Mojo 2012 Orca/Killerwhale

Roger wrote:

Mojo has read the comments here and they agree! Mojo will move the white patches on the head to be in a better and more correct position.
Nice work my friends!

Has Mojo released any photos of the revised figure?

sphyrna18 wrote:

Roger wrote:

Mojo has read the comments here and they agree! Mojo will move the white patches on the head to be in a better and more correct position.
Nice work my friends!

Has Mojo released any photos of the revised figure?

The photo for the catalogue was already done when I was informed about this amendment. Probably it will be introduced in factory production process! :)
If I can get more news I'll let you know!

Great whale. So i will look to my (sub)species!!

Roger,
Yes, I agree I need to take some time to set up my collection! I am in the process of some home remodeling/house updating, and until I get some display cases, the collection photos will be on hold. As far as this years Mojo, I think they have improved much from last year, and in my opinion, I think their Orca and White rhino are their two nicest figures!
Now Roger, as PASSIONATE as I am about collecting(As I've mentioned I also collect Hasbro Star Wars figures(Which ARE "relative scale"(Although space ships kind of tough to do, but they TRY to make them as large as they can(New improved Millennium Falcon larger than previous), because if they made an Imperial star destroyer it would have to be like 25 feet long...and that just wouldn't work), DC Direct Batman figures (New Arkham Asylum and Arkham City figures(Which ARE made "relative scale"), and my original Jurassic Park and Lost World dino's which are somewhat "relative scale"(Although definitely not perfect, but for example the LW Bull T-Rex is huge compared to the velociraptors). So Roger, O'mighty and respected admin, I think you are a knowledgable, well versded, intelligent person, and I surely hope you would think (Despite not seeing collection photos, eventually you will) I have an animal figure collection, for do you really think I would be this out spoken, adamant and redundant about "relative scale" so that the figures look good when placed together in the same diorama/set up?

baltimore zoo wrote:

Roger,
Yes, I agree I need to take some time to set up my collection! I am in the process of some home remodeling/house updating, and until I get some display cases, the collection photos will be on hold. As far as this years Mojo, I think they have improved much from last year, and in my opinion, I think their Orca and White rhino are their two nicest figures!
Now Roger, as PASSIONATE as I am about collecting(As I've mentioned I also collect Hasbro Star Wars figures(Which ARE "relative scale"(Although space ships kind of tough to do, but they TRY to make them as large as they can(New improved Millennium Falcon larger than previous), because if they made an Imperial star destroyer it would have to be like 25 feet long...and that just wouldn't work), DC Direct Batman figures (New Arkham Asylum and Arkham City figures(Which ARE made "relative scale"), and my original Jurassic Park and Lost World dino's which are somewhat "relative scale"(Although definitely not perfect, but for example the LW Bull T-Rex is huge compared to the velociraptors). So Roger, O'mighty and respected admin, I think you are a knowledgable, well versded, intelligent person, and I surely hope you would think (Despite not seeing collection photos, eventually you will) I have an animal figure collection, for do you really think I would be this out spoken, adamant and redundant about "relative scale" so that the figures look good when placed together in the same diorama/set up?

Balty, we know you are a collector and that you love the forum and animal replicas as much as we do. We only want to see your collection and you should feel proud of it. Remember that what makes people enjoy here is not only the chance of discuss scales or commercial strategies, but mainly the chance of seeing pictures of wonderful collection as surely is yours. :)
We all have different opinions and ways of collecting. I like figures in scale but I don't have any diorama, so I live very well without them. Fortunately I had the chance of receiving some Britains from friends and now I have 2 collections, one in scale and other to enjoy some beautiful replicas that some brands are able to make even they are not in scale.
Your examples with Star Wars are excelent to understand why it happens, try to think in a velociraptor in scale with a tyrannosaurus Rex!
I'm not an expert in dinos but I think when T-rexes arrived velociraptors were already gone! So, to make a diorama with them only works in a kind of Cretacic Park!
See here a little silly diagram I've made with some comparison images! :)

I think there's a little more difference in size, if you want to have a velociraptor in scale with a Papo T-rex, for example, the final figure would be smaller than the Britains Kangaroo joey!
With modern safety rules it is almost impossible, not even in toob figures.
I'd loved to see a brand making 1:32 figures in scale with the most popular Vintage figures in a modern concept but I also don't know if it is possible, maybe only animals from the size of a wolf and larger and surely only in a very well stablished brand as Schleich is.
As I expect a long life to this forum I hope to see soon or later your collection and continue to see you enjoying with the forum as much as you are doing!

I love your illustration, Roger !

