1/32 scale animals second part

Of course it has a place in your collection, less detailed than it's ancestors but still fine enough !

Yes, I agree. AAA was a global manufacturer, their figures are not always exactly what we think they are, they tend to be multifaceted and it is the final customer who decides.
That bactrian camel is made to represent a calf if sold with a larger model but it also works as an adulte. Those humps fit better an adulte than a calf. A lot of the small AAA look like small adultes and often we can't tell if it is a smaller sized one or a juvenile. The fact it is so similar to those older models also confirms that they work perfectly for your reserve.

It may not have been so clear from my photos, but it is as if the AAA sculptor took the Britains camel and then modified the sculpt. The tendons, the hair and the pose have details that are so similar that they can't be accidental. The main things that were changed to the AAA model is the smoother texture (removal of some hair details) and removal of the long neck hair and the bridle. This makes me think that a similar thing may have happened to one of the AAA rhinos that Christophe recently showed in his Indian rhino topic.

Now another tale from the 1/32 reserve…  Last week, this Takara tiger arrived at the gates of the reserve. He came with a bunch of other animals from Japan.
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Good looks aren’t a criterion for getting into the reserve, only size is. He is 2.9/93 cm at the shoulder (about 5.0/160 cm head-body length), so he got in. But everybody in the reserve laughed at him, the cruel lot! So he went to a dentist, who extracted his teeth:
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He is much happier with his appearance now. His head is rather large and his body is short, but he growls that if anyone still dares to laugh at him, he’ll show them his teeth!
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that's an interesting tiger Roger, he has indeed got a small body with a larger head.

it reminds me of the Chinese tiger masks from old -
(I can remove the scary photo if it takes away from the beauty of this wonderful thread )
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Unusual figure, Roger. Those proportions are really not pleasant to the eye, I'm even trying to know if I would ever guess which animal it was supposed to be if not painted. The short body, straight back, massive and short neck, huge head with a weird shape. Though, at the same time, it seems to show a good manufacturing quality. I am at the moment looking at one of my fox figures which seems to be a completely different animal but those design inconsistencies actually give some variability to this hobby.

The tiger is from the Takara Buck Teeth Deppa series, which includes other animals with buck teeth. I don't know what "Deppa" means. Japanese companies often make the strangest figures; this one is still relatively normal. But as you say, the manufacturing quality is always excellent, with good plastic and precise painting. I wish the "Western" companies had a better look at what the Japanese companies can do. Why do they still make low-quality tube figures if Japanese companies have been making high-quality low-cost figures for decennia? (This tiger was sold for 200 yen.)

I am sure the design is very deliberate: small body, large head, culminating in even larger teeth. They may well have drawn inspiration from Chinese tiger masks and Chinese sculpture because ancient Japanese culture had a strong Chinese influence.

Deppa" is a colloquial term that approximates the definition of "protruding" in English.
These figures usually have a folkloric aspect; as such, I agree that it is a deliberate element that allows the same animals in different collections to have specific characteristics appropriate to the presented theme.

Recently, I found a beautiful Blancherie Frères African buffalo. I need your help to determine whether it is 1/32 scale.
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It has a shoulder height of 4.3/138 cm. But which subspecies of buffalo is it? I need your opinion. It’s important because depending on which subspecies it is, it is or it is not 1/32 scale.
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It may represent a West African savanna buffalo (Syncerus caffer brachyceros), and if this is correct, then it would be 1/32 scale. According to Cornélis et al. (2014), West African buffalos have a shoulder height between 120 and 145 cm, while according to Furstenburg (2022), they are 130-150 cm.

I had difficulties finding good information about African buffalo subspecies. Cornélis et al. say that West and Central African buffalos “have widely spread horns, but these are not curved down as are those of Cape buffalo.” They show a photo of a West African savanna buffalo male:
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They also show a photo of the horns of a West African buffalo (top) compared to those of a Cape buffalo (bottom):
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There seems to be a bit of variability in the shape of the horns though.

It is difficult to find photos of West African buffalos because they are sometimes grouped together with Central African buffalos as a single subspecies, so it is difficult to know which of the two it is. According to the caption, this is a photo of an African buffalo in Senegal, which would mean it is a West African buffalo:
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Original source

And this is another photo of what is said to be a West African buffalo:
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Original source

And another photo:
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Original source

The colours of the last one are similar to the Blancherie Frères because of its lighter underside. The BF doesn't have the long ear hair, but that's a sculpting detail and I am not sure all West African buffalos have this. It does have a similar ear colour .

