CollectA 2022 horses (second half now reviewed too!)

I wasn't sure whether to post this in Walkarounds or Arrivals, seeing as they've just arrived with me, but I thought this would probably be best for other people to find if they're hoping to see in-hand photos and read collector comments. I know that's how I joined the forum in the first place, it always showed up with my Google searches for 'real' pictures of CollectA models, so hopefully this will be useful to others, too

The 2022 releases are being sent out to stockists in two batches, the first just arrived in the UK last week, the others are estimated around December, but I couldn't wait til then to buy them all in one go, so I picked up the four from this summer batch, and will have a second boxful later on.

These are all from the Standard size range, 1:20 scale. I've put in some photos on plain backgrounds too - feel free to save these for Toy Animal Wiki whenever you get time to add the 2022s

Yakutian Stallion

The only new sculpt and new breed in these first's half-of-the-year releases, so he gets to be featured first

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He's really rather adorable! I know these ponies are very hardy and hard-working, not leading pampered lives in the slightest, but this sculpt just makes him look so cuddly That's not a bad thing, and it certainly doesn't even approach the amount of cuteness inflicted on Schleich models to the frustration of many adult collectors - his sweet face doesn't have exaggerated features or anything which contradicts realism.
I know much has been said about CollectA's relatively recent chunky-legs problem over the years, I'm as disappointed in that as anyone, but on pony and draft breeds it doesn't look obvious or wrong, the Yakut gets away with the leg proportions in a way the light, leggy, fine breeds cannot - the likes of the Marwari, Saddlebred, or Hackney look wrong, but this small chunky breed looks perfectly ok.

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The Yakut sculpt touches on all their distinctive traits, the kind of thing which always gets a mention in the books or websites listing horse breeds, namely their short compact but strong build, the abundant mane and tail, and the shaggy thick coat which grows four inches long in winter - they live outdoors all year round, in the far north (see the red area in this map) and are easily one of the most hardy horse breeds in the world. This one seems to be sculpted in his summer coat, with only the legs and beard remaining shaggy, but it's clearly a nod to that famous characteristic of the breed.

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I'm not sure why they chose a plainish grey, when there's a lot of very pretty dun shades which are more common, but greys do exist so I've no problem with the decision, it's not an error so much as a wondering why they didn't go for something more interesting But he's nicely painted, with shading and an off-white tone with a little hint of warmth to it (pure white tends to look blueish in models, and gives the impression the animal is overly cleaned, like a show pony just been scrubbed with soap and not allowed to roll while it dried off )

Here's some plain-background TAW pictures (I couldn't find anything white so you get green this time, hah)

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All in all, a really nice rendition of a breed which isn't as well known as many, but well worth having (incidentally, the first to be added to my collection, I've considered doing customs before but never dared tackle sculpting the fluff! )

Blue Roan Appaloosa Stallion

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This is, as I'm sure all CollectA horse fans will recognise, an older mould re-released in a brand new colour for 2022. We've already had it in chestnut blanket spotted, black blanket spotted, and buckskin blanket spotted, so this is the first time we've seen the spots spread forward onto the rest of the horse!

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Being an older sculpt, this one doesn't suffer from the too-thick limbs, but there was a chunk of folded cardboard pushed between the legs for shipping, and looking at some of my angles here, I should probably have left the legs to settle before doing my photoshoot, as they're a little bit splayed! Any displaced limbs (or tails or ears) on CollectA models can easily be adjusted by immersing in just-boiled hot water if they don't quite stand right, if my new Appaloosa hasn't stopped being a bit wonky by tomorrow I'll do that, but I really do suspect it was just the packaging which pushed his hooves too wide apart.

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Just look at all those spots! They look to be hand-painted rather than printed on or masked off, though it could be some sort of stencilling process I'm not familiar with, so it's possible the models will vary a little from individual to individual, I'll be curious to see more photos as other collectors buy this release, to check how alike they all are!

