Rtas' main collection

Nice hippos

RtasVadumee wrote:

Roger wrote:

I also own the Schleich warthog, namely the boar and I defintely don’t have that idea that Papo’s model is favoured on forum. I think everyone likes these Schleich warthogs. They are very beautiful pieces and very well done. Maybe it is only missing the energy often typical of a warthog. Design is not very Schleichy but poses are boring as usual at that time. Safari’s retired model was surely not as good but the pose was much nicer. I have the CollectA babirusa, I also think it is slightly better than Safari’s but I think I like both models. Babirusas are so rare that someday I may get the Safari babi too.
Red river hog was one of these bombs CollectA presented to us, I also think it is an excellent model and a fantastic species. I still own the Safari peccary that is nicely sized.

Oh yes, the Safari peccari !!! It will definitely be part of my first Safari order

Indeed, I may have mistaken the Papo and the PNSO...

One day I will probably find a place for the PNSO Warthog because of its nice pose but it will not replaced my Schleich warthog family, I still love them very much.
I also own the CollectA babirusa even if the Safari Ltd seems fine too.
About the Red river hog, it was ( it stills) one of my most wanted animals at this time. I only have the K&M one when CollectA produced one of this first « bomb », it was unexpected then. I was so happy, I bought it and made a walk-around but to tell the truth I wasn’t very satisfied, I say nothing because having such a species in hands was really somthing new. Nevertheless I always think that the shape wasn’t convincing, the neck especially. I saw a lot of Red river hogs and pictured them many time and CollectA missed something. So you now my secret Wish , I hope Safari Ltd, CollectA or Mojo will make a better one soon.

About the hippo I must say I disagree, the CollectA hippo is very very good, I add it to my collection of course but the Papo one is still a must have too. CollectA details are maybe better than Papo but the last one is more « in motion » less static than the CollectA. So I can’t tell if there is a debate but for me it is a two winners competition.

Thank you for the comparison pic Adam. I actually really like the Safari model but if I ever get it, I don't think it will replace the CollectA as both fit pretty well with each other.

Kikimalou, the PNSO wathog looks like Pumba in the Lion's king when he's singing "Akuna Matata" in my opinion, I really don't like that pose.

Indeed I have to admit the red river hog is finally not so perfect, with its white mask missing and it's a bit too bulky.

About Papo hippo... well, as for most Papo figures, I think the paintjob is very cheap and it always prevented me from buying it. To the contrary, the female and the young one are fine, I even own the later but forgot to mention it. I don't know, maybe that's just the models I found in shops because it does look like better on pictures on the internet... I do assure you that newer batches or older Papo figures are awfully painted, I already posted an example of jaguar which almost looked like a bootleg : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Anyway, I am not really known here to be a Papo-lover, I am not very "patriotic" as far as animal figures are concerned, but I am working on it, ask Roger about it, I have already made big progresses

Rtas, I think Disney and PNSO watched some troting Warthog, at least some movies, because they Really  trot like that.
About the Red river hog I don’t think it is too bulky, I think the head is too big( like Papo warthog) and the proportion are not right, even the smaller K&M has a better shape.
About Papo hippo, I bought mine At the old good time, when Papo painting were subtles and fine. Your jaguar example is very funny because the TAW jaguar you shown was mine. My Papo hippo is also the one you can see on TAW but ok it is 13 years old.
As you I’m not a patriotic collector, I’m not even a good European collector...

V Mammals

M) Even-toed ungulates

7) Cetaceans

a) Toothed whales

1. Dolphins

Species : Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, Pacific white-sided dolphin, Ganges river dolphin
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Figures on this picture (from left to right) :
- Schleich 14699 Dolphin (2013-2018)
- Schleich 14699 Dolphin (2013-2018) Updated painting ?
- Schleich 16088 Dolphin (2006-2013)
- CollectA 88612 Pacific White Sided Dolphin (2015-still in production)
- CollectA 88611 Ganges River Dolphin (2013-still in production)

Fun facts :
- I cannot found the most recent Schleich dolphin on TAI. Maybe is it considered as a mere update of the 2013 model ? Anyway, I prefer the greyish one I got first, at a time when both versions were still available in local shops. I bought the blueish one later because dolphins live in pods.
- The old one from 2003 was not a planned purchase at all, I just was unable to resist it as it is wearing what I consider as the best "Flipper's smile" in animal figure world
- The Ganges dolphin is one of the most unusual figures in my collection as it is the only river dolphin available on the market I think. One more proof of CollectA's singularity.
- I bought the two recent Schleich dolphins in local shops, the old one from another collector in my region and ordered the two CollectA on Ebay.
- Living in Brittany, I have seen bottlenose dolphins several times when I was taking the boat (but strangely never short-beaked ones, the other species you are likely to find here) and that's an unforgettable show everyone should see at least once in his/her life, passionate about wildlife or not I have never seen Pacific white sided dolphins nor Ganges' ones obviously.