The Blancherie Frères is clearly not a Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer). They have very different horns, as we have already seen:
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It’s probably also not a Central African buffalo (Syncerus caffer aequinoctialis), as they also seem to have different horns:
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I don’t know how typical these horns are for the Central African subspecies; there may be variability. Size-wise, the BF may be fine as a Central African buffalo. Cornélis et al. (2014) do not differentiate the size of Central and West African buffalos but simply say these subspecies are 120 – 145 cm in shoulder height. However, Furstenburg (2022) says that S.c. aequinoctialis is only 110 – 130 cm.

Instead of a West African buffalo, the Blancherie Frères may be a forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus). The horns of the BF look quite similar:
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Forest buffalos are often reddish, but they can be darker too, not unlike the BF:
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If the BF is a forest buffalo, that’s a problem because then it’s too large. According to Cornélis et al. (2014), forest buffalos have a shoulder height of only 100-130 cm (Furstenburg, 2022: 95-107 cm). Not a complete disaster for the 1/32 reserve because they also say that there are populations between forest and West African buffalos, and hybrids are common too.

My impression is that the BF could be either a West African or a forest buffalo. Because it doesn't have the right size for a 1/32 scale forest buffalo, it would need to be a West African buffalo in the 1/32 reserve. Does that make sense or does the BF have characteristics that make it a forest buffalo rather than a West African buffalo?

If it is a West African buffalo, then it would make it an important addition to the 1/32 reserve because there is only one other African buffalo, a Cape buffalo from PNSO, which is another important model in my collection:
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The PNSO has a shoulder height of 4.8/154 cm. Cornélis et al. (2014) say that Cape buffalos have a shoulder height of 140-160 cm (Furstenburg, 2022: 150-170 cm). An article by Pienaar (1969) with first-hand measurements shows that mature bulls are 125-158 cm (134-158 cm if we exclude a particularly small outlier) and cows are 127-150 cm. Here is a comparison of the two buffalo subspecies:
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I really didn't know that some subspecies of the African buffalo could look so much like Asian wild buffalos. Some of the pictures you're showing I would immediately feel tempted to identify them as Asian ones. Maybe I'm too much attached to what a Cape buffalo looks like and I find your question very pertinent. I must check the ears to tell them now. African ones have dropped ears while Asian have them more horizontal. About your figure, it really looks more like an African forest buffalo, we can find pictures with the same exact horns layout. Though, it is always hard to accept that the sculptor based its work considering it.

Firstly its a beautiful model.Like Roger I was a inclining towards an Asian Water Buffalo judging by some of the photos.When this animal was made would they have been so specific about the subspecies ?considering most companies made Cape buffalo.If we are still thinking its an African buffalo then I would pick West African buffalo.

very interesting to see the horn shapes as well as the curvature on the tops of the horn 'bulbs', and in the case of your buffalo - the bulb seems to be missing.
The shape of the horns certainly looks to be more of the sharper angular forest buffalo, instead of the more curvaceous West African.

I agree with Taylor - would the artist sculptor have been aware of the different types of buffalos in Africa when this model was produced?
What types of publications and pictures were available at that time for them to use as references?
(another warren to go down

it is a beautiful model Roger! Congratulations on considering it's application to join your Reserve
your other buffalo is very nice too!

Thank you for all your helpful comments!

Taos wrote:

When this animal was made would they have been so specific about the subspecies? considering most companies made Cape buffalo.

sunny wrote:

I agree with Taylor - would the artist sculptor have been aware of the different types of buffalos in Africa when this model was produced? What types of publications and pictures were available at that time for them to use as references?

Christophe once told me that the Blancherie brothers modelled their figures after animals in a Paris zoo, so it is likely that they modelled it after a specific (sub)species. Generally, the Blancherie Frères figures show a good likeness to the real animals.

Because France had colonies in West and Central Africa, it seems plausible that the Paris zoo had West African or forest buffalos (though they may have had Cape buffalos and Asian buffalos too). Whether they sold it as a specific (sub)species is a different question - they may just have sold it as a buffalo. On TAW, it is listed as a Cape buffalo, but that might be a TAW identification rather than how BF sold it. Perhaps Christophe knows more. For the 1/32 reserve, I'd like to determine the (sub)species, because depending on what it is, it is in or out of the reserve.

Roger wrote:

About your figure, it really looks more like an African forest buffalo, we can find pictures with the same exact horns layout.

sunny wrote:

The shape of the horns certainly looks to be more of the sharper angular forest buffalo, instead of the more curvaceous West African.

The shape of the horns is indeed quite similar to that of forest buffalos. The BF's horns are curved though, mostly upward but also a bit inward. Perhaps this is a clearer photo:
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The forest buffalo bulls seem to have quite flat horns at the top, which the BF doesn't have. Here is a photo of a male (background) and two females. The females actually have horns that are more similar (rounder) to those of the BF, but the BF is a male.
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This forest buffalo has similar horns, but isn't it a female too ?
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Overall, I think the BF's horns have some similarities to both forest and West African buffalos. As Rogério already suggested, there may not be sufficient detail to determine for sure which one it is. For example, the horns of the BF are connected in the centre, but none of the subspecies have this. I have to admit I am not entirely objective because the BF wouldn't be 1/32 scale if it were a forest buffalo. Perhaps the question is: Would the BF be impossible as a West African buffalo?

Could it be an Asian water buffalo? Not a wild water buffalo because the horns are very different:
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But some domestic water buffalo breeds have similar horns:
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The horns are a bit thinner but they have a similar shape and the body shape is also similar to the BF. Most domestic water buffalo breeds are quite small so it probably wouldn't work for 1/32 scale. I assumed that the BF was an African buffalo and a wild animal, but I can't be completely sure.

thank you for the photos at that angle, I am now inclined to say it looks like a West African Buffalo.
The Grey 1837 photo seems to be the best match for it.
It does have a bit of a bulb there now.

Ofcourse, many individuals will have different bulb thicknesses, as well as how close the horns bulbs are in the center, most probably getting closer as they age.

But I reckon it's now closer to a West African Buffalo, in regards to the horns.

Interresting

A bit of geo-politics and history: West African buffaloes were common in the French colonial empire that still existed at the time this toy was created. There is no doubt in my mind, it's a West African Not a Cape...

You should also know that BF was a very specific brand in terms of species, at least for hollow lead toys.

Interesting. Is it lead or PVC?

lead

Kikimalou wrote:

lead

Thanks

Beautiful lead .

Thanks, Christophe. There were forest buffalos in the French colonies too. I think it could be either a forest or West African buffalo, but I'd say the horns are a bit more similar to those of West African buffalos. Also, if the Blancherie brothers had wanted to make a forest buffalo, they would probably have painted it redder because that is a typical characteristic of this subspecies. Definitely not the horns of a Cape buffalo, the horns are too different.

Revisiting the subject, I feel like the stars in the sky are grouping towards a West African buffalo. It is actually quite plausible and also good for you.

rogerpgvg wrote:

Beautiful lead .

Thanks, Christophe. There were forest buffalos in the French colonies too. I think it could be either a forest or West African buffalo, but I'd say the horns are a bit more similar to those of West African buffalos. Also, if the Blancherie brothers had wanted to make a forest buffalo, they would probably have painted it redder because that is a typical characteristic of this subspecies. Definitely not the horns of a Cape buffalo, the horns are too different.

Indeed, and the Forest buffaloes are far less common than the West African buffaloes.

Thanks, Christophe, the BF buffalo has now been admitted to the 1/32 reserve as a West African buffalo.

While I was looking for information about the size of African buffalos, I also came across information about Indian gaurs:
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The Britains gaur has been in the 1/32 reserve for as long as it exists, but the animals are constantly checked whether they aren't tresspassing .
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Great sculpt but the colour isn’t right. It should be much darker, almost black. Britains often made them in an even lighter colour:
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The Britains Indian gaur has a hump height of 6.0/192 cm, so it isn’t a particularly large gaur bull. Still, clearly larger than my two African buffalos:
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I thinkthe gaur is the most beautiful wild cattle species. Yaks are almost as beautiful but they are very hairy and I'm probably an itchy person. New-Ray also released a long time ago, a Britains sized gaur, the one you can see on TAW.
I also have this model, despite its reddish color, I truly love it. We can read about differently colored gaurs but finding pictures is not easy. Some species, like the sable antelope or even the African buffalo, their dark brown or black color are technically an extremely darkened chestnut. Gaur calves are almost golden and with age they get reddish brown and later black.
By the way, I don't think there is a 1:32 yak?

Thank you, Rogério. I wasn't aware of the New-Ray. I hope I can find it.

Starlux made a yak. I need to check it more carefully, but I think it's too small for a wild yak. And the colour isn't right for a domesticated yak.

rogerpgvg wrote:

Thank you, Rogério. I wasn't aware of the New-Ray. I hope I can find it.

Starlux made a yak. I need to check it more carefully, but I think it's too small for a wild yak. And the colour isn't right for a domesticated yak.

I hope the Starlux yak matches your size and I wouldn't decategoryze it as a wild one if the size matches.
About the New-Ray gaur, maybe this old [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is useful, there's a comparison with the Britains model.

I like the guar! I think I have some lightish models, maybe not as dark as the top one.
Glad it's in your Reserve Roger

I didn't know NewRay did one but after following the link, I can say that I have never come across it before.
(I also love the newRay Indian rhino on that thread, beautiful colours :)