Rtas' additions - Birthday gift from El Desperado

Wonderful additions Ben, the pronghorn is still a figure I need to find, but you and Isidro have both mentioned this website with a bad reputation, so I guess I'll be looking for a while longer

RtasVadumee wrote:

Thanks for your comments !

Yes Roger, I just underlined it was one of Schleich's strenght since I'm Engehausen's puppet

Pardo, about the Italian website, unfortunately that's the only way to get some figures in Europe, I didn't find the pronghorn and peccary anywhere else and it seems that I am going to have to deal with them again since I now need the roseate spoonbill... They also have your Malayan tapir.

I was indeed talking of amazons in general : I needed a representative of these parrots in my collection since they are among the best-known ones (along with macaws, cockatoos and grey parrots).

Oh yes, I remember reading that about cheetahs when you got that pronghorn yourself !

Great additions!

What's this Italian website everyone's talking about?
I once ordered the Safari roseate spoonbill from an Italian website, but never got the package nor any reply from them. Now I'm wondering it it's the same website.

That one [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] you have to complain and threaten if you want to get your figures, that the only language they understand.

RtasVadumee wrote:

That one [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] you have to complain and threaten if you want to get your figures, that the only language they understand.

Ah, yes. That's the one where I ordered the roseate spoonbill (because it wasn't available anywhere else). I wrote them a message in English and (Google translated) Italian, but didn't get any response. Luckily I paid with Paypal, so I got my money back. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

It's sad, really, that you have to threaten a toy shop to actually get the items. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi,

My first Safari purchase convinced me about the merit of that brand I was initially sceptical about so I did another one not long after. My figures' choice for that second order was more focused on aesthetical preferences than species diversity : I just indulged myself and picked what I wanted without wondering much what I needed. Another goal was to find mates for some of my lonely models. That's why it includes more common "ABC" species I already have than the first bunch I got.
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But let's review them straightaway without further introduction. Special thanks to Paige who provided the necessary comparison pics and to my "not so secret anymore" friend whose conversations I have with are always of great help when it comes to choose.

Just like the first time, I will start with a rhinoceros. Not a new species that time but noneless a very interesting model. Let's not beat around the bush, it's a masterpiece. That's why it deserves a close-up where it appears alone (as you know, I usually only post comparison pics because I consider these are all well-known models you already know very well so there is no need of more close-ups) :
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The initial goal was to get a mate for my CollectA male and a mother for the upcoming Mojo sitting calf. I have been first considering the Mojo sexless model but then, after a few talks with other members and a comparison pic from Paige, I decided that the Safari model would be more fitting and offered a more interesting pose.

When I got it out of the package, I was so amazed by how realistic and how "white rhino-looking" it was that I first thought it even managed to surpass the CollectA rendition which I maybe consider as the most beautiful animal figure of all time ! The sample I got came with the new updated paintjob, definitely not the same colour than what I had seen on Paige's pics. The body is less monochromic, way more shaded and it gives quite a lot of relief and roughness to the skin. The drawback of this is that it now fits less perfectly with the CollectA version which is more greyish, just as the old Safari painting was.
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That's not such a serious issue though, white rhinos can appear with different colours depending on if they are covered with dust/sand or are just getting out of a mud bath ! The main incompatibility issue would rather be the lack of details of the Safari's horn which is plainer and more monochromic than the CollectA's. That's probably what would make the Chinese brand's model win in that fight for the best white rhino figure's prize.

Indeed, contrary to what I had thought at first, the Safari figure is not better than its CollectA counterpart. Yet it's still, in my opinion, more realistic. When I look at both, I recognize immediately the white rhinos I have seen in countless zoos in the Safari figure but I don't as much in the CollectA one. The more reasonable proportions, especially that of the horn, play a big part in it. I think the thicker muzzle is also a determining feature as it helps to catch the big, fat, typical friendly and quiet head of white rhinos, which distinguishes them so much from their more "nervous-looking" black cousins. However, the CollectA figure is as artistic as the Safari is realistic, it's a stylized model meant to magnify the beast it represents. It's an effigy of the king, what am I saying, the god of all African rhinos, Lord Rataxes himself, ready to lead his armies in the glorious war against the elephant kingdom of Babar ! You know I'm particularly fond of the Schleich golden age's design philosophy which aims at making animals more appealing, classy and glorious that they really are. So, I definitely favour the CollectA white rhino and its aesthetic approach over the Safari and its realistic stance. Nevertheless, owning both figures is extremely interesting in my opinion, because both manage to reach top-class quality with completely different renditions of the same species. They are two representatives of different design philosophies and comparing them is quite fascinating as a collector.

The second newcomer is here to fix a bad choice I did when I was a younger and more ignorant collector. When I got my first figures from that brand, I was so outstanded that I quickly fall into a CollectA frenzy or mania and started to buy indiscriminately every species I did not have yet from them without wondering if better renditions existed from other companies. That's how I got the CollectA cassowary which is not bad at all but still no match for the Safari model in my opinion. Yet, not bad enough to be replaced... I quickly discovered, thanks to comparison pics, that no replacement would be needed anyway if I ever bought the Safari model, as both fit more than perfectly well together. I didn't need a second cassowary, that was not especially a species I wanted to pair, but I finally cracked this time because... well it's way toooooo good !
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Nevertheless, there are only two reasons why the Safari cassowary surpasses its CollectA competitor in my opinion. First, it's lack of base. Second, its eyes.

Many collectors favour the sculpt over the painting and sometimes do not even care at all about the eyes but I firmly believe that they can make all the difference. Those cassowaries are the perfect example. Both sculpts are good but the CollectA's eyes look bland and empty while the Safari model manages to catch that sharp, unfriendly, almost theropod-looking eyes many avian species share, including cassowaries. So, unlike the more debatable rhino case, that's a clear victory for Safari this time even though the CollectA remains a tremendous rendition and both form one of the best fitting pairs in my collection.