Update : Were added to the collection
- Papo 56004 Playing Dolphin (2008-still in production)
- Safari 100101 Vaquita Porpoise (2018-still in production)
For further information, please check the addition topics.
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2. Orcas

Species : Orca
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Figures on this picture (from left to right) :
- Schleich 16091 Orca Calf (2006-2013)
- Schleich 14807 Orca (2018-still in production)
- Schleich 14836 Young Orca (2020-still in production)
- Schleich 14697 Killer Whale (2013-2018)

Fun facts :
- For a very long time, my only orca was a vintage model from an unknown brand I am unable to find on TAI. I may still have it somewhere in my parents' house though, I can try to find it next time I come back home if you are curious about it.
- It's calf was the old Safari ltd one [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] but it was replaced like its mother by more recent Schleich renditions in my collection.
- The Schleich with its mouth open was the goal of my very first figure hunt. Indeed, when I started collecting again in 2018, I saw it in my favourite Schleich shop but waited too much to get it. When I came back to buy it, it had already been sold so I asked my seller to book one for me next time he will receive it. A few days later, he informed me that the model had retired recently and that he would never receive it again. I did not want my only orca to be the one with mouth shut (at that time, I only collected one figure per species) so, I started looking at online catalogues of local shops and quickly found it in a small town half an hour away from my hometown. So I took the bus and got there. However, while looking for that killer whale, I had discovered that many retired figures were still available in local shops of neighbour towns or neighbour regions. And that's how the great journey began !
- A long time after that, I had changed my rule about "one figure per species" and I decided to get the current model to keep company to mine. However, I do not consider them a couple but two related females caring for their respective calves.
- Unlike the dolphin, I will not add the Papo model to the pod as it never really appealed to me.
- I have already told you the story behind the open-mouthed orca's acquisition. The closed-mouthed one was bought in my favourite Schleich shop just as its recent calf, which was a Christmas present if I remember well. The old calf was bought from another collector in my region, the same who sold me the old dolphin (as well as the musk ox and at least two or three dozens of other fantastic figures).
- I have never seen killer whales and it's now forbidden to keep them in France (perhaps even in all Europe ?) so I will have to find them in the wild, which is a good thing as cetaceans are mesmerizing in their natural habitats (all animals are but especially cetaceans).

Wonderful models and interesting information too!
I love dolphins, and your models are all beautiful!

Nice again

Now you start with one of my most favourite mammal groups, the cetaceans (calling them "even-toed ungulates", or following those that stated that, is absurd). This time, we share only two of these models, and logically, they're the less usual species: CollectA's Pacific white-sided and Ganges dolphins. Ganges river dolphin was, together with many of the unusual antelopes, what made me fascinated by the rarities that CollectA's have and start a collection.

Your recent Papo bottlenose was the one I chosed for my collection long time ago if any day I get this species.

I never seen bottlenoses in the wild, even in the only whale-watching tour that I took in my life (where I saw lots of Common dolphins tough). Yes France banned cetaceans in captivity, together with Canada, mexico and I don't know if UK too, so this is a big reason for NOT visit those countries. Fortunately not all governments are so stupid and beautiful orcas can still be seen in captivity in various fabulous places of Europe. I've seen orcas in two places (plus a third one when I was a little child).

As for killer whale, I went with the CollectA's open-mouth one instead. But the head shape is better represented in the Schleich figures.
However I don't think your figures can represent two mothers with their calves, as the open-mouth one have a very high dorsal fin, indicative of a male

I have no dolphin but I think I woud choose the papo one.. very beautiful toothed cetacean collection!

Thanks guys !

Pardofelis wrote:

(calling them "even-toed ungulates", or following those that stated that, is absurd)

Which order is that then ?

