My first Mojo order : Reviews and comparisons

Hi friends !

I just came back to my parents' house since I am temporary laid off thanks to because of Coronavirus and I was lucky to find that my very first Mojo Fun order had arrived !
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As you may have noticed there is an odd one out among the lot and it was the first one to get out of the box.
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It is CollectA Diana monkey which I decided to order thanks to Pardofelis and his useful comparison pics. I feared it would be too big compared with my Schleich monkeys and apes and thus, I gave up on buying it for quite a long time. I had a hard time trying to resist because I really wanted a small African monkey in my collection (I only had great apes and baboons in Africa). Pardo conviced me that its size would not be that shocking next to Schleich mandrill and thus, I followed his advice and ordered it from my favourite ebay CollectA provider who now also sells Mojo fun figures.

It was one of the last CollectA figures I really wanted and I am glad it's finally part of my collection. It is very nicely painted and looks very realistic as you can see on this comparison with a real Diana monkey I photographed in a French zoo :
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However, now I have seen it in real, I have to disagree with Pardo arguing that it is perfect in size with Schleich monkeys. CollectA Diana monkey is definitely a bit too large for a Schleich collection but the size difference with the mandrill remains acceptable :
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It is more shocking when you compare it with a chimp. Chimps are known to prey on Diana monkeys but I think this particular Schleich chimp would have quite a hard time dealing with CollectA Diana monkey !
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Now, the time has come to take an interest in the core of this order : Mojo Fun figures. Or more accurately "Animal Planet" figures since that's how mine were tagged (could anyone explain me the difference ?). The first one I got out of the box was a very good surprise since it was the two-toed sloth.
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I am usually not a big fan of figures on a base but I have to admit I really like how this sloth is sculpted. I like its pose on tree branches and I especially enjoy comparing it with its Schleich three-toed cousin and note the differences between the two species.
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I think both Mojo and Schleich have perfectly catched how those two sloths should look, especially as far as the face is concerned. Here is a two-toed sloth picture I took in the same French zoo as the Diana monkey, compared with a three-toed sloth pic taken on the internet.
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As a conclusion, both figures fit very well with each other and Mojo had a brilliant idea choosing to represent a two-toed species rather than the usual three-toed. It seems that it is Mojo's strategy to choose species that have not been made by other brands yet but are still very well-known animals.

The third figure to come out of the box was the emu.
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I had been hesitating a lot over buying it or not because of size issues but I finally decided that I needed this species in my collection.
Well, the emu ends up being even larger that I expected and I have to say the pictures found and provided on this forum were a bit misleading. I knew it would be as large as the ostrich from Schleich but I did not expect the cassowary (next to which it is displayed in oceania) to look so tiny in comparison.
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I would not say that I regret my choice but if there was one figure to remove from this order, it would be the emu.

Apart from that, the figure is beautiful, not outstanding but still pretty good and it's always nice to add a new species in Australia.

Then comes one of those species which were cruelly missing in my collection : the African wild dog.
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I had to choose between Mojo and Safari and finally went for Mojo. I prefer this rendition from an aesthetic point of view although the one from Safari may be more realistic. Here is a comparison with a real hunting dog I photographed in another zoo :
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I assume, Roger for instance, would prefer the Safari version. There is quite a “Schleich feel” in Mojo's rendition and that's probably why I like it so much. You can see that the figure has been made to look appealing/classy rather than realistic. This figure is nice, painted with finesse while a true wild dog is rather ugly with a clumsily painted coat, just like the Safari figure.

Size-wise, the hunting dog is as large as my largerst grey wolf while in the wild, it is supposed to be of weaker constitution.
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As a result, Mojo's wild dog may not be skinny enough but that's not disturbing at all and it remains very compatible with other African carnivores from Schleich or CollectA.
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Next is the sun bear, which is probably one of my favourite animals if not my favourite species since I first saw it in my childhood in Vincennes' zoo in Paris, and then met the same old female again in a breton zoo as a young adult ! So I was really looking forward to get a figure of it.
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Mojo chose to represent it in a very typical pose I photographed many times in that Breton zoo :
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The figure is cute, it has the same “Schleich feel” as the African wild dog. However, there is something about it that just doesn't feel right. Actually, the pose is too symmetrical, the mark on the chest is too clean and the figure looks like more a “totem” than a realistic animal replica.

