to find out how to remove the cork of a Clairet bottle. Does it sounds strange to you? No, it is these peculiar things that makes something special even if it is something unpretentious. Somewhat like a Starlux muskox, it is special, I don't know why but it is not one more muskox figure, it is the Starlux.

Sorry for the late reply. Knowing Kiki and Willy just a little bit, it doesn't sound all that strange. Good old times (though new times aren't bad on the Forum either).

When I started collecting 1:32 scale animals, I thought that it would be easy to find large animals such as rhinos, hippos and bisons, because modern companies usually make large-scale models. But they are actually very hard to find. The problem is that the standard-sized models from modern companies are too large and those from Japanese companies and most vintage companies are too small.
 
Let’s have a look at a few rhinos that I found. Black rhinos (or hooked-lipped rhinos) are most common in my 1/32 scale wildlife reserve. The size information I found is not very consistent and it’s hard to tell what is correct. For example, on its Rhinoceros page, Wikipedia says that an adult black rhinoceros stands 1.50–1.75 m high at the shoulder and is 3.5–3.9 m in length, but on its Black rhinoceros page, it says that an adult black rhinoceros stands 140–180 cm high at the shoulder and is 3–3.75 m in length. The San Diego Wildlife Alliance Library says that its body length is 2.9 - 3.75 m and shoulder height is 1.4 - 1.8 m. Perhaps the different measurements are due to differences between subspecies, as Hillman-Smith and Groves (1994, Mammalian Species) say: “Variation among subspecies exists for length of head and body, 280-290 cm; height of body, 132-180 cm”. But given the large height range, the length range must be much larger than just 10 cm.
 
Anyhow, let’s have a look. First up, a black rhino from Tree House Kids. I had been looking for this one for a while and was very happy to obtain it recently from Ricardo/Stripedhyena. It has a shoulder height of 5.0/160 cm and a head and body length of 11.5/368 cm.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

It looks very similar to the Schleich 2002 black rhino, perhaps even a copy? Which makes me wonder, is the old Schleich perhaps 1:32 scale too? Does anyone have it?
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Marolin also made a rhino, and based on its lips, I’d say it is a black rhino. The Marolin rhino has a shoulder height of 4.3/138 cm and a head+body length of 9.0/288 cm. If Smith and Groves (1994) are correct, then it could be a small black rhino. [Edit 16/12/2021: I had measured it incorrectly, it is 4.8/154 cm, which is better for 1:32 scale.] I quite like it, except that it is rather thin, especially compared to the Tree House Kids.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

But perhaps it’s OK for a small rhino to be skinny. It is covered with warts, which black rhinos don’t have (Indian rhinos do). Not so realistic, but the warts do look good on her.
 
I showed you the PNSO rhino earlier in this topic. Its lips suggest that it is a black rhino, though the hump on its neck is more characteristic of white rhinos. Perhaps a cross-breed . Its shoulder height is 4.6/147 cm and its head+body length is about 10/320 cm.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

By far the best black rhino is the Britains. A magnificent sculpt, one of my favourite Britains. Its shoulder height is 5.3/170 cm and head+body length is about 10.5/336 cm.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

White rhinos are harder to find. But I got one, again from Ricardo. It was made by Jasman, and based on the shape of its lips, I think it’s my only adult white rhinoceros. Its shoulder height is 5.0/160 cm and head and body length is 9.5/304 cm. The best information about the size of white rhinos probably comes from Groves et al. (2010, PLoS ONE). They conclude that Southern white rhinos have a shoulder height of 165-188 cm (males are larger than females), so the Jasman would be too small. However, the Jasman could be a Northern white rhino, as this nearly extinct (sub)species is smaller (shoulder height 150-166 cm). The Jasman may be a bit short though, as Groves et al. say that the occiput to base of tail length of Northern whites is 245-271 cm. The Jasman measures about 7.0/224 cm, but perhaps I don’t know where its occiput is. Here it is with the Tree House Kids:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

The Jasman white rhino is shorter than the Tree House Kids black rhino. Normally, Southern white rhinos are considered to be larger, but I think Northern whites can be smaller than black rhinos. The Jasman has a lower quality feel than the Tree House Kids because it is rather glossy.