I knew the velociraptors were smallish ( also from Sumo`s wonderful drawings of them as "dog" ), but never really thought of making the comparison.
Maybe I wouldn`t have thought about the difference between an elefant and - say - a kangaroo, if I hadn`t seen them in the zoos

I didn't realise just how small velociraptors were! Well I've learnt something today!

Thanks Roger. So I can since you don't set up dioramas that "relative scale" isn't that important. But for us that do, I think it's important to have at least "some" size continuity with the figures. I use my DC Direct Batman Arkham Asylum/City figures as an example, since I will be doing a diorama display with them. Luckily they made Bane as one the larger figures(As well Killer Croc, which is a later release)! Because it would not look as good if the Bane was the same size at the Batman figure(According to DC Comics database, Bane's supposed to be 6' 8" 350 pounds). So my Arkham display will look good because they made the figs in "relative scale"!
Now with the JP figs the Bull T-Rex is a big figure(30" long) and the Velociraptor "Dino Screams" is 11" long, so that's fine to me, because they look good if displayed near each other(It wouldn't be if the Bull T-Rex was 14" long). Thanks for your photo chart drawing of a t-rex in comparison to a velociraptor. As you can see much smaller than JP'S! I believe Spielberg purposely made his larger, so I guess Hasbro did the same when they made their figures.
Yes, I look forward to being a part of the forum for a long time. Although I can be a bit out spoken about certain figures/lines(Because I definitely have different ideas about what companies should make), however, I really love my figures and seeing/reading about other collectors who share the same passion.

Today was the day of the Mojo orca. With it and the Great White shark, Cape Buffalo, American Black bear, Bottlenose Dolphin and seal, some old news finally made their way to my local shop.
I was a little irritated when i first saw the orca. The pose looks like a beached specimen, but at least no open mouth comic dolphin,...the proportions and details came out better than expected, but the paintjob is a little weird. There are some marks, darker than the sprayed(?) basic colour, all over the figurine. Bad for some customers, but the total appearance of the model is accidently more realistic with them,...
Btw.: is it only me who thinks the flippers are shape wrong?



Now, only the wolverine is missing to complete my 2012 Mojo wishlist. Hooray,....

You're right about the pectoral fins being "off". They should be a smooth curve; round; paddle-shaped. Also, the dorsal sits a little too far forward and the body is too long behind the dorsal fin and tapers too much to the tail. BUT: the eye patches are placed appropriately above the eyes!!! Hahah. That's a win in my book! It actually is a very nice figure despite the inaccuracies. I love it.

Thanks for showing Philipp! The figure looks very interesting. I agree these "scars" give some realism to the figure but I'm not an enthusiast of them.
It is also nice to read comments from more expertized people than me. Orca pectoral fins change with age, population. Dorsal fin is different in males and females and even in subspecies. It is very hard to get them correct, mainly pectoral fins once those are mammals and have the chance of folding and stretching them. I think they are somewhat wide but nothing special. Maybe the dorsal fin is a little forwards what automatically give the impression that the back half of the body is longer than it should be but as I commmented before, the variation between specimens is so evident that I'm not competent enough to judge the figure. To me it looks a good representation of an orca and it is nice to confirm that the brand followed the suggestion about the eye patch.

Roger wrote:

Thanks for showing Philipp! The figure looks very interesting. I agree these "scars" give some realism to the figure but I'm not an enthusiast of them.
It is also nice to read comments from more expertized people than me. Orca pectoral fins change with age, population. Dorsal fin is different in males and females and even in subspecies. It is very hard to get them correct, mainly pectoral fins once those are mammals and have the chance of folding and stretching them. I think they are somewhat wide but nothing special. Maybe the dorsal fin is a little forwards what automatically give the impression that the back half of the body is longer than it should be but as I commmented before, the variation between specimens is so evident that I'm not competent enough to judge the figure. To me it looks a good representation of an orca and it is nice to confirm that the brand followed the suggestion about the eye patch.

Roger, you are right, it's a great looking figure, especially the front of it. What I meant by the back half being longer than it should be was in relation to the dorsal fin. Orcas' dorsal fins are not as far forward as some other species', so they do actually sit closer to the "halfway" point. The figure has a dorsal fin that sits a little too far forward, but it's okay. See in this picture how thick the the body is, even toward the tail?

[img][/img]

The figure's is extremely tapered to almost a point. The tail extends out quite far from the dorsal fin and the white flank mark. It probably wouldn't be so noticeable, I don't think, if the body had some movement to it, but it is almost totally, 100% straight.