Nethertheless, its size is rather a good surprise. I knew it would be a bit too big compared with Schleich bears but the figure is so thin that it just ends up working perfectly with these two cousins and neighbours from China and India :
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Now comes the best surprise of this unboxing : the Brazilian tapir.
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I wanted to get this older version before it is replaced by the new brownish one and I am not disappointed at all. The main reason behind my satisfaction is that it works absolutely perfectly with my two Malayan and Baird's tapirs. The Brazilian one is the same size as the others two but it is much thinner just like it should be.
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To be honest, I did not know Baird's tapir before discovering CollectA's figure and I first ordered it thinking it was a Brazilian tapir. I have never seen a Baird's while the Brazilian is by far the most common tapir species in zoos, so I absolutely needed to get one. Now, I am glad I have three different species from three different parts of the world (Asia, Central America and South America).

And finally, the best for last...
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It is by far the Mojo figure I wanted the most and I end up adding a new masterpiece to my collection  
I know this figure was sculpted by a friend of yours and I have to say she is very talented. The gaur is a species I have always found truly impressive. It is by far the largest bovid in the world, the most powerful one. It has to look massive, “steroised” and Mojo sculpt perfectly catches that feature.

Other bovids from other brands were already quite impressive. The gaur had to look even bulkier, it had to be the king of cows ! A successful bet with this Mojo rendition :
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That's all for my British order. But I had made another one from America to get the tamandua which is not available in Europe anymore since it's retired. It had also arrived when I went back to my parents' house, so I have one more figure to present to you.
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Pardofelis had advised me against buying the tamandua and I am glad I did not follow his advice !
That is a very cute species I first saw in London zoo when I was in Erasmus. The largest zoo in France, Beauval's Zoo, has just acquired a pair of them and I wish I will be able to go and see them soon.

Pardo was right : the figure is too large compared with Schleich giant anteater. However, I still think the two don't look ridiculous next to each other. I even find the size difference less shocking than between the emu and the ostrich or the Diana monkey and the mandrill/chimpanzee.
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So I tell you Pardo, if you can accept the Diana monkey in your collection, you should definitely get the tamandua ! It would be a great addition to your collection : the figure is nice and fits better with Schleich anteater than expected  

As a global conclusion, I am not disappointed at all by my order. I like Mojo very much, and I would say it is the closest brand to Schleich as far as figures design is concerned. I like that this brand chooses to present well-known animals from species that have not been made by other brands yet, like the Brazilian tapir instead of the Malayan one or the two-toed sloth instead of the three-toed one. I am glad it recently released a Masai giraffe instead of the usual reticulated one for example.

I will soon get the grey seal, the coral snake, the Iberian lynx, the great horned owl and thus, expand the species diversity within my collection. But I may also buy figures of species I already own since some of Mojo's more common animals absolutely look gorgeous like the spotted hyena or the Komodo dragon. However, I am currently more interested in Safari Ltd and Southland Replicas, so my second Mojo order will have to wait.

In my opinion, CollectA remains the king, but Mojo is an interesting brand I am glad I have discovered.

