Rtas' main collection

II Fishes

A) Cartilaginous fishes

1) Sharks

c) Other sharks

Species : Great hammerhead, blacktip reef shark, zebra shark, tiger shark, bull shark, blue shark, spotted wobbegong, shortfin mako shark
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Figures on this picture (from left to right and top to bottom) :
- Schleich 14835 Hammerhead Shark (2020-still in production)
- Papo 56034 Blacktip Reef Shark (2018-still in production)
- CollectA 88614 Zebra Shark (2013-still in production)
- Schleich 14765 Tiger Shark (2016-2020)
- Papo 56044 Bull Shark (2019-still in production)
- Schleich 14701 Blue Shark (2013-2017)
- Schleich 14559 Spotted Wobbegong (2006-2009) from Schleich 42328 Coral Reef Diver set (2016-still in production ? )
- CollectA 88679 Shortfin Mako Shark (2014-still in production)

Fun facts :
- I absolutely love collecting sharks. As a species collector, they are very satisfactory to collect since there is a huge diversity of them Fortunately, they are very well-known and iconic predators, they fascinate many people and, as a consequence, they sell well on the market. This allows main brands to produce a pretty fair variety of models, and even some representing less known and less spectacular species. It is great that Papo release new shark species almost every year, I hope they will keep it up !
- The hammerhead and tiger sharks were bought in my favourite Schleich shop, the bull and the blacktip ones in my favourite Papo shop (that one which is close to my work). I bought he wobbegong as part of the coral reef diver set that I found in another local shop. I have never seen it again so I think it is retired even though the TAI says it's not. The blue shark was already retired when I started collecting again, so I found it in an independant toy shop during one of my many figure "scavenger hunts". The mako and zebra sharks were ordered from my favourite Ebay seller, in the UK.
- The Schleich tiger shark you see on this picture is the second one I got : the first one was totally destroyed by my dog who played with it while I was not watching.
- The Schleich 16077 Smooth Hammerhead [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] does not appear on this picture because there was no space left for it.
- I have seen blacktip reef sharks, spotted wobbegongs and zebra sharks in aquariums. I have seen a hammerhead in Nausicaa, the largest aquarium in France and one of the largest in Europe [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] but it was a scalloped hammerhead, not a great one. We had to pay 20€ more to access the backstage area and see it, since it was ill and was not presented to the general public anymore. It died not long after I saw it since hammerhead sharks are quite difficult to breed and Nausicaa unfortunately failed to do so. I have never seen a bull, a blue, a shortfin mako or a tiger shark.

Update : Were added to the collection
- Safari 201029 Megamouth Shark (2016-still in production)
- Safari 100369 Sand Tiger Shark (2020-still in production)
- Safari 200629 Nurse Shark (2015-still in production)
For further information, please check the addition topics.
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I considered the Schleich hammerhead, but how come you've identified it as a smooth hammerhead? If there is a good enough reason I'll add it to my wish list.

Edit: It seems the TAI have identified it as a great hammerhead.

I was talking about this other hammerhead I also own and which was identified as a smooth one : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Ahh ok, that makes sense.

beautiful display! I began to collect sharks too and hope I 'll find the papo bull one easily soon and I'll have to order for Safari lemon, schleich blue, CollectA mako and zebra! :)

Caracal wrote:

beautiful display!  I began to collect sharks too and  hope I 'll find the papo bull one easily soon and I'll have to order for Safari lemon, schleich blue, CollectA mako and zebra! :)

Well, I can get you easily the bull shark Don't forget Safari sand tiger shark, the most common species in French aquariums
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widukind wrote:

This sand tiger shark is not mine Andreas, but I plan to order it as soon as the confinement is over.

Great sharks again! I think I will make a virtual collection of them before starting collecting them seriously.
I will use the few I have, namely blue sharks, I think I have 3 different all Schleich? I have to think which bull shark I want.
About hammerheads, if we forget the recently "discovered" species. There are figures of all 4 species. The most common is the rarest in toy shape, the bonnethead. Almost all others at the Toy Animal Wiki are from my personal identification once brands rarely sell them at the species level. I often do it based on head's shape (cephalofoil) because fins seem often messed. I didn't want all hammerheads at the same generic page, if you think some are wrong, just let me know.

Roger wrote:

I will use the few I have, namely blue sharks, I think I have 3 different all Schleich?

I think Schleich only did two

The bonnethead is made by Safari, it is available in my favourite Ebay shop.

I already own a smooth one but which brand did the scalloped ?

RtasVadumee wrote:

Roger wrote:

I will use the few I have, namely blue sharks, I think I have 3 different all Schleich?

I think Schleich only did two

The bonnethead is made by Safari, it is available in my favourite Ebay shop.

I already own a smooth one but which brand did the scalloped ?

Several brands did it, you can check it at Toy Animal Wiki, though, I assume a few are maybe misdentified, namely the Papo, I have to check it better. But the CollectA figure, missing at the wiki, is marketed as a scalloped hammerhead, check here!

