Best animal figures ?

Why do I need to answer to this silly question ?????

Let's go back to this topic... What is my favorite ???? I love so much models for so much different reasons... I can't anwser

BUT it is not the question

The question is : The Best ever ? So maybe I can answer to this one Or at least try to do it

Best ever SCHLEICH ? I choose the Shonisaurus (2005-2006) because it is a wonderful symbol of what SCHLEICH was in the past : A great and innovative company But it was a long time ago now


Best PAPO ? The three musketeers Again a symbol of what PAPO is able to do and how this company increased the level of the animal toys world a few years ago. I hope PAPO will wake up again in 2013


Best ever BULLYLAND ? Not the most sought after, not a reedited one and finally not a bird... The Edaphosaurus because BULLYLAND is also able to make accurate, beautiful and unusual models


BEST SAFARI Ltd ever ? Very very very hard question about the most prolific company with the widest range among Western companies. So many way to answer the question
Ok, I will not choose a Carnegie, a Monterrey Bay or a Tennessee aquarium. The postosuchus because it can be a symbol of how a company can make a scientifically accurate and beautiful and detailed model. It is a lesson for a French company which is producing the most detailed dinosaurs but with the knowledge of an old 1970's book for child It is also a BIG lesson for a well known German company which pretend to produce "Museum quality" dinosaurs and is actually selling false, expensive and inaccurate models


Best COLLECTA ever ? COLLECTA is walking on a very good path IMHO, this young company has got one of the widest range of animals and the quality which increased in the last years is exploding in 2012 I choose the new giraffes because they are a BIG step forward. Among western brands, I didn't see giraffes of that quality since BRITAINS and LINEOL


Best MOJÖ FUN ever ? Ever ? Two years old and already so many good models to enjoy us. A very interesting way of involving the Collector's world in the project. My choice is the sable, no doubt Because it is a symbol of the great collaboration between the Brand and STS and, of course, because every collector who has one in hand knows how fantastic is this model

Best by Asian brands ? A few from a few brands. Asian companies are really interesting brands with a very different way of thinking the toys than Western companies. We have a lot of lessons and joy to catch from those venerable manufacturer

First YUJIN ! Many many fantastic models of unusual species indeed. I choose the Jackson's chameleon female because only a Japanese brand is able now to produce such an unusual animal and because YUJIN succeed to make a tiny and delicate one, it looks like she is really slowly walking


Then KAIYODO !I could choose so many KAIYODO models, it is a real jungle indeed. I choose the King cheetah because it is the only one on the market ( excepting collector's customs ) and because it is a fabulous running cheetah!


COLORATA ? The magic boxes with so many unusual species I choose the Boa constrictor. Scott already show us how this model looks real indeed.


Best ever BANDAI ? Again some really unusual species with a great finish. I choose the red pandas, less than 2cm long


At last, the PHAT Company A very few models but no doubt this shoebill is the best ever

Best among vintage brands ? The vintage world is wide and crowded with so many great things...

A few "Best ever"

BLANCHERIE FRERES which make IMHO the most exquisite Hollowcast lead models and sadly disappeared in 1940 .

I choose the Barbarian sheep Still waiting for a real challenger for more than 70 years now


BRITAINS This company produced some of the international standart models both in lead or plastic. The most copycated brand. I choose the odd colored Gaur, still on the throne now


STARLUX The widest range of the XXth century so far. I could choose a lot of symbol in the STARLUX catalogue. I choose the Nilgai because I still don't know if a modern company could be brave enough to produce one ? So, here is the Best and Only Nilgai


HAUSSER-ELASTOLIN What to choose again ? Maybe the Sloth ? With a real sloth pose, discontinued since 1969


At last LINEOL sable ? kudu ? zebra ? Black rhino ? ... ? ... ? I choose the African elephant which is an awesome sculpt, which is really 1/20 scale and which is still a lesson about body parts proportions for me


I forget LISSANTO The Black rhino Why ? Because it is a great cup, full of beauty, poetry and childhood's feeling. The essence of a toy

And now the best of the best ?

The PLAYVISIONS Crested macaque of course But I don't remember why

Gosh! How did I miss out on this subject for so long ???

