Mathison Museum of Natural History

This is an example of a great AAA work. Their reptiles and in this case invertebrate casts are nice alternatives to say, buying actual preserved specimens. I enjoy AAA in general when its not to everyone's tastes (with their other series of figures), but this is a hallmark of a great AAA production.

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

This is an example of a great AAA work. Their reptiles and in this case invertebrate casts are nice alternatives to say, buying actual preserved specimens. I enjoy AAA in general when its not to everyone's tastes (with their other series of figures), but this is a hallmark of a great AAA production.

Funny, the only AAA I collect are cast arthropods and mollusks. I don't collect the cast reptiles (mainly because they are too big for me) and their 'wildlife' I just don't like (weird texturing, often unrealistic red eyes...).

And I 100% agree with your assessment  Blaine, but I do still see some positives to many of their other figures. The cast specimens obviosuly won't miss a detail and besides perhaps paint are hyperrealistic. Their reptiles indeed are very large... they would be even better with modern tech if someone could scale them down a bit. Mostly I think what I do like about other figures from them is that they have such personality. Old Schleich's did too, and I just wish that more modern companies would embrace giving their models a bit more dynamism and character... but that is just my view. :) The ones I DON'T like and their strange hybrids... like the orangutan with a mandrill painted face. I have one, and will keep it, but its more the comedic side of it than for any serious animalia collecting...

Anywho, I hope to find their mantis shrimp figure someday!

I really enjoy their cast models- the size isn't so offputting for me. That mantis shrimp is a huge grail for me. With their other figures, it's almost case by case whether I like them.

Species: Padda oryzivora (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): Java sparrow; Java finch; Java rice bird

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Furuta
Series: Chocoegg Animatales Pet Series 1
Year of Production: 2001
Size/Scale: Body length approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of 1:2.1-1:2.4
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Being one of the original Chocoegg Animatales figures, some assembly is required. This figure was released with at least two different paint jobs, today's which represents a wild type animal, and at least one domestic variant.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Indonesia (Java, Bali, Bawean); naturalized in other areas including India, Philippines, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Christmas Island, Hawaii
Habitat: Grasslands, meadows, agricultural fields (especially rice), urban and suburban areas
Diet: Grains, seeds
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Endangered
Miscellaneous Notes: Padda oryzivora is becoming increasingly endangered in its native habitats due to habitat destruction. In some areas it is considered a pest of rice fields and is hunted and trapped, which has also contributed to a decline in its population in endemic areas.

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I have this model and the white version and I have the fawn version in my aviary!

Lovely figure

Species: Dorcus titanus palawanicus Lacloix, 1983
Common name(s): giant stag beetle

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Sega
Series: Mushi King - large series, DX
Year of Production: unknown (c. 2006)
Size/Scale: Body length (including mandibles) 10.2 cm, within scale 1:1
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: This is the most commonly made subspecies of the five subspecies (that I am aware of) of D. titanus available as toys/figures. The bases of the legs and mandibles are slightly articulated.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Philippines (Palawan)
Habitat: Lowland and montane tropical and subtropical rainforest
Diet: Larvae develop in rotting wood; adults feed on tree sap
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: At nearly 11 centimeters for a maximum-sized specimen, D. t. palawanicus is the largest of the 20+ subspecies of Dorcus titanus. This is another species that is sometimes placed in the genus Serrognathus.

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Impressive specias and model!

Species: †Chalicotherium goldfussi Kaup, 1833

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Bullyland
Series: Prehistoric World
Year of Production: 1998
Size/Scale: Height at shoulder approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:32 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique
Miscellaneous Notes: The figure is stamped 'Chalicotherium'; the species designation is my own as it's the type species and it is known from Germany, the home of Bullyland. The figure is also stamped '1:24' but assuming I am aligning my ruler with the shoulder correctly (n=8.0 cm), I have the scale as 1:32 based on an animal that stands 2.6 meters at the shoulder.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Upper Miocene of present-day Europe
Habitat: Open woodlands, coastal forests, riparian areas
Diet: Plant material
IUCN Status (at time of posting): N/A [prehistoric]
Miscellaneous Notes: Chalicotherium goldfussi is believed to have walked on its knuckes to protect the long claws on its forlegs. These claws probably served multiple functions, one of which was likely to grasp branches in order to access fruits and leaves that made up its diet. Interestingly, as Chalicotherium got closer to adulthood, it shed its incisors and canines, leaving only the rear molars. This suggests that younger animals had a more varied plant-based diet, but adults relied on soft vegetation, such as fruits and young leaves.

