Schleich 2018

Dum_my wrote:

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other question, is it true that i miss the winning pony from the ;
''witch breed do you wannee see next year/'' thingy? That was a connemara right?
Will that one comming out in juni?

Yes, the Connemara mare is indeed not released yet.
She will probably be released in Juli (2nd half of the year).
Schleich did the same with the sloth.

Brilliant idea, Roger! I still think Schleich could satisfy both kids and collectors, and while not doing it at the same time like in the past, they can make it with two ranges, that would be awesome.

By the way, among "hobbyists" there are definitely also collectors, not only kids playing with bellville dolls. Model horse hobby to me means also customizing, tack-making, showing models, taking lifelike outdoors photos, yes, some of them use schleich horses with bellville dolls, but lot of them use realistic models such as Breyer, or even resins. The word "model" refers to something quite different from these toys...for me model horse hobbyist are even more specialized collectors with their miniature tacks, shows and OOAK customs and limited models....

It's still my opinion, that we needn't two lines, because this is like a two class society. I like both, horses with and without braids, some sets, wild animals and also bayala.
We should not make the mistake like some german sites (you know which i mean ). There are collectors, whose think they are an upper class and look down at other who like the new Schleich horses. I like both, older and newer. In the past we had good and bad horses, and now it's the same.
And Schleich not only has horses.

I think you can please all 'sorts' of collectors without making multiple lines.

Breyer has playworlds for the stablemate, classic and traditional sized horses, with oustanding tack and dolls and all that fluff, but theirs horses are stunning all the same.

Not that I am complaining much about the 2018 models, I think most is nice. I am not as thrilled as I am with CollectA, but Schleich will always be the majority of my collection.

I also think you can satisfy more subgroups of collectors, but Schleich is apparently not doing it. It seems to me they don't pay much attention to breed characteristics past few years. It would be much better to call it just "a pony", "walking horse", "chestnut horse", etc. or more personal with names as Roger suggested.
Beauty is in the eye of beholder, and it's ok that they decided to produce toys for kids, but it's also ok for customers to decide whether they like it or not.

Breyer has some accessories to make their models useful for playing, and their (most of their) models are stunning themselves (what I can't really say about new Schleich horses), but let's not forget that Traditional horses are for children older than 8 years, and they have several lines for kids - plush horses, pony gals with cute toyish look and brushable manes, and new Spirit Riding Free line.
As for the people looking down at other collectors because of what they (don't) collect. It's sad, but people are people and I guess it's a sign of contemporary era and consumerism. There will be always people with iPhones mocking people with other brand's phones and other brand's phone people mocking how much are iPhone people willing to spend on new Apple. But is it a solution to make one universal phone for everyone to prevent mocking? No, we have the variety of market and everyone can choose from plenty of brands and products. Everything has pros and cons.
The thing is Schleich in past definitely satisfied both kids and older collectors, but unfortunately they stopped following this direction. They had beautiful horses represent various breeds, Icey with foreleg in the air in typical gait. Now every horse in movement has unnaturally elongated legs to touch the ground and you can sometimes hardly tell what type, not even breed, is that particular horse supposed to represent.

I saw on facebook some pictures of the new Schleich horses in sets and it pushes me to take one decision I was thinking since few years ago: I won't buy any schleich horse.

The new models aren't the best, as we talked, but they could be in my collection. But the sets are just horrible. I saw a picture of a group of pigs with eyes as big as the head! All the horses are varation of animals that already exists with strange colors, without shadows or marks, big black eyes and cute faces. These are NOT horses!!!!

It's ok that Schleich looks for his own way to do animals. All companies do. For example, CollectA horses are larger than others, with this "pear" body. CollectA horses like to have a lot of movement and tense expressions. Papo does "rare" breeds with "rare" positions. Safari puts faces with a lot of angles... For me that is fine. If all horses look similar, we just need one brand.

For me, 2017 is the last year Schleich works (and I'm being generous, the disaster started, as Roger said, with Princess and the arabian mare) My Schleich collection finishes here. I'll be looking for the models I've already want, but, for me, as Schleich changed into a toy brand, I'm not interested anymore and I feel my collection will be complete until 2017.

I know my decision won't change anything. Schleich found more lucrative make figurines for children than for collectors. I don't think this is a boycott or something like that and also I don't believe that, if all of us change our mind, things will be changed. I think than Schleich now wants to be a big toys brand as others and collectors represent a very little average of their sells so, whatever we do, it won't be enough.

As we talked about, Bullyland did the same: they are now focused in children, making more cartoon figurine and less animal ones.

Maybe I'm a bit pesimistic but, for example, take a minute to think about the catalogues. Old schleich catalogues were bigger, with a lot of pages and thought for collectors: good pictures of animals, grouped  by type or region... now, Schleich has a catalogue for kids, which is more similar than Toys'r'us catalogue than a real collector one. They put horrible pictures of animals, where you can't distingish anything. But all the pages have a lot of children playing, cartoons and a lot of message focused on children...

