My newest additions

Soooo many wonderful additions, and really interesting to read your views on the models! Really looking forward to seeing your repaint of the ray!

Ok, I almost missed this one !

First of all, I am much happy you started to give up your overly strict rule of not substituting a figure. I know how you felt, it was also very difficult to me to replace old figures that I loved, even when they are scandalously vintage like the badger. But you were missing better opportunities and for a collector as demanding on realism as you are, it was a shame.

The shark is indeed quite grotesque even if the shape is not so bad. The painting indeed makes it remember me a playmobil unspecified shark my grandmother once bought for my collection

Now I understand better why you have the previous mountain goat model from Schleich : it was a trade with Kiki. In my opinion, the real mountain goat masterpiece is the newer model but that one is allright. I had the chance to get it once but didn't because I already had the newer version.

Mountain goats are certainly rarities in zoos but we both know a very good address to see them

Your wolverine is definitely better painted than mine, I guess it's from Germany or Portugal right ? (mine is from China). That's a great model which represents the typical aggressive attitude of the beast defending its carrion from a brown bear. However, I still think the Mojo catches better the general aspect of this species, especially the muzzle. That's not enough to make me substitute it however, especially as it's a retired model and I am not willing to put any effort in finding it. But I wouldn't mind a mate for my Schleich if I ever get an easy opportunity.

I have seen wolverines only once, in the new Vincennes.

I don't really think anything about that spotted eagle ray but the general colouration is certainly more accurate than on my old Schleich and if you gonna repaint it (and make actual spots I guess) it can turn really good.

The monkfish is the greatest addition from that lot and certainly one of those iconic species I'd like to add to my collection, even being no fishes fan ! My first contact with that animal was watching the excellent TV series "Malcolm in the Middle" in which Reeze, Malcolm's brother, wants to put a turkey inside a monkfish for Thanksgiving

Great additions Isirdo!

Thanks a lot for all of you!
Rtas, I love your detailed analyzing of my acquisitions, just like I do with yours! This is what make me live the figure collecting, instead just boring addition of photos :)
Yes, my "rule" was made to be broken someday and I already tought in it since many months ago. Namely my Safari arctic fox needs to be replaced for sure, but not the Schleich nor the Papo ones convince me totally, they're for sure better than Safari but not perfect. Schleich one looks like just a red fox painted white, lacking the typical shape of the arctic fox. While papo is bluish and have a texture that I dislike, especially in the tail.

For me, realism is the most important thing to consider in my collection, and all other things are second to it. Even size

The shark can look like grotesque, but it's not anymore since it's already repainted. Actually Safari did a very good job on this one. The proportions, the different sizes and positions of the fins are absolutely nailed. Only the glossy paintjob and the simplistic colour scheme are what ruin it, but the sculpt is nearly perfect if we forgive small details about the shape of the bases of the fins.

I was totally unaware that Schleich did two models of mountain goats. Well this one is not perfect (I would like a more sharp texture of fur) but is very good, and for sure infinitely better than the CollectA one. Now with the hooves painted black and the horns sharpened by addition of WePAM and subtle touches of dark inside nostrils and mouth, it turned very good for my collection. And yes, the place you think is the only one where I saw mountain goats in captivity.

The wolverine must be probably made in Germany. In the underside only says "Schleich" and the Schleich adress in German. Wolverines are usually "no shows" for me, as I saw wolverine enclosures in various zoos but the real animal only in one (Tierpark Hellabrunn, Germany).

The eagle ray is also repainted now, and I never can think in the original paintjob as "accurate". Even if it would be spots, they would be still yellow on brown background, instead white on black background as in the real animal. I can't imagine how is the "old Schleich" then

The monkfish was the best Eikoh figure for me, and I really loved it since first I knew about it in this forum. Thanks a lot [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for this wonderful gift

I'm surprised that you knew monfishes first from this series instead from visits to local markets, supermarkets or fisheries I probably ate its flesh before seeing and entire one And honestly it's a very fine fish, I like a lot :)
That video clip is funny, and have the advantage of being subtitled in Spanish so I understand everything and I find Reeze very attractive, so he made a strong contrast with the fish

