1/32 scale animals

I think you'll be very pleased with the first place animal figure.

Unanimously voted as the 1:32 scale animal model of the year, the Ikimon Nature of Satoyama red fox!
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Why is it number one? There are several red foxes in 1:32 scale, but nearly all are pre-1975 vintage models. Although I love these vintage figures, the sculpting and painting quality are clearly of lower quality. The only modern red fox that I am aware of is the Safari Ltd Good Luck Mini from 2017. As a cheap figure, the Safari is not bad, but it doesn’t come close to the Ikimon. The Ikimon is the very first high quality 1:32 scale red fox. It looks slightly static, but both the sculpting and the painting are excellent, especially considering that this is a very small model; the detail is pretty amazing. It’s difficult to find small species in 1:32 scale and Ikimon should be praised for releasing such small figures in their Satoyama set; even for Japanese standards they are tiny. It isn’t just the best fox in 1:32 scale but also among the very best small species in this scale. Because high-quality small species are so rare, they give me a special joy, and therefore, this is the 1:32 scale animal figure of 2021 for me!

Proudly showing off his 2021 trophy:
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The laureates:
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A very worthy winner and completely agree with your reasoning! It is a stunning model especially considering how small it must be, 1/32 scale dogs are tiny and so the fact this looks so realistic even blown up in a photo just shows how incredible it must be in real life! And even a trophy to scale too! And the last photo shows the beauty of collecting animals at 1/32, it so clearly demonstrates the size difference between elephants and foxes!

Oh, now I understand your previous post.
I think your considerations are fair and more than valid to announce unanimously this little masterpiece as the 1:32 figure of the year. Even the proportions and texture look great for such a tiny model.
Hahah, I love the trophy, I almost thought you were using a lobster instead.

I must say I agree with your vote and your explanation, all three are excellent, really excellent 

I wish you will have such a batch every year, and, even if you are the only voter, I would be happy to follow your 1/32 animal of the year every year 

I have the two bigger ones and I'm waiting now for the N°1 

rogerpgvg wrote:

Unanimously voted as the 1:32 scale animal model of the year, the Ikimon Nature of Satoyama red fox!


Proudly showing off his 2021 trophy:
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The laureates:
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hahaha! this is just wonderful Roger! well done on having your own competition
perhaps the fox will jump inside his trophy ?
I have one of these tiny little creatures and you are right about the attention to detail, it is extraordinary, both in body shape and paintwork.
the Satoyama set is beautiful in every way and very exciting because it is 1/32nd scale.
I love the last photo showing the size differences:)

I tried to buy number 1 but no luck with eBay or Amazon.

Will be a neat companion for my Britains fox.

Certainly an interesting competition Roger.

Good to hear that you all enjoyed it. It was very interesting to look at my recent 1:32 scale acquisitions by selecting a top three. I am thinking I should retrospectively award trophies for previous years. The 2021 top three was certainly very good, but I found only 13 true 1:32 scale figures to choose from. I will probably have missed a few, but I did quite a thorough survey of the main “Western” (made in China) and Japanese brands (also made in China). It would be interesting to see how many there were in previous years and what the standard of the top three is. The heydays of 1:32 scale are over, but what is produced is often excellent. In theory, I could go back all the way until the 1950s, though I don’t always know the exact release year for older figures.

What comes out as the “best” figure depends very much on the perspective I take. I chose the Ikimon fox because it is shows clear progress in the quality of small animals and it is quite unique among previous 1:32 scale figures. Or to put it differently, if someone asked me which figure I would miss most if they took it away from my collection, then that would be the Ikimon fox because it is quite unlike any of the other models I have.

But if they told me I could keep only one figure from my whole collection, then I’d choose the Mojö elephant, because it is a very striking figure and it is quite representative for my whole collection. I wouldn’t choose the small inconspicuous fox.

Chris, most of us get our Japanese figures from Brettnj. If you are only looking for the fox and postage from Japan is prohibitive, I’d be happy to be an “intermediary” when I get my next batch from Brett.

Out of curiosity, are extinct species allowed in this thread?

I am not the "boss" of this topic, but why not? I don't collect extinct species, but it would be interesting to see what has been produced in this scale.

Manta rays
Manta rays are a popular species among animal figure companies and quite a few are 1:32 scale. Until 2009, it was thought there was only a single manta ray species, but that year, Marshall et al. (2009) reported that there are in fact two, the giant manta ray (Mobula birostris) and the reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi). They differ both in size and in a number of other characteristics. In order to determine whether a manta ray is 1:32, we first need to see what their characteristics are. Bear with me, it’s going to be a long story.