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I have this good guy too!

I have been keeping an eye out for one of these. Nice model!

Species: Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): nine-banded armadillo

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Schleich
Series: Wild Life America
Year of Production: 2003
Size/Scale: Total body length approximately 8.0 cm for a scale of 1:8-1:13
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: For such a familiar animal, examples of this species are not commonly made and when they are, do not last long. I believe today's model by Schleich is the only 'standard-sized' figure by one of the big Western (non-Japanese) companies in the modern era. In preparing today's post, I noticed this Schleich version scales well with the Eikoh six-banded armadillo, which was seen back in the Museum during its early days on December 17, 2020.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Southeastern and south-central United States south to northern Argentina and Uruguay
Habitat: Highly variable in regions that are warm and wet, including tropical rainforest, tropical savanna and grassland, scrubland; occasionally suburban and urban areas
Diet: Generalist, opportunistic omnivore; primarily terrestrial invertebrates, but occasionally also amphibians, small reptiles, eggs, carrion, fungi, fruit, tubers, seeds
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Dasypus novemcinctus can serve as a reservoir for Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, and has been implicated in zoonotic infections to humans.

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And this was once a highly sought after figure... Obvious as to why. Come to think of it, Schleich could make a new one. If they did it right it would suit their rather stylized form without looking too bad (at least to me)...

Species: Casuarius casuarius (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): southern cassowary; double-wattled cassowary

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: CollectA
Series: Wildlife
Year of Production: 2014
Size/Scale: Height (excluding base) approximately 9.0 cm for a scale of 1:17-1:20
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon
Miscellaneous Notes: There are two great standard figures of C. casuarius, this one and the version by Safari Ltd. The Safari figure offers a fine alternative for those who don't like permanent bases on their figures! Today's cassowary scales well with the Southlands Replicas emu.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: New Guinea, northeastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula), Indonesia (Ceram and Aru Islands)
Habitat: Lowland rainforest, Eucalyptus forest, tropical savanna, palm scrub, forested swamps, mangroves
Diet: Primarily fallen fruit; also insects, small vertebrates, fungi
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Casuarius casuarius is a solitary animal and only pairs during the breeding season. The male builds the nest, and after oviposition, the male incubates the eggs and raises the chicks alone.

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A beauty

indeed!

Very nice model, as I am not synoptic, I kept it when I bought the Safari Ltd.
I'm a bit embarrassed by the scales you propose for this one.
I have given up calculating the scale according to the height for this kind of animals. It is difficult to know what the exact pose is for the height. For example the Safari Ltd is more "straightened" than the CollectA.
I preferred to measure the length (with a string) and to see the results for a measurement for the helmet and the wattles (with a calliper).
The length measurement gives me a scale between 1/13.4 and 1/17.9.
For the helmet, it varies between 1/10.9 and 14.2.
For the wattles, it is again complicated. What to measure? the part painted in red or the beginning of the wattles on the sculpture?
the scale for the colour is 1/9.4, for the shape it is 1/6.7
All this is a bit confusing, that's why I opted for the median scale of 1/15 which (almost) manages to reconcile the length of the animal and the height of the helmet which seems to be quite large on the CollectA.
It is also more in line with the graph below when comparing the emu and the cassowary.
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Kikimalou wrote:

