2011 ? ~ Schleich Company ~ Masters of Suspense ~

...Clapping hands...
Bravo,Kiki!Bravo!

This discussion is great!

Kikimalou wrote:

Look at the mighty Schleich zebras, the German company is unable to use the bluring method and you easily understand why. Look carefuly at your models, the zebras painting are not so fine because it is uneasy to do it quickly, they have the same problem than Safari because they can't avoid it !

I've just looked at my zebras carefully and didn't notice any problems. What do you mean?

Kiryuha wrote:

I've just looked at my zebras carefully and didn't notice any problems. What do you mean?

I will try to take some pics tomorow to explain myself better.

What I mean is there is a difference between the mane or the muzzle which are a bit blurring and the zebras on the body. The black zebras are not really as perfect as the bluring parts. Again, maybe pics could help ?

Here's my point re the Safari Ltd's paintings done. Take a look at the pinna and the hooves' white lining. It's like a kids' painting job.


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Ok Ronald, it seems we didn't buy the same models.

Here are mine :

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I already said the Safari is not perfect and the hooves are not the best ( the best are Papo hooves) but, at least, he is not wearing white gaiters or socks.

About the white pinna, take a look at them... Maybe the Safari ones are two extended around the ears but what can we say about the Schleich ones ? Front ? Blur. Back ? Blur again.

Again, look at the head. I'm sorry but I can't look at the Schleich wiythout thinking about a cartoon. Why ? The head is a little bit chubby, even smiling and the eyes are a bit too big. So sweety !
I prefer the head of the Safari which is not cartoonish at all, not smiling, and smaller eyes.

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I finally find a pic of the Papo's tapir in real life !

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At the end, maybe I am wrong

The Safari has bad hooves, the Schleich has got bad pinnas, white socks and funny head...

Maybe the best is the Papo ?

Or maybe we will have to wait for the CollectA one to have at least a decent tapir. The others are really too bad

Each time I'm loving more this tapirs battle. I'm reading carefully and seeing all pics!!!
At the end I'll buy only one, I'll wait for CollectA 2011 to see if there is another option. I never saw before a tapir and the most similar thing that I know is my neighbor! And until now the Schleich one is out of question. But I'm very happy with Papo and in the tapirs battle I think that is ahead!!!
I never saw a tapir before, the most similar thing i know is my

Maybe you could post a pic of your neighbor so we can compare ?

Well, for me the Papo one isn't very good, the feet don't stand flat on the ground and the back legs are too far apart, then it has a strange blue glossy ring around it's eyes So that leaves the Safari and Schleich.
I like the Safari Tapir, the paintwork is great, other then the white on it's feet, but it's a nice sculpt. It's maybe more plastic looking then the Schleich, but that's just different materials I guess. The Schleich one is cute, very cute, that's really why I love it! But I'm with Christophe on this, the Safari one is certainly the most realistic out of the three (Other than the white on it's feet But that could be painted over!)

Kikimalou wrote:

Maybe you could post a pic of your neighbor so we can compare ?

There's too late now, maybe tomorrow I'll be able to send you a nice pic!!!
About the Papo I'm geting really confused! I love some Papo sculptings but I agree that the plastic is strange and sometimes even the balance is bad.

Kikimalou wrote:

The Safari has bad hooves, the Schleich has got bad pinnas, white socks and funny head...

Strange enough, but in the Schleich catalogue the tapir doesn't wear socks - there are only small white stripes around the nails.
I'm wondering, maybe the socks appear only on "Made in China" models? Has anyone seen a "Made in Germany" tapir?

HKHollinstone wrote:

Well, for me the Papo one isn't very good, the feet don't stand flat on the ground and the back legs are too far apart, then it has a strange blue glossy ring around it's eyes So that leaves the Safari and Schleich.
I like the Safari Tapir, the paintwork is great, other then the white on it's feet, but it's a nice sculpt. It's maybe more plastic looking then the Schleich, but that's just different materials I guess. The Schleich one is cute, very cute, that's really why I love it! But I'm with Christophe on this, the Safari one is certainly the most realistic out of the three (Other than the white on it's feet But that could be painted over!)

Maybe this text will help you about the blue in the eyes of Papo Tapir:
"The Malayan tapir has small, beady eyes with brown irises on either side of their face. Their eyes are often covered in a blue haze, which is corneal cloudiness
thought to be caused by repetitive exposure to light.!
In Wikipedia

I want a tapir with a corneal cloudiness!!!
Is there any glasses in the same scale?