Christophe, thankyou VERY much for identifying the Copepteryx
It is almost impossible to google a species if you search for the completely wrong thing

Scott, your Best Animals are fabulous, - I also love that Schleich hyena for some strange reason, - WOW! And you have the Roan Anti,lopes from Noahs Pals

Harriet, I can´t stop looking at your reindeer...and the Gaur !!!!

Christophe, as expected, your Best Models are enormously inspiering !!!!
Wonderful models all of them, - that Shoebill

Arrrh! And now , while I was writing, you show us GEMS beyond imagination

SUSANNE wrote:

you show us GEMS beyond imagination

ditto I have a load of new favourites now

The Lineol African elephant is magnificent, what a beautiful sculpture. I love all your choices Christophe and thanks for all the lovely photos and the reason why you picked them
Goodness those Bandai red pandas are gorgeous! I must find the pair!

Great voting Christophe!! So much phantastic figurines!!

Christophe,

WOW. seriously, just wow. amazing, fantastic set of posts. There is so much to digest here, I'll be coming back again and again. I agree with Harriet in thinking both that all your choices are excellent and that the Lineol Elephant is gorgeous. I love your commentary and the photos are, as usual, top notch. Thank you for this.

(Unfortunately, however, I'm now probably going to have to go to eBay and plop down a lot of money to finally acquire that Kaiyodo King Cheetah. I'm not going to find it cheap. I'll just have to suck it up and pay. Ughh.)

scot(t) wrote:

.....

(Unfortunately, however, I'm now probably going to have to go to eBay and plop down a lot of money to finally acquire that Kaiyodo King Cheetah. I'm not going to find it cheap. I'll just have to suck it up and pay. Ughh.)

I hope you get that fantastic, gorgeous model !!!
Good hunting, Scott

Big thank you for sharing Christophe, I really enjoyed looking through your great selection!

Here are MY favs (hard choices, but what the heck):

Schleich: ADULT GREY WHALE (the best quality you can have in material!!!)
Papo: RISING SUN DRAGON
Bullyland: DEINOTHERIUM (the first company to make one since Starlux!!!!)
Safari ltd: HORSESHOE CRAB (not the only one to deserve to be put in this list, though...)
CollectA: PARACERATHERIUM
Möjö Fun: BEAVER
Kaiyodo: PLEUROCYSTITES (the only cystoid on the toy market!!!!)
AAA: JELLYFISH
Invicta: GLYPTODON
Royal Ontario Museum: LAMBEOSAURUS
Tootsie: UINTATHERIUM
National Geographics: BOWHEAD WHALE (no comment...)
Starlux: BRONTOTHERIUM
Yowies: FIDDLER CRAB

Best one of all: Safari ltd's PELICAN EEL. A fun toy to play with in the pool, and such a courageous move to represent such an unknown aimal!

Bowhead Whale wrote:

Here are MY favs (hard choices, but what the heck):

National Geographics: BOWHEAD WHALE (no comment...)

Is this a real figurine? If yes, have you a pic please?

widukind wrote:

Bowhead Whale wrote:

Here are MY favs (hard choices, but what the heck):

National Geographics: BOWHEAD WHALE (no comment...)

Is this a real figurine? If yes, have you a pic please?

It's the same as Playvision Bowhead Whale.

Bowhead Whale wrote:

widukind wrote:

Bowhead Whale wrote:

Here are MY favs (hard choices, but what the heck):

National Geographics: BOWHEAD WHALE (no comment...)

Is this a real figurine? If yes, have you a pic please?

It's the same as Playvision Bowhead Whale.

Ah, thank you.

Well my best ever model would be the Kaiyodo Tylosaurus proriger from 2002, heh no doubts on this fella actually hehe :)
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Even for it's size it's details are simply stunning, here a belly shot of him :)
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And now I have him displayed with a Safari Ltd. Tylosaurus proriger on the base of a McFairlane Clan 2 Water Dragon :)
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My Favorite figure would be The Safari ltd. Vanishing Wild Adult Oryx- I Dont know Why I like it but I do! I wish I had it!