Manta ray size
The giant manta ray tends to be larger than the reef manta ray, although there is overlap in size. Marshall et al. (2019, 2020, IUCN Red List) say that the giant manta ray reaches disc widths (DW) of at least 700 cm, with anecdotal reports up to 910 cm DW. Males mature at 350–400 cm DW and females mature at 380–500 cm DW. Reef manta rays attain a maximum size of 500 cm disc width (DW), however, they rarely exceed 400 cm DW. Males mature at 270–300 cm DW and females mature at 300–350 cm DW.

Manta ray morphological characteristics
Giant and reef manta rays differ in 6 obvious respects. Marshall et al. (2009) provide a complete description of the differences. I will use their photos and summarise their conclusions here. I should say that Walter et al. (2013) discovered that giant and reef manta rays can cross-breed. They found evidence of a manta ray that the morphological characteristics of a reef manta ray, but had both reef and giant manta ray genetic characteristics.

1. Probably the most striking difference is the shoulder pattern. The giant manta ray has a T-shaped black pattern between the two white shoulder patches, whereas the reef manta ray has a Y-shaped pattern. The giant manta ray does not always have shoulder patches. As far as I understand, the reef manta ray always has shoulder patches except if it is melanistic (and is also predominantly black on the underside).

Shoulder pattern of giant manta ray:
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Shoulder pattern of reef manta ray:
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There are also melanistic variants of both manta rays that are entirely black on the dorsal (top) side and almost entirely black on the ventral side (underside).

2. On the ventral side, the giant manta ray has no black spots between the gills, whereas the reef manta ray generally (but not always) has. The giant manta ray usually has two prominent black spots at the gills that are closest to the tail (often looking like two eyes), whereas these spots are less prominent for reef manta rays.

Ventral side of giant manta ray:
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Ventral side of reef manta ray:
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3. As can be seen in the previous photos, the giant manta ray typically has dark-grey margins all along the posterior edges of the wings on the ventral side. The reef manta ray may have some grey coloration along the edges, but it doesn’t span the whole wing.

4. The giant manta ray has a caudal spine (“hump” on base of tail), whereas the reef manta ray doesn’t.

Giant manta ray:
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Reef manta ray:
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5. The mouth of the giant manta ray is black to charcoal grey. This coloration often extends to the posterior sides of the underside near the mouth. The mouth of the reef manta ray is white to light grey.

Giant manta ray mouth area:
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Reef manta ray mouth area:
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6. The giant manta ray has denticles in its upper jaw, whereas the reef manta ray doesn’t. There are also more subtle differences in the teeth that both have in the lower jaw. However, none of my manta ray models is so detailed that it shows teeth, so this sixth characteristic doesn’t help us identify the species of my models.

Manta ray models
Knowing all of this, we can have a look at my models to determine whether they are giant or reef manta rays and whether they are 1:32 scale. Most don’t have exclusively giant or reef manta ray characteristics; I’d be interested to know whether you agree with my species identifications.

