Rtas' additions - Birthday gift from El Desperado

Well... I will have to wait two hours for my train this evening, with nothing else to do than going to that shop...

There is a good chance I am going to crack !

Hi there !

I came back to my parents' house and finally discovered Adam's Thomson's gazelle and Alain's repainted snow leopard !

I also recently bought several Papo figures to complete my collection, especially the young Nile crocodile I will use as a spectacled caiman like many of you.
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1. Alain was kind enough to send me one of his amazing repainted Schleich snow leopards, in addition to an older version of the Papo model with better paintjob than the more recently produced figures. Mine is slightly different than Roger's as Alain's snow leopards are not identical and show different shades. I was able to choose my favourite, here it is :
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2. On the advice of Paige, I got the Papo bison which recently arrived in that shop close to my job. I love my Schleich bison but thought it was way too small compared with my other bovines. Moreover, I like to have several figures from the same species if the species in question is a gregarious one. Now, I will use the Schleich model as a smaller and younger male, but I still miss a female in my herd.
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3. Adam sent me a Mojo Thomson's gazelle in exchange for a Papo yak. It's a male and fits perfectly well with my Schleich female and calf. They now form a very beautiful family and I am glad Adam sent it to me since I may not have bought it on my own (I already had my Schleich female and calf and did not consider the Mojo male as a priority). I am a bit disappointed about the lack of male genitals though.
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4. I also bought Papo's dolphin to complete my shoal. Here it is with a Schleich fellow.
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5. Finally, I would like to show you again the Pyrenees beer from Papo I got just after the end of the confinement. I bought it to replace my vintage Schleich European beer and it turns out to fit perfectly with the old Schleich European cub which is not as vintage-looking as its mother. I am very happy of this "pairing between brands" as I did not want to move the cub to my vintage collection.
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Some extremely wonderful new models you got there

And your pictures are SO great, - I do not know which one I love most ....perhaps the one with the big, macho bison looking after the calf, while the smaller and younger one is standing and looking longinly at them
But you are so right, - do we even have ONE female bison among the many, many that are to choose from ?

Great! Your dolphin is the same that the one I chosen for my future purchase list :)

Thank golly he's ok! When you told me that the box had been totally destroyed you gave me a small heart attack, but then thankfully you told me the figure was unharmed and I could breathe again.

It's really strange seeing him almost 700 miles away in another person's collection and I can see pure joy in his eyes, surrounded by his new family, I hope we can do more transactions in the future :)

Lovely other additions, especially Alain's repainted snow leopard

Love you additions and I confess I was not expecting you to get the Papo bison. I am glad you did, while most Schleich bisons, great but small and almost the same over all generations, the Papo model is big and it has a unique design. These animals are colossