Kikimalou's "Scale" collection - 1/25 shelves - updated March 1 2024

Yes, I collect the models I like, that's rule n°1, love first! I don't want to give up because of a problem of size or "pseudo-compatibility" too often heard in my life as a collector.
I don't collect by scale, I display by scale half of my collection, it's not the same thing.
In fact, it all started when I heard too many collectors claiming that such-and-such a manufacturer was harmonious for sizes, that such-and-such a model was compatible or not with such-and-such another. Most of the time, I knew it wasn't true, and these affirmations, asserted like eternal truths by people who hadn't bothered to check, made me angry.
In fact, when this mode of operation became automatic, things changed a bit, I no longer collected only toys but groups of animals that were supposed to give a satisfying set to look at. I quickly realized that it is good that some models be larger or much smaller to give depth to a shelf. It's also interesting to avoid having orphans that I can't group with others, at least for the pictures.
So today I happen to buy figurines because they seem to scale properly. There's always the same limit, obeying Law No. 1 !
For bears, I'm content with the measurements that you can find everywhere and not just Wikipedia and those who copy Wikipedia. When I have to choose between several scales, I choose the middle one to be stuck with average animals. Of course, if I want to present a species whose primary characteristic is gigantism or small size, then I can choose extreme values.

Kikimalou wrote:

Yes Annette, it takes along time to produce pics for such a topic, that's why I can't do one every week. Work, the necessities of life and family life obviously come before photo shoots.
I can only do it when I have enough free time. This week I was off work, I had planned to take care of the garden, but it rained like a cow is pissing almost every day... What luck, I was able to devote myself to this topic !

Getting the angles just right for photographing is a big part of the sport. To be able to compare the size of animals as big as or bigger than us most effectively, the camera should ideally be placed at human eye level. At 1/25 this means that the center of the lens is between 6.5 and 7cm from the ground. For smaller animals, try to position the camera at their average eye level.
The problem is that when there are a lot of animals to compare, or when they're roughly the same size, the advice I've just given no longer works, because you can't distinguish one animal from another. In this case, you need to raise the camera above the mix.
Choosing the right angle is always a compromise between these two rules.
This means that for each photo, I must try to arrange the animals as harmoniously as possible, and also try to respect rule n°1 as best I can. Sometimes I have to make several attempts.  It also means that for each photo I have to adjust the height of my photographic tripod.
That's the most physical part of the job, after which all that's left for me to do is spend my time doing lab work on my computer, drinking too much coffee or tea.  But I suppose, Annette, you know all that too.  

About wolves and hyenas, Hokkaido wolves stood 70 to 80 cm at the withers, Spotted hyena stood 70 to 91.5 cm. What's more, the PV Hyena stands erect on its paws, while the Kaiyodo wolf bends down slightly as if on the hunt.

Thank you Christophe, for reminding me about eye level when photographing them! I don't usually do that ha ha. But then I mainly use my phone camera which is different from my last phone. My last phone was superb, focused on the subject at all times. But now my new phone's camera is far too smart for it to work perfectly. It also has an issue trying to focus on very small things, it keeps blurring up. I can see why some people resist technology and change.
Sometimes technology is too advanced to do a simple job correctly.

And finding a dedicated space to do photoshoots! I don't have one yet.
Whereas all your shots look so professional

Indeed it does take time, and all the editing... (where is the snoozing emoji??)

I see the poses of the 2 models now! just a slight difference, but enough to have made me think.

Kikimalou wrote:

Yes, I collect the models I like, that's rule n°1, love first!


I quickly realized that it is good that some models be larger or much smaller to give depth to a shelf.

What a wonderful rule no1 is! That's my no1 rule too :)

and I think you are a natural artist Christophe - in displaying your groups together harmoniously. You have that touch.

Kikimalou wrote:

Thank you Jean-Luc and Anna

Well, Sloth bears and Giant panda have similar sizes in real life. The thing is, I can't have an infinite number of scales to develop. Both could be at 1/22 and are close to 1/30. In the middle is 1/25, where a giant Panda meets a Sloth bear slightly larger than itself, even though both are within the limits of the species. The reverse could just as easily have happened.

Good to know! Somehow I imagined Sloth bears were smaller but maybe because I've never seen them in real life And you know, panda has Giant in the name

Well, this topic is a real joy.
I think I scrolled back up to look at all of the photos again at least 3 times.
It was like watching at good nature program on National Geographic.
Thank you for sharing.

Annette, I'm a good ol'time macaque I began to make photos at around 12 or 14 years old with an old "but fabulous" Rolleiflex 6X6. At that time, no way to phone with your camera and no way to drink coffee in the photolab.
Technology is a good thing when it allows people to learn and improve, but unfortunately a lot of innovations are content to replace us today without allowing us to take control of what we do. When I was young, we used to draw the human of the future with a brain bigger than ours. I sometimes think that the future of humanity is to have a smaller brain, trapped in a technology that we can no longer control.
For a very long time I used natural light to make my photos, which meant waiting for a nice day and of course not being able to take any photos between late afternoon and mid-morning.
So I invested in an 80X80cm studio, the only constraint being that I don't have enough space and I have to dismantle it between two photo shoots.

sunny wrote:

and I think you are a natural artist Christophe - in displaying your groups together harmoniously. You have that touch.

Yes Anna, someone's telling us jokes about giant pandas

Thank you Simone for scrolling and for your kind words I will try to make more seasons soon

This is an amazing topic and pictures

Thank you Andrea

Fantastic collection you’ve got. I once collected extant animals, too, but was limited to Schleich/Papo, so I’m seeing a variety of figures here I didn’t know of.

Neat selection of prehistoric creatures too!

Thank you Concavenator I hope I will have time to share my other scales soon