I surely think you should not change the legs of your beautiful mountain goat. Not only because it is an iconic model but also because i think it is not disturbing enough to justify such effort. CollectA will need to replace their moutain goats that are hybrids between domestic goats what is not easy once they are not so closely related. It explains the final result. So, I hope CollectA someday put on market a serious Rocky Mountain goat with the quality of these ungulates from the last 10 years.
A Yujin branded model should always be listed as a Yujin even if the brand was soldn to another company. Peugeot bought the brand Talbot a long time ago and even if the projects for future Talbot were merged with the Peugeot models and the brand name was never used anymore, they will be Talbot forever. Nobody will call Peugeot to a Talbot Lago as nobody calls Talbot to a Peugeot 309 even if it is clearly a talbot model with the exterior design of a Peugeot. If you want I can explain it with Spanish brands. Everybody knows the iconic Seat 600 is a Fiat 600 branded under license by the Spanish company Seat. If you buy it you have what, a Seat or a Fiat? Well, you have a Seat but it is a Fiat. Sorry, a little off topic...

Yep, nobody talk about changing the legs. I only commented that CollectA's one are thinner. What I intended to change is the horns. But I just enlarged them adding a sharp point with WePAM :)

Thanks for the info about Yujin! Then I must edit my signature The continuos changes on brands make categorization difficult. For example, if a whale sculpt is created by Maia & Borges and sold under that brand but after sold to Schleich then to Mojo then to Papo... which brand should have said whale?

Congrats. Several lovely figures there!

Schleich's previous Arctic fox has a better shape than the newer version but also those big black cute eyes that are not relevant for an Arctic fox, so that's a difficult pick between those two, that's why I have both and use them as male and female with the convenient excuse of the fur hiding the genitals (both are ungendered). Papo is, as often with this brand, well-sculpted but badly textured/painted.

I have seen your repaint and the shark is way better now but you did an even better job on the ray.

Here is the Schleich eagle ray which is orange for an unknown reason :
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If I had to choose now, I would pick the Mojo instead. But I would prefer to buy the Safari cownose ray rather than replacing a species I already have if I ever add a new ray to my collection.

As Roger said on another topic, the new mountain goat is part of a set but French seller are used to take them out and sell them separately at a higher price. That may be not completely honest but much more convenient. However, I do think it's better, it has that extra texture you'd like and both shapes are plausible for that species, the newer version is just a larger, woolier and probably older individual.

My unusual encounter with the monkfish as a species is not so surprising you know. My parents don't cook at all so the closest thing to fish I have ever eaten in my childhood is the breaded fish from McDonald's "Filet-O-Fish" which I ate on the couch, watching real monkfishes in Malcolm on TV ! That sounds miserable but you know, they brought me other things and I am used to saying that my mother did not feed my belly but did feed my soul

You may not find Reese so attractive if you knew it better, he's kind of silly but I guess it's part of his charm

Hi! :) Well I would not say that this Schleich ray is worstly painted that the safari, but the contrary. Both have the wrong background colour (dark brown in Safari and clear brown in Schleich), but Schleich have the correct spots colour (white) and muuuuch more accurate spots shape.

I saw the new mountain goat from Schleich and honestly I think that I like much more the older version, regarding the fur texture! It may be sharper in the new model but I like the "longer hair" version.
Oh I didn't knew about the culinary part of your childhood well my mother also don't cook but my father do occasionally, however monkfish is an extremely rare option if he decide to cook.

Pardofelis wrote:

Yep, nobody talk about changing the legs. I only commented that CollectA's one are thinner. What I intended to change is the horns. But I just enlarged them adding a sharp point with WePAM :)

Thanks for the info about Yujin! Then I must edit my signature The continuos changes on brands make categorization difficult. For example, if a whale sculpt is created by Maia & Borges and sold under that brand but after sold to Schleich then to Mojo then to Papo... which brand should have said whale?