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Although we'd already had one black based Appaloosa pattern, this update isn't really redundant or unnecessary, I think it is a step up in realism compared to the initial 2010 release - here's mine for comparison :

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And again, some plain background shots...

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Dappled Grey Hanoverian Stallion

Another re-release in a new paintjob, this time a mould which hasn't had a new colour since 2010. The Hanoverian is one of the most popular of CollectA's horse sculpts, and it's easy to see why, with such great sharp accurate anatomy and good conformation for the breed. So it's no surprise that collectors have been customising this one for years, as the old colours were very plain and not very nicely done compared to more recent releases from the brand. So it was about time he got a handsome new makeover!

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The colour suits the mould well, and is perfectly good for the breed, as well as being remarkably well done for a mass produced toy-type model. The shading is nicely sprayed, then the dappling printed over the top - a lot like the spots added to big cat models, so you can be sure each one will have the same good design, placement, and application of the dappling, rather than relying on factory artists to dot them on by hand. While it's not quite on the level of the WIA dappled grey Arabians, it's better than anything CollectA (or Schleich, Papo, Mojo or Bullyland) have ever offered before, and that's great!

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The white markings are also crisply applied, rather than quick/lazy fuzzy fade-out edges, which is something I and many other model horse collectors, count as the sign of a quality paintjob - even Breyer don't bother on many Classic and Stablemates releases any more, so it's good to see CollectA going the opposite way and making sure they add better markings than they did in the early days.
Another lovely touch is the eye detail - you can't see in my pictures but he's got metallic golden brown eyes painted in, with horizontal oval pupils just as they should be.

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The mould, as I said, has been deservedly popular with horse collectors for over a decade now, so there's really not much I can write about it which hasn't already been written

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The other side, showing the placement of dappling is symmetrical and planned, not random patches put on anyhow.

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The only down side is the hoof painting, the back ones are in the right place but a little bit messy, but the front ones are painted far too far up, onto the fetlocks - perhaps others were done with more care and I got an unlucky one, but it is a negative and will probably affect show quality if you're considering photo or live showing with your models. If you happen to live in a country/area where CollectA are stocked in actual physical shops, that's something to look out for when hand-picking your purchases.

Toy Animal Wiki pictures...

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Liver Chestnut Arabian Mare

When the promotional pictures of this one came out, I was really concerned they might be a 'too good to be true' thing, and show a one-off custom artist's proof paintjob then the factory models would be plain and lacking in comparison. But I am pleased to announce that they're just as good as the images we were being tempted with!

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I just love the way the mane is done, with the graduated shading combined with crisp hand-painted ends. The blond tips are painted on over the body colour, then the brown shading is sprayed into the mane and tail afterwards, leaving a lovely effect which you don't ever usually see in factory produced models. Her colour is very deep and vibrant, and set off beautifully with the flaxen mane and white markings which make her look flashy and eye-catching - just the sort of thing real Arabian breeders want for the show ring!

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As with the Appaloosa and Hanoverian, this is one of CollectA's older moulds, from 2011 this time, so she has fine and crisply sculpted well-detailed legs, essential for her to look true to breed type. The Arabian is one breed which really wouldn't work in their more recent style with  smooth plump legs and less prominent joints, so I'm glad they brought back the original instead of bringing out a new 'matching' stallion or something.

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I think this colour is an improvement on both the first chestnut, and the grey released at the same time. Funnily enough, I was planning to repaint my damaged one almost this colour, now I have to rethink and pick something else

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A very elegant horse, with a good pose which is typical for the breed but also very pretty - I can see people who aren't even really horse fans taking to this one, as it's got a lot of visual appeal whether you know much about the Arabian breed or not.

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Above and below, a couple more angles cos she really is very photogenic

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And again, the wonderful eyes! It's a shame they're not a feature for all 2022 releases, the Yakut and Appaloosa don't have eye colours, and we'll have to wait and see whether they appear on the Noriker, Saddlebred, Orlov Trotter, and Paint horse at the end of the year.

