1/32 scale animals

what a really lovely model this one is! thank you Roger, this is so helpful to see these comparisons :)
this is on my wishlist now

Thanks, everyone. Happy to see that you haven't lost interest in elephants yet, as there is still some way to go. However, the best ones are still to come and we have now reached the more acceptable elephant models.

At number 8 is the Papo Asian elephant bull from 2011. Yes, he is very fat, but the relative size of his head, legs, feet and the rest of his body looks right and he has some colouring on his ears to add interest. The head is nicely sculpted too. He has just eaten too much.
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Its shoulder height is 9.0/288 cm, which is very large for an Asian elephant, but because he is also very bulky, it kind of works in 1:32 scale. Here is a comparison with the 1961 Britains Asian elephant (left) and the 2015 Schleich (right) showing how much fatter the Papo is.
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Comparison with the two Britains:
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And with the 2015 Schleich female:
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The Papo Asian elephant is larger than the Britains African elephant cow. Usually, African elephants are larger, but there is considerable size overlap and especially when the Asian is a male and the African a female, it is possible that an Asian elephant is larger.
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He is very nice Roger.

I considered this model several times and I ended buying the CollectA figure which is much less balanced in terms of proportions. Though, despite the high level of detail, I am not happy with it. I don't know, I think the finish quality of the Schleich model is better but the general sculpt of the Papo figure is more realistic. It is also clearly a better match for a Britains since the design of the Schleich figure is radically different.

The Papo Asian elephant is a good figure, but my photos flatter him because the side view doesn’t show how bulky he is.

Number 7 is the Mojö African elephant cow from 2015.
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It’s a nice model: Not chubby, legs not too short, head not too large and trunk the right size. It is sometimes criticised because she has very deep skinfolds. I don’t mind that, but the contrast with the very smooth ears is quite stark. I quite like that she looks down a bit, which makes her seem a bit shy. I don’t want all my elephants to have wild poses, it’s good to have elephants that have a more common pose too.
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She is 9.4/301 cm at the shoulder, which is extremely large for a female, perhaps not even possible. However, as long as you don’t look underneath, I think this elephant could pass for a male.

Much better than the Safari running elephant:
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And also than the 2005 Schleich:
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Perhaps I like it because there are some similarities with the Britains elephant cow:
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They are getter better and better :) I do wonder though if Britains made the trunk and ears too small looking at the comparisons of all the other African elephants?

Maybe this is one of those underrated models. I am also not a enthusiast of the excessive texturing but the sculpt is clearly better than its competitors at the time it was released.
I think I never considered to get it but I am sure it happened because I've never found it locally or my impression would surely be much more positive.
I am also impressed that I never noticed some geommetry similarities with the Britains cow, from the pose, long legs, the profile view, etc. This comparison is a praise to the Mojö model, like it is a modern interpretations of a Britains elephant.
Thanks for offering me the chance of revisiting this beautiful model and give a 2nd chance to it.

The deep texturing on the body would probably stand out less if we didn't have those smooth smooth ears right there to contrast against it! Very odd that they weren't given any texture at all, it looks almost like an artist's progress photo of an unfinished piece photographed while still in the raw clay at their workbench, the kind of shot they'd caption with 'Almost done, just the ears to finish!'

Lovely to be back on this topic again! Such beautiful animals, it seems to be a species that in general is represented really well across the brands!

I am going elephant mad! My wife and I went for a walk yesterday and by complete coincidence we passed a rock formation called the elephant rock:
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Perhaps not the very best elephant model, as it is rather bulky, its legs are too short and its trunk too thick , but impressive nevertheless.

It isn’t my 6th most favourite model, that honour goes to the Papo charging African elephant from 2017. It isn’t just a charging elephant, but an angry-looking charging elephant.
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The body proportions of this elephant are good and I find the pose natural. The way the head is sculpted doesn’t seem quite perfect: The bones seem to stick out too much, as if the elephant is starving. It does add to the impression that this elephant is going mad, so I don’t mind it too much. If you are looking for an angry elephant, this is the one to go for! This male elephant has a shoulder height of 9.1/291 cm.
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Comparison with the Mojö:
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And with the Schleich copy:
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It looks like the Britains enjoys the fight much more than the Papo:
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Thanks everyone for your comments on my previous elephants!