Perhaps I can use the Hausser Elastolin 54 mm rhino calf as a white rhino too. The Elastolin adults look more like black rhinos (and are too small for 1:32 scale), but the calf looks more flat-lipped.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

So the Jasman has got a baby, although they look very different.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

My only Indian rhino is the one made by Britains. It’s another fantastic classic model. Shoulder height is 5.5/176 cm, length 10.8/346 cm (about 13/416 cm with tail).
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Laurie et al. (1983, Mammalian Species) reported that 20 Indian rhinos had shoulder heights between 147 and 193 cm (males were larger than females). Dinerstein (1991, Jn Mammology) reported that the mean shoulder height of 4 males was 172.3 cm and that of 3 females 149.3 cm. Total length including the tail was 411.7 cm for 15 males and 399 cm for 9 females. Examining historical records, Rookmaaker (2019, Pachyderm) concludes that the shoulder height of Indian rhinos is 140-206 cm, but it isn’t clear how reliable these records are and how the rhinos were measured.
 
The Britains adult rhinos are a great pair:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Britains also made an Indian rhino calf. I have always liked it, even though a calf shouldn’t have such a clear horn.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

The whole bunch together:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Are there any modern companies that have made rhinos that are a bit smaller than usual? White rhinos with a shoulder height of less than 5.9 cm, black rhinos less than 5.6 cm and Indian rhinos less than 6 cm? Perhaps an early Safari or early Schleich? Or, even better, any companies that have made other rhino species in 1:32 scale?

Tree House Kids rhino looks really a lot like the Schleich model and with the same inconsistencies.
For example, the head is too large for a black rhino, besides the lips, an efficient way to identify white from black rhinos, is through the proportion of their heads when compared with body.
White rhinos are more massive while black rhinos are more athletic but, despite having more modest body mass, their heads are noticiably smaller when compared with their bodies.
Thus, Tree House Kids is a black rhino but with a too large head.
Marolin is obviously narrow bodied even for a black rhino but we can see immediately it is a black rhino because of its athletics look and small head.
It is common to see warts on African rhino figures, toy designers love to give a somewhat armoured look to these creatures even when it is not supposed.
Both Britains models are very accurate to their species. I got my Britains Indian rhino when I was not even aware how good were Britains models.
I made the naive comment, how is it possible that this old figure is better than Schleich. I was refering to the old Schleich (Maia & borges model). Of course it is.
Britains was my favorite Indian rhino until the arrival of the Safari model. Britains was also fortunate with the pose of the black rhino, they are active and dynamic creatures, the image of an African rhino charging is much more common for black rhinos. White rhinos also charge but they are docile creatures, they look like cows while black rhinos look like fighting bulls.
Your Tree House Kids has a pose more typical for white rhinos, similar to the Mojö model but those are poses, they are correct for all species.
My post is getting longer than yours but I think even the older models from major brands are a little large for you. They are often between 1/25 and 1:30 scales. I don't have the Schleich black rhino but I can take a comparison of the newer Schleich Indian rhino with Britains if needed.

What a wonderful rhino collection!
Such a range of styles but all lovely representations of the species! Ricardo is definitely good for some of these sorts of models, I have just struggled a bit with trying to sign up as it doesn't seem to have the UK as an option!

Thank you both! I have the recent Schleich Indian rhino. I think it's too large (something like 6.5 cm shoulder height, if I remember correctly), unless Rookmaaker (2019) is right and they can really be up to 206 cm.

Sorry, Lilias, I don't understand why you say you cannot sign up (Ricardo is a forum member, you don't need to sign up.)