Finally, the last batch of Toy Animal Wiki pics...

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Beautiful new horses! The Yakutian Stallion is very adorable with a charming face and that dappled grey Hanoverian stallion is gorgeous!

I also love the movement of that Arabian mare.

I'm happy to see CollectA improving their models, no wonder people have abandoned Schleich to switch to CollectA

Great additions. I do like the new Appaloosa!

These are really nice; you should consider submitting them to the Animal Toy Blog (or at least give me permission to copy them over), possibly for a wider audience

thanks for the consideration!
-BAM

I think this is the kind of topic which works almost in every section.
Very good presentations of beautiful new models.
I wonder why Hanoverians are the best replicated horse breed?
I love the Arabian on this color. Can you show a comparison picture with the WIA Arabian, please?
I can’t edit on TAW for a while but I will try to not forget your green pictures if no one uploads them meanwhile.

Joliezac wrote:

Beautiful new horses! The Yakutian Stallion is very adorable with a charming face and that dappled grey Hanoverian stallion is gorgeous!

I also love the movement of that Arabian mare.

I'm happy to see CollectA improving their models, no wonder people have abandoned Schleich to switch to CollectA

Yes, they've really put the effort in to make the new colours better than the old, so they're all genuine upgrades rather than just different. For people like me who happily collect all the horses it's just nice to extend my collection, for people who choose just one per breed there's now more choice, so we're winning either way Up til recently I was a pick-my-favourite-colour-per-mould type of buyer, but now they've introduced so many nice new ones I reconsidered and thought there was no point not having models I liked just cos I'd bought older colours first, so now I get all the ones I like. Which this year, is going to be every horse they make!

thebritfarmer wrote:

Great additions. I do like the new Appaloosa!

The only thing which would've made him better is some pink speckling on the face - the older one got that part right. His head looks a little bit featureless, with no markings or eye colour.

bmathison1972 wrote:

These are really nice; you should consider submitting them to the Animal Toy Blog (or at least give me permission to copy them over), possibly for a wider audience

thanks for the consideration!
-BAM

Yes, I'm definitely not against it! I think all four reviews would benefit from some extra photos before posting, though - comparison group shots with the older colours in the same mould, and against the same breeds made by other brands? I'm at work for the next few days but will try to squeeze in a little extra photography session when the rain stops, once I've got the pictures and written up the captions, I'll message you with the 'extended edition' for each horse, if that's ok?

Roger wrote:

I think this is the kind of topic which works almost in every section.
Very good presentations of beautiful new models.
I wonder why Hanoverians are the best replicated horse breed?
I love the Arabian on this color. Can you show a comparison picture with the WIA Arabian, please?
I can’t edit on TAW for a while but I will try to not forget your green pictures if no one uploads them meanwhile.

I hoped I might get to write up this walkaround, I enjoyed doing the WIA Vincenzo one when I was the first forum member to get them, but I thought other people might beat me to the CollectA ones, especially as the UK has been so slow getting their deliveries this year!

Hanoverians are probably the best-known name out of the older pure warmblood breeds, and along with Dutch (KWPN) warmbloods they're the commonest high level competition horse, so they sell well as models due to that familiarity - people have heard of them and know what they look like, they'd think 'oh, that's like a dressage horse or a showjumper', where a less common German breed name like a Mecklenburger or Württemburg, would get more of a 'huh?' reaction if a brand released it to the general public

I'll get a picture with a WIA when I can, as I said to bmathison I'll squeeze in an additional photoshoot between work and thunderstorms!

yes, perfect thank you!

Beautiful new horses!! Thank you for showing these in your great photos!!
I am still waiting for the new Noriker mare and foal.

