Review and photos by Resurrection of the dinosaurs, edited by Suspsy
As 2018 has ended now, I decided to review a figure from a prehistoric line that seems to have ended too: Bullyland. Let me know in the comments section if I am wrong. Although the line has stopped releasing new figures, it is still continuing to release ones from previous years. I think that Bullyland has made a great mistake retiring some beautiful figures, such as the Lambeosaurus. Some that were spared include the woolly mammoth figure that I will be reviewing today.
This figure measures 19.5 cm from the end of the tail to the tip of the left tusk. I have noticed that all the tags that come with Bullyland figures have ‘Stuttgart Museum of Natural History’ written on them, and mention that these models are PVC free. Although it is written that these models are from a museum line, they are also available at stores in other countries. The tusks are soft, rubbery and flexible. Apparently, Bullyland’s figures are made of TVC, which is softer, non-toxic, and recyclable unlike PVC. Bullyland’s figures are the only ones that are PVC-free, making them safer for kids.
Regarding accuracy, the overall proportions seem good. The small fatty hump is present on the back, the ears are appropriately small, the big head dome is present as in modern-day Asian elephants, the trunk has a distinctive tip and two finger-like projections which may have helped the animal to grab leaves from trees. The huge, spirally tusks have the correct shape. Hair covers all of the body, even reaching the toes, and the tail is small, like in modern elephants.
The paint job consists of a dark chocolate brown for the body that merges into a light cream or vanilla-yellow for the underside. The tusks have a slight, small application of brown spray at the roots and merge into ivory white. The slightly open mouth and the small tail are also dark brown. I would have preferred the mouth to be pink to appear more realistic, but this is almost unnoticeable, at least to me. The glossy black of the eyes gives them a realistic look. And finally, the small tip of the trunk and the toenails are left unpainted.
Fine details include the typical wrinkles on the trunk, also as seen in modern elephants, wrinkled eyelids, and lots and lots of sculpted hair. And when looking at the underside, you can see a set of sculpted genitalia that indicates this individual is a male. You will also find the label ‘1:24 scale, Bullyland.’
Usually in elephant and mammoth figures, you will find that the trunk is raised up. Quite repetitive for me, but a nice touch. Here, the trunk is again raised up, the mouth is slightly open, and the left front leg is slightly raised. The pose is interesting, as if the individual is calling to herd of females, about to grab some leaves to eat from a tree, or even announcing a predator’s arrival.
For comparison, here are a couple of shots with the Bullyland Smilodon. The baby figure is actually a bootleg of the one from CollectA.
Overall, this is another generic figure of the classic old prehistoric pachyderm, the ‘T. rex of the Pleistocene,’ if you will. Like T. rex, the woolly mammoth tends to dominate the media when talking about prehistory and in terms of collectibles, it seems to have stolen the fame from other megafauna. There are tons of woolly mammoth figures out there, but if you are a completist, you should get this one. As I noted earlier, this figure has not been retired, so you can find it at your local toy shop if it happens to stock Bullyland figures. You can also try online stores like Amazon.com, eBay, or Minizoo. In closing, I wish all the fellow readers and members of the Dinosaur Toy Blog and the forum a prosperous New Year!
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Something I notice on a lot of pachyderm figures, which may be happening here, is: if the trunk were hanging down relaxed, it would be dragging on the ground. Otherwise awesome figure.
I enjoyed this review, well done!
Thank you very much, I am very glad that you enjoyed this review. It really means a lot to me.
Well done, reviewing this older mammoth by Bullyland. There’s still quite a few releases from the past from the original manufacturers still to be reviewed, so this was gratifying to see. It’s not at all a bad sculpt as you point out. I found mine at Value Village about 5-6 years ago for a couple of dollars- it “made my day.”
Thank you very much. If I am not mistaken, there are a very few number of figures to be reviewed from Bullyland. Yes, this figure is indeed good for its time.
Magnificent article about the Bullyland mammoth. What has been said is a pity that Bullyland abandoned the production of prehistoric animals two years ago. Thanks for the information, although it may seem strange I did not know that the prehistoric animals and figures of Bullyland are not made of PVC but of TVC.
Thank you very much. Yes, I will always say that Bullyland has made a very big mistake by stopping the production of most of its prehistoric animal and dinosaur figures, among which were some beautiful figures such as the recently retired Lambeosaurus figure. Yes, the fact that Bullyland’s figures are made of TVC and not PVC is surprising.