It seems I am better with cars than with horns and legs.
That's a good example but easy to reply. They should be considered the brand they are marketed. They are even marked with the brand name so, if you get the sperm whale made by Maia & borges and sold by Mojö Fun, you have a Mojö Fun model. Maia & Borges is just the manufacturer and manufacturing sometimes imply designing or even providing the mould. A more difficult question is what should we consider when it is an AAA model sold with a Bullyland tag if the figure is marked AAA and the tag is Bullyland? It is a very complex subject and we could open a huge topic about it.

All that speech about cars reminds me that I actually never looked for those cars in my parents' house you asked me to have a look at for you during the first confinement one year ago ^^

I vote for the newer Mountain Goat, so we have a draw.
The most intriguing part of this conversation was that I read the word Talbot after some decades.. Talbot...!! I could not remember it really. I should have stolen that "T" logo from a car that was abandoned for a couple of years in my old neighborhood, it's rare and vintage now.

Latest additions:

1. Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) by Papo. I knew that if I ever get an Eurasian lynx it would be the Papo one. It have good size, nearly perfect sculpt and very good paintjob. The only flare is that it's a bit glossy.

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Eyes are painted with different colours in globe and iris. Not sure if the effect is more realistic or by the contrary it males less plausible one. Anyway is a tiny and hard to see detail.
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The other side shows better the longer belly fur, very well done in this figure.
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Definitely a male. Feline figures don't show genitals usually and most are genderless.
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The detail of the paws is superb!!
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Of course, my comparison subject has to be the Mojo Fun iberian lynx. Papo lynx is slightly bigger and more robust, also with a bit thicker legs. I think that that's ideal because follows the Bergmann's rule, Iberian lynxes are indeed slightly smaller than most Eurasian lynxes.
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These two started friendship easily, and here we see them planning next hunt trip together.
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Welcome to my forest Mr. Lynx. We will live in peace with each other. You have plenty of squirrels and hares so you can have a comfortable life. But I warn you: if one of my piglets got harmed by you, I will kill you, promise!
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2. The new Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) from Schleich, released in 2021. I always avoided Mojo Fun proboscis monkey despite being better, because it was very big. This one is much smaller and now it roams in the swamp:

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The eyes are like black dots... giving him a surprised appareance. I know [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is very keen on eyes so I don't recommend this figure to him unless he customize the eyes like I did later.
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Proboscis monkey have an intermediate size between mandrill and Sulawesi black macaque, being closer to mandrill. So all is fine in this image, right?
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But at least it fits perfectly with the absolute reference in animal figurine size > the Diana monkey!
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Here with some other Bornean friends:
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This is a beautiful model, and I love how you have presented it with these outdoor photos! The second photo is stunning!

Nice additions

Wonderful new models, congratulations!

Actually, the largest Eurasian lynxes are noticiably larger than Iberian lynxes and although they diverged quite recently, I find it strange they were considered the same species not long ago. Even in our toy hobby, we know a few models we called pardel lynxes, the name of the Iberian as a subspecies of Eurasian lynx. When I was a kid, they were popularly known as Lince da Malcata. Malcata is a mountainous region of Portugal that borders with the Spanish Sierra da Gata and that was home to this animal. Despite the meritory efforts to reintroduce the species, I think the chances of finding a lynx and a proboscis monkey in Malcata Mountains are exactly the same.
About sizes, just for collecting and displaying convenience, everything seems to work among your new additions.

I really don't like that lynx, I know this is the favourite of everyone here but I can't accept it in my collection.

But the Mojo repaint is great so I think you should try some customization on your new Papo since, as you said, the sculpt is good. This lynx's eyes are actually worse than the proboscis' monkey in my opinion.

I already have the monkey and the eyes are not especially good indeed, but it does not bother me so much. As I said on the SUY topic, you managed to put the Mojo's better paintjob on the more conveniently sized Schleich

Pardofelis wrote:

Proboscis monkey have an intermediate size between mandrill and Sulawesi black macaque, being closer to mandrill. So all is fine in this image, right?

That's a really good one !

Thanks everybody!
Rtas, I tought slightly in repaint the lynx too, but it's more complicated than repaint a proboscis monkey! For me, it's enough good even if not breathtaking. I'm not sure that I would improve it with a repaint. Only a master of wild cat repainting such as [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] would be able to make it MUCH better!