Very nice model, as I am not synoptic, I kept it when I bought the Safari Ltd.
I'm a bit embarrassed by the scales you propose for this one.
I have given up calculating the scale according to the height for this kind of animals. It is difficult to know what the exact pose is for the height. For example the Safari Ltd is more "straightened" than the CollectA.
I preferred to measure the length (with a string) and to see the results for a measurement for the helmet and the wattles (with a calliper).
The length measurement gives me a scale between 1/13.4 and 1/17.9.
For the helmet, it varies between 1/10.9 and 14.2.
For the wattles, it is again complicated. What to measure? the part painted in red or the beginning of the wattles on the sculpture?
the scale for the colour is 1/9.4, for the shape it is 1/6.7
All this is a bit confusing, that's why I opted for the median scale of 1/15 which (almost) manages to reconcile the length of the animal and the height of the helmet which seems to be quite large on the CollectA.
It is also more in line with the graph below when comparing the emu and the cassowary

Birds are notoriously hard to calculate scale on. I only use 'height' for things like ratites and penguins and such. I assume published heights are for birds in a 'neutral' pose, which this figure appears to be in (Safari's bird appears more erect than neutral). Perhaps for height, I should not have included the wattle?

For most birds, I do use the 'string' method too :)



Speaking of birds, next up:




Species: Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name(s): northern cardinal

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Safari Ltd.
Series: Backyard Birds TOOB
Year of Production: 2013
Size/Scale: Scale difficult to calculate because of pose, but body length approximately 7.0 cm for a scale of approximately 1:3-1:3.3
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Uncommon to rare
Miscellaneous Notes: Safari Ltd. also produced a northern cardinal for the 2016 Nature TOOB. From what I can tell, it's the same sculpt, but the Backyard Birds TOOB version looks a little more refined. Safari would also produce a larger version of the species for the Incredible Creatures line and a mini one for the Good Luck Minis line.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: Eastern and southwestern North America and Mexico; naturalized in California, Hawaii, and Bermuda
Habitat: Mixed and deciduous woodlands and their margins, shrubland, wetlands, urban and suburban parks, gardens, and yards; common bird at feeders in eastern USA
Diet: Primarily seeds, grains, fruit; occasionally terrestrial invertebrates
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Least Concern
Miscellaneous Notes: Cardinalis cardinalis exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. Males (as shown here today) are crimson red with a black face mask; the species epithet comes from the similarity in color to the red robes of cardinals of the Roman Catholic church. Females are more somber, being fawn-colored with red tints on the crest, wings, and tail and a paler mask. Cardinalis cardinalis is serially monogamous, but polygyny occurs sometimes. The female builds the nest and incubates the eggs, while the male brings the nesting female food. After hatching, both sexes provide invertebrate prey to the chicks. Fledging occurs after 25-56 days.

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Sure for height, it's better if you aren't include the wattle For the casque I think it is part of the height.

The Northern cardinal is awesome and it makes me want to add the backyard toob to my too long wishlist.

A nice bird figure too

Species: Cyrtarachne yunoharuensis Strand, 1918

About the Figure:
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Series: Capsule Q Museum - Kumocolle! Japanese Spider Collection
Year of Production: 2020
Size/Scale: Body length 1.8 cm for a scale of 3.6:1-2.5:1 (see below)
Frequency of species in toy/figure form (at time of posting): Unique (as a pair)
Miscellaneous Notes: These two figures represent the same sculpt but with different colors. Cyrtarachne yunoharuensis is sexually dimorphic with regards to both size and color; based on the color, these figures both represent females and the scale above is calculated based on female specimens.

About the Animal:
Geographic distribution: East Asia (China, Japan, Korean Peninsula)
Habitat: Montane forests, fields, pastures; webs are constructed in trees, bushes, and shrubs
Diet: Flying insects
IUCN Status (at time of posting): Not Evaluated
Miscellaneous Notes: Although C. yunoharuensis belongs to the same family as the orb-weavers, it does not construct a traditional orb-shaped web. Members of the genus Cyrtarachne construct 'spanning-thread' webs, which are believed to be somewhat of a link between traditional orb webs used by many of the Araneidae and those of the bolas spiders. These webs have a small number of radii and instead of a tight spiral of sticky threads, and the sticky spanning threads are widely spaced and do not form a spiral. When prey, which are usually flying insects such as moths, are caught on one of the spanning threads, one end comes loose, and the prey dangles from the other end until hauled in by the spider.

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