Roger wrote:

HKHollinstone wrote:

Well, for me the Papo one isn't very good, the feet don't stand flat on the ground and the back legs are too far apart, then it has a strange blue glossy ring around it's eyes So that leaves the Safari and Schleich.
I like the Safari Tapir, the paintwork is great, other then the white on it's feet, but it's a nice sculpt. It's maybe more plastic looking then the Schleich, but that's just different materials I guess. The Schleich one is cute, very cute, that's really why I love it! But I'm with Christophe on this, the Safari one is certainly the most realistic out of the three (Other than the white on it's feet But that could be painted over!)

Maybe this text will help you about the blue in the eyes of Papo Tapir:
"The Malayan tapir has small, beady eyes with brown irises on either side of their face. Their eyes are often covered in a blue haze, which is corneal cloudiness
thought to be caused by repetitive exposure to light.!
In Wikipedia

I want a tapir with a corneal cloudiness!!!
Is there any glasses in the same scale?

Yes, animals often have a blue haze in their eyes. I meant the blue colour around the eyes actually, Tapirs don't have that, it's normally just black, the same colour as the rest of their head.

First..., the Schleich tapir is made in Portugal...

And i see advantages in all three of them, and i don't think the Schleich isn't so bad, although the "cutting" of the black and white isn't that sharp, same for the hooves.
It is just an easier way to paint them i guess...
The white lines on the Safari are really looking cheap, and he is shiny too...
So overall, i think that we must be happy to be able to compare a rare made model like this in the new manufacturers, because they made it all!
IMHO the eyes on the Schleich are not really big too Christophe, those are really deetails that you can't aspect from a toy-company, it is not Lineol you know...

I'm sorry Willy but my Schleich tapir is made in China

Maybe the eyes seems not too big Willy but they are bigger than the Safari and they have a white circle that makes them bigger. But my problem is not they are too big, my problem is this model has got a very cute but a bit cartoonish head. I'm sorry but each time I look at him I can't avoid to think about the tapirs in Ice Age movies...
And as I said, I think they used blur paintings because it is easier to do.
About the Safari, the plastic is more shiny than the Schleich and I said the best hooves are for the Papo: No white lines and no white socks.
I said it first I think they are both good models and I bought them all. You know me, when I dislike a model I don't buy it.
But again I think the Safari is better because it has a more realistic shape and details and I like this. Of course, when you see them in a batch or a shop display, the most appealing and cute is the Schleich. I'm sure a children would choose that one... But it doesn't mean it is the best.
The most "Lineol" of the three is the Safari IMHO

Yes, i understood by reading more treads about this tapir, that there are more versions on the Schleich model.
I bought mine from Germany, and it was made in Portugal, so i assumed that they are all made in Portugal...
So i have to look out for those other variations again...

I will buy the Safari and the Papo and Chap Mei too, you know me, i want them all.
I see the deetails that are not so good on every model, but i don't care soo much, because i can't change it anyway, and don't want to spend energy on discussing them then, it won't change the model or painting anyway...

I think most of those sculptors and painters know very well how an animal should look, but producing-process and the costs of that limits the talents of those people...

All right Willy. I agree of course those sculptors have talent but I think the companies have different philosophy about their style.

It is not only the style, but the way the make and paint it...
They prefer what is cheaper to make, specially in those little items some companies make, like toy-animals...

Maybe but there is different ways to be cheap...

And again the Schleich tried to be the cutest and the Safari tried to be more realist I think.

I think ,they both try to be realistic, and do not think if children like the laugh on the face of a model, but different kinds of views on making a model makes those differences i think, same as we collectors have different opinions on certain models.

I do collect Schleich, and many things, brands and models that are not really realistic, but i do not like it more then any other brand, i just want to complete complete lines, as i did before in so many other collections.
When you miss one model out of let's say the 100 they made, you don't feel really happy, even when the model is not exactly what your taste is...

WILLYBACOMAN wrote:

I think ,they both try to be realistic, and do not think if children like the laugh on the face of a model, but different kinds of views on making a model makes those differences i think, same as we collectors have different opinions on certain models.

I do collect Schleich, and many things, brands and models that are not really realistic, but i do not like it more then any other brand, i just want to complete complete lines, as i did before in so many other collections.
When you miss one model out of let's say the 100 they made, you don't feel really happy, even when the model is not exactly what your taste is...

I know Willy I know

And you know I can be very happy (and crazy) if I miss a model I don't like

Haha, yes we are just both crazy collectors...

It shoud be a nice end to this Tapirs tread but I have to say that this is my favorit one! I still don't remember the subject. And talk about the fawls is not a waste of time is a an usefull exercise for us. I remember that I'm only a recent collector and your opinions are very important.
Let's work in treads about an animal of different brands and the point of view of different collectors. That's nice!

Ok Roger, I will

I prefer obeying to a lion than to a small red fish, even if this fish is a very good friend

The French crazy macaque