Pleisto.. scenes!

Great army of Aurochs you have .. and beautiful diorama photos
Wow, I didn`t know that Invicta has two versions ..and they are with different colors too ..
So which one I have .. ? I think mine is this with longer tusks ... but the color of mine is something in between of yours : not so dark

Thanks for showing photos of these prehistoric Starlux mammals. It's very interesting to learn about the history of these models, often we know so little about the inspiration for our figures.

Thank you Kosta and Roger! :)

Kosta, the two mines had the same reddish colour but I repainted the first one, with longer tusks, to incorporate it in my Starlux herd!

Caracal wrote:

Thank you Kosta and Roger! :)

Kosta, the two mines had the same reddish colour but I repainted the first one, with longer tusks, to incorporate it in my Starlux herd!

Oh I see. Thank`s for this info :)

This topic is so crowded with great info, all I can say is HURRAAAAAY

That picture with the two Invicta mammuths, - in TAI the unpainted one has long tusks, while the painted model has short tusks...I think both of mine have short tusks.

Thank you Susanne! :)

Wolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) from Starlux:

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 Wooly rhinoceros lived in open fiels during the Ice Ages where it grazed like white rhino . It is well known because of numerous Paleolithic cave paintings and also because some have been found frozen in Siberia.

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 So, this figurine is rather good if we consider it's in summer coat!.. 

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To notice: the horns of the first production (on right) are painted with wrong ivory colour,
               the tail of the more recent one (on left) has been (badly) restored!

 I don't know which documentation Mr Massat used to sculpt this figurine but it seems just to be his black rhino from 1961:

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 Starlux could be the second brand to have produiced this animal (after J H Miller one) for I am not sure Marx brand has produiced one..  anyway, there were few from vintage brands (Panini, Impro..)

 Some modern brands released whooly rhino: Bullyland, Papo, Safari ltd, AAA, Geoworld, K&M,.. but it's far less common than mammoth..

Looks like summer and winter version

Messieur was maybe a little lazy with this one but I think the final result is attractive.
Thanks once more for your great pictures and explanations.

Thank you Rogério! :)

Cave bear , Ursus spelaea (= cave bear!) from Starlux:

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 Cave bear is a particular european species from Ursus genus which disapeared mabe earlier than once believed for Magdalenians don't seem to have drawn or painted it on rock faces. Fortunatly, the older Gravettiens let us many draws of cave bears in rather recently(1994) discovered Chauvet cave!

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 This figurine, like many illustrations by these times..

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(by Doug Wildey "Pellucidar the lost world" Sagédition 1968)

..seems to have been inspirated from beautiful Zdenek Burian's painting:

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..whose accuracy has been confirmed recently by the draws from Chauvet cave:

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..which show the well marqued break between muzzle and forehead and the falling down back line.

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..the same profil..

 This Starlux replica remained the only one, during 30 years, to figure this particuliar species until Bullyland produiced one in 1998 or 1997 and Schleich in 2003. In 2017, almost a half century after Starlux, an other french brand, Papo produiced one! I know there are also a very rare first production from Bullyland and others from Geoworld and Payvision but 6 models only, it's few to compare with smilodons for exemple!



 With this cave bear, is over my "confining Starlux prehistoric mammals and birds serial". But 2 are missing, the Glyptodon I don't have and the Panthera spelaea (cave lion) that I have but customised!..

 Thanks a lot to you all who followed me! :)

There aren't many cave bear figures but this remains almost exclusively as the only prehistoric bear represented. The inspiration is evident and the figure is really great.
Thanks for this wonderful journey, Alain! It was with big enthusiasm I followed every single post! Your presentations are really perfect and whoever finds this topic will surely notice how interesting and serious is this hobby.
I hope you find the cave lion and the glyptodont for your collection and that you continue this adventure.

Thanks to a friend who offered the 2 missing Starlux mammals to me, I can achieve my journey in Starlux prehistoric world, at first with ..

..the Panthera spelae (cave panther) which is the scientific name of cave lion:

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..once believed to have been a kind of tiger or a separate species between tiger and lion, we know now it was a kind of lion which has evolved in Europe cut from the others lions from Asia and Africa by ices..

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..it hunted bisons, horses and reindeers in the steppe and didn't spend winter in caves, sleeping like cave bears. We know it could devorate them during their hibernation (Azé cave in France).

this model, released at the end of the seventies, is very interesting because it shows no mane, no tuft-tail but some light stripes and a tiger little fur collar around its face. So it's an illustration of the main feeling about it at this time, the one of a separate species between lion and tiger.

 Undoubtly, Mr Massat the Starlux brand sculptor, has been inspired by this painting from Zdenek Burian:

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To my knowledge, this cave lion figurine is the only one which has been produced by vintage and modern brands!

I am so glad for you Alain! Lionel's lot? It is wonderful when we complete a series that we love. Looking forward to see the glyptodont.
Interesting reading about the tiger inspired cave lion.

Roger wrote:

I am so glad for you Alain! Lionel's lot? It is wonderful when we complete a series that we love. Looking forward to see the glyptodont.
Interesting reading about the tiger inspired cave lion.

Yes Rogério, it's from Lionel's lot for he is like me, a fan of this Starlux prehistoric range and wanted to have the end of my "serial" I posted too on "Soldat Plastique"!..

.. he is also a hugue collector of thousands of all vintage brands animals (and soldiers).  

I had bought this cave lion in Tobacco shop in 1980 but later, after the discovery of Chauvet cave, I had customised it to make it more accurate, destroying all of its testimonial interest:

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no more fur collar nor stripes but a tuft tail!..

widukind wrote:

Thank you Andreas!

Caracal wrote:

Roger wrote:

I am so glad for you Alain! Lionel's lot? It is wonderful when we complete a series that we love. Looking forward to see the glyptodont.
Interesting reading about the tiger inspired cave lion.

Yes Rogério, it's from Lionel's lot for he is like me, a fan of this Starlux prehistoric range and would have the end of my "serial" I posted too on "Soldat Plastique"!..

.. he is also a hugue collector of thousands of all vintage brands animals (and soldiers).  

I had bought this cave lion in Tobacco shop in 1980 but later, after the discovery of Chauvet cave, I had customised it to make it more accurate, destroying all of its testimonial interest:



no more fur collar nor stripes but a tuft tail!..

That's wonderful! By the way, the Soldat Plastique forum looks really great! It even has a topic about fox figures and I've seen there for the first time the JIM fox. Now you custom cave lion is a testimonial of your collecting hobby and talent while the original keeps being a testimonial of the wonderful Starlux series. Both figures have their own story and luckily Lionel helped you finding the original version.

Oh you visited "Soldat Plastique" forum?!.. did you find me?..

now you're right, this custom cave lion keeps all its sentimental value for me!.. :)

Yes, I found you easily. You can use another avatar, another username or even write in a different language that your great pictures are unmistakable.!

it's not realy true but thank you friend! :)

Great that you managed to complete your Starlux prehistoric collection with this wonderful cave lion (and glyptodont). How did you find the inspirations for the figures? Did you come across the painting by chance?

Thank,you Roger!

I have always been very interested by pleistocen megafauna and particulary by auroch , cave lion and cave bear, so, since I was a child (50 years ago!), I tried to get every available publications about them. When I found this Starlux piece in 1980, I already had the paintings by Zdeneck Burian for 4 years and so, I was not surprised at all by its appearance I knew so well.. :)

During the sixties and seventies, there were few publications about prehistoric mammals and Mr Massat had not many choices to find his models..