Gorgeous pictures of fantastic models
I hope to get the Yakutian horse soon, and after seing your pictures I almosty cannot wait

Shanti wrote:

Beautiful new horses!! Thank you for showing these in your great photos!!
I am still waiting for the new Noriker mare and foal.

I think 'real photos' always help with giving a better impression of what a model is like, compared to the promo shots. The Noriker isn't due to be stocked here in the UK til December, so I'm having to be very patient - at least some parts of mainland Europe have got them already cos I've seen in-hand photos on a Polish blog.

SUSANNE wrote:

Gorgeous pictures of fantastic models
I hope to get the Yakutian horse soon, and after seing your pictures I almosty cannot wait

Oh you can't resist him, look at that little face!

Roger wrote:

I love the Arabian on this color. Can you show a comparison picture with the WIA Arabian, please?

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Here you go! She is substantially bigger than him, far more so than could be natural variation between individuals, even with the different strains of Arabian being larger or smaller. But CollectA are sold as 1:20 and WIA as 1:18, which is curious because that should mean the sizing is the other way round (I was always told the larger the number, the smaller the model!)

P.S I haven't forgotten the Animal Toy Blog, I've just now taken the extra pictures I wanted, but will get the edited write-up done tomorrow

Thanks so much George. They’re both very good but they look really different. CollectA horses are closer to 1:16 scale than they are to 1:20. I remember someone averaging CollectA horse sizes as 1:17, not the old ones previous to Deborah’s works.

Amazing how detailed the non-Breyer horse models are these days as compared to the ones I grew up with! Beautiful!

That mare is definitely going on the want list.

To my surprise, the second half of the 2022 horses came into stock this week, despite having heard nothing earlier than 'December' as their estimated arrival date for the UK. I'm not complaining, it meant I could get an order in and complete my collection of new releases very quickly!

Oryol mare

Much better known as the Orlov Trotter, named after their developer Count Alexei Orlov, this is a famous breed but not a common one outside its native homeland, and it's fairly rare to see in model form, too. With nothing yet from Breyer, the market leader in the model horse world, we have to turn to the more toy-type brands : Mojo Fun have released their Orlov Trotter sculpt in two different shades of grey, and now CollectA bring us a brand new one.

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Sculpted in, quite logically, a trotting pose - but it's a rather relaxed-looking jog, rather than the high speed trot which the breed is capable of. This could be for stability reasons - a pose at full extension can cause the dreaded issues with model horses : wobbling, or warping of the limbs, both of which often end with tipping over entirely. This trot has enough movement to look energetic, without causing actual movement on your shelves

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Grey horses start dark and gradually fade to white, with the majority going through a dappled stage in between.
The dapples on this model aren't quite so successful as those on the beautiful Hanoverian released earlier in the year, I think they come across more like messy paint-brush stipples compared to his neatly shaped and carefully arranged blobs of paler grey. But although they look hand-painted, they are definitely an applied transfer print, it hasn't been left up to the factory artists to dot the speckles on individually.
The mane and tail are given a bit of depth with a graduated fade to grey down the tail, and a blondeness sprayed on both so they don't look starkly white but more realistic, like the horse is carrying a little bit of natural dirt in the hair.

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The other side, where perhaps the dapples are a bit better, being more spread out and with less obvious gaps around them!

Here she is on a plain background...

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All in all, it's a nice enough model, of a breed I'm glad to see, slightly let down by the dappling design.

American Saddlebred stallion

The American Saddlebred is a breed which we already have abundance of in the model world. Multiple brands, with multiple moulds each, often in more than one scale already. But they've been a notable gap in CollectA's catalogue for all this time - it's rather baffling that they've taken so long to get round to adding one to their range!