Quite interestingly, females are larger and have a bigger casque than males. The Safari is bulkier and heavier than the CollectA even if the base of the later makes it look taller. However, the CollectA's casque is higher. So here, we can decide whatever we want about the gender of both but I would rather go for CollectA = Mr and Safari = Mrs. Especially as the CollectA looks friendlier and females are the matrons in the cassowary society ! What is your opinion ?

Third addition is, at last, a new and must-have species for my collection. However, it was not part of the first order because I initially strongly disliked the figure and was considering another rendition from another brand instead. I'm talking about the Asiatic black bear or moon bear. That's a species I crave for seeing in real as it's the only one, along with the sloth bear, that I have never met in a zoo. And that's one of those Safari figures which typically look way better in real than on pics. You guessed right, the model I was planning to get for that species was the Bullyland. That's the rendition everyone seems to favour on forum. Quite surprising actually since it has that typical Bully look reminiscent of Schleich's cuteness which is so criticised here. But despite that friendly appearance, the Bully is more textured than the Safari whose fur looks definitely smoother and blander.

After a short debate with Isidro, we agreed that the Safari was nevertheless the most accurate model as far as proportions and paintjob (especially that of the face) were concerned. That's why I finally decided to welcome it in my collection. Now, the spectacled bear is the only one I miss.

Another significant advantage of the Safari rendition is its size. The Bullyland is giant, larger than any grizzly from any western brand, except perhaps the CollectA. Moon bears are rather "black bear-sized", they are roughly the same size as their cousins the sloth bear and the American black bear. As a result, the Safari is still slightly oversized but that's one million times more acceptable than Bully's gigantism !
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Moreover, the Mojo sun bear is also slightly bigger than wished so the Safari is a perfect match for it.
Moon and sun :
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Then comes a figure I hesitated a lot over including it or not in my collection because of its size. From that only point of view, it's definitely a bad choice. But the model is so nice that I don't regret my acquisition one bit !

I'm sure you are expecting the aardvark but it's not. That's the black howler.
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That comparison is precisely what made me utimately decide to order it. Indeed, my Schleich squirrel monkey is a very dear figure to my heart, especially as it is the best painted sample I have ever seen. But I cannot deny it's quite big already. However, since I had no "intermediate-sized" monkey like the howler yet, the size hierarchy was respected with the bigger species like the baboons. That black howler fits absolutely perfectly with my squirrel monkey despite being too large for the later. However, I considered that it had to fit in priority with my only other South-American monkey, that's why I got it. I have to admit this was also a good excuse to add an absolutely great figure. Indeed, the eyes are particularly great on my sample and the howling pose makes the species immediately recognizable. Not to forget it's a very charismatic species and I lacked South-American primates a lot.

Largest monkey in the New World, the black howler is roughly the same dimensions as a Mandrill according to wikipedia. BUT it's 10 times lighter... So, it's quite obvious from that pic that the Safari howler and the Schleich mandrill are not at the same scale, just look at the size of the hands :
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However, that's curiously a perfect match for the holy Diana reference. But is there seriously a single figure in this universe that does not fit with it, I wonder !
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Now, let's get to two purchases that have been planned for a long time. Safari is often credited for the quality of their sharks but their wolves are equally one of their major strenght. The following figure is probably what I considered as the best Safari of all time. Now, I am not so sure about that, not because I was disappointed with it but because a new serious contender entered the competition. I'm referring to the Arctic wolf.

Everything about that figure is great : the walking pose, the proportions/constitution, the texture... It even has that head turned to the side to fulfill the boring Schleich guy I am. A good surprise I was not expecting : it did not came completely white as on pics I had seen but with greyish shades on its back. I don't know if it's really accurate but that surely gives more contrast to the figure and improves it aesthetically.

The plan, despite its lack of genitals, was to pair it with my Schleich female. Paige assured me that its constitution was that of a male. It is indeed, that's quite obvious when you see them together. However, there is another problem :
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The Schleich is more yellowish/cream-coloured than the Safari which is white immaculate. And it bothers me more than for the rhinos. Especially as they would fit amazingly well as male and female if they had the same colouration. Both coats are accurate and the colour depends on the dirtyness of the fur and the sun. But I'd like to try to repaint the Safari anyway so that the family is more harmonious. I now have a "personal painter" in my town who can do that kind of work for me.

The "serious contender" to that masterpiece I was mentionning earlier is another wolf, the last grey one. My wolf pack was already 7 strong but only included one male, and not a large one actually. Three females were bulkier than him. So, I needed an alpha leader and my choice fell on the last Safari. I knew it was slightly bigger than my Schleich but quite smaller than Papo's wolves so that was exactly what I was looking for. Here it is with my other male :
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Unfortunately, my sample came with a completely fucked up eye so I had to buy it again and the new one should arrive next week :
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I could have asked my personal painter to try to fix that of course but I didn't choose to. As I said to Andrés, that wolf is according to me, similar the the Papo roaring tiger, CollectA white rhino or Schleich drinking giraffe : that's a reference figure for the species it represents so it has to be perfect. Why am I saying it's the reference figure for Canis lupus ? Well, the reason is simple : oddly enough, that's the first figure from Western brands that chooses to represent the typical "vanilla" coat of the grey wolf, the most common one I mean, the one we all have in mind when we think about wolves. That one for example :
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The grey wolf is usually not especially successfully represented in toy form but that one is an exception. That's the very first figure that really "feels" wolfy in my opinion. That's one reason more to make it the king of the pack !

However, the king needs a queen to ensure the future of the pack. Indeed, among wolves' society, only the alpha couple breeds. The alpha female needs thus :
1) To be bulky enough to appear credible as a dominant individual.
2) To fit aesthetically with her male.
3) To fit aesthetically with the cubs.