Interresting post about rhinos. I can only make the same observation as Roger and Rogério. I also have the two Britains, whom I adore, and a black resin rhinoceros made by Manuel Bejarano a long time ago. I'll post a photo this weekend.
For white Rhinos I don't have one on this scale. Perhaps the Safari 270229 White Rhino could do the trick. If anyone can measure it that would be good.

I love the Britains Indian rhino, that creased and heavy look of being a smaller animal inside a slightly ill-fitting thick skin is perfect

rogerpgvg wrote:

Thank you both! I have the recent Schleich Indian rhino. I think it's too large (something like 6.5 cm shoulder height, if I remember correctly), unless Rookmaaker (2019) is right and they can really be up to 206 cm.

Sorry, Lilias, I don't understand why you say you cannot sign up (Ricardo is a forum member, you don't need to sign up.)

Oh, very sorry, it seems there are two Ricardos! The one I was trying to sign up to was this one, to try and see if this amazingly rare Schleich dog was still available but I think only people living in France/ Germany or possibly Spain/ other European countries that aren't the UK can sign up! Sorry for the confusion! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Bonnie wrote:

rogerpgvg wrote:

Thank you both! I have the recent Schleich Indian rhino. I think it's too large (something like 6.5 cm shoulder height, if I remember correctly), unless Rookmaaker (2019) is right and they can really be up to 206 cm.

Sorry, Lilias, I don't understand why you say you cannot sign up (Ricardo is a forum member, you don't need to sign up.)

Oh, very sorry, it seems there are two Ricardos! The one I was trying to sign up to was this one, to try and see if this amazingly rare Schleich dog was still available but I think only people living in France/ Germany or possibly Spain/ other European countries that aren't the UK can sign up!  Sorry for the confusion! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I didn't need to sign up but the beagle sale is ended since December 2020.
However, I can't open it using MsEdge, I needed to use Chrome to it work properly.

The Manuel Bejarano Black rhino

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Looks good, a white black rhino .

Roger wrote:

Bonnie wrote:

rogerpgvg wrote:

Thank you both! I have the recent Schleich Indian rhino. I think it's too large (something like 6.5 cm shoulder height, if I remember correctly), unless Rookmaaker (2019) is right and they can really be up to 206 cm.

Sorry, Lilias, I don't understand why you say you cannot sign up (Ricardo is a forum member, you don't need to sign up.)

Oh, very sorry, it seems there are two Ricardos! The one I was trying to sign up to was this one, to try and see if this amazingly rare Schleich dog was still available but I think only people living in France/ Germany or possibly Spain/ other European countries that aren't the UK can sign up!  Sorry for the confusion! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I didn't need to sign up but the beagle sale is ended since December 2020.
However, I can't open it using MsEdge, I needed to use Chrome to it work properly.

That's interesting, for me it's asking me to verify my location/ phone number and create an account to buy from this website! Yes, I noticed this too , the only reason I was going to contact the seller to check because it said that the item had not been sold, only that offers had closed- but like you I was almost sure anyway that offers had probably closed for a reason!

rogerpgvg wrote:

Looks good, a white black rhino .

Yes I still have to repaint it.

Some 1/32 scale river life today. It’s hard to find river fish in this scale, but I have found a few very large fish. Here we have a beluga sturgeon made by the Japanese company Epoch: 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

It has a total length of 7.5/240 cm. Beluga sturgeons are some of the very largest fish, found mainly in the Caspian and Black seas, and the rivers flowing into them. They are anadromous, meaning that they live both in fresh and saltwater. Wikipedia says that the largest accepted record is of a 7.2 m female caught in the Volga river in 1827. Whether this number can be trusted, I don’t know, but due to overfishing, they certainly no longer grow so large;  Kim and colleagues ([url=https://archive.md/20120721090228/http:/www.caspianenvironment.org/biodb/eng/fishes/Huso huso/main.htm#selection-11.1-2823.46][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] report measurements of 1048 beluga sturgeons and the largest, a female estimated to be 39-40 years old, was 328 cm. Like many fish, they continue to grow throughout their life. It is thought they can live to over 100 years, so if they are allowed to live their full life, they can grow very large indeed. Most males mature at 12-15 years old, while females mature a few years later. At 13 years old, the minimum total length of males was 155 cm, which we could take as the minimum size of an adult beluga sturgeon.
 
