Waves of Life

[The Templar of the Past]

Greetings brother and sisters,

I've joined this forum on July 4th and since then I've got to know you better and seal all sorts of deals, the first of which is going to take effect tomorrow, courtesy of @brettnj.

Considering this, I've decided that I should begin telling more about myself and the collection that led me here: for now I won't detail its entire history but instead show you the waves of figures (hence the title) that have come in my possession since October 2022.

Without furder ado, let's begin:



Behold the first of the waves, the September wave. You might be confused for a moment since I've just told you this system came into effect in October, this is however readily explained: my first order was placed in September in an italian website that was facing the decline that would have eventually caused its shutdown and this caused heavy delays in shipping despite being located in the region bordering mine.

Getting this inconvenience aside, as you can see I've posed my figures to take a nice shot and I've kept doing so for all the subsequent waves, with one specific model at the forefront serving as the flagship; in the case of the September wave that role was reserved to none other but man's best friend, specifically CollectA German shepherd.



Now the October wave, with Safari Ltd Black Pegasus as its flagship, would include many instantly recognizable animals such as the dodo, Stegosaurus, Diplocaulus as well as the great EoFauna Deinotherium, so far my only model from that company.



Here we have the November wave, with a flagship that would have perhaps suited the previous month better: Safari Ltd Gargoyle. While PNSO Spinosaurus is the first figure from the company to be included in a wave it's not my first one, as I had got myself their Dakosaurus months earlier.



Despite the beginnings of Winter and the climate becoming colder, the waves didn't freeze, as you can see from the December wave and its not very shaggy synapsid flagship, CollectA Estemmenosuchus. Interestingly, Estemmenosuchus is the first flagship to be an extinct creature in this collection and looking back at it I'm proud that this title isn't held by a dinosaur but from a Permian synapsid, reminding me of my favorite series Primeval, which had Inostrancevia as the first prehistoric creature appearing.

Before getting to the next wave I didn't forget it was Christmas and I so thought it was appropriate to get something themed around the Ice Age for this wave, hence the Colorata box in the background, containing extinct cenozoic mammals of the caliber of the woolly mammoth and Smilodon.



Starting off the new year we have what has been so far the largest wave I've ever had: the January wave. How did I get so many models?
Near my home I made friendship with a clerk at a local shop, who since then has been getting me all the CollectA figures included in my list and to that man and his family I hold nothing but my most sincere and heartfelt gratitude.

Yet despite this wave being composed almost exclusively of CollectA models I've picked the only model that wasn't from them as the flagship: Bullyland Judge Claude Frollo. Forgive me, but I couldn't resist his beautiful pose.



Next we have the February wave which flagship did not come from the Mesozoic but from another age that has the word "Middle" in its etymology: a medieval knight from Schleich. This also the first photo featuring my templar-themed goblet, a kind gift by my sister, which would go on to become a mainstay in the following photos.



For the month of my birthday I had the March wave with the CollectA unicorn rearing above the rest.

While it goes without saying that the clerk has done a great job again, as evidence by all the CollectA models included here, I have to give my special thanks to @Primeval12, for providing me the little cretters at the mare's feet.

On the downside you can probably spot an excess of Schleich Gallimimus, but what did I know that CollectA would have released a better one two years later.



Sadly, despite the success of the first seven months of this system, due to economical but mainly personal reason, which I won't disclose here, the waves went interreptued until February 13th, 2024, when the Clerk provided me a handful yet beautiful CollectA model, of which CollectA Koolasuchus is the flagship, alongside the peregrine falcon, technically the first dinosaur to hold the title.

I really owe a lot to that man.



With by birthday impending, another March wave was fated to hit the shores, alongisde new CollectA and Schleich models, of which the former's African Buffalo is the flagship.



With my issues not yet fully solved, the next wave took a while to arrive and had the Rebor dire wolf as its flagship.

As I review my waves for you I noticed how little extinct creatures actually became flagships, with the dire wolf being only the third prehistoric animal to be one, and only after the system was in place for more than a year.



A long time passed since 2022 and it that time I've managed to begin university, choosing history as a subject.
In Milan, where my university is located, I managed to finally find a shop that sold Papo figures, getting myself several, including a wall lizard a common sight in my garden.

Despite this, the flagship of this "University wave" is not the lizard but Papo spectacled cobra, erroneously labelled as a king cobra.



Referencing "Jurassic World: The Game" in Novemeber came the "Common & Rare wave", featuring animals that in that game correspond to those levels of rarity.

The flagships of this wave, Guanlong and Pyroraptor, are special for a couple things: not only they are the first non-avian dinosaurs to be in such position but they are my very first "Beasts of the Mesozoic" figures.



Among the many things I've started doing during 2024 I've started going at the gym and the Mojo woolly rhino, flagship of the last wave of 2024, was a gift from my personal trainer.


After a pause of a couple months and my birthday approached again, a new March wave came and the iconic Allosaurus, specifically the one from CollectA, was chosen as its flagship. However, my favorite arrival from this wave was the bearded dragon, a reminder of my dear late pet Altair.



After March followed another pause, though not a total one as I've bought figures that I haven't photographed and that I plan to include in future waves.

The pause finally broke towards the end of summer first month and the very first June wave risen: as you can see the clerk has been again very good and got me several of CollectA newcomers, among them Arctodus, Diprotodon and Jaekelopterus.
Yet the flagship this time was an humble pelican.



And at last we get to the most recent wave, the first I've got after joining this forum: behold the first July wave.
With Schleich European tree frog as the flagship, this wave increased my total amount of extant frogs from 0 to 13.


Tomorrow a new month will begin and a new wave will arrive, with fourteen new figures joining the fold.


May Providence assist me in this undertaking.

[Halichoeres]

Very nice collection! And thanks for sharing your story. Looking forward to future waves.

[DinoToyForum]

As collectors, we're all seeking a 'Holy Grail', but you may be the first of us to take this literally.

[JohannesB]

A very fast growing collection, and rather eclectic, with many great pieces.

[JohannesB]

As collectors, we're all seeking a 'Holy Grail', but you may be the first of us to take this literally.

Although it doesn't really look like the cup of a carpenter