Collector Spotlight: @bmathison1972 Reviews Toymany’s Insect Figurines Playset

When collectors look at animal and insect figurines, they often notice details beyond appearance—from species selection and sculpting choices to accuracy and representation.

Today, we’re sharing selected excerpts from a detailed collector review published on Animal Toy Forum (ATF) by @bmathison1972, an experienced insect figurine enthusiast and member of the collector community.

We sincerely appreciate Animal Toy Forum for providing a platform where collectors can share their knowledge, experiences, and passion for animal figures. We also thank @bmathison1972 for taking the time to explore Toymany’s Insect Figurines Playset from a collector’s perspective.

The following sections feature selected parts from the original review. To discover the complete analysis of all 12 insects, detailed species discussions, and additional photography, please visit the full article on Animal Toy Forum.

 

Overall Impression

Original excerpt from @bmathison1972:

Halloween Pennant Dragonfly

First up is the lone representative of the order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies). Dragonflies are very common in insect "bin' sets, but getting species marketed at the species level is actually quite uncommon, and most of them that are represented are Eurasian species. Toymany decided to produce a species native to eastern North America, the Halloween pennant, Celithemis eponina! Unique to our hobby, this figure has a wingspan of 11.5 centimeters for a scale of 2.3:1-1.5:1. It's also sculpted ovipositing, something I have never seen in a dragonfly toy or figure before! And yes, the dragonfly is removable from the water base.

 

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle

Our next beetle is probably the most commonly made insect identifiable at the species level, the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Allomyrina dichotoma. On their website, Toymany uses the Latin name Trypoxylus dichotomus for this figure. Both names are commonly used, and honestly I am not sure which is technically accurate (I think it comes down to whether one is a lumper or splitter). I asked a scarab specialist about this about a decade ago, and he favored Allomyrina, so that's the name I continue to use. Toymany' s figure measures 6.5 cm (incl. cephalic horn), putting it within scale 1:1. My post today isn't intended to be a detailed analysis, but I will say this is probably the best representative of this species I have seen outside of Japan (and I have seen a lot LOL). So, if someone finally wants to add this
icon species in their collection, and doesn't want to track down or pay for a figure from Japan, this is one to get!

 

Rosy Maple Moth 

Our next two figures are from the order Lepidoptera, which includes butterflies and moths. And we have one of each in the set, one butterfly and one moth! We will start with the moth, which is represented by the rosy maple moth, Dryocampa rubicunda. I could go on and on about how cool this figure is, but it's already been claimed for Blog review, so I'll let that review speak more to it. Like the Halloween pennant, this species is native to eastern North America. Spread like a specimen, the wingspan of this figure would come to about 9.5 cm for a scale of 3:1-1.7:1. For all intents and purposes, this is a unique figure for this species. Forum member Jetoar made one for the Amazing Moths line of Paleo-Creatures
back in 2015. However, if I remember correctly, he made them on demand, so depending on how many people requested it, there may only be a few out there. And who knows, he may have sold me his prototype (he did that a couple of times), which could mean that my model is the only exemplar!

 

Monarch Butterfly

Our butterfly is the most commonly-made species of butterfly and probably the most commonly-madeinsect or arthropod that is not a beetle. I am talking about the monarch, Danaus plexippus. So a little background on this figure. Initial promotional images called it a monarch, but the color was based on the common tiger (D. genutia). I brought this to Toymany's attention and said that was actually a more exciting choice since there are only a couple of figures of the common tiger out there, most notably by Yujn. However, Toymany wanted to include a monarch in this set, so the figure was repainted to better fit the monarch. This led to an almost three-month delay from the original planned release date in late April. So sorry, everyone, if my correction caused a delay LOL. But hey, it was worth the wait. Why? Because this has to be the BEST figure of a monarch I have ever seen. The paint job is absolutely exquisite. For those of you who plan to get this set or this figure, you won't be disappointed! Toymany' s monarch has a wingspan of about 10.5 cm, within scale 1:1 for a large specimen.

 

More from the Full Review

These are only selected excerpts from @bmathison1972’s detailed review of Toymany’s Insect Figurines Playset.

The original article explores all 12 insects in the collection, including additional species such as the Chinese mantis, rosy maple moth, Asian tiger mosquito, greenbottle fly, and honeybee, along with detailed observations and photography.

For the complete collector perspective, visit the original article on Animal Toy Forum.

Read the full review on Animal Toy Forum.

 

We’re grateful to Animal Toy Forum and @bmathison1972 for sharing their knowledge and passion with the animal figurine community.

Collector perspectives offer new ways to appreciate the details behind each species and remind us that even the smallest creatures can inspire curiosity and discovery.