Very nice Roger, I have added my favourites to my Amazon wish list so I can pick them up later :)

It is another relatively neglected elephant and it may explain why he looks so angry.
Actually there are many positive points to this model. The hanging parts are not massive as in many other figures. I mean the trunk, tusks and tail. We used to joke about the spread legs on many Papo figures and this elephant has his legs elegantly placed under the body. They're also long and the proportions are correct as you pointed. I think there's also a lot of movement in that figure. The tail is not just hanging down, the trunk is lifted but leaning to one side to follow the elephant's movement. The ears are wide open like flapping with each bump. I think there is a puposeful angry expression on this elephant's face but this is probably the least appealing point of this model. Maybe the facial elements are exaggerated. Ah, it has the giraffe gait of the Safari figure.
I'm really enjoying to see all these elephants being presented!

Another charging elephant is at number 5, the Safari African bull elephant from 2006.
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Even though it is charging, it’s actually a very friendly looking elephant. Perhaps he is just running rather than attacking. It’s an elegant model with the right body proportions and the running pose is well done and gives it added interest. His shoulder height is 9.3/298 cm.
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Some days I prefer the Papo charging elephant, depending on whether I am in an angry or a good mood. Today I am in a good mood. The colours of the Papo and Safari are very different so your preference may also depend on the other elephants you’d like to display them with. I usually prefer the Safari’s lighter colour because it matches my Britains elephants better.
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Together with the Mojö African elephant cow:
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With the Papo trumpeting elephant:
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And with the Britains elephant bull:
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Surely this is a good elephant figure for its time. Though, there's something not working for me. I don't know if it is the shape of the body or a somewhat toyish finish but the right side of the model is beautiful and I enjoy the tail, for instance. It is a good model to act together with the Safari black rhino. If I had to choose between the Papo and the Safari, I am convinced I'd choose the French one.

Roger wrote:

Surely this is a good elephant figure for its time. Though, there's something not working for me. I don't know if it is the shape of the body or a somewhat toyish finish but the right side of the model is beautiful and I enjoy the tail, for instance. It is a good model to act together with the Safari black rhino. If I had to choose between the Papo and the Safari, I am convinced I'd choose the French one.

I think it is his front legs that look weird, they look baggy or as we say he has cankles It is nice figure though and fits well with the other 1/32 elephants

thebritfarmer wrote:

Roger wrote:

Surely this is a good elephant figure for its time. Though, there's something not working for me. I don't know if it is the shape of the body or a somewhat toyish finish but the right side of the model is beautiful and I enjoy the tail, for instance. It is a good model to act together with the Safari black rhino. If I had to choose between the Papo and the Safari, I am convinced I'd choose the French one.

I think it is his front legs that look weird, they look baggy or as we say he has cankles It is nice figure though and fits well with the other 1/32 elephants

Surely it works nicely with all others.
Sorry for my limited English, is baggy the same as loose for clothes?

Interesting to hear your opinions. Clearly, the Safari charging elephant is a controversial choice for number 5. You are right about his front legs, Scott, but it doesn't bother me. Perhaps his face looks a bit toyish and doesn't make it look as realistic as it could be. I think it has elegant lines so although it is perhaps less realistic than some other elephants, I enjoy seeing it. And it doesn't have the bulkiness, large head and short legs that I dislike.

Roger wrote:

thebritfarmer wrote:

Roger wrote:

Surely this is a good elephant figure for its time. Though, there's something not working for me. I don't know if it is the shape of the body or a somewhat toyish finish but the right side of the model is beautiful and I enjoy the tail, for instance. It is a good model to act together with the Safari black rhino. If I had to choose between the Papo and the Safari, I am convinced I'd choose the French one.

I think it is his front legs that look weird, they look baggy or as we say he has cankles It is nice figure though and fits well with the other 1/32 elephants

Surely it works nicely with all others.
Sorry for my limited English, is baggy the same as loose for clothes?

Yes baggy would be used to describe loose clothes.

thebritfarmer wrote:

Roger wrote:

thebritfarmer wrote:

Roger wrote:

Surely this is a good elephant figure for its time. Though, there's something not working for me. I don't know if it is the shape of the body or a somewhat toyish finish but the right side of the model is beautiful and I enjoy the tail, for instance. It is a good model to act together with the Safari black rhino. If I had to choose between the Papo and the Safari, I am convinced I'd choose the French one.

I think it is his front legs that look weird, they look baggy or as we say he has cankles It is nice figure though and fits well with the other 1/32 elephants

Surely it works nicely with all others.
Sorry for my limited English, is baggy the same as loose for clothes?

