Mathison Museum of Natural History

Roger wrote:

I don't have this species in my collection but I find it interesting when figures representing two different stages match so nicely. There's a similar story with the Safari and CollectA zebra sharks.

I believe the Schleich guitarfish is a bit smaller than the CollectA one.

With regards to the Safari and CollectA zebra sharks, which have already been reviewed together in this thread, the sizes are reversed: the juvenile is larger than the adult. And hey, throw in the Yowie Group baby for a whole life cycle set!

Species: Heliconius charithonia (Linnaeus, 1767) (zebra longwing)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Innovative Kids
Series: Junior Groovies - Butterflies
Year of Production: 2016
Size/Scale: Wingspan 7.8 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare
Miscellaneous Notes: The only other figure of this species I am aware of is a larva produced by Club Earth for their Caterpillars to Go collection.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Extreme southern USA (s. Texas, Florida), Central and South America, West Indies
Habitat: Rainforest, tropical hammocks, riparian areas
Diet: Larvae feed on passionflowers in the genus Passiflora; adults feed on pollen and nectar
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated (NatureServe status is Secure)
Miscellaneous Notes: Heliconius charithonia is known for its communal roosting behavior. Large groups of butterflies will aggregate at night, usually on twigs and tendrils. It is believed this behavior provides protection to the butterflies by deterring predators (collective aposematism) and retaining warmth.

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Beautiful species and picture!

Species: Dynastes hercules (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hercules beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - Beetle Magnet
Year of Production: unknown
Size/Scale: Body length (including horns) 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:4 for a large major male
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very common
Miscellaneous Notes: This is our sixth time seeing D. hercules in the Museum. These two figures represent different paint variants of the same sculpt. As the name of the set suggests, they have a non-obtrusive magnet on the ventral side.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Bolivia
Habitat: Rainforests
Diet: Larvae feed on rotting wood; adults are attracted to fresh and overripe fruit
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Like many other dynastine scarab beetles, D. hercules exhibits extreme sexual dimorphism. Only males (shown here today) have cephalic and pronotal horns. The males use their horns for fighting rival males and securing feeding and breeding sites.

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An old acquaintance!

Caracal wrote:

An old acquaintance!

With many more to come! Happy Birthday, by the way, Caracal!

Species: Beryx splendens Lowe, 1834 (splendid alfonsino)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.
Series: Primary Saltwater Fish
Year of Production: 2021
Size/Scale: Total figure height (including base) 6.3 cm. Body length 4.5 cm for a scale of 1:8.9-1:15.5
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Very rare (unique as a sculpt, see below)
Miscellaneous Notes: This figure is a re-release from an earlier collection by Yujin; I don't know the year of the original release (probably early 2000s). The figure comes with a base with a placard that has the fish's Latin name, the average body length of the fish, and the depth at which it lives. The figure is removable from the base.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Circumglobal, usually along coasts
Habitat: Benthopelagic and among coral reefs at depths of 23-1300 meters (usually 400-600 meters)
Diet: Marine invertebrates, small fish
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Beryx splendens is popular in Japanese cuisine where it's known as kinmedai.

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Nice fish

.. and picture!

Is the Yujin counterpart the exact same figure than Takara? I tought it was a bit smaller, but it it measures 4,5 cm lenght I think that I must delete (the Yujin) from my wishlist.

Pardofelis wrote:

Is the Yujin counterpart the exact same figure than Takara? I tought it was a bit smaller, but it it measures 4,5 cm lenght I think that I must delete (the Yujin) from my wishlist.

Yes, it should be the exact same. Takara bought the rights to most of Yujin's 'pictorial book' figures (fish, crabs, turtles, others...) and have re-released them. To date, everything is the same.

Species: Halmus chalybeus (Boisduval, 1835) (steelblue lady beetle)

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Stasto 3D File
Series: Ladybug Collection
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length 5.5 cm for a scale of 18.3:1-13.75:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The Stasto 3D File ladybug figures have an ingenious design for distribution that minimizes packaging. There are eight figures in the collection. Two figures come connected to form their own gashapon capsule. The two figures are separated by gently twisting them. Once apart, the bottom of the figure extends, revealing the legs and antennae. The legs and antennae are extended and placed in the desired position and then the body is closed back up, revealing the final product. The set consists of 7 species, all using the same sculpt and design.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Australia; introduced to New Zealand and the United States (southern coastal California)
Habitat: Woodlands, shrublands, agricultural fields, parks, gardens
Diet: Aphids, scale insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: The introduction of H. chalybeus to Australia and the US was intentional to help control scale insects that are detrimental to crops.

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I was unaware of the existence of this attractively coloured ladybug species (but not so attractively as the figure, that shows a very different tune of blue than the real insect). I absolutely love the presentation mode that they used to sell them!

Many thanks for the info about the Takara and Yujin fishes :)

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