Mathison Museum of Natural History

.. and model!

2013 blackbuck! Those were the golden years. We continue having great figures but not many like those.
That's a fairly small antelope but all small antelopes/gazelles are relatively large among major brands. I believe a size between the CollectA and Colorata would be favoured but for me the size is more than good. I am really happy I have it. CollectA also released figures like the saiga or the Tibetan antelope, I still cannot believe we were so lucky during all those yars.

Species: Lucanus maculifemoratus Motschulsky, 1861 (Miyama stag beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: B.I.G. Insects; B.I.G. Beetles
Years of Production: 2015; 2017
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 11.5 cm for a scale of 2:1-1.5:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our fifth look at L. maculifemoratus in the Museum. These two figures represent the same sculpt. The victor on the right was produced by Takara for the 2015 release of their B.I.G. Insects series; his opponent on the left was produced for the 2017 release of their B.I.G. Beetles series. It's easy to tell which is which in-hand because Takara stamps the year of production on the underside of the left elytron. The figures require assembly and are articulated at the base of the appendages.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northeast Asia, including China, Taiwan, Korean Peninsula, eastern Russia, and Japan
Habitat: Forests
Diet: Larvae feed in rotting wood and detritus; adults feed on tree sap.
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like with many large lucanid beetles, major males of L. maculifemoratus have enlarged mandibles used for fighting rival males and securing feeding and breeding sites.

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Very beautiful models!

Great action photo!

rogerpgvg wrote:

Great action photo!

having two of the same sculpt for a major male allows for that option :).

Species: Pagrus major (Temminck & Schlegel, 1843) (red seabream)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Salt Water Fish
Year of Production: 2015 (2008)
Size/Scale: Body length 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:4.7-1:14.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: My figure is the 2015 release of a figure that originally came out in 2008. Minimal assembly required (pectoral fins must be attached). The fish is removable from its habitat-style base. There are three other very good representatives of this species, by Yujin (Saltwater Fish Pictorial Book 2), Kaiyodo (Natural Monuments of Japan) and Favorite Co. (Aqua Fish), the last of which was released recently in 2020.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Northwest Pacific (northeast South China Sea to Japan)
Habitat: Demersal, often in rocky areas or reefs, at depths of 10-200 meters (usually 10-50 meters)
Diet: Benthic invertebrates, small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Pagrus major is a major commercial fish in Southeast Asia, especially in Japan where it is known as the 'King of Saltwater Fish' for its outstanding shape, color, and flavor.

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Nice fish

Beautiful model and picture!

Species: Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758) (small cabbage white; cabbage butterfly; small white)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: K&M International
Series: European Garden Tube
Year of Production: 2006
Size/Scale: Wingspan 6.5 cm for a scale of 1.4:1-1:1 (1:1 would be for an exceptionally large specimen)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure could easily represent any one of several members of the genus Pieris, but given the theme of the tube, it probably represents P. rapae or the large cabbage white, P. brassicae. I chose the former due to the more subtle black on the tips of the forewing. Pieris rapae is sexually dimorphic, and this figure could either represent a female lacking a second black spot on the forewings, or a male with a rather large black spot on the forewings.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Believed native to the Eastern Mediterranean, with natural spread throughout Europe and Asia following the expansion of brassicaceous crops; unintentional introductions to North America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii
Habitat: Highly variable, but usually in areas with open spaces, including open forests, bogs, fields, meadows, disturbed areas, parks, gardens
Diet: Larvae primarily feed on plants in the family Brassicaceae (crucifers), with secondary hosts in the families Capparidacaea (capers) and Resedaceae (mignonettes); adults take nectar from flowers
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (NatureServe status is Secure)
Miscellaneous Notes: Pieris rapae has a natural distribution throughout much of the Palearctic. In 1860, it was accidentally introduced to Quebec, Canada. It now occurs throughout most of North America, south to northern Mexico. In 1898, it was introduced to Hawaii. In 1929, it was introduced to New Zealand and Australia. Throughout its range, P. rapae is a pest of crops, including cabbage, kale, radish, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, and horseradish.