Yes baggy would be used to describe loose clothes.

Thanks, in this regard the Safari figure contrasts a lot with the Papo model.

this is a really nice figure!
and thanks for the great photos Roger, they really show him off well.
To me he appears to be gently playing
I watch wild elephants a lot and this position reminds me of them when they are having fun and playing - which incidentally they do a lot! They know how to relax and enjoy life

That's a great pose! Really like this model, the proportions look wonderful too!

Good to hear that you like the Safari, Annette and Lilias; people clearly have very different opinions about this elephant. The next model at number 4 may be less controversial: the Bullyland African elephant bull. More precisely, this one is from the “New Medium Wild Animals” series from 2013. It is a smaller version of the “Deluxe size” Bullyland African elephant.
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I had initially decided not to buy this elephant because I thought it was too large. However, I then found out that African elephants can be a bit larger than I had assumed and as luck would have it, I found one very cheaply so I couldn’t resist. I am very happy that I got it because it is slightly smaller than I expected and it’s very good!
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It’s still the largest elephant I have, but because the sculpt suggests that this is indeed a very large bull, that’s quite appropriate. He has a shoulder height of 10.6/339 cm, just a bit less than 350 cm, which I consider to be the maximum height of African bull elephants.

The body proportions of this model seem to be exactly right and it has an impressive pose. If you really wanted to criticise it, then you could perhaps say that the wrinkles on his head are a bit simplistic and I find that he has slightly strange “breasts” at the front. I though only females have this? They are very minor imperfections though.
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The plastic of the Bullyland is very different from the other modern elephants in my ranking because it is not PVC. (Is that why the series is called “New Medium”?) I don’t know what plastic it is, but it feels similar to the polythene that Britains and some other vintage companies used in the past. It is quite light and as you can see from my model, the paint comes off quite easily. I generally don’t mind what kind of material my models are made of, as long as they look good, but I could imagine that some collectors are not so keen on the Bullyland’s plastic. I think the Deluxe version is made of a different plastic, so it may be preferable if you don’t mind the larger size.

Let’s do some comparisons. Here with the Safari charging or perhaps playing elephant:
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With the Britains bull:
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And the Britains cow.
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With the Schleich copy:
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With the Mojö elephant cow:
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I remember you asking me the dimensions of this model and I am glad you decided to join it to your parade of elephants.
It was the first modern elephant figure that pleased me, his proportions are really excellent, not chubby at all, this tall conformation is typical of old bulls and the fact it is somehwat larger is also a bonus.
It is however not so consensual as you may think, the lighter material, the slightly lesser level of detail, and simplistic painting give a slightly cheap look to the model. Though, I am defintely a collector too much focused in sculpting quality and the great proportions together with an imposing pose, puts this model as one of the best African elephant figures in my opinion.
Bullyland material is their main business secret. They claim to be the only company avoiding the use of softeners and pvc. They use synthetic rubber which is an artificial elastomer.
Oh, I love especially the comparison picture with the Mojö Asian cow, I really need that lady in my collection.

Oh he is very nice, one to add to my list.

You are getting many on your list, Scott. I wonder which one you are going to buy first.

Yes, the Bullyland's plastic and painting give it a slightly lower quality feel, but it makes up for that with the sculpting.

Number 3 is the Mojö Asian elephant, a very beautiful model. It was released in 2017. It is the highest ranked Asian elephant and by far the best of all the modern Asian elephants I have. I particularly like the well-modelled face, the tushes, and the pink forehead and ears with spots. The proportions are about right too although the body is perhaps a bit short and the head slightly large. Overall, it gives a very realistic impression. It doesn’t have a very striking pose, but it is a very common pose for an Asian elephant and therefore adds to its realism.
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This elephant would be worthy of first place in my ranking, but I am somewhat biased towards African elephants, which I find more elegant. And although I am very happy with its pose, it doesn’t give it a “wow” factor.
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As far as I can tell, this elephant is a female. She is 8.2/262 cm at the shoulder, which is OK for a very large female. I don’t think it would be impossible to imagine that it is a male though.
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A comparison with the Papo Asian elephant. A nice male and female pair:
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With the first version of the Britains Asian elephant:
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And with the second version:
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A comparison with the current female Schleich makes clear how much more realistic (and better looking) the Mojö is:
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A photo of all my adult Asian elephants:
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