Pardofelis wrote:

Fortunately not all governments are so stupid and beautiful orcas can still be seen in captivity in various fabulous places of Europe. I've seen orcas in two places (plus a third one when I was a little child).

I don't know if it's such a stupid decision, orcas tend to live shorter in captivity and there are examples of orcas becoming insane in captivity. Anyway, I have no legitimacy to judge on that moral matter since all I know about it are documentaries I watched and keepers' testimonies I read and I know information is always biased and often only reflecting the dominant thought (and, as a nihilist person, I tend to reject any moral judgement). But I would be interested to know your more detailed opinion on that subject.

Pardofelis wrote:

As for killer whale, I went with the CollectA's open-mouth one instead. But the head shape is better represented in the Schleich figures.
However I don't think your figures can represent two mothers with their calves, as the open-mouth one have a very high dorsal fin, indicative of a male

Oh, that's interesting ! Then, I need a new female for the other calf !

V Mammals

M) Even-toed ungulates

7) Cetaceans

a) Toothed whales

3. Other toothed whales

Species : Beluga whale, narwhal, short-finned pilot whale
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Figures on this picture (from left to right) :
- CollectA 88568 Beluga Whale (2012-still in production)
- CollectA 88617 Beluga Calf (2013-still in production)
- CollectA 88615 Narwhal (2013-still in production)
- CollectA 88613 Short-finned Pilot Whale (2013-still in production)

Fun facts :
- Except for large whales which are Schleich, my main choices for cetaceans are CollectA. When I needed to replace my old vintage Schleich beluga and narwhal, I had to choose between Papo and CollectA. Although Papo's beluga is nice, I did not find their narwhal convincing enough while the CollectA rendition is, in my opinion, absolutely wonderful, at least from an aesthetic point of view. So, I went for the CollectA pair as I wanted my beluga and narwhal to be from the same brand to avoid size incompatibility. Although they are a bit large for my Schleich orcas (but is the CollectA killer whale really bigger ?), I prefer them over the Papo and I am always surprised to see that they are not more popular on forum.
- The beluga calf is way greyer than on promo pics but that's a good thing since beluga calves are grey like that in real.
- I am also very surprised not to see the pilot whale in more members' collections. It's an important species (at least it is for me), a well-known cetacean, and the CollectA model is good (maybe a bit large compared with Schleich orcas again but that's still acceptable). I don't remember ever seeing this figure, or the CollectA beluga and narwhal in anyone's collection here
- A false orca would be a nice addition to this family picture.
- I ordered all three models on Ebay.
- I have seen none of these species but there has been a narwhal-keeping project at Nausicaa, the largest aquarium in France (and in all Europe I think now). I don't know if it's still on the table though, as Nausicaa already failed miserably with their hammerhead shark project and partly with their giant manta project.

Wonderful whales, I love the poses they have, as though they are swimming!

You are always so reactive Lilias, always posting comments a few minutes after my update !

My collection is poor in cetaceans so I never put too much thought about which are the best representatives about each species. However, I enjoy reading and watching pictures and check what each collector has to tell about them. We were mostly educated about these emblematic Schleich whales from their 1/32 scale, a series that contributed to the prestige of the company once their finish quality was superb.It was also an impressive impact to enjoy them on shop shelves.

me too! :)

The order is Cetacea, obviously.

Basically every aquatic animal, and overall fishes (and from these, very specially the marine fishes), tend to live shorter, and usually with a great difference of age, than wild ones. And there are fishes in every aquarium and half of zoos in the world (hundreds of thousands of places) and hundreds of millions of fishes on private homes. A shorter lifespan is obviously not a reason for ban the keeping of an animal, but just a reason to investigate more their welfare needs. Anyway, it would be needed first to check if this claim is true, or just a lie propagated by animalists. Bottlenose dolphins live on average the same or a little more in captivity than in the wild, and while this is far from living much more in captivity than in the wild as the vast majority of tetrapods, it's still perfect. I would find strange that another toothed dolphin with similar needs have a difference with bottlenoses. And regarding "examples of orcas being insane in captivity" the same applies to basically every species of animal in the world that has been kept in captivity. Probably as much as in the wild (tough the latter pass unnoticed and unregistered). Resuming, if you ban cetaceans from captivity you would be coherent only if you also ban every species of animal on Earth from captivity (including keeping our children at schools during day, of course).
I hope that you don't include "Blackfish" in the "documentaries you watched", as this is not a documentary, just a big sucession of animalist lies, and the correct title would be "sensationalist movie", more or less the same than "Free willy" but done by idiotic people instead a cinema genius. A true documentary always tells only the truth.

