Kikimalou's "Scale" collection - the 1/6 shelf - updated October 10 2024

The 1/6 scale is that of Barbie dolls. Mattel has produced some cute animals to accompany their star, but they're not really my cup of tea. The company JXK offers some interesting animals in this scale at prices of around €50 each. For the moment my wallet is resisting the temptation, so long as it lasts.  

So far, I've got 51 flatmates on this floor. Japanese brands account for the lion's share with 29 representatives, yet there is only one typically Japanese animal here.

With 14 members, it's the marine animal club which is the most represented.

South Africa: Papo Meerkats and AAA Banded mongoose
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Europe: Kaiyodo Stoat, Common kestrel, Feral Pigeon, Common Moorhen and Long-eared owl, MiC Gray wolf, Schleich European Hedgehog and Safari Ltd Eurasian sparrowhawk

The Mic wolf's truffle could do with a refresh, it'll be done when I get my brushes back.
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Asia: Kaiyodo Black-tailed Gull and Bali myna, Schleich Indian cobra, Kosta Rhesus macaque, AAA Red panda, Yujin Chinese pond turtle and Chinese water dragon, CollectA Black-faced spoonbill
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North America: Safari Ltd Virginia Opossum and Desert tortoise, Eikoh Prairie dog, Yujin Spotted turtle, Red-eared slider and Cagle's map turtle
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South America: Safari Ltd Common marmoset and Keel-billed Toucan, Kinto Favorite Silver arowana, Bullyland Military macaw
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Under the sea: Kinto Favorite Bigfin reef squid, Colorata Saddle butterflyfish, Emperor angelfish and juvenile, Moorish idol, Spotted garden eel and Zebra lionfish, CollectA Common cuttlefish and Yujin Blue tang
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Abyss: Colorata Pelican eel, Bandai Viper dogfish, Kitan Club Giant oarfish, Kaiyodo Chaunax abei and Takara Bathynomus giganteus

The Giant oarfish was first on my 1/40 floor before I have a discussion with Rogervpg. He convinced me and now this fish is only 1m50 long and the Colorata took its place at teh 1/40.  
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Mesozoic: Kaiyodo Yi qi (Jurassic), Safari Ltd CollectA Stegouros, CollectA Microraptor gui and PNSO Confuciusornis (Cretaceous)

Yi qi could also live on the 1/7 floor, but he'd be very lonely there. I preferred to find friends for him here, even if it meant that he would represent an individual below the maximum size.
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So lonely: Custom Crowned lemur (Madagascar), Yujin Japanese pond turtle (Japan) and Bullyland Procynosuchus (Permian)
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Big guys
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Birds
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a Dino and a Wolf, isn’t it funny?
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Fish
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Mammals
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Raptors
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Turtles
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As usual, you can also have a look at my [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.],  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] floors of my collection.

With your introduction I couldn't avoid recalling the song Barbie Girl by Aqua.
Defintely none of these looks like a Barbie animal, however We could use the Schleich cobra for a Barbie, the Snake Enchantress set. It's again an assortment of very interesting species and the magic of the scale enhances the individual interest of each figure giving a collective power to each group.

Roger wrote:

With your introduction I couldn't avoid recalling the song Barbie Girl by Aqua.

Oh no, you mustn't mention Voldemort's name, it'll bring him in.

That Stegouros is CollectA, not Safari :-D

bmathison1972 wrote:

That Stegouros is CollectA, not Safari :-D

Of course Where is my mind ?

So many great figures again! That wolf is stunning! Reminds me of Safari's WW wolf I used to have.

I don't think I realized how big arowanas are

Thank you Taylor and Jolie

I have very few wolves in my collection because most of the models on offer don't convince me. I fell in love with this one immediately.

As for the silver Arowana, not only can it grow to 90cm and even 1m long, but it can leap up to 1.80m above the water to catch insects or birds perched on low branches. A real athlete!

very impressive! and always so eclectic Christophe!
I collect barbie/sindy horses as I love the 1/6 horse scale and the hard hollow plastic they are made from, so it's fun to see these real life sized horse friends.

The mynah is very beautiful! and I had to google the Yi Qi, so fascinating.