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It was the first tube I bought if I am not wrong. I don't have most of them anymore but I always liked the subject and the little models. I know i still have the fox, of course and I remember that butterfly. I think this tube is just called Garden Nature Tube but it is a product from Wild Republic Europe, thus it is about an European garden. There's a parallel tube for North America, also released in 2006 but with a Monarch butterfly instead and no fox.
The European Nature Tube is from 1998 and it has a fox figure that I still miss.

Species: Grapsus grapsus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Sally Lightfoot crab; red rock crab)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Incredible Creatures
Year of Production: 2008
Size/Scale: Total figure width 18.0 cm. Carapace width 6.5 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari also made a small version of this species for their Galapagos TOOB in 2009, a sculpt that they would reuse for their Pacific TOOB in 2019; neither of those TOOB figures have a detailed paint application, however. The best small figure of this species is probably by Play Visions in their Galapagos Islands Wildlife collection, however that figure is long retired and very difficult to find these days.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Pacific Islands; Pacific Coast of America from Baja California to Chile, including Galapagos Islands; West Atlantic, from southern Florida to Brazil, West Indies
Habitat: Larvae are marine in shallow waters off-shore. Adults live on rocky shorelines, usually at or above the spray line
Diet: Omnivore, including marine invertebrates, carrion, fish, young sea turtles, bird eggs, dung, algae
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Grapsus grapsus has been observed exhibiting a cleaning symbiosis with marine iguanas on the Galapagos islands, by removing ticks from the lizards' bodies.

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Nice crab

I love this crab! Too bad its hard to find some smaller versions that are painted well, I would love that

Species: Lethocerus americanus (Leidy, 1847) (giant water bug)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Skillcraft
Series: Insect Lab
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Body length 3.5 cm for a scale of 1:1.3-1:1.7
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Skillcraft Insect Lab is a model kit, and the figures must be assembled and painted by the user. These were some of my earliest attempts at painting figures. The main focus of the Insect Lab set was a large anatomical model of a field cricket. However, there were five individual insects (including today's) that were marketed at the species level, four of which are currently unique and a fifth which is uncommon in toy form.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: North America
Habitat: Ponds, marshes, edges of large lakes and slow rivers
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates, snails, small fish, amphibians
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like other belostomatids, parental care is reversed in L. americanus, and the males care for the young. Eggs are laid near or in water attached to aquatic plants, stones, leaves, or submerged branches and guarded by the male. If the eggs are not submerged, the male will bring water to them to avoid desiccation.

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Well painted! When I read "parental care is reversed", for a moment I thought that the young cared for the parents, but presumably there are no animals where that happens?

Beautiful model, painting and picture!

rogerpgvg wrote:

Well painted! When I read "parental care is reversed", for a moment I thought that the young cared for the parents, but presumably there are no animals where that happens?

Yes, there are, African wild dogs hunt and take food to the old members that cannot hunt anymore.
I've also read about a species called humans that usually take care of their parents money when they get old.

Species: Pithecophaga jefferyi Ogilvie-Grant, 1896 (Philippine eagle; monkey-eating eagle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Colorata
Series: Endangered Species - Raptors
Year of Production: 2005
Size/Scale: Total figure height 7.0 cm. Body length approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:10.75-1:12.75
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The bird is not removable from its base and is sculpted with prey.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Philippines (Luzon, Samar, Leyte, Mindanao)
Habitat: Low and mid-montane rainforest
Diet: Mammals, other birds, reptiles
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Critically Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Pithecophaga jefferyi was originally thought to be a specialist on monkeys because the first examined specimen was found to have a partially digested monkey in its alimentary canal. Pithecophaga jefferyi is an apex predator throughout its range and it feeds on a wide variety of small and medium-sized vertebrate animals, including monkeys, bats, rodents, colugo, palm civets, small deer, young pigs, dogs, owls, hornbills, snakes, and monitor lizards.

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Another must have

Beautiful!!