CollectA have a good range of cetaceans, maybe more than any other brands and many of the ones in my collection are also from this brand. However all my "big whales" are also CollectA.

As for narwhal, none of the current ones in the markest are of my taste. And CollectA maybe the least, as I find the eyes very weird, the tusk too thick, and the paintjob not ideal.

Being from different brands don't means incompatibility between figures (there is even a thread of "Show or yours: Animals of different brands that matches together"), as well as being from the same brand doesn't mean that they can match, nor in size (put CollectA saiga together with CollectA nilghai for example) nor in style (remember CollectA meerkat? you can't compare it with masterpieces like the CollectA African wild ass...). As for beluga I have the PNSO one and I think that sizewise it would fit with the narwhals that are currently in the trade in western brands.

The CollectA killer whale measures 19 cm from the snout to the tail fluke notch, taking in account that the tail is curved to the right. Not sure if this is good for matching your Schleich's.

CollectA's pilot whale is a "maybe" in my collection. Not in my wishlist, but I could accept it if somebody gives me one. I find it a bit too big (overall when compared with beluga and narwhal), and anyway there are so many other prioritary species (and so little (reaching non-existent) space in my shelves...)

However, I would put a false orca inmediately in my wishlist if a brand release one. False orca and pygmy orca are amongst my most favourite odontocetes.

I have seen belugas at various places and pilot whale at one place in captivity. Belugas are probably the second most common cetacean in captivity after the bottlenose. Never any place in the world kept a narwhal in recent times, and the ones that tried in the past failed very quickly. I think is extremely unlikely that any place in the world gets the permissions for keep a narwhal in captivity now. I don't know why they're so difficult to keep when belugas are easy. Maybe it's related to the fact that with the tusk they scratch the glass making the exhibit unaesthetic plus stressing themselves by doing this.

Pardofelis wrote:

The order is Cetacea, obviously.

Basically every aquatic animal, and overall fishes (and from these, very specially the marine fishes), tend to live shorter, and usually with a great difference of age, than wild ones. And there are fishes in every aquarium and half of zoos in the world (hundreds of thousands of places) and hundreds of millions of fishes on private homes. A shorter lifespan is obviously not a reason for ban the keeping of an animal, but just a reason to investigate more their welfare needs. Anyway, it would be needed first to check if this claim is true, or just a lie propagated by animalists. Bottlenose dolphins live on average the same or a little more in captivity than in the wild, and while this is far from living much more in captivity than in the wild as the vast majority of tetrapods, it's still perfect. I would find strange that another toothed dolphin with similar needs have a difference with bottlenoses. And regarding "examples of orcas being insane in captivity" the same applies to basically every species of animal in the world that has been kept in captivity. Probably as much as in the wild (tough the latter pass unnoticed and unregistered). Resuming, if you ban cetaceans from captivity you would be coherent only if you also ban every species of animal on Earth from captivity (including keeping our children at schools during day, of course).
I hope that you don't include "Blackfish" in the "documentaries you watched", as this is not a documentary, just a big sucession of animalist lies, and the correct title would be "sensationalist movie", more or less the same than "Free willy" but done by idiotic people instead a cinema genius. A true documentary always tells only the truth.

Interesting discussion about keeping whales and dolphins in captivity, as this is a topic where everyone gets very emotional. I think it´s to easy to say, that when other animals are in captivity, aquatic animals could be, too. More so, that you call them liar, idiotic people and animalist, just as they have another opinion. There are enough people that I would call specialist and expert, which think that holding whales in captivity is not the best idea.
But we can start the question already with all animals, as there seems a trend that a lot of zoos become more and more a institution to hold animals in captivity than follow the first and most priority target: Realising endangered animals in wild.
So we already have a very complex thematic, where it´s to easy to say: "You are right or your opinion is false". Maybe you are to much of a "zoo fan" than a animalist?

I´ve seen bottlenose dolphins in Duisburg an Antwertpen and Amazon river dolphin in Duisburg.
But this can´t be compared to see them in the wilderness - I´ve seen humpback whales and it was one of the best experiences I´v ever had.
I don´t know as I´m a zoo fan, too. But when I´m honest, if this world wouldn´t be so fucked up, we wouldn´t need zoos.