I really don't know if this is a good strategy. Schleich horses are quite expensive and parents just buy toys in Christmas and birthdays. Will be that enough for them? I don't know.

I don´t like any of the new Schleich horses. They aren´t realistic, they are full of braids and ribbons, they have enormous and wrong shaped eyes, the heads remind to a moose... All the other brands are improving their figurines but Schleich is even worse than when they started (which is in fact not difficult, as I consider their begginings quite good).

Am I the only one who thinks the Thoroughbred stallion and the Holsteiner stallion (and not only) have a poor anatomy?Or maybe the big chests make me think like that?

AlfaSchleich wrote:

Am I the only one who thinks the Thoroughbred stallion and the Holsteiner stallion (and not only) have a poor anatomy?Or maybe the big chests make me think like that?

You're definitely not the only one. The only acceptable horses from 2018 for me are the Holsteiner foal (as it is slightly resculpted mould from 2013), but its colour is weird for a foal, and maybe the pony foal from pony and mare set and the welsh pony stallion.

Overcutism as usual, but the walrus looks nice (with tusks made a little thinner...), the lion could look great with some custom paint, the indian rhino is a must-have, and the orca looks good, though exactly like a "beached on a showpool platform pose". No special species like the great pangolin though...

Our local toy store did have some of the new Schleichs. I have to say, rarely my taste anymore. I almost bought the black bull (one of my favorite figurine in general) but no...
Instead I bought the cute Yorkshire Terrier. Will take some pictures of him when the light is back.

Yes, a local store in my city has also the new Schleich figures. The Koala looks good. But that's it. The Orca has a very bad painting (looks like a 2 years old child has painted it) and the saddle is missing, the blue whale is nearly the same like the old one, but he got more food. I hope the Bottlenose Dolphin will be better.
Maybe I will get the Koala and the Bottlenose Dolphin...

Megaptera wrote:

Yes, a local store in my city has also the new Schleich figures. The Koala looks good. But that's it. The Orca has a very bad painting (looks like a 2 years old child has painted it) and the saddle is missing, the blue whale is nearly the same like the old one, but he got more food. I hope the Bottlenose Dolphin will be better.
Maybe I will get the Koala and the Bottlenose Dolphin...

Oh no, is the paint on the orca that bad?!
He and the Arctic fox where the only two I would buy this half year. But missing the saddle and bad painting, it's will be probably a no (although I have more orcas missing the saddle and not every specie has as clear one)

I hope to see your additions! Tessa already presented some [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and also some walk arounds of equine figures. :)
It seems a new series of mini dinos will be released for the second half of the year.

Yes, I was really disappointed when I saw the orca:(
I hope not all of them will look like these ones...

Roger wrote:

I hope to see your additions! Tessa already presented some [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and also some walk arounds of equine figures. :)
It seems a new series of mini dinos will be released for the second half of the year.

Thanks for the shout out. Where did you spot the mini dino's?

Gwaine wrote:

Roger wrote:

I hope to see your additions! Tessa already presented some [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and also some walk arounds of equine figures. :)
It seems a new series of mini dinos will be released for the second half of the year.

Thanks for the shout out. Where did you spot the mini dino's?

I haven't spotted them and I shouldn't prevent to comment without certainties. While reading about Schleich magazines, I've found a mini carnotaurus was to be launched next year. As I think these magazines use Schleich minis and there is no carnotaurus yet, I concluded that a new set of mini dinos was to be released. It may completely wrong once I am not totally used with these figures.

All new Schleich Animals for 2018 are now available in local stores in my city. Most of you know I'm not very excited about the way, that barnd is ging since a couple of years. I completly stopped buying the horses, and since 2013, I buy only the good models. They are every year just a few-what saves a lot of money, but I very regret I can't enlarge my Collection of the former great Horse line of Schleich-such a shame, but not to change.

So also from the new 2018 series I will buy just a few. The first dissapointment was, of course, the choice of species. No new species in the Wild Animals line, only zebra, hippo, rhino, chimp, lion, polar bear and koala...No brand is more commercial and fixed on money than Schleich. I bet, we will get new elephants, giraffes and Pandas in 2019...

But becuase I'm a great fan of Rhinos-exspecially Indians-I'm very happy to get-al last-a new Indian Rhino from Schleich. It was looking good on the photos, so I was hoping it was looking even better in real-and so it is !

It is really great and naturealistic looking Indian Rhino, I think, even better than Pap's ones. So Schleich is defentiely still good in making animal figurines-if they only want. I havn't bought it yet, because I buy Schleich only in my favorite store, because I'm customer there since I've started collecting Schleich in 2003, and they give me every year the Seller's catalouge.