Here are the different contenders who take part in the reality show, vote for your favourite ! (even though I have already chosen the winner, I'm curious about your opinion) :

Candidate n°1
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Candidate n°2
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Candidate n°3
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Candidate n°4
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Candidate n°5
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With me, a Safari order necessarily includes some sealife figures, that's a tradition. The first of that one is the harp seal which was a much needed figure. Indeed, the harp seal is somewhat the "vanilla" seal, the one most people think about when they hear the word "seal". That's the seal of the ice floe, the seal eaten by polar bears, the seal whose cubs are saved from slaughter by Brigitte Bardot !

The Safari figure representing it is nice, nothing spectacular but that's not a very exciting species either. Quite funnily, that's not my first harp seal, I already had the AAA rendition from my childhood :
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That new Safari is obviously way better and scales perfectly with my other seals :
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Or its natural predator...
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Now, the only one I am missing is the Mojo grey seal which will be part of my next order, mostly composed of Mojo and CollectA missing figures. It will be a more exciting acquisition to me as grey seals are quite common in Brittany where I live and that's a species with a very particular head shape Mojo managed to catch perfectly in my opinion !

However, the best part in this story is that the Schleich cub, after years spent in an harbour foster familly, has finally reunited with its biological mother
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A Safari purchase would no be complete without the usual shark figure. That time, I chose a very charismatic one, the megamouth shark. That's somewhat of an obscure species since it tends to remain deep in the sea and was rarely seen in real, yet a quite well-known one because it often appears in documentaries about sharks.

Truly amazing, I may even prefer that figure over the excellent nurse shark I reviewed last time. The paintjob is especially refined, with all those subtle darker shades that make the skin look so real. No need to give my opinion about the sculpt : anyone who looks at this figure will recognize a megamouth shark straightaway.

The megamouth shark is a large species, measuring up to 6 m and weighing up to one ton. As you know, major brands lack any sense of scale when it comes to producing shark figures. As a result, this megamouth, which is the same size as any other standard sharks, will look small next to some of them and just right next to others. One thing is for sure however, the body is massive and made of a heavy plastic which is definitely a good point for that species.

Megamouth sharks have their own family but they are planktivorous sharks and thus, can be compared to basking sharks which may be their closest relatives. I don't have a basking shark yet so the Papo whale shark will be just fine (I also have the Schleich/M+B one which is bigger but I know most of you rather own the Papo) :
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Normally I should have added, as usual, a second shark to my order. But I found something much more interesting and essential to my collection.

I'm starting to have an interest in bony fishes, a group which is under-represented within my collection. Obviously, I aim to begin with well-known, charismatic ABC species. I already have the Schleich marlin and the Papo sailfish. So when I saw that there was a Safari grouper and that it was so undecently good, I couldn't resist.
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You know how I proceed, I first asked for comparison pics. And everyone told me that grouper was crazy oversized. But why is the Goliath grouper so well-known if it's not for its size ? I don't want to open that debate again but a Goliath grouper can weigh up to 455 kg and measure up to 2.5 m. These are maximum dimensions I agree but still possible ones. On the other hand, a sailfish is usually 2.5 to 3 m long and weigh "only" up to 100 kg. So why would anyone accept the Safari grouper and not the Papo sailfish ? I see noone complaining about the size of the later...
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Moreover, as I already said, there are much bigger size issues among sharks, even within a same brand. So I'm totally satisfied with my choice, especially as it is the best representation of a grouper we could dream of, the mouth especially perfectly catches the typical grouper's facial expression.

So, probably the most important and interesting acquisition of that lot, especially as it's a bony fish and I almost have none yet.

The last figure is in the same vein of taxonomic diversification. That's a model I was not even aware of before seeing it on the website I use for Safari. But definitely a much valuable addition for the exact two same reasons than the grouper : it's part of an under-represented group in my collection but nonetheless a spectacular species suitable for a zoology redneck like me. I'm talking about the giant squid.

I could choose between two models, the regular one and the much larger Monterey Bay Aquarium version. I may be a zoology redneck but I wanted it to be a real animal and not a creature of legends sot I opted for the former. I have to admit the price had also a big part in my choice.

I don't have much to say about it, it's really identical to pictures of real cephalopods I saw on the net. The creepy eye is particularly well done. And I enjoy especially, even if it's just a consequence of bending during shipping, that one of the longer tentacles is slightly curved to the bottom while the other one is frankly bent to the top.

Here it is with my only other mollusk, the giant Pacific octopus :
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With a giant squid in my collection, there was no way I would resist playing with a sperm whale, it was just too tempting ! That's why I finally cracked for the new Schleich open-mouthed model for the only sake of playing with my giant squid
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I had been considering this one for quite a long time because it's a nice model even if it's no match for the M+B masterpiece. I was planning to use it as a "teenager" since it's way smaller than the M+B one but I am seriously reconsidering my initial plan. Indeed, there is a crazy size difference between males and females within this species. Females are usually 11 m long for 14 tons while males are 16 m for 41 tons. Just the exact size difference there is between the new Schleich and the old M+B model (don't get abused by the perspective on the following picture, the size difference is huge in real) :
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Moreover, if we compare it to the humpback whale, the dimensions of the M+B sperm whale are rather those of a male. So now, the only thing that will definitely decide on the acceptability of the new Schleich as an adult female is the size difference with the calf.
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Considering calves can remain until 18 with their mother and are already 4 m long at birth, I think it may fit. But don't hesitate to give your opinion on that matter too.

Well, that was all for now ! Next update will be the Yujin/Takara Tomy turtles I received two days ago and which are my very first Japanese figures.

COngrats

Great new additions indeed, I am definitely considering the grouper but it may look hugely out of scale with my current figure: the one from the Flippers & Fun set

Splendid new purchases! I am happy you are satisfied with them all. Of course the wolves are my favorite. My one comment for you to consider if that the color of the wolves is not outside of realism. White animals, especially arctic wolves in this case, can turn yellowed like polar bears depending on if they are dirty but also with age. So you could make the argument that your female is older, lost her mate, and found a younger man. But if you decide to repaint it I hope you post the family so we can see! Congrats again!