Very interesting topic and the most important is that you are happy with your new figures!
I am glad the forum community was helpful to you determine your acquisitions. It is not always easy to use other brands to complement Schleich range. Sometimes, even some Schleich are not very compatible with previous versions and I am not talking about dogs.
Mojö Fun is the maker of these figures while Animal Planet is a television channel that for a long time is marketing animal toy figures and other animal themed products. They partnered in the past with other companies but since 2013 they sell Mojö Fun figures branded as Animal Planet. Both ranges are identical.
The Indian gaur, probably my favorite figure of ever, was really sculpted by Anna-Dobrowoska, a friend of many of us, especially the earlier members of this community.
Tapir is also her sculpt. As you can see, they have a very different style from all the other Mojö models.
I believe that if Schleich ever makes a tamandua, it will be smaller than Mojö's one, but I also think that Schleich ever releases another giant anteater, it won't be as small as the previous one.
I agree that some Mojö figures are too symmetrical, I think it is a defensive way of the sculptor. Komodo dragon, sable antelope or the white rhino are excellent figures that have the same lack of movement as the sun bear.
Fortunately, Mojö's African buffalo has a wonderful pose and that is one of the excellent figures that will work perfectly with your models if you ever consider to get it.
Interestingly, despite the dynamic pose of the African wild dog, I have defintely a preference for Safari's version and that is still the only African wild dog in my collection. Go, get the hyena, that was one of the first Mojö figures that allerted me to see that Mojö would turn into an interesting company. It has a nice pose, a good size and it doesn't ressemble any other hyena ever produced.

I can see, in my opinion, you found the best Mojö figures :)

Nice choices and very well presented, I also agree with most of your comments. I don't like the Mojo wild dog though, to me it looks literally like "just a painted dog"! I would go for the Safari if it wasn't bigger than my Hyena, so I'll just wait for Collecta to make one that will have long and slender legs.

The Gaur, the tamandua and the tapir are on my mojo wishlist too. Cool figures!

Roger wrote:

Very interesting topic and the most important is that you are happy with your new figures!
I am glad the forum community was helpful to you determine your acquisitions. It is not always easy to use other brands to complement Schleich range. Sometimes, even some Schleich are not very compatible with previous versions and I am not talking about dogs.
Mojö Fun is the maker of these figures while Animal Planet is a television channel that for a long time is marketing animal toy figures and other animal themed products. They partnered in the past with other companies but since 2013 they sell Mojö Fun figures branded as Animal Planet. Both ranges are identical.
The Indian gaur, probably my favorite figure of ever, was really sculpted by Anna-Dobrowoska, a friend of many of us, especially the earlier members of this community.
Tapir is also her sculpt. As you can see, they have a very different style from all the other Mojö models.
I believe that if Schleich ever makes a tamandua, it will be smaller than Mojö's one, but I also think that Schleich ever releases another giant anteater, it won't be as small as the previous one.
I agree that some Mojö figures are too symmetrical, I think it is a defensive way of the sculptor. Komodo dragon, sable antelope or the white rhino are excellent figures that have the same lack of movement as the sun bear.
Fortunately, Mojö's African buffalo has a wonderful pose and that is one of the excellent figures that will work perfectly with your models if you ever consider to get it.
Interestingly, despite the dynamic pose of the African wild dog, I have defintely a preference for Safari's version and that is still the only African wild dog in my collection. Go, get the hyena, that was one of the first Mojö figures that allerted me to see that Mojö would turn into an interesting company. It has a nice pose, a good size and it doesn't ressemble any other hyena ever produced.

Thank you for these interesting pieces of information Roger.

Yes, I will definitely consider buying the African buffalo since I like to have groups of animals and I currently only have the two versions made by Schleich. The Papo rendition looks too muscular in my opinion, the CollectA is a bit too monochromic like the later Schleich one, but the Mojo is just perfect.

The problem with a larger giant anteater is that it would be too large compared with the Brazilian tapir. The Schleich anteater works perfectly with Mojo's tapir.

widukind wrote:

I can see, in my opinion, you found the best Mojö figures :)

Thank you Andreas. They are, most of all, the most interesting ones for my collection since they represent species I did not own yet.

spacelab wrote:

Nice choices and very well presented, I also agree with most of your comments. I don't like the Mojo wild dog though, to me it looks literally like "just a painted dog"! I would go for the Safari if it wasn't bigger than my Hyena, so I'll just wait for Collecta to make one that will have long and slender legs.