Reef manta rays
The smallest manta ray model I have is the Colorata from the “Sharks of the World” box. It was first released in 2004, so before the distinction between manta rays was discovered. Nevertheless, it is a clear reef manta ray: Y-shaped shoulder pattern, two spots between the gills, white mouth, no grey margins along the wings and no caudal spine. This is perhaps the best model I have in the sense that its characteristics are very unambiguous. The disc width is 8.8/282 cm (following the curves), which is just enough for a mature reef manta ray.
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The next smallest is the Kaiyodo Aquatales Polyresin. It comes in a nice box and the model looks fine too, though it isn’t so special as you might expect from the box. As the name indicates, it’s made of polyresin, which is quite fragile and I am worried that I’ll break its very long tail at some point. I like the fact that it has a base, because it makes the ray look as if it is swimming rather than washed up on a beach. The model was released in 2013, after the distinction between the manta rays became known, and Kaiyodo says it is a Manta birostris, a giant manta ray. However, it has mostly reef manta ray characteristics: Y-shaped shoulder pattern (very subtle colour contrast), spots between the gills, white mouth, no caudal spine. The only giant manta reef characteristic are the grey margins (actually, more blue) along the wings. But overall, I’d say it’s a reef manta ray. The DW is 10.8/346 cm, a common size for a mature reef manta ray (but it would be a very small adult if it was a giant manta ray).
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In my opinion, my most beautiful model is the Colorata “Sharks of the World” Museum Model. The rod allows it to move it to different angles so that you can get a different perspectives on it. Great for photos. It is quite a rare model and I was happy to find it for a good price. I’d like to know when it was produced; this excellent review on the Animal Toy Blog says that it was produced before 2009, but doesn’t give the exact year. Overall, it seems quite a clear reef manta ray model, with a very clear Y shoulder pattern, a few spots between the gills, a white/light grey mouth and no grey margins along the wings. Unlike reef manta rays, it does have a caudal spine, but it’s a detail. Its DW is 15.3/490 cm, which is possible as a very large reef manta ray.
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A few years ago, I got a Schleich manta ray from Christophe. It’s the 2013-17 model (marked ’12) from the Wild Life Ocean series. It is quite a clear reef manta ray because of its Y-shaped shoulder patches, white mouth, no grey margins along the wings and no caudal spine. It doesn’t have spots between the gills, but reef manta rays don’t always have them and it doesn’t have the prominent eye-like spots that giant manta rays generally have. Its DW is 15.9/509 cm, which is extremely large for a reef manta ray. Perhaps not impossible, as Marshall et al. (2009) say that the maximum DW is approximately 550 cm (but Marshall et al., 2019 say 500 cm).
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Giant manta rays
I like the Safari 2018 manta ray from the Wild Safari Sealife series because of its nicely curved wings, sharply painted patterns on the dorsal (top) side and long tail. Overall, I’d say it’s more like a giant than a reef manta ray based on its dorsal (top) side: The shoulder pattern is more T- than Y-shaped and the caudal spine (nice detail) also suggests a giant manta ray. The white lower jaws suggest a reef manta ray, but perhaps Safari didn’t pay much attention to the underside, as it doesn’t have any spots or colouration. When you put it on a shelf, you don’t see the ventral side, so it can easily be used as a giant manta ray. It has a DW of 13.0/416 cm, which makes it a fairly small giant manta ray.
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Finally, my largest model, the Safari 1992 Monterey Bay manta ray. I feel that Safari has tried to make it look like a giant manta ray even though it isn’t right in all the details. On the dorsal side, it has a T-shaped pattern and a small caudal spine. The ventral side is less accurate for a giant manta ray, because it has a white mouth (should be black). On the other hand, there are no spots between the gills and the large spots closest to the tail are prominent, characteristics of giant manta rays. Perhaps Safari also attempted to make margins along the wings, but it doesn’t look right because the margins are white rather than grey. This manta ray has a 22.0/704 cm DW, so it is an extremely large giant manta ray in 1:32 scale.
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This is all turly interesting. Your post detailing the differences between both species could give a great topic on its own. I tend to agree with all of your identifications. I believe most of these were sculpted after pictures and the sculptor was not aware of these differences. In terms of painting I think the T/Y shapped shoulder mark is the most determining feature. Mouth color is a detail easily neglected for mass production.
In terms of sculpting, maybe the tail knob can assume some relevance. Your models presented are really beautifu, thanks a lot for this presentation.

wonderful and comprehensive Roger, thank you. I learnt a lot about manta rays in this and the models are all beautiful.

This is so interesting to read, with beautiful models and really clever identifications!

Thank you Roger :)

I love posts like this, where I feel like I've learnt a lot more about a real animal as well as admired the models being introduced. Fascinating!

Thank you, I hope it will help some of you to identify your own mantas.

I have added some more information in the manta identification post. I forgot that Marshall et al. also mention that the dorsal side of giant manta rays can be completely black even if they are not melanistic. Marshall et al. don't mention this for reef manta rays, so I assume their dorsal side can only be black if they are melanistic (and are therefore also predominantly black on the ventral side). However, the photo below shows that the shoulder patches of reef manta rays can be very faint (you may have to turn up the brightness of your screen to see it).
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This makes the current Papo and CollectA manta rays, which have a completely black dorsal side and a white ventral side, more acceptable.

I suppose there may be exceptions to any of these "rules", as even a pink reef manta ray was discovered:
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Melanistic variants of both giant and reef manta rays are fairly common, and there are also less common leucistic variants:
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They are a great animal for repainting in many different colour variations!

The PNSO Ankylosaurus is 1:32 for the largest specimen (CMN8880).
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Are you tempting Roger to collect dinosaurs?
... and you start with what is probably one of the nicest PNSO figures, I guess.

Roger wrote:

Are you tempting Roger to collect dinosaurs?
... and you start with what is probably one of the nicest PNSO figures, I guess.

The PNSO ANkylosaur is not the worst argument to tempt someone to collect dinosaurs
And I agree that's one of the nicest PNSOs.

Very interesting! I discovered that it is a very large animal, do you have any extant 1:32 scale animals to compare it with?

I am already collecting too much, so I am not expanding my collection into dinosaurs, but I find them very interesting as reconstructions of what animals looked like in the past. I also like the fact that collectors of prehistoric animals often pay attention to scale.

rogerpgvg wrote:

Very interesting! I discovered that it is a very large animal, do you have any extant 1:32 scale animals to compare it with?

I am already collecting too much, so I am not expanding my collection into dinosaurs, but I find them very interesting as reconstructions of what animals looked like in the past. I also like the fact that collectors of prehistoric animals often pay attention to scale.

No extant animals in 1:32 yet, sadly, but if you like I have the Schleich unpainted "Hans" guy.


Another possibly 1:32 animal, I calculated the GR Toys Dicraeosaurus as 1:30, but considering a certain variation inside the species and a certain error margin in my measurements, it fits in 1:32.
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