I am glad of seeing this topic updated and it is even more meaningful When Safari is the main focus. I remember your scepticism towards this brand and you even assume it in your post.
You start with the white rhino, one of the figures I've been debating with myself for a long time.
While the CollectA acted like these eary pop songs that we keep attached immediately but after a certain time you find them boring. The Safari model is one of these songs that you don't pay too much atention initially but as more as you listen to it, more you like it.
It means that I probably will get both someday.
Cassoary and Asian black bear are two models that I never acquired but they are still under my conjectures. I can't get too much enthusiasm about the bear but I defintely like the bird.
Howler monkey is a question of time, model is great and we don't have alternatives.
The grey shades are an enriching detail in your Arctic wofl and no, the turned head doesn't turn it into a typically Schleich pose. The pose is much richer than 4 straight table legs with the head turned to one of the sides.
My choice for a Queen wolf is number 4.
It is surprising for me that you got the grouper. In any case, it is a superb model. I love it!

It's a magnific rhino, and matches perfectly with the Collecta pal. Well actually rhino horns do not tend to be dark-tipped, but are more monochromic so this could be a point in favour of Safari.

The cassowary is a very wise decision. It clearly wins over the CollectA rendition, especially the face. Plus the neck colours, and the fact of being free-standing. That's why I didn't bought the CollectA cassowary when I had an easy chance, as the Safari one was already in my wishlist. I must admit however that the CollectA one have better sculpted legs. I hope the CollectA cassowary forgive you for wanting to keep it unpaired until now

Well I don't remember having stated that the Safari bear have a more accurate face paintjob than Bully. I remember at least to have said that these striking eyebrows are inaccurate. I would paint black over them.

Of course, any monkey that doesn't fit with the Diana monkey is just oversized or undersized The expression of the monkey howling is just perfectly caught. It's not a species nor a figure that appeal me, but I could accept it in my collection even if it's not in my wishlist.

Being wolves the most variable coated mammals that exist in the wild probably, I don't know your reasons to find the difference in colour a problem, almost even to notice that there is a colour difference. In the wild, white, grey and black Arctic wolves breed freely. In fact, "arctic wolf", formerly considered as a subspecies, is not anymore a taxon. They have no more differential value than a blond person and a dark-haired one. The Safari arctic wolf is so realistic as it was based on certain taxidermy specimen in the exact same position. The other wolf is the one that I wondered lately as the chosen one for represent the species in my collection. I ever disliked the too strong and too contrasting black transversal line on fore quarters, but it's easy to fix. And the eye is easy to fix too. In your place, I would repaint the eye instead buy another figure. For the female, I would choose candidate 5, is the only one that I find pleasing aestethically.

I see you got an harp seal with correct colours. Mine had silvery blotches instead black. Did Mojo a grey seal?? I was unaware of it. And I think I would remember if a readily available figure from a western brand did a grey seal with an accurate head shape!

The megamouth is still pending in my wishlist. Shame that no shark can fit already in my overcrowded shelves

There is no way that a whale-sized grouper enter in my collection, but the toob one of the same brand would fit instead perfectly with most of my other fishes (except some heavily oversized Coloratas). And the sailfish is great, but when I saw for first time a photo of the real figure (vs promo pic), I deleted it from my wishlist and chosen the Kaiyodo Aquatales polyresin one. And the giant squid is also on my wishlist. It's good that a tentacle went bend. It gives a much more dynamic pose. I didn't imagined that they're enough rigid as to be bend and keep the position.

I like very much the way your collection evolves and also the way you think it now.

Candidate number 5 for me.
Lovely models Ben! I guess you just call your octopus a Giant Pacific one, right? I also had that idea, but in order to scale with the 1:32 whales or at least the collecta ones, is the schleich a better option or the papo one? Third option is the old 1:32 (16085) schleich octopus, but I think its underside is not that pleasant...
Here is Paige's photo:

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So many wonderful additions and an interesting read too!
I love the wolf packs- so hard to pick a favourite, and I agree that the Safari Arctic Wolf is stunning!

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

So you could make the argument that your female is older, lost her mate, and found a younger man.

Can it really happen with wolves ? I thought only pumas did that

Ok, following your advice and Isidro's I think I'm not going to repaint anything : that's the way Safari intended to represent the Arctic wolf so that's the way it should remain.

Roger wrote:

I can't get too much enthusiasm about the bear but I defintely like the bird.

I understand, I don't either but the figure is not that bad in real, there is not much to repproach it actually, it just lacks a little something... Anyway, I'm now convinced it's better than Bullyland's even if that later has a "little something" the former lacks (but not the "little something" I'm looking for).

Roger wrote:

It is surprising for me that you got the grouper. In any case, it is a superb model.

Why do you find it surprising ? Because of size again ?

Pardofelis wrote:

It's a magnific rhino, and matches perfectly with the Collecta pal. Well actually rhino horns do not tend to be dark-tipped, but are more monochromic so this could be a point in favour of Safari.

Yes, now you're telling it...

Pardofelis wrote:

I hope the CollectA cassowary forgive you for wanting to keep it unpaired until now

Well, my collection was more or less synoptic like yours at first but I gave up this idea and now I have a whole herd of ostr... ahem I will soon have three emus, the cassowary could not stay alone, would have been too sad ! But tell me, which one is Mr and which one is Mrs according to you ?

Pardofelis wrote:

Well I don't remember having stated that the Safari bear have a more accurate face paintjob than Bully. I remember at least to have said that these striking eyebrows are inaccurate. I would paint black over them.

Ok, I don't remember everything. I remember you preferred the paws of the Safari and since there was less white on the face, it was not as bad as the Bully.