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And here he is! A stallion in liver chestnut (the mane is a very dark brown, not black), with nicely done crisp-edged markings, he's quite handsome and has the right showring stance and attitude to suit his breed.
But he's sadly let down by CollectA's tendancy to very chunky legs these days. Saddlebreds in real life are very fine-boned and light; an impression of elegance and height with their long slender limbs. Giving him such solid thickness, lacking definition between the joints and what should be narrow shins and pasterns, makes it look like he's wearing legs from a much fatter horse or much heavier breed!
As with the Hackney and Marwari from previous batches, which should have been spindly-legged lightweights but ended up heavy-legged, it really does detract from the overall accuracy of the model when they don't have the 'typey' conformation model collectors are looking for.

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Despite the legs, the general proportions of the horse are ok - the shoulders and quarters are where they should be, the neck is the right length and the right angle, the head is very nicely put together and has a nice expression. This is where CollectA do excel when compared to the more widely available Schleich horses, and why they're still the best of these toy-type brands : even when the fat legs are taken into consideration, they're still more accurate and visually appealing than their main competitor.

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I'm not sure why they went for a fairly bland coat colour, when Saddlebreds are one of the most colourful breeds in the world; with so, so many dilutes and pinto patterns to choose from, who really thought a dark-maned chestnut was the most exciting option?

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It's satisfying to tick such a popular breed off the list. Although some collectors don't like it when a common breed (or species) is made again, I think of it in a different way, and like to see each brand expanding their catalogue and compiling a comprehensive range, regardless of whether anyone else 'got there first'.

Noriker mare

Just one draft horse breed from CollectA this year, the Noriker from Austria - but we get two, cos they've released a mare and her matching foal. Frustratingly, the foal wasn't in stock the day I ordered my adult horses, then the very next day it popped up as in stock after all, so it's currently on the way seperately in a little parcel all alone, poor thing!

Here's the mare, for now, and I'll update when the family is completed later on!

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CollectA's draft horses are blessed indeed, as the chunky legs which are such an issue with light breeds blend perfectly into the sculpt - they're meant to be this thick! The faces, too, are a delight, and it's remarkable how many times the same person can form a handsome roman nosed heavy horse head without it becoming repetitive and formulaic : every single one looks unique and this gives the models their individuality and a whole lot of character. Where one is stern, another looks kind; where one is alert and sharp, another is so placid she's almost ready for a nap.
This Noriker has a bright and cheerful look, and will pair well for posing with her foal.

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A breed which comes in several coat colours, it's a bit of a pity they didn't go for the famous leopard-spotted pattern, as there's not many chances for a big spotty draft horse, and this would've been ideal. Perhaps something to hope for as a future release - now we've had extra colour options on the Icelandic, Appaloosa, Arabian, and Hanoverian it's seeming a little more likely that any one mould may return with a second (or third, or fourth!) colour some time.
But chestnut is perfectly ok, and I like that they went for a very different version than their Belgian mare, using a spray-shaded coat and much blonder mane this time.

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As I said, I'll update this review with some mum-and-baby photos once my foal has got here!

Paint Horse stallion

I've saved my favourite in this batch for last, the stunning Paint Horse stallion!

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As with the Arabian Mare in liver chestnut, I had my doubts about the honesty of the catalogue image for this one. It just seemed too good to be true, like they'd photographed a one-of-a-kind artist's proof model with a high-quality finish but then the production models would turn out to be a simplified let-down lacking the added level of detail. But, just like the Arabian, I was pleasantly surprised to find I'd got a model in my hand which was every bit as good as the unspoken 'promise' of the promotional picture!

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With his bay colour nicely shaded and a super-realistic fiddly-outlined pinto pattern, this has got to be one of the best renditions of this two-tone coat ever done in the world of toy-type small plastic models. Where stencilled or airbrushed markings often leave a smudged or blurry edge (and peel-off masking is only used on harder plastic like Breyer models) this application by decal/transfer of a white layer over the top of the sprayed base colour leaves a perfect crisp edge, and means every model will have an identical realistic outline to the patches.