The Gaur, the tamandua and the tapir are on my mojo wishlist too. Cool figures!

Thank you spacelab. Thank you to confirm me that I would have had size issues if I had gone for the Safari painted dog.

Great compilation of figures, and I'm glad that I've helped you to decide on buying some of them. The species chosen are very similar to mines, so here we see that we have very similar tastes. I have the gaur, tapir, Diana monkey, and sun bear. The tapir is disapponintingly small, as it should be a bit bigger than Baird's, but I can accept it and I'm used to see it next to my Baird's tapir now. If I only could find somewhere my dreamed Safari malayan tapir, I would have the three main species of tapirs as I've planned when started collecting, but sadly it evanished quickly...
I don't have the emu tough, nor the xenarthrans. Sloths don't appeal me very much, nor it does the emu, and I dislike bases and branches. The tamandua would be nice if it was not so enormously oversized. The difference is zillion times more striking and unpleasant than with the absolutely perfect-sized Diana monkey compared with my other primates, so I will never got it, much less now that I see your photos demonstrating that I was right with my impression of its size. Still is left the wild dog, in this case is a species that I will have in my future collection, but of course I will choose the Safari one, not the really ugly-painted Mojo version. As an anecdote, I have a couple of African wild dogs hunting an antelope in a diorama, all selfmade, from many many years before start collecting animal figures, it was a thing that I've made for an unsuccessful attempt to get a job in a maquette shop.

Thank you for your comment Pardo !

The Brazilian tapir is perfect, as it is supposed to be slithly smaller than Baird's : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

"It (Baird's tapir) is the largest of the three American species and the largest native land mammal in both Central and South America. Baird's tapirs average 2m in length but can range between 1.8 and 2.5m. They are generally between 73–120cm in height. Adult Baird's tapirs range between 150 and 400 kilograms."

I see that you keep arguing that the Diana monkey is perfectly sized, you may not use Schleich chimps to say that

I would be happy to see your diorama

Oh, I probably had both tapirs interchanged in my mind, I tought that lowland tapirs were larger than Baird's. It's perfect then, but I would say that then both are a bit too small. Putting the Mojo tapir together with a Schleich jaguar will result in a giant jaguar

I don't have any ape in my collection, and while I have a gorilla selected for my future purchase list, I don't tought in a chimpanzee yet, from any brand. If I choose one finally, almost sure will not be one of the current Schleich's.

Here is my homemade dog attack, they're at much smaller scale than most other figures of my collection, would work fine for many Kaiyodo's as companion for example.
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Oh I haven't seen these acquisitions. You have two figures that I desperately need to get my hands on which are: the Mojo African wild dog, and the Papo Yak.

There are still a few of these yaks in my usual Papo shop. If you want, I can buy one more once the confinement is over and trade it with you.

PM sent

Thank you so much for the informative photos and description, also the good comparison with the other brands and the specie's picture as well.

You're welcome Seeway ! There is also my collection topic if you want more comparison pics.

Congrats on your new figurines Pardo!
The problem is more with Schleich, as they fail to produce one and a correct scale, already for decades!
I suggest, you just buy the models you like, regardless the scale, as i practicly did for more then 50 years.
The thing is that you like what you gatherred together through the years.

WILLYBACOMAN wrote:

Congrats on your new figurines Pardo!

Not me, but RtasVadumee

WILLYBACOMAN wrote:

Congrats on your new figurines Pardo!
The problem is more with Schleich, as they fail to produce one and a correct scale, already for decades!
I suggest, you just buy the models you like, regardless the scale, as i practicly did for more then 50 years.
The thing is that you like what you gatherred together through the years.  

I agree! I have been collecting for around 21 years now and scale of a figure has never once been a major nit pick of mine. I collect what I like regardless of how it will scale with other figures. While I have great respect for those that successfully collect in one scale, I feel a lot of wonderful figures often get overlooked just because they are too big or too small.