Pardofelis wrote:

Of course, any monkey that doesn't fit with the Diana monkey is just oversized or undersized The expression of the monkey howling is just perfectly caught. It's not a species nor a figure that appeal me, but I could accept it in my collection even if it's not in my wishlist.

That's quite an exciting species to me as I have wished to see it for quite a long time, the arrival of howler monkeys in French zoos is quite recent.

Pardofelis wrote:

I see you got an harp seal with correct colours. Mine had silvery blotches instead black. Did Mojo a grey seal?? I was unaware of it. And I think I would remember if a readily available figure from a western brand did a grey seal with an accurate head shape!

Of course Mojo did a grey seal :
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The head shape is right to me, at least for a female.

Pardofelis wrote:

There is no way that a whale-sized grouper enter in my collection

Again, could someone explain me why that grouper's size is so scandalous to so many of you while everyone accept the sailfish ?!

spacelab wrote:

Lovely models Ben! I guess you just call your octopus a Giant Pacific one, right? I also had that idea, but in order to scale with the 1:32 whales or at least the collecta ones, is the schleich a better option or the papo one? Third option is the old 1:32 (16085) schleich octopus, but I think its underside is not that pleasant...

I would say every major brands' octopus is oversized but the Schleich is smaller than the Papo, that's why I chose it for my collection even if I prefer the Papo aesthetically.

Btw, the chosen candidate was indeed n°5.

Yes, wolves will re-pair if a mate passes. It's not common, because more often the dominant wolf remaining will instead be cast out of the group in the turmoil but if there is an unrelated individual around to pair with then the pack can remain intact afterall. Wolf social norms are very complex.

Hi! :) Well for me both cassowaries are sexless I'm not aware of sexual dimorphism (at least until you mentioned it in your thread), so I have not preconceived ideas about how is a male and how is a female that make me decide about what gender put in these figures :)

And of course the paws are one of the most striking issues of the Bullyland figure, with these ginormous thick claws... so of course I prefair the Safari paws. But not the eyebrows

Indeed that's a good grey seal, but a female as you say. Proably a male, with a just weird head shape, would be much less marketable than a female! People that buy a toy seal want a cute model as seals are strongly associated with cuteness, big melting eyes and round heads. So an accurate male grey seal would be seen as deformed by most buyers :)

Sailfish is much bigger than goliath grouper. It's like accepting a Diana monkey but getting scandalous over Recur golden snub-nosed monkeys

Hi !

New update today before an April month which is going to be very wealthy of new additions, with quite special unusual acquisitions as I will have plenty of time to dedicate to scavenging the internet !

Moreover, I feel like I just have reached a turning point in that hobby. Like an Eevee (whose doppleganger my dog is) I have to decide in which way I am going to evolve and I think I have already decided. With my upcoming first order of April, I will get the last major brands' figures I absolutely need. Of course, I will still miss a few species like the Arabian oryx or the lorikeet from Safari and of course some figures I declined for size issues may be reconsidered one day or another. But they will only be minor gaps I may afford to fill sometime, when I get bored and am willing to spend money. My drawers are starting to be more and more crowded and my parents are (slowly) getting divorced so I will have to move the collection sooner or later and if I don't want to end up in the same situation as some of you, forced to sell figures to save space, I need to collect with method. So, now the collection I envisioned when I joined that forum is almost complete, I basically have two choices : continue to collect from western brands the same species to expand my animal families and herds or move to the next level and look for more new species from Japanese companies and private sculptors.

I chose the second, more exciting way of course. As far as Japanese brands are concerned, the plan is to focus on groups which are not widely represented by western brands like reptiles, bony fishes and mollusks. Moreover, except Kitan which is likely my favourite Japanese company from what I have seen on pictures, I usually don't really like Japanese figures of "mainstream" big species or to say it more accurately, these don't fit aesthetically with the figures I already have. The material is often very different and the seams are really an issue to me. To the contrary, small animals like lizards, turtles or fishes feel less out of place and the seams are logically less visible.

I had always thought that my first Japanese figure would be the Japanese macaque from Kitan I fell in love with the first time I saw it. But opportunities can make things turn differently than what you expected and my first model from Japan was officially the spectacled owl from Kaiyodo which is still in Spain, waiting for a travelling companion to hit the road to France. So the first I put my eyes and hands on were the turtles from the Yujin/Takara Tomy set I ordered on Ebay on my own. It was presented to me by Andrés several times and I hesitated before deciding to buy it but finally cracked as I realized that, even if five turtles would be useless to me because of size issues, it was a very interesting deal as I could get 15 pieces for 21€, shipping included, which basically made 1.5€ per turtle. What I wanted in priority was an alligator snapping turtle. I had no freshwater turtle yet and the alligator one seemed the most iconic to me. But I was familiar with half the species of this set so that was definitely worth acquiring. Moreover, Japanese figures are really expensive when they are sold separately. And the species are often not important enough to me to make me spend so much money. As a consequence, I have decided that, at first, I would buy only sets from Japanese brands because that's the most economical way to expand quickly or build from scratches my collections of reptiles or fishes for example.

I had quite a bad surprise when my package arrived from China as I didn't remember that the turtles came in several parts which had to be put together. However, once assembled, the seams are not visible at all. It's particularly well done because they are basically all located at the junctions of the turtles' bodies and shells so they look absolutely natural. The turtles themselves are great-looking and won't shock within my collection. There is no real sense of scale within this set, all turtles are actually the same size. As a consequence, the four sea turtles and the giant one are way too small but for 1.5€ the turtle, it's not a big loss. Real size differences are not especially respected between freshwater turtles either, an alligator snapping turtle can be huge for example while it's here as small as the Florida turtle, but it remains much more acceptable. Here is the complete set, including several Schleich and Papo turtles for size comparison :
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Let's start by the two specimens I was the most interested in. I already talked about the alligator snapping turtle, that was my priority and probably now my favourite from the set. I'm not disappointed by the figure at all, I think no western brand would have done better. Even if the head seems a little big to me, the model perfectly catches the general aspect of that fierce and nasty bitch of a turtle. The only reproach I may address is the too pinkish/clean oral cavity.