[img][/img]

Still, overall a really nice Orca, and I'm definitely pleased to have added one to my collection. Just for the heck of it, take another look at this beauty from the front:



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sphyrna18 wrote:

Chad, thanks for clearing up these details. As I told you it is interesting to read your perception of the figures. I understand perfectly your explanations and I agree with you. I'm only saying that it is not easy to figure all these details but with your help everything turns easier. It is good to have some sea life collectors here, so we can learn something more about them.
I see both of you added that figure to your collections, it means that both of you find the figure interesting. Thanks for posting some more pictures and congratulations to both of you.

I was hoping someone from the STS forum would get the orca :) He doesn't look bad, except for the area between the white flank and the tail being so long Other than that, I'll most likely get him.


EDIT: His flippers are a little strange in shape, but he still doesn't look bad for a first try at making an orca.

Hi everyone,

My name is Bas and I am very new to this forum, but I am definitely in there when it comes to being enthusiastic about collecting figurines. I particularly collect orca/killer whales. In the past I have taken some pictures of my collection, which I will add to different post. There have been some additions over the years in between, so updates are sure to follow! Stay tuned for those!  

As people around me first think of me when anything about orca comes up, you might call me a bit of an orca maniac/connoisseur/guru/whiz/nerd...   Therefore, I know myself to be quite particular/finicky/fussy when it comes to judging the naturalistic look of orca figurines. Reading this thread, I am very pleased indeed to hear that the manufacturer Mojo is paying attention to the comments from collectors. As a customer, I have always felt very insignificant, but I am delighted to have found this active community of collectors whose opinions are being valued by the industry.

I cannot wait to add the Mojo orca to my collection, especially knowing that its eyepatch has been properly positioned. That is excellent! In the initial model photographs I have seen, the saddle patch (the grey patch behind the dorsal fin) looks more defined than the production model in later pictures, which I think is a bit of a shame. However, when looking at it from a manufacturer's perspective, there will always be variation in the hand-painting result. It would be great, however, if the production model could have a more prominent saddle patch.

The fact that this model has its mouth closed (and properly closed at that, not even showing teeth!) is also really great!
When traveling/slow swimming, it is very rare for an orca to have its mouth open, unless it is yawning or using body language to communicate, or if it has just finished a meal. A great example is orcagirl26's avatar, which shows a magnificent male orca breaching, with its mouth closed. Other cetacean models, like great whales (blue, humpback, fin, minke) are usually created with closed mouths as well (or at least closable, as the Papo humpback whale). However, as some of you have already demonstrated in other threads, orca models tend to be made with their mouths open. The fact that the orca is the ocean's top predator, and has an impressive set of teeth in its mouth, probably is one of the main reasons why manufacturers might be inclined to produce orca models with jaws agape. Similarly to great white sharks, with an equally fearsome reputation. Nevertheless, when swimming, it is, of course, way more energy efficient to close your mouth, to improve hydrodynamics/streamlining.

What I would like to see in orca models is the white markings of the chin/throat, to protrude slightly above the shoulder/front end of the pectoral fin. This is seen in orcas all over the world, regardless of ecotype/species/subspecies. What Mojo have perfectly done is to let this white marking extend just above the corner of the mouth, before letting it dip down towards the belly. That is also something manufacturers seem to be disregarding (probably also for ease of hand-painting).

I agree with the comments regarding the back end of this model being too slender. Though tapering towards the flukes, orcas are generally more bulky towards the back. Especially when realizing that this is the business end when it comes to this animal's swimming power.

The powerful swimming muscles start just below the dorsal fin and run all the way down to the flukes/tail fins. These are powerful enough for orcas to be able to propel their entire bodies completely clear of the water, at unbelievable height at that!

And it's not just agile young females that are capable of such feats.

Also large adult bull orcas can breach clear of the water.

To conclude my rant, I want to congratulate Mojo with their creation of the 2012 orca model. I am just over the moon that you listened to the remarks regarding the eyepatch and sorted it before production of the model! That is certainly something that deserves praise!  

Welcome here Bas:-)

GudrunOrca wrote:

Hello Bas! Thanks for your very interesting and enthusiastic post.
I enjoy particularly monospecific collections and orcas are magnificent animals.
I hope we really have the chance of watching your collection.
Welcome on forum.

Welcome on forum Bas!! Very interesting comments and info about orcas
I would be happy to see photos of collection of our new orca maniac

Hello, and wellcome here  

Welcome here Bas   I wish you will enjoy our village and I hope you will show and comment a lot of Orca models  

welcome here

Welcome Bas!

Welcome Bas!

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!