As part of their Fossil Fish box, Colorata also makes a sturgeon in 1/32 scale, a Chinese sturgeon. It has a total length of 10.0/320 cm. Like its beluga cousin, the Chinese sturgeon is anadromous. It lives in the seas around China, Korea and Japan and the rivers around them. Although the maximum length of Chinese sturgeons is assumed to be smaller than that of beluga sturgeons, they can be very large too. For example, Wang et al. (2012) tagged Chinese sturgeons with total length of 245–368 cm and Yang et al. (2006) tagged adult sturgeons with total length of 275–360 cm. 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Colorata also made a Mekong giant catfish for their Fossil Fish Box. However, this fish is only found in the 2004-2010 box; from 2011 this catfish was no longer included. As the name suggests, it lives in the Mekong river in South-East Asia. In contrast to the sturgeons, it is a purely freshwater fish. The Colorata is 7.8/250 cm in total length. 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Again, these fish can grow very large, though not quite as large as the beluga and Chinese sturgeons. Wikipedia says that the record is 270 cm and Purivirojkul and Sirikanchana (2006) studied 6 Mekong giant catfish with lengths between 230 and 268 cm.
 
Finally, not a fish, but a river dolphin, the Amazon river dolphin or boto. As the name suggests, it lives in the Amazon, but subspecies also live in the Orinoco and Madeira rivers. My boto was made by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. It is glued onto a base with a peg and is meant to be displayed by fitting the peg into the gashapon ball in which it was sold, but I much prefer it without the ball. 
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

The boto has a length of 7.2/230 cm. That makes it quite a typically-sized male boto. Martin and Da Silva (2006) found that the mean maximum length of 24 males was 231.5 cm (range 219–249 cm), while the mean maximum length of 45 females was 199.8 cm (range 182–218 cm). Unlike the previously mentioned fish, these dolphins don’t grow all their lives, so they have a maximum length and therefore a much smaller size range.
 
Here they are all together. Because the fish have a very large size range, size comparisons aren’t all that useful here, but I think it’s interesting to show them with a human to give an idea of the size of these animals.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

River life! Beautiful models, and all information feel really well researched and interesting to read, this topic is filled with useful information on 1/32 scale models!

Your dedication to finding the right scale is impressive, and these are really good additions to broaden the collection. I like the sturgeon best, the detail in the sculpt picked out very nicely with the paintwork

Congratulation for your newcomers

I have the Colorata but the Epoch is a nice surprise.

Thanks, Andreas, Lilias, George and Christophe!

congratulations on such wonderful fish and the dolphin Roger !
they are all magnificent :)

Thank you, Annette, glad you like them too.

Cool to see fishers and rare dolphin at this scale!

The moose is another large animal, but it’s one that is easier to find in 1/32 scale than rhinos, hippos and bisons. They have a large size range, which helps.
 
Manchurian moose are generally considered to be the smallest moose. Jia et al. (1994, Alces) refer to Wang and Liu (1986), who found that 2 male Manchurian moose had a mean shoulder height of 165.5 cm and 4 females had a height of 156.8 cm.
 
The Alaskan moose is often considered the largest, but this isn’t fully supported by the research that Wang and Liu cite: Franzmann et al. (1978) found that Alaskan males had a mean height of 183.5 cm and females were 176 cm, but Nygrén (1986) reported that the mean height of respectively male and female European moose was 194.6 and 188 cm. However, the Alaskan moose were longer and Wikipedia says that the largest confirmed moose was an Alaskan moose measuring 2.33 m in height. This height doesn’t seem out of the ordinary: Jensen (2013, Alces) found that the largest male Western moose in North Dakota was 219.7 cm (max total length “over the curves” 296 cm) and the largest female was 206.8 cm in shoulder height (max total length 286 cm). This subspecies is considered to be medium-sized; Hundertmark and Schwartz (1998, Alces) found that Alaskan moose are indeed longer, as the largest male was 325 cm and the largest female 310 cm, but unfortunately, they didn’t give a shoulder height.
 