All the suggestions are phantastic, i think we find never the one and only.

The Mustang mare from the brand collecta
The bear of Torak from Bayala, the yak and elephants, Schleich.
The pointer dog and the tigers from papo.
And a lot of models

Ummm here are the extant models (modern animals) I like XD
Papo- their tigers and lions
AAA- their lizards, particularly their komodo dragon
Safari- anything from their Incredible Creatures line, particularly the Bald Eagle
Schleich- not a huge fan of their line, but I do think their sharks are good. Their dragons are also pretty good (like the Faraun)
CollectA- their old stuff isn't all that good, but their 2012 sculpts are jaw dropping :O I like their tigers, grizzly bear and hyena.
Country Artists- not toys but I have some dogs by them and they are very beautiful :) And their birds are awesome. If I was to ever collect extant animals I would surely get something from them.
Leonardo- their dogs too.
Favorite- Great White shark

Here are my prehistoric ones (dinosaurs)
Papo- their Running Rex, Allosaurus, and Styracosaurus
Safari/Carnegie-Anniversary Rex, Carnotaurus, and their Giganotosaurus (I like theropods hehe)
CollectA- Jobaria, and Hatzegopteryx
Bullyland- Stegosaurus, and Plateosaurus
Schleich- uhhh pass
Favorite- Styracosaurus, Deinonychus and anything from the Oldies line :)
AAA- their Tyrannosaurus Rex, the old one that has its tail dragging on the ground.

As dragons go my fav brand is definitely McFairlane Nothing else touches these, thier Clan 2 Water Dragon is my fav one the made:
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It has that awesome mystical look too

Kinto Favorite makes the best Dino Desktop Models for an affordable price, they still have the best Spinosaurus sculpts too, the one from Paleoartist Dr. Takashi Oda
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Here my model which I gave an Amber Gemstone to carry along
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Overall Kinto Favorite has the best Dino soft models and desktop models around, non of them Jurassic park over done gimmicks, just not a fan of companies making their models & toys all so JP influenced, I hate this actually, that way they actually look like movie monsters and nothing else

So yer I always avoid such brands :) Just lack of interest as JP goes, I prefer accuracy, Kinto Favorite is one of very few that knows that accuracy is

i only say what the best animal figure ever is


i say the best figure is the papo tiger with cub in her mouth thatone is so cute and very awesome

Bowhead Whale wrote:

Here are MY favs (hard choices, but what the heck):

Schleich: ADULT GREY WHALE (the best quality you can have in material!!!)
Papo: RISING SUN DRAGON
Bullyland: DEINOTHERIUM (the first company to make one since Starlux!!!!)
Safari ltd: HORSESHOE CRAB (not the only one to deserve to be put in this list, though...)
CollectA: PARACERATHERIUM
Möjö Fun: BEAVER
Kaiyodo: PLEUROCYSTITES (the only cystoid on the toy market!!!!)
AAA: JELLYFISH
Invicta: GLYPTODON
Royal Ontario Museum: LAMBEOSAURUS
Tootsie: UINTATHERIUM
National Geographics: BOWHEAD WHALE (no comment...)
Starlux: BRONTOTHERIUM
Yowies: FIDDLER CRAB

Best one of all: Safari ltd's PELICAN EEL. A fun toy to play with in the pool, and such a courageous move to represent such an unknown aimal!

Since I discovered the CollectA Paraceratherium has four toes per foot, it has lost its throne in the profit of TORTOISE SHELL BUTTERFLY as Best CollectA...

Its hard to list just one for each...
Schleich: Zebra Family
Papo: Styracosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus
Bullyland: Gastornis (Diatryma), Deinonychus
Safari LTD: Brachiosaurus, Spinosaurus, Carnotaurus, Miragaia, Field Museum Set
CollectA: Tsintaosaurus
Mojo: Mammoth, Sarchosuchus
I don't know of any Asian brand.
Vintage: Invicta Tyrannosaurus
Other:Battat Diplodocus

Best Figure of All Time: Battat Diplodocus

Best figure of schleich.
Quarter horse 2009
Bayala forest unicorn 2012