The mata-mata is also an interesting species with an intersesting look. I show it on the same picture as the alligator because those species are strongly assiociated in my mind since they were kept in the same enclosure or at least very close enclosures in my favourite reptile centre when I was a child. Once more, the strange, alien look of the mata-mata is well catched and represented, maybe the head is a bit thin and too smooth that time, but nothing really dramatic. The paintjob may be a bigger weakness, especially those black dots on the shell which look quite artificial and that I don't remember seeing on real specimens. But again, I am just quibbling, the figure is good on average.
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Next come the Chinese soft-shelled turtle and Hilaire’s side-necked turtle. While the first one is very familiar to me, I had to remember the second one. Indeed, while taking it out of the package and assembling it, I remembered having seen a turtle looking like that Hilaire’s side-necked model. I checked on zootierliste and apparently, I may have seen it in Beauval but I don't clearly remember it. Or maybe I have seen a similar species and get confused as I am no turtle specialist. Anyway, I don't really have any legitimacy to judge on the realism of that figure, the only thing I'm able to say is that I like it very much from an aesthetic point of view and that it seems quite perfect from pictures I found on the net.

The soft-shelled turtle is another story. That's a species I know very well and I can still distinctly remember it swimming in its large aquarium. Indeed, a specimen was kept in a small "roadside" zoo in my childhood. It was back then, known for its highly rare and unusual species and was thus very interesting despite its small size and "cheap atmosphere". It's still quite interesting nowadays but most species it was the first to exhibit in France are now widespread so it lost some of its uniqueness. The soft-shelled turtle was one of its most worthy treasures but I didn't realize how precious it was at that time. That's just a few days ago, when I checked the species on zootierliste, that I discovered that there was no Chinese soft-shelled turtle in Europe anymore and that all similar species were very rare in captivity. Fortunately, as I already said, the mesmerizing memory of that big, strange looking turtle swimming in its spacious and very beautifully illuminated aquarium (the display was really nice) is still printed in my mind so I am able to give my opinion on this Yujin rendition.
And I have to say it's probably the least convincing of the lot, at least among the species I know well. The sculpt is good, the shell and head shape are good, I have nothing to complain about that. But the painting is not as satisfying. I don't remember the real animal being so sky-blue nor even blue at all. Moreover, the dots on the shell and head look quite artificially placed and the paintjob as a whole ends up looking caricatural, like that typical comic-book paintjob you can see on certain Safari figures if you see what I mean. It just lacks of subtility and delicacy. Surely, the Kitan counterpart is better but that Yujin will be just fine for now, wait and see if I ever get the opportunity to replace it but I won't be disappointed if I don't and I am happy to have that species in my collection anyway.
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That set would not be complete without the most well-known freshwater turtle, the absolute "vanilla" species almost everyone in the world know as an invasive pest : the red-eared slider or commonly known in French as the "Florida turtle". Despite being a very famous turtle and I like to fill the ABC gaps in my collection, that's an absolutely unexciting species to me I would never have bought separately. But I'm still happy it is included in the set. That's also my mother's favourite but she is such a normie girl ! However, I can't deny her the figure is good, perhaps too brightly green for my taste but some specimens like that exist so I guess it's just fine. The eyes are particularly right.

The other turtle appearing on that pic is the spiny turtle (Heosemys spinosa). I don't know that species so I cannot judge on the quality of its Yujin replica. I like the original shape of its shell it probably draws its name from.
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Finally come the three "pond turtles" I am completely unknown to :
- The yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica)
- The Japanese pond turtle (Mauremys japonica)
- The Chinese pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii)

As I was unaware of them before buying this set, I cannot judge on the realism of their replicas. But I can say that these figures are among the prettiest of the lot. I especially fancy the Japanese one with its long tail, even though I checked on the net and it's not supposed to be that blue.
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In that set were only included two land tortoises. That's not much, I would have expeced more. Moreover, one of them is a giant tortoise (Aldabra or Galapagos, I don't know) which is quite useless to me. It's smaller than those I have, I considered using it as a younger specimen but it does not fit aesthetically, being much more monochromatic. Actually, the original Yujin release would have been perfect (it's the same brown and contrasted colour than the Schleich Aldabra) but I have the Takara Tomy new version which is not as good.

The same paintjob downgrade can be noticed on the other tortoise, the Indian star tortoise. Having a star tortoise in my collection was a big wish but I may have preferred the more familiar radiated tortoise from Madagascar (in French, both are called "star tortoises" despite belonging to two different genus). I may still add the radiated tortoise from the colorata set later. Anyway, as I said, the new paintjob from Tomy is not as good as the previous one, it's quite obvious from that video :


As seen on the first pic, the Indian star tortoise is at a smaller scale than the freshwater turtles. It fits well with my Schleich giant tortoises but is smaller than my unspecified pet tortoises everyone use as Russian tortoises on that forum. However, I have always been tempted to use them as Asian forest tortoises instead and no one has ever been able to explain me why they had to be Russian tortoises.
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Finally, four sea turtles complete the set. They are roughly the same size as the freshwater turtles so clearly not at the same scale. They are thus smaller than my western brands' sea turtles but, most of all, not aesthetically compatible. Indeed, they are more brightly coloured than their Schleich and Papo counterparts which are duller but also, in my opinion, more realistic-looking.