Enough off-topic:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], I´m happy that you are continuing with your collection as I really love to see your choices and descriptions :)

If zoos do not follow that much their alleged "first and most priority target" to release endangered species in the wild that's because in most cases... the natural habitat of those species is quickly disappearing or doesn't even exist anymore and it would be useless to release them in such conditions...

Of course zoos are institutions to hold animals captive for the enjoyment of men, that's what they were created for and that's what they have always and will always remain. That conservation thing is merely a side mission which is here to make zoos look more ethic as it is well known that everything that looks morally good makes more money. Zoos are companies like any other ones and the only purpose behind any good action from a company is always money.

But this world is actually "fucked up" as you say, it already is (and it has always been). The 6th exinction is there, we will not stop it whatever we do. A vast part of the species we know will disappear in the wild. That's like global warming, they are saying they will try to limit it but everything seems too slow because it's already too late. So, is it such a bad thing if a good one emerges from a morally disgusting, highly hypocritical undertaking ? Is is such a bad thing if a megalomaniac such as Rodolphe Delord saves a few wonderful forms of life by imprisonning them to build his entertainment empire ? Is it such a bad thing if zoos become living museums when, anyway, it's the only place where the wild, I mean the TRUE WILD (opportunistic, generalist species will always manage to survive among men) will soon be tolerated, as overpopulation will soon let no more room for it ?

The world is fucked up, it has always been (it was not as disenchanted before but much more violent). All we do, all we can do, all we have always done is trying to see some good side to the despicable reality in order not to fall into despair. It applies to zoos which were initially created on very amoral foundations but, through a hypocritical money-driven ethical washing, have become not less disgusting institutions but at least useful ones, bringing some good from the initial shit.

However, I 100% agree with both of you about the unfounded distinction which is made between sea animals and terrestrial ones as far as captivity is concerned. My former best friend (or rather the only one) loved to visit aquariums but she felt very bad in zoos with all those "poor imprisoned animals who had been taken away their freedom" People are scandalized to see cetaceans in pools but say nothing about fishes because fishes are almost not even animals for them. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Empathy is not altruism, it comes from the self, we only care and feel bad for those we can identify to, that's why we get so emotional when it comes to mammals but do not care about fishes, reptiles...

I was especially shocked when I learnt, through the opening of the great Nausicaa, that aquariums were allowed to capture fishes in the wild. I mean, that's an ABSOLUTE TABOO for zoos ! When you see that all scalloped hammerhead taken in the wild by Nausicaa died, you can seriously question that proceed even though you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs and taking in the wild is necessary when you don't have a breeding program yet...
Same thing for casualities from predation in aquariums. We all know that the big shark eat a small fish from time to time but would we accept to put a lion pride and a wildbeest group in the same enclosure ? Absolutely not.

Anyway, every moral debate is so complicated when you make the effort of looking at the ins and outs in debt, and always so biased, so full of hypocrisy, that I have decided not to participate in them anymore a long time ago. Just do what pleases you without taking into account the morality of your actions or tastes : if you love to go to the zoo, then go to the zoo, it's impossible to be a good person whatever you'll do anyway. If you like meat, then you'll probably finance concentration camps for animals. Even the smartphone you all have is full of components whose extraction ruins the environment.

RtasVadumee wrote:

Thanks guys !

Pardofelis wrote:

(calling them "even-toed ungulates", or following those that stated that, is absurd)

Which order is that then ?

Cetaceans clearly share a common ancestor within Artiodactyla. The order nowadays is often called Cetartiodactyla to include whales, but since cetaceans evolved within Artiodactyla and not as a sister group, there is no reason to abandon Artiodactyla. Systematics trumps morphologic convenience. So, the order is indeed Artiodactyla.