II Fishes

A) Cartilaginous fishes

2) Rays

Species : Sawfish (which species ? ), spotted eagle ray, giant oceanic manta ray, bowmouth guitarfish
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Figures on this picture (from left to right and top to bottom) :
- Schleich 14724 Sawfish (2014-2017)
- Schleich 14557 Spotted Eagle Ray (2005-2009)
- Schleich 14698 Manta Ray (2013-2017)
- Schleich 14766 Guitar Fish (2016-2018)

Fun facts :
- Manta rays have always fascinated me so when I learned that Nausicaa, the largest aquarium in France [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] , was going to welcome a pair of them, I could not resist going there to see them ! This manta ray was bought just after my visit because it made me realise how well made and accurate Schleich model was : this manta ray figure is the perfect replica of those I saw in Nausicaa and I will let no one tell me Papo's model is better ! Since I did not manage to find it in shops, I ordered it to a French seller on Ebay. I also ordered the spotted eagle ray from another seller after my visit, but this one is much less realistic and the colour is not right. I may replace it by Mojo's but this is not my priority right now.
- The guitarfish was one of the first models I saw in shop when I decided to collect animal figures again. Finding a so unusual, so unknown species (even if it was very familiar to me since there are some of them in Oceanopolis, the main aquarium in Brittany [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ) made me realise I missed a lot of things for all these years when I stopped collecting. The guitarfish and the sawfish were both bought in local shops.
- I have seen spotted eagle rays in many aquariums, I have only seen manta rays in Nausicaa, I have only seen sawfishes in Oceanopolis and I have seen bowmouth guitarfish in a couple of aquariums, namely Oceanopolis and the Ocearium du Croisic [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Roger wrote:

RtasVadumee wrote:

Roger wrote:

I will use the few I have, namely blue sharks, I think I have 3 different all Schleich?

I think Schleich only did two

The bonnethead is made by Safari, it is available in my favourite Ebay shop.

I already own a smooth one but which brand did the scalloped ?

Several brands did it, you can check it at Toy Animal Wiki, though, I assume a few are maybe misdentified, namely the Papo, I have to check it better. But the CollectA figure, missing at the wiki, is marketed as a scalloped hammerhead, check here!

Thanks, it gives me one CollectA figure more to buy !

And yes, the Papo looks like a great one.

Lovely collection so far! Your photos are great especially.

This is a very good start of showing your collection
And I really like your choices of models.
I am big fan of sharks too and yours look great together.
The Safari sand tiger shark is also very nice on real. it will be a good newcomer for your shark collection.

Thank`s for sharing Rtas

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Lovely collection so far! Your photos are great especially.

Thank you, I tried to do my best !

costicuba wrote:

This is a very good start of showing your collection
And I really like your choices of models.
I am big fan of sharks too and yours look great together.
The Safari sand tiger shark is also very nice on real. it will be a good newcomer for your shark collection.

Thank`s for sharing Rtas

Thank you Kosta !

Fishes out of the water give me the creeps.. I feel like they're chocking, that's why I don't collect them.
Thank God, judging from the list above, Ritas torture is ending soon!

You'll still have to endure cetaceans, not chocking to death but at least in a very uncomfortable situation, at the end of this list

Nice choice

What fabulous sharks!!!!!!!!!!!! The Schleich tiger shark is good, but I dislike a lot the way the paintjob is pixeled, like in a newspaper printed image, but more noticeable. So I've choosed the CollectA one instead for my future collection. At least the promo image is the best tiger shark ever made, but I'm not sure if its equal than the real thing. Other tiger sharks from other brands have a bad, childish paintjob, with stripes as bold and solid as those of a zebra.
From your sharks, the only one that I have is the CollectA's zebra shark. A species that I love a lot and way muuuuch better than the Safari counterpart! For mako, I have Safari instead. In a more typical rigid position. But this CollectA is dinamic and wonderful. This figure would be perfect for put it around a dozen of the Safari TOOB Pelagic Fishes sardine bunch, all forming a big roll of fishes. And the mako in this dynamic position attacking the sardines. With a blue background. Imagine that, would be really nice!
A blue shark is also pending for my future collection. That Schleich is very good! But there are other very good models too. After many doubts, I've chosen the Maia & Borges blue shark for my wishlist, and it's here since eons ago. Maybe is just my wish for have an underrepresented brand new for my collection. But if you guys thinks that there is a better blue shark than M&B, let me know!
And that spotted wobbegong is one of the best Schleich masterpieces. Very few Schleich models take my attention, but in elasmobranchs they're very good, not rivalling Safari but maybe surpassing the remaining brands! I wish a lot the wobbegong, but sadly is not possible to acquire it without the diver, sea floor and coral...