I think a lot of the bird dinosaurs would most probably have more feathers on them, and in bright colours too.
Aside from marabou storks and vultures which have very few feathers on their face because of their carnivore dietary habits, maybe some of these early dino-birds would have had more feathers on their face, especially insect eating ones.
I have a different opinion than the one presented about the creatures of that time

Thank you Annette  
I like people whose opinions differ from the mainstream.
About fifteen years ago the world of dino toy collectors was at war: did some dinosaurs have feathers or not? The battle raged on, and I was on the winning side: some dinosaurs do have feathers, and they're warm-blooded.
So the next question was: What colours and what thickness? For some, like Sinosauropteryx and Microraptor, science seems to have an answer.
In March 2012, by analysing the melanosomes (pigment cells) of Microraptor using a scanning electron microscope, researchers discovered that these cells had a shape that corresponded to the black and iridescent colouration of modern birds. So it seems that our little dino looked more like a crow than a peacock.
One of my favourite books is ‘All yesterdays’ by Conway, Kosemen and Naish. The three authors tell us how we interpret the appearance of dinosaurs and offer some very stimulating alternative visions. I love it when we try to look through the other end of the spyglass.
Personally, I like to imagine these animals that we have never seen through the prism of evolutionary convergence. In today's world, very large animals very rarely have shimmering colours. The giraffe is the most ornate of the mammals and the cassowary is the most ornate of the large birds, the latter having no known predator in its biotope. The more colourful animals are generally smaller in size, whether birds or reptiles.
As for predators, they cannot afford to be conspicuous or they will starve to death. I have a book on carnivores from all over the world and another on diurnal birds of prey, none of which are extravagantly coloured.
That's how I imagine the dinosaurs, the bigger ones with fairly dull colours, the predators with plumage worthy of our current birds of prey and the smaller ones a little more colourful.
I don't like the colours of many Safari Ltd or CollectA ceratopsians, I really can't believe in them.

looking at your pictures is a great pleasure.  

I often thought to order this so realistic big wolf and I am drooling seeing your Bully procynosuchus!  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Merci Alain, this is for me, although I'm not a specialist, one of the most realistic wolf figure I know, and one of the most beautiful too.
The Bully procynosuchus means a lot to me. It was a German member of DTF who made the trip to the museum to sell them at cost price to other members. I'm talking about a time when STS didn't even exist.

So his value is even bigger for you! :

The big wolf and the Bullyland Military macaw are my favorites.

Another wonderful shelf! The Kaiyodo giant oarfish has shrunk a lot. I feel bad for him. I hope you broke off the Colorata's tail .

The Cagle's map turtle has a funny spike on its carapace. I can't find any photos of the real turtle that show a single spike.

It's good that Yi qi isn't maximum size isn't it? I mean, most animals don't reach maximum size. (And in extant animals, reported maximum sizes are more often incorrect than average sizes, though that may not the case for extinct animals.)

landrover wrote:

The big wolf and the Bullyland Military macaw are my favorites.  

Nice choice Fernando I am unfortunately unable to have only two favorites

rogerpgvg wrote:

Another wonderful shelf! The Kaiyodo giant oarfish has shrunk a lot. I feel bad for him. I hope you broke off the Colorata's tail .

The Cagle's map turtle has a funny spike on its carapace. I can't find any photos of the real turtle that show a single spike.

It's good that Yi qi isn't maximum size isn't it? I mean, most animals don't reach maximum size. (And in extant animals, reported maximum sizes are more often incorrect than average sizes, though that may not the case for extinct animals.)

Let my BIG Giant oarfish do what it wants with its tail please

Cagle's map turtles have spikes on their carapace, even the Yujin Just Google HERE and you will see many many spikes!

Average is sometimes more of a subjective value than anything else, especially when it comes to presenting animals at different scales.
Where to place a blue whale? When is it average? As a general rule, I'm wary of extreme sizes and aim for the one just below.
However, choosing an appropriate scale for a model always requires some thought: what do I want to show? An average animal? An animal at its maximum size? At its minimum adult size? Who will it live with? Is it in harmony with its neighbours?
When you collect on a single scale, you can have animals of varying sizes living side by side, but if you have to choose the scale each time, there has to be a certain logic in the presentation, a balance. Sometimes I have several possible options and I try to make the best decision, even if it means changing it if I'm wrong.

You are right of course. Average size is subjective. It can differ between populations, for example. I didn't express myself well. What I meant to say is that reported average sizes are more likely to give you a size that is possible for a species than the maximum size does. But as you say, there are other factors to consider too.

Cagle's map turtles have spikes, but I thought it was striking that the Yujin only has one single high spike. I suppose the spikes can be quite irregular so a single spike is possible, but I couldn't find examples in photos.

You're right about the turtle, the model is indeed simplified, but given its actual size it's not really obvious.

Of course the average sizes reported are more likely to give a possible size for a species than is the assumed maximum size.
In fact, even though my research is not as advanced as yours, whenever possible I try to enter three values, the minimum, the assumed maximum and the high average. The next problem is to choose because my number of scales is limited, I have a 1/10 floor and a 1/12 but no 1/11 for example. I almost never choose the maximum assumed, at worst I sometimes opt for a compromise between this and the high average.
What's more, what we measure are only interpretations, not real animals. Depending on the sculptor's style, two models of similar size may appear to be at two different scales.

Beautieful again, i especially like the lemur

Thank you Andreas