Safari Ltd. Great Horned Owl Figurine - Detailed 5.5" Plastic Model Figure - Fun Educational Play Toy for Boys, Girls & Kids Ages 3+

Fair Warning: I'm just going to post this in all my animal items needing reviews unless one of them stands out for good or ill. My son has a built up a heck of a collection made up of Papo, Collecta, and Schleich, and Safari Ltd. My son and I, or he and his friend, have enjoyed playing with them, some for several years. As there is often a predator-prey battle, there can be some violent collisions, "clawing", "pouncing upon", etc. The Papo, Schleich, and Collecta are high quality replicas--all good build quality, durable, wonderfully detailed, a good weight and heft but not overly so, and they have held up without any issues (as mentioned, I'll note any exceptions in the individual review). The Safari Ltd. have suffered the most from the treatment, though the vast majority of those creatures have come through relatively unscathed. I'd say they're lesser quality i both durability and craftsmanship, but they are more than adequate for playing even somewhat roughly with. If it has thin legs, or other parts, it might be better to go the Schleich or Collecta, as they really are excellent build quality. But for creatures without a lot of appendages or thin parts (say, a beaver), the Safari are fine, if not quite as nicely made. This owl is one of the better Safari ones in terms of looks--it's really sharp and nicely detailed--one of my son's favorites

GORGEOUS detailing! Because it's angled facing down, it's best to place it on a high shelf to fully appreciate the bird's face and underside. I can feel its protective power. "The owl is a sacred guardian of the afterlife, a keeper of souls transitioning from one plane of existence to another, and a guide between earth's creatures and underworld deities. The companion animal of the Goddess Athena, its symbol was used on Greek coins and it was, therefore, also associated with wealth, just as in India the owl is the sacred bird of Lakshmi (goddess of material prosperity). Owls possess wisdom and sacred knowledge; they are messengers of secrets, bringers of prophecy, and companions to medicine people. The Celts believed the owl to possess clairvoyance, stealth, and detachment and to be harbingers of change and initiation into sacred mysteries. In medieval Europe, owls were believed to be witches and wizards, shapeshifters in disguise. The owl's feathers are used to protect against evil spirits. Nailing an owl to the door of a house was considered a way to keep evil at bay." - portions paraphrased from Annie Zalezsak's Macrame Owl

I'm obsessed with raptors, but these are the first such small replicas I've ever bought. I wasn't sure if I liked the color of them, as depicted in the photos, but I took a chance and bought two of these anyway... one to sit above my mailbox, and one to hang somewhere inside my house, with a piece of monofilament. As many other reviewers have pointed out, their coloring is much more subdued "in person" than in the photos. It's actually VERY "natural" looking... and not the least bit yellowish, or overly bright. I'm also extremely impressed with how surprisingly detailed the casting is. One reviewer mentioned getting a "round-eyed ooooohhh" from his kids when they first saw one. What mine elicited from me, was "WOW!" Now if only Safari would make a life-sized one, in the same pose!

It looks better in the picture but it's not bad in real life.

I'm a huge fan of owls (and animals in general) and Safari Ltd provides some of the best quality animal models. This great-horned owl is an excellent figurine: nice paint, mold, details, etc. The pose, as observed by the image, features the animal about to pounce onto prey; I also feel this gives children more varied play (considering the owl isn't mounted to any platform or in a "made-for-display" perching pose). Likewise, collectors would probably find this an interesting item, as well as those who plan to use it for a school science project. Overall, the toy is pretty durable and I see it lasting for quite long. Also purchased: Coyote, Wolf, Wild Dog, Bison

This is an OWL, not just any owl, but one in the middle of swooping on it's prey. Awesome. The detail on this figure is really spectacular; the painted details superb. It's better in person. This one (we have a collection) got the round eyed ooooohhh from the kids the first time they saw it. You can't go wrong, even if you don't care for birds it's still cool. Good size and solid so it survives the backpack test.

It's really small, thought it was a bit bigger going by the picture.

The product was as described and delivered by the estimated time. It matches all the other Safari Ltd animals in size and texture and density. So if you've seen any of the small hard Safari Ltd figurines, this product will add nicely to any collection of Safari Ltd or Schleich animals. My children love them, as do I.