My last additions: all figures are Safari LTD. Bought at the shop of the incredible Naturistorisches Museum Wien (Vienna's natural history museum), and old-style museum filled with endless cabinets of preserved specimens in taxonomic arrangement. The shop in the museum have more than Safari, and in fact it was the first time that I see Bullyland for sale in a shop. However Safari was the prevalent brand in the shop and all the figures that I wanted from here are of this brand.

1. Giant squid (Architeuthis dux)
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A very good figure. Safari also have a much bigger one in the Incredible Creatures line, but this smaller one is the one I wanted.

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Right eye have a bad paintjob, don't fitting the eye sculpt. Probably I will repaint it some day.

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Siphon is correctly made and well done.

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The beak is sculpted, tough very simplistic (only a bump). Probably nothing more needed for a part of the figure that remains always hidden. The two longer arms are in inner position respect the other tentacles, which is realistic.

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The end of the two longer tentacles is very well made with suckers of different sizes. The point of attachment between the expanded part and the tentacle penduncle is very abrupt. THe peduncle is decorated with groups of white dots (they represent suckers? I'm not familiar with detailed morphology of giant squids)

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It fits very well with my only other squid, the Ikimon/Kitan Club colossal squid.

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It also fits very well with some deepwater fishes from Japanese brands.

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And obviously the completely unavoidable photo to take when one buy the Safari's giant squid figurine.



2. The right whale, Eubalaena glacialis.
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An absolute masterpiece from every point of view.

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The perfection of the barnacle callosities, the spiracle, the eyes...

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It fits very well with CollectA whales such as these. Needless to say that the figure is too small when compared to any non-whale marine life from any brand. Big whales are beyond scale possibilities, unless one have a lot of space and a lot of money.


3. Megamouth shark, Megachasma pelagios. A very little known species, but a spectacular one. Safari is the best brand regarding sharks, and here it demonstrates it perfectly.
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The mouth is really very well done and the spotting on the chin is very realistic.
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It fits very well with other Safari sharks.
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4. Clouded leopard, Neofelis nebulosa.
A figure that at the moment have no rival. Even if Mojo Fun also released this species, with very wide variation in paintjob quality, I think Safari one is far better.
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The face shape is very good. Maybe the eyes need a slight adjustment but they're not bad.
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My usual silly histories: Oh dear bear, what beautiful flower are you guarding!
Yes Ms Panther, but I would prefair to have you far from here... you have very long fangs!
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Safari clouded leopard fits very well sizewise with other cats such as Schleich leopard and Papo ocelot
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5. Common octopus, Octopus vulgaris

Picked from a box full of Good Luck Minis. As all GLM figures, it's not very detailed, but size don't allows more. It have two siphons instead one, eyes are plain black, and suckers are represented by tiny holes in double rows. I wanted this figure because, at least, it fits sizewise with my other animals, unlike the thunderous octopus released by many brands.
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All my cephalopods for now:
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6. Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus

The Safari walrus is undoubtedly the best walrus figure by any brand
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Arctic pinnipeds (are these three species really sympatric??)
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Unfortunate encounter, and also unfortunate photo (with the feet of the bear in the air), but it's the best I got when tried to show comparison with Papo polar bear
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A more friendly encounter with the magnific PNSO beluga
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7. Blue shark (Prionace glauca). Again, Safari show us as the master of rendering shark figurines. I think this mould was released by Maia & Borges and used for several brands including Safari.
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The very long head profile, the big melty eyes, the fine mouth, gills, fins... everything is so perfect in this figure!   [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

It fits very well with other pelagic creatures....
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And also very good with several other sharks from diverse brands:
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8. Lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis)
The last figure, a very well done antelope, at the same level than CollectA's antelopes.
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It fits very well with CollectA's other Tragelaphus species.
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And also is good with many other African savannah megafauna.
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Wonderful additions! The clouded leopard and the less kudu are my favourites. What are the deep sea fish that you show with the giant squid (species and brand)?

Long-snouted lancetfish (Alepisaurus ferox) by Kaiyodo, and opah (Lampris guttatus) by Ikimon/Kitan club :)

So many wonderful new additions! Really interesting choices too, Safari have made some lovely models!