As a consequence I initially planned to offer them for trade but they are so beautiful and cute that I don't have my heart set on trading them anymore and I think I finally gonna keep them all
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As a conclusion, that was more than a worthy purchase ! For only 20€ I built a whole collection of turtles with most of the iconic species I wanted. Of course, I would have enjoyed more tortoises, a red-footed tortoise would have made a nice figure for example. And I would have liked some turtles I don't know to be replaced by species I am familiar with (as a European, I would have enjoyed a European pond turtle for example). But overall, that set is a great addition Andrés was right to insist on and even the sea turtles satisfy me in their own way (the only "meh" model is then the giant turtle). There are surely still many other species to get but I'm not especially a turtle guy so I feel more than satisfied with shelled reptiles for now. So, my next focus is going to be bony fishes after the recent acquisition of the gorgeous and "Diana-certified" Safari grouper. Since I'm not much a fish freak either, I will logically start by spectacular and charismatic species and the Colorata "fossil fishes" set including an arapaima, a coelacanth, a sturgeon, a lungfish and an Alligator gar will be the perfect starter

And of course, I may afford one individual Japanese figure from time to time when I manage to find them on Ebay. Here is my priority wishlist (sets excluded) ​if you'd like to help :
- Kitan nature technicolor giant salamander
- Kitan nature of Japan Japanese macaque (easy to find)
- Kitan nature of Japan crested ibis
- Kaiyodo Capsule Q moloch (easy to find but expensive)
- Kaiyodo Capsule Q frilled lizard

I also have a few more "usual" additions to present.

First of all, I did a second order from the Italian website I had problems with. They are not so bad after all, you just have to repeat them to send your parcel if you are planning to actually receive it. But they seem to be the only sellers in Europe to offer the retired roseate spoonbill from Safari so anyone who is willing to get that model will have to deal with them.

I did not plan to include this one in my collection at first. Size was an issue as I was still undecided about which scale to choose for my wading birds. Indeed, I was still using the old Schleich white stork which scales well with the flamingoes and the pelicans but I also had the marabu stork and the shoebill at a bigger scale. I wanted a spoonbill to fit with my white stork so the Safari roseate model was way too large. Everything changed though, when I saw Taos' and LuckyLuke's Papo grey heron pics. That bird is huge and clearly meant to scale with the Marabu stork from the same brand (it's even big for it) and, to a lesser extant, with the shoebill from CollectA. The model is perfect and as a European birdwatcher, there is no way I'm going to pass on it. So, I have recently decided to bring all my wading birds into scale with Papo's, that's why the roseate spoonbill became a possible purchase. I'm also now desperately looking for a retired 14674 Schleich stork at a reasonable price to fit with the upcoming grey heron. A shame since I met that model several times in shops during my figure hunts but never got it because I wanted my stork to be standardly sized at that time.

Spoonbills are quite must-have to me so that new decision I took is quite a relief for me. Indeed, I grew up with spoonbills, they are birds of my childhood. I used to go on holidays in a seaside and marshes area every summer where spoonbills nest. But there is no Eurasian spoonbill available in toy form so another very familiar species like the roseate was just fine. The model is nice, it would have been a shame to miss it. Unfortunately, there is no scarlet ibis to go with it as any zoo visitor knows how strongly associated those two species are in captivity. A complain I would address concerns the base : that's one of the worst I have ever seen. The spoonbill is supposed to have its feet underwater so we can't even see them. It makes me feel like something of the bird is missing.

As expected, it's way too big for birds which are scaled to go with standard sized mammals, like the flamingoes or my old Schleich stork (or the Schleich pelicans) :
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But it's also quite massive compared to "bird-sized" figures. However, it will fit perfectly with the grey, quite giant, heron and must be nicely compatible with the Kitan crested ibis I wish too.
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Those crooks take 15€ for shipping to France so it bothered me to pay so much for only one figure. I thus ordered the Safari grey wolf a second time (the first one I received had a fucked up eye) and added a third figure which was yet not supposed to get any close to my collection. But I see that one as an investment. It's a retired figure of a popular species rarely represented in toy form, it's going to get worthy with time and I'll be able to ask for one organ or two in exchange of it in a few years. I'm talking about the California condor from Safari :
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In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy its presence in my collection and maybe I'll get attached to it and will never trade it. After all, that's a good model and as a wise man once said : "That condor is not small, it's just very high in the sky"

Finally, being stood up in town once more, I killed time and bitterness in my usual toy shop and added a Papo newcomer I had been longingly watching. I had hesitated on this one because I already have two figures of the same species and that's not one I especially wanted to collect a herd of. However, that's objectively the best rendition of that species and it seems actually retired. I know that shop is a horn of plenty still regularly supplied with lots of retired Papo which carry on arriving miraculously but that chamois was the last one on display and I got afraid of ending up in a stork situation if I let it go. So I bought it without knowing if I would use it as a replacement for my old Schleich or just make them cohabit.

Against all odds, both fit strangely well together, that's probably one of my most surprising pairing success as I didn't expect them to be aesthetically compatible at all.
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With its chubby very goat-like body shape, the Bullyland feels meanwhile quite out of place. But that one is not really part of the collection, it's rather a souvenir from my journey in the Alps. The Schleich and Papo however, work quite nicely in my opinion as the Schleich's vintage look is not so obviously shocking as I thought.

The gender of this new Papo is quite debatable. Indeed, unlike both Bully's and Schleich's renditions, it clearly has no testes but still a very discreet bump where the penis is supposed to be. So I don't really know what the sculptor aimed to represent and I guess I'm free to use it as a female or a younger male (its body is clearly not as muscular as the Schleich). From an anthropomorphic point of view, the Papo's beautiful and sweet "doe eyes" make me rather think about a female while the Schleich is more masculine.

Very nice new additions! There are many to enjoy looking at here.

Lots of treasures

Sooo many fantastic new additions, and a great idea to focus on some of the beautiful Japanese figures! The Turtles are wonderful!

Great additions Ben, you picked up some great figures! I am certainly considering buying the entire turtle set, as it will probably be easier than individual figures, and possibly cheaper.

Your new chamois seems to have very different facial paintings to mine, and your figure's eyes seem to be different too. I am very pleasantly surprised by the Schleich figure, and I may even add it to my wishlist

Yes, that chamois is from a later batch than yours and you know the rule, later batches = cheap, messy paintjob with Papo.