V Mammals

M) Even-toed ungulates

7) Cetaceans

a) Toothed whales

4. Sperm whales

Species : Sperm whale
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Figures on this picture (from top to bottom) :
- Schleich 16084 Sperm Whale (2001-2012)
- Schleich 16095 Sperm Whale Calf (2007-2011)

Fun facts :
- Now we start to get to the serious stuff ! That sperm whale is one of the jewels of my collection, not the most precious one which is coming later though It might be the largest sperm whale on the market (can anyone confirm it ?) and thus, the best sized one for a standard sized collection. That mould is from Maia & Borges, it was released again by Papo in 2016 with a new paintjob and again by Mojo in 2018 with a painting much more similar to the original Schleich release (please, tell me which one is your favourite). As a consequence, that model has almost always been available, except between 2012 and 2016, but I find much more prestigious to own the very first release. It proves also how efficient that model is and confirms what I often say about Maia & Borges' moulds : they age very well and are almost timeless.
- When I was a child, that figure taught me something about sperm whales' anatomy : I thought it was inaccurate because it only had one nostril but then realised it was just the blowhole every cetaceans have, but its location on the nose had made me confused !
- The baby sperm whale was never released by anyone else than Schleich and, as all baby whales made by the German brand, it has become expensive as shit ! I got it for no less than 20€ and that was a fair price from a fellow collector I met in real, prices are easily 10-20€ higher on Ebay. Not what most of you would be willing to pay for a calf and not what I would have paid online, even 20€. But I met the girl in person, knew it was a good deal, there was no shipping costs, so that was different.
- I have considered the newer Schleich sperm whale which is smaller but really don't know if it would fit with the other two. There is a huge size difference between sexes in that species but would this more recent model be big enough to work as a mother for my calf ? I crave for a comparison pic of the three models together but I'm not sure anyone here can provide it to me.
- I also own a pygmy sperm whale which will appear on tomorrow's picture as I think it would have been confusing to show it next to the baby sperm whale.
- I have the adult from my childhood and I got the baby from a local fellow collector as I said.
- I have never seen a sperm whale in zoos although I could have. Indeed, one of my friends when I was a child was highly mythomaniac (all children are but that one was top of the class) and he assured me there were sperm whales in the zoo we were going to visit. In the pond surrounding the siamangs' island, there was a water jet my father made him believe it was the sperm whale he told us about. He got afraid and we had a good laugh at him.

Update :
- Schleich 14764 Sperm Whale (2016-still in production) was added to the collection. For further information, please check the addition topics.
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Schleich sperm whale is a monumental figure in every sense. I think it is my favourite of all versions but it is also the only I know from local shops. It only could be great since it is a Portuguese design and also manufactured here. As I told, these models contributed decisively to the prestige of the brand and most people don't know that Schleich was not having its best days before the cooperation with Maia & Borges. Wy do you tell it is the only baby? Safari made two and this one was made even before Schleich's. Do you mean these look like small adultes?

No Roger, I mean that the Maia & Borges' baby mould was never released by another brand than Schleich, unlike the adult whose same exact mould was re-used by Papo and Mojo as I said.

I found that picture on Paige's topic :
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There is no way it's gonna fit as the calf's mother but maybe a teenager ? What do you think ?

The beautiful M+B Sperm whale isn't the biggest on the market, the Safari Ltd MB one is bigger.

V Mammals

M) Even-toed ungulates

7) Cetaceans

b) Various cetaceans

Species : Pygmy sperm whale, Minke whale, Blainville's beaked whale
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Figures on this picture (from left to right) :
- CollectA 88653 Pygmy Sperm Whale (2014-still in production)
- Schleich 16087 Minke Whale (2003-2009)
- CollectA 88761 Blainville's Beaked Whale (2016-still in production)

Fun facts :
- Here are some more unusual cetacean species, all great models in my opinion and perfectly sized.
- The pygmy sperm whale is made of a softer plastic than usual CollectA figures, what I call "dog's toy plastic". I was afraid it would result in a cheap look but it actually doesn't and the figure is again pure CollectA masterpiece.
- The Minke whale was one of those Maia & Borges sealife figures I did not get in my childhood (unlike the three larger whales) as it was released just one year or two after I stopped collecting. I had to go on a hunt for it as a grown up and pay it the high price. I am sure there are as good models of this species in other brands' range but I have always found more prestigious to own the old retired Schleich one (same happens with musk ox), an opinion I am aware most people here do not share.
- It is not visible on the picture but if you look closer and more carefully at the beaked whale's skin, you'll see a lot of scars. That kind of details, such as shells on larger whale's skin, make models much more realistic and "alive". The figure from CollectA is a wonderful one and made me more familiar with a family of whales I barely knew.
- I got the Minke whale from another collector, the same who sold me many rare figures such as the musk ok. I got the CollectA figures on Ebay.
- I have never seen those species.