Review and images by Miguel Klem; edited by bmathison1972
I’ve always only collected dinosaurs, but in 2025, I discovered the Incredible Creatures line from Safari Ltd., thanks to the YouTube channel of forum member Ikessauro. And thanks to him as well, I also obtained the holy grail of my collection. This is my first review on the blog. So don’t expect too much.
As mentioned, I acquired this item by searching for old Incredible Creatures models directly from Ikessauro. He had two copies of this rattlesnake, and he sold one of them to me. It wasn’t very difficult to achieve, since we both live in the same country and state.
This one in particular was a mystery to me for a long time. I knew that Safari Ltd. had released three rattlesnake models using the same mold between 1995 and 1997 for the Incredible Creatures collection. The first two versions were the Timber Rattler and the Diamondback, and later the Banded Rock Rattler (this one remains lost to this day). Later, the Diamondback underwent a repaint, and in 2010 the mold was reduced in size and resculpted, and it has been sold ever since. But this particular one didn’t appear in any Safari Ltd. catalog or list. Ikessauro suggested it was just a paint variation of the Timber Rattler, but I still wasn’t convinced. Looking on Worthpoint for the print on the bottom (The Rattler) I eventually found photos of this variation, and with a label that clearly said “The Rattler”. This was probably a standalone model sold without being part of a specific collection, like the Velociraptor Speedy Predator.
In the early 1990s, Safari Ltd. was distributing various animal replicas, one of which was the “Snake in a Bag”, which likely sold well and boosted Safari Ltd. to create their own snake model. This rattlesnake was probably the motivation and inspiration for creating the Incredible Creatures line.
The model measures 140 centimeters from head to tail tip and has a diameter of 35 centimeters. It uses the same mold as the Timber Rattler already analyzed by Ikessauro, so I won’t go into mold detail. The only difference between this mold (the first version) and later versions of the rattlesnake is that the tail is not mounted separately, but rather connected to the body. It’s molded from a real specimen, but I definitely don’t know the species. It’s probably some kind of rattlesnake native to North America, possibly the Diamondback itself, but I’m not sure. The rattle is made of hard plastic, which was originally broken, but I fixed it with polymer clay. Originally it could actually rattle, probably with plastic balls inside. Since this is a 30-year-old model, the child who played with it ended up breaking the rattle, and those little plastic balls were lost over time, buried in some backyard. The body is made of a rubberized vinyl that is slightly flexible. Curiously, mine doesn’t have the mold print on the bottom for some reason.
Compared to other rattlesnake figures from Safari Ltd., the paint job is probably the least appealing, yet the most realistic. The whole body is an odd shade of light brown, but it also looks greenish. The bottom part is unpainted, only stained from its 30-year history. The top part, however, has markings in the shape of triangles and diamonds in a dark gray tone. Curiously, it appears to have a smoky paint job, seemingly done with an airbrush, in the same dark gray tone, which ends up hiding a good portion of the paint and making the body look only dark gray. The rattle is painted a slightly glossy light brown. The head is dark gray, with the inside of the mouth being light gray. The teeth are cream-colored, and the eyes are dark green, With yellow irises and vertical black pupils.
Overall, it’s a great figure. It stands out among the current Incredible Creatures models, even more so when compared to the current rattlesnake version next to it. It’s quite difficult to find, but it’s worth it.
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