Caracal: The lemon shark of Safari could be a bit disappointing. I have it as gift for Epiphany this year, and I've expected something else. The interior of the mouth is unpainted, and the pectoral fins, made of extremely rigid plastic, are bended in a sharp angle from the mold, so the shark is not "swimming", but "standing" in the sea floor. This figure is very wide and flattish, I'm not sure if real lemon sharks are so wide, but I suppose they are.

Yes, Rtas, the sand tiger shark is with overhelming difference the most common big shark species in every public aquarium in the world. Probably is the easiest to get/keep/breed. The Safari rendition new for 2020 looks as good as usually are the Safari sharks :)

And now coming to the rays!
The bowmouth guitarfish is the only one of your figures that I have. It was an exchange for another figure with a person that participated in this thread I've repainted it a bit, especially the eyes. In my opinion is the best bowmouth guitarfish available in the trade. It's surprising how popular is this animal in the figurine world being a relatively poor known species.

And finally there, for first time, there are differences in the speces we saw in real life! I never saw bowmouth guitarfishes nor any species of manta ray!

As well as some others here, I have also have recently started collecting sharks. I share a few of the same figures as you do, but I have opted for Collecta's blacktip instead of the Papo or safari and I have to say I am very impressed with it.

Your photo of the blue shark shows it nicer than I have seen before, very streamline and more curved than I thought which is good.

The safari sand tiger looks like absolutely brilliant and is a must have in my opinion. I wish safari would produce a little more to scale though, but I cannot complain really with their diversity making up for it!

Pardofelis wrote:

But this CollectA is dinamic and wonderful. This figure would be perfect for put it around a dozen of the Safari TOOB Pelagic Fishes sardine bunch, all forming a big roll of fishes. And the mako in this dynamic position attacking the sardines. With a blue background. Imagine that, would be really nice!

I have thought quite a lot about this pose too. I have seen fishing videos on you tube where a mako has been hooked (accidental or not, I do not know) and the shark has leaped very high out of the water numerous times and resembling this pose. I am not sure if they leap out of the water when they are fishing themselves or not, but I had considered this when contemplating having a sea surface to my diorama.

Oh the spotted eagle ray. I bought that figure age 6 and lost it. I am really peeved as its an amazing figure, that I wish to return to my collection.

Thanks for your comments Pardo, Steve and Adam !

Pardofelis wrote:

The Schleich tiger shark is good, but I dislike a lot the way the paintjob is pixeled, like in a newspaper printed image, but more noticeable. So I've choosed the CollectA one instead for my future collection. At least the promo image is the best tiger shark ever made, but I'm not sure if its equal than the real thing.

You were right. The CollectA tiger shark is a bit larger than the Schleich one and thus, fits better with the other shark figures. I chose the Schleich one because of its availability (I prefer to buy figures in shops than ordering online) and because it seems to me that the colour is more accurate but if had found the CollectA in stores, I would have probably opted for it.

Pardofelis wrote:

This figure would be perfect for put it around a dozen of the Safari TOOB Pelagic Fishes sardine bunch, all forming a big roll of fishes. And the mako in this dynamic position attacking the sardines. With a blue background. Imagine that, would be really nice!

Maybe we should ask Steve to do it with his airquarium

Pardofelis wrote:

A blue shark is also pending for my future collection. That Schleich is very good! But there are other very good models too. After many doubts, I've chosen the Maia & Borges blue shark for my wishlist, and it's here since eons ago. Maybe is just my wish for have an underrepresented brand new for my collection. But if you guys thinks that there is a better blue shark than M&B, let me know!

Are you talking about this one ?
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I have it too (from the Schleich 1:32 series) and I also thought it was better than the new Schleich until I got the later. Trust me, even if you could prefer it from an aesthetic point of view (and I do too) it does not look like a real one as much as the new Schleich one. I will take a comparison pic tomorrow if you want.

Pardofelis wrote:

Yes, Rtas, the sand tiger shark is with overhelming difference the most common big shark species in every public aquarium in the world. Probably is the easiest to get/keep/breed. The Safari rendition new for 2020 looks as good as usually are the Safari sharks :)

They may be easy to keep but I also think they are favoured by aquariums because of their nasty look. With their prominent and sharp teeth, they look like small great white sharks to the general public and that's what people want to see when they go to the aquarium in order to see sharks.

Pardofelis wrote:

And finally there, for first time, there are differences in the speces we saw in real life! I never saw bowmouth guitarfishes nor any species of manta ray!

Don't they have manta rays in Barcelona ? I think the closest to you to see them is Lisbon's aquarium which has remained the largest in Europe for a long time, before Nausicaa arised. Lisbon's may still be the best in Europe since it is more successful in keeping delicate species. All hammerhead died in Nausicaa and half their manta ray did too. The result is a gigantic but empty aquarium... Now they are replacing their hammerhead by... sand tiger sharks. Again...

I have seen two manta ray species in Nausicaa : the lesser devil ray and... the giant oceanic manta ray The ones I saw were "only" 3 m wingspan but that was still something marvelous to watch.