However, the figure is still decent like that, the quality gap is not as huge as with the snow leopard or jaguar for example.

Interesting reading and a few figures I avoided and I was never 100% sure it was a good decision. Namely the spoonbill. I also enjoy the three chamois figures even if I only own the Papo model. Waiting for your next adventures.

Dear Rtas,
I'm very sorry to hear about your family situation. If there is anything I can do for comfort you, here you have a friend.

Looks like your collection reached this inflexion point when one start to gets more tricky in the figures chosen, due to feeling to have been complete (and crowded).

The Japanese macaque is on my wishlist too, but strangely enough, I still don't have it. Maybe for next time. The Kaiyodo owls are superb, even when they have a very noticeable seam in the neck.

Andrés bought the turtle set long tome ago. He offered me to get the half of the pieces and share the half of the shipping costs. Then first he chose the most desirable figures for himself. I still accepted some of what he left. Then he chose more and more and left me without any figure of my interest. Better in this way, as after that we learned that trade with him can be a bad idea. Finally I will receive very soon the best figure of this set. I really not' need very much any other.

Your move of Japanese sets is smart, but take in account that you will end with a lot of figures that will don't fit in your collection. I buy entire sets if the vast majority of figures in them are of my interest, both species-wise and quality-wise (and size-wise of course ). If don't, then I chose only one or some, like I did with Colorata cookiecutter shark, radiated tortoise and boa constrictor.

I didn't knew that these turtles must be assembled. It's no matter for me in a figure with the anatomy of a turtle.

I knew about Hilaire's side-necked turtle species before I do for Chinese softshell, and because I saw it in a French zoo (2009, Jardin des Plantes) so it could be well known for you too There are other softshell turtles that are better known than the Chinese one. It surprises me a lot what you say in ZTL about this species. I reckon it as a common and banal species in captivity, I saw it even in my hometown aquarium. So I checked ZTL and found a more expectable situation: Chinese softshell is extremely common in captivity, found at 90 different zoos withing Europe, Russia and Near East. Three of them in France. In fact, it's the most common softshell in captivity, what surprises me a bit, as I tought Egyptian one would be much more common (I saw it as a personal pet, in pet shops, in display at a restaurant...) but I check is rarer.

The Kitan rendition of this species in a dynamic swimming pose is unbeatable, but it's a way too big figure. Chinese softshells are small, not reaching the massive size of some other softshell species.

The spiny turtle was one of my favourite turtle species and very wished to see and photograph since many years ago. Strangely for an animal that is common as dirt in zoos according to ZTL (or at least it was during my ZTL-obsession years), I never saw one. The spiny shape of the carapace is beautiful, but only present in juvenile specimens. Adults lose their spines. So if this figure is a juvenile, it's even more oversized that if it would be an adult Just put it aside with a Diana monkey and you will see what I mean

It's not surprising that there are no more than two land tortoises: it reflects the real proportion of diversity of turtle species in real life, being the land tortoises just one family and the other turtles from several families and many many more species.

For the "russian" tortoises you mention, the young ones have the size of an adult and the adult have the size of at least an African spurred tortoise, so the Indian star tortoise is more too big than too small

You always can customize one of the three Mauremys into an European pond turtle you only need a pencil and some acrylics

The colorata fossil fish set is waiting for me in Brett's home He made the favour to me of remove the coelacanth I'm not interested in, as I have a better one :)

Man is the only animal that trip twice on the same stone If a website have been problematic in my purchases, I just don't buy again here But it's good that this time it worked fine :) Congrats for your rhea-sized spoonbill side asize, it's absolutely perfect!

So nice memories to have grown with spoonbills. It's something not everybody was enough lucky to be. I saw my firt wild spoonbill just last year. Roseate spoonbills and scarlet ibis are strongly associated in captivity because they also are in the wild. An scarlet ibis figure exist (I don't remember brand), but I don't like it (especially the weird position of the bill), so I made my own one :)

Congrats about the condor! It was my first raptor, one of my first birds, and the most fabulous bird figure ever made at that scale, both species-wise and quality-wise. I can't conceive that you first bought it just for trade it in a future it's a relief that you decided to keep this treasure in your collection, as the only bird with correct size amongs them

For put a gender in a chamois, you can use just the shape (degree of divergence) of the horns

Congratulation for your newcomers Rtas

Pardofelis wrote:

I knew about Hilaire's side-necked turtle species before I do for Chinese softshell, and because I saw it in a French zoo (2009, Jardin des Plantes) so it could be well known for you too There are other softshell turtles that are better known than the Chinese one. It surprises me a lot what you say in ZTL about this species. I reckon it as a common and banal species in captivity, I saw it even in my hometown aquarium. So I checked ZTL and found a more expectable situation: Chinese softshell is extremely common in captivity, found at 90 different zoos withing Europe, Russia and Near East. Three of them in France. In fact, it's the most common softshell in captivity, what surprises me a bit, as I tought Egyptian one would be much more common (I saw it as a personal pet, in pet shops, in display at a restaurant...) but I check is rarer.

The Kitan rendition of this species in a dynamic swimming pose is unbeatable, but it's a way too big figure. Chinese softshells are small, not reaching the massive size of some other softshell species.

The spiny turtle was one of my favourite turtle species and very wished to see and photograph since many years ago. Strangely for an animal that is common as dirt in zoos according to ZTL (or at least it was during my ZTL-obsession years), I never saw one. The spiny shape of the carapace is beautiful, but only present in juvenile specimens. Adults lose their spines. So if this figure is a juvenile, it's even more oversized that if it would be an adult Just put it aside with a Diana monkey and you will see what I mean  

The Kitan Chinese softshell is at the same size than the Yujin one (Shell lenght for both of them: 3,5cm).

The Yujin revised is indeed a juvenile, Yujin made an adult in the first series but it has the same size than the Revised one.