The Hippo is not that good as the Rhino, but it looks very good, too-the best Hippo the brand ever made, and I like the moth closed-so I will buy it, too. The Walrus is better than Schleichs first walrus, what is looking like an exploded sausage with tusks, and in compare to Collecta or Papos walrus it's not perfect, but nice and worth to buy.

The Orca is poor as usally. Altough the form is better than the last, it looks not good, and also the painting is a disapointment.

The Koala is good, too, but you can forget the Zebras-no improvement to the last zebra, and the painting is a desaster. I guess, Schleich has never seen a comon zebra in real.

The lion and polar bear are nice-no more, no less. I don't know, if I will buy them or not. I don't like the chimp.

The only Farmlife I buy this year are the Texas longhorn family and maybe the Simmenthaler cow. That's it.

Bongo wrote:

But becuase I'm a great fan of Rhinos-exspecially Indians-I'm very happy to get-al last-a new Indian Rhino from Schleich. It was looking good on the photos, so I was hoping it was looking even better in real-and so it is !

It is really great and naturealistic looking Indian Rhino, I think, even better than Pap's ones. So Schleich is defentiely still good in making animal figurines-if they only want.

Yes, the Indian rhino looks good on official picture and I am glad that you tell it looks even better in real. You tell it is better than Papo's, but it is comparable with Safari's? I think that among some weird looking figures, Schleich can still surprise us, I am just crazy with the psittacosaurus, maybe their best piece for 2018.

As I said, Schleich still can still do excellent models-if they only want.

I like all three Indian Rhinos very much-Papo's,Safari's and now the new Schleich. Between their old Indian Rhino and the present one lay worlds...All three are in compare a bit diffrent to each other,and all of them have some details the other do not, so it is, of course, a thing of personal taste which of them you will like most...

I like the Safari's head, the body shape and belly-its it a bit thicker and bigger than the belly of the other two-if you compare Indian Rhinos in Zoos, they often have a very round belly-to good food, I guess And also its horn is very short-so from my point of view, the Safari's Indian Rhino is the typical type of a ZooIndian Rhino...

The Papo IR ist a bit more detailed than the Safari ones, its belly is smaller and the horn thinner and longer-and it has a calf, altough it can't be identyfied as a female neither a bull-like the Safari ones. I think, the new Schleich is a male.

It is most detailed from the them all and the paintig is a bit better and more realistic. Today I will visit my favourite Toy Store and I hope, they also have it now as my last own gift in 2017. In that case, I will try to post some photos.

And I'm very excited about the Safari's Sumatran Rhino-at last, my collection of all five Rhino species will be completet

Ok. All Orcas look horrible. The painting looks lile a kinder garden project. But the Bottlenose Dolphin is ok. Nothing special, but it looks like a Bottlenose Dolphin.

Bongo wrote:

As I said, Schleich still can still do excellent models-if they only want.

I like all three Indian Rhinos very much-Papo's,Safari's and now the new Schleich. Between their old Indian Rhino and the present one lay worlds...All three are in compare a bit diffrent to each other,and all of them have some details the other do not, so it is, of course, a thing of personal taste which of them you will like most...

I like the Safari's head, the body shape and belly-its it a bit thicker and bigger than the belly of the other two-if you compare Indian Rhinos in Zoos, they often have a very round belly-to good food, I guess And also its horn is very short-so from my point of view, the Safari's Indian Rhino is the typical type of a ZooIndian  Rhino...

The Papo IR ist a bit more detailed than the Safari ones, its belly is smaller and the horn thinner and longer-and it has a calf, altough it can't be identyfied as a female neither a bull-like the Safari ones. I think, the new Schleich is a male.

It is most detailed from the them all and the paintig is a bit better and more realistic. Today I will visit my favourite Toy Store and I hope, they also have it now as my last own gift in 2017. In that case, I will try to post some photos.

And I'm very excited about the Safari's Sumatran Rhino-at last, my collection of all five Rhino species will be completet

Thanks for your observations. If you could illustrate a topic with them, it would be fantastic. From official picture, I commented immediately that the newer Indian rhino looked better than the previous one, curiously it was a Maia & Borges mould. However, I never liked it too much. If the 2018 version rivals with Papo's and Safari's, it is excellent once these are really good.
You're absolutely right, the Sumatran rhino from Safari is what we needed, I don't have the Bullyland Javan rhino but I also hope someday to complete the rhino band.

I've also seen the new Indian Rhinoceros made by Schleich and it is quite good, but a bit small in comparison to the Black Rhinoceros. All in all, I like the new one very much:)

Maybe it could be also a Javan Rhinoceros...?

Megaptera wrote:

Maybe it could be also a Javan Rhinoceros...?

It surely doesn't look like a Javan rhinoceros what means Schleich hasn't messed their differences. A smaller Indian rhino, just it. I don't know if Schleich will release more wild animals to the second half of the year. Was the sloth an exception?