In summary, moose bulls can be anywhere between 165 and 230 cm in shoulder height, while cows are about 5-10 cm smaller.
 
Let’s start with the Britains moose, which I have had longest, for well over 40 years. It was produced from 1977 to 1998. The moose is completed painted (the plastic underneath is cream coloured), like a few other wildlife animals Britains released in the late 1970s ,such as the gnu and red deer stag. The antlers are separate and because Britains used very little or no glue, they are often lost. The Britains is 5.7/182 cm at the shoulder.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

Early New-ray figures were often inspired by Britains, and this can be seen in their moose too. The sculpt has a similar standing pose and shape as the Britains. The colour is very similar too; I don’t think it’s the best choice of colour, but at least it isn’t pink as some of the other New-ray wildlife animals. The brown horns of the Britains moose do make it look better.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

The early New-ray moose is from 1993 and is 5.4/173 cm at the shoulder. From 2008, they started making a larger, very different looking moose:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

It has a shoulder height of 6.2/198 cm; it would be larger with straight legs. I don’t know until when New-ray produced it, but I don’t think it’s being produced any more. Based on photos I saw, I thought it might be a cheap-looking figure, but it looks pretty good. It is near-impossible to find outside the US and I was very happy that I got it from WhiteLightningWolf (Fallon) along with several other hard-to-find figures.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

Hausser Elastolin also made several excellent moose. Their 54 mm moose bull is far too small, but the 70 mm moose can be used as 1/32 scale. It’s very large (7.0/224 cm shoulder height), but it’s just possible.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

It was made between 1967 and 1983. Before I got the Elastolin, I got another moose that I assumed was Hausser Elastolin:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

I thought it was merely a colour variation, but once I got the real Elastolin, I realised that the real one is larger and made of a slightly different plastic. I don’t know for sure, but ZZ Riesen made quite a few Elastolin copies, so it may have been made by them. The Elastolin looks slightly better in my opinion, but the ZZ Riesen (?) is better sizewise, with a shoulder height of 6.6/211 cm.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

The 54 mm Hausser Elastolin calf can be used as 1/32 scale. It is 2.9/93 cm at the shoulder, which may be a bit too small for an Alaskan moose, but it is certainly possible as a Manchurian calf: Wang and Liu (1986) reported that four newborn Manchurian calves had a mean shoulder height of 79.5 cm.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

And as a cheat, the 54 mm moose cow could be used as an older calf. It looks very similar to the 54 mm calf, so why not? The Elastolin 54 mm moose were made from around 1970 until 1983.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

Finally, the Marolin moose.  They were first produced from around 1970 under the name VEB Plaho and then on and off from 1992 as Marolin. They are quite hard to find, especially in a good condition, as they are some of Marolin’s rarest wildlife animals. I bought them from quite possibly the world’s greatest VEB Plaho collector, forum member effelderboy (Thomas). The moose bull is particularly rare, because Marolin made only 300 in this brown colour as a special order for Thomas. It’s 5.4/173 cm at the shoulder, so can be used as a Manchurian moose.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

The cow is also special, because as far as I know, it’s the only moose cow in 1/32 scale.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

With six bulls and only one cow, there was trouble in the 1/32 wildlife reserve. Fortunately, I got another cow from Willybacoman. Still some trouble …
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] 

The two cows have slightly different colours, which is common for VEB Plaho/Marolin, as they probably just used the paint that was available. The Marolin moose cows have the same shoulder height as the bull.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]