snow crab (MegaHouse)

Walkaround of a new species for me, the snow crab Chionoecetes opilio (Fabricius, 1788) by MegaHouse. Snow crabs are popular commercial crabs native to shelf depths of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Surprisingly, this species has not been made before.

The figure is a 'Kaitai' puzzle consisting of 41 pieces! The pieces snap together without any adhesive. This figure has both internal and external organs, but interestingly, the internal structures are hidden when the figure is complete. The set also comes with a paper plate and plastic 'crab claw crackers', simulating a cooked specimen, and a recipe guide LOL. Interestingly, when we see red crustaceans like this, they are often meant to represent cooked individuals, however in nature C. opilio is more commonly red than green or brown! When completed, the carapace measures about 5.5 cm, making it about 1:3 for a large male and just over 1:2 for a large female.

There are positives and negatives to this figure. The carapace shape is about correct and the proportions are nice. However, the eyes are cartoony and somewhat anthropomorphized. Also, some of the part labels are permanently printed on the pieces (for those of you who like to customize and repaint, these are minor issues).

The first two pics below are courtesy of Hobby Search from where it was bought, the other three are mine. I did not take step-by-step pics as I assembled it. An interesting figure, but a new species for me!

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This one must take a steady hand to assemble

But the reault is really nice, - and the idea to include the internal organs is great

Nice crab puzzle :)