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He also has a spectacular level of detail for a mass produced regular run toy : eye colour and pupils, grey skin smudged carefully around the mouth and nostril, and within the pinking where his marking reaches his muzzle, a couple of dark spots on the upper lip. This is the sort of effort you expect to see on custom repaints, not factory finish figures!

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Here's the reverse of his pinto pattern, just as well designed as the display side.

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Another nice touch is the fact the socks are crisp markings too, when it's easier and cheaper to do a fade-out that's often what happens, so it's great to see CollectA stepping up the majority of their paintwork decisions this year.

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Although he's another re-used mould, it isn't quite a repeated breed in a new colour, as this stallion was originally sculpted as an Appaloosa and now represents a Paint Horse. So that's one more to tick off the list of breeds available from the brand, and one I can wholeheartedly recommend!

I truly love your reviews, George! I cogitated to collect standard sized horses as I do with my wildlife, choosing a single representative for each breed. I'm probably repeating it because I still love the idea and if I have converging circunstances which allow me to do it, I'll surely revisit your reviews to make my choices. They're fortunately so many now that it is easy to stop my momentum.
I agree the Paint horse has a quality finish which is unexpectable for figures at such a low price level.
Though, I really love the Noriker, a figure I could easily feel tempted to buy if I stumbled on it in a local shop. It is much easier to resist when we have to buy online.
My choice for an Orlov will always be Mojö's model. First, it was my own suggestion to the brand and I feel happy about it. Then, it is a figure sculpted by Anna-Dobrowolska who is a forum friend, finally, I'm not really sure I like the CollectA best, Mojo's model has a taller conformation and proportions which look more noble to me, CollectA's is more dynamic and detailed but I think it is not as readily identifiable as an Orlov as Mojö's is. A good subject for a comparison topic since they're the only two representatives of the breed and at the same scale and price range.

I think it'd be between CollectA, WIA, and Mojo if picking a best per breed for a standard-scale horse collection, the other brands don't come close in accuracy (apart from Papo for their wonderful donkey). That's not a decision I'd enjoy making, though, there's just so many nice horses I happily go for 'buy both' every time

Last time I as in a toy shop I very nearly bought an anteater, it was only telling myself not to touch it which made me resist cos I knew if I picked it up then it'd have to come home with me

Unfortunately I don't have Mojo's Orlov yet, so I can't add a handy comparison between the two. I liked the previous plain grey one more cos the dappling on the second version is a bit random-spread-out-spots for my liking. So I'm undecided between hoping to catch the older one second-hand some time, waiting for another redesign to update the paintwork again, and just getting one anyway but repainting it, like I did for the Welsh Pony which kicked off my customs thread on here!

Yes, WIA are the best but still a short rrange, CollectA would be the core of my collection with a few Mojö Fun. Namely the Orlov, Suffolk, Dutsch Warmblood, Arabian in foal and eventually the Friesian, Percheron, Shire but there are also great representatives on CollectA's range too. Southlands Brumby which I already have and still a few Schleich like the Sorraia I also own and a few more.
I added your pictures on TAW, thanks for providing them.
A Giant anteater is basically a pinocchio horse. It has a mane, a Tinker tail and it even has a gait similar to a horse. Is there any animal as crazy as a giant anteater?

What a great review! Wonderful photos again, I can see and admire every detail of the models!

I think the Noriker mare will move in. Maybe the Saddlebred too. And what a handsome face on the Appy!

Thanks for sharing! I'll be honest, despite the saddlebred having chunky limbs, I still prefer him over Schleich's take on the breed. Collecta's version has a nice face, and he is at least in proportion for the most part. The blue roan Appy is one of my favs, as is the Noriker. I'm not really sure how I feel about the Orlov tho.

Wrong thread.

I'm just about to start a thread for the 2023 horses, if you'd like to make your reply on the current year? Give me a few minutes to type then it'll be there!

Oh yes of course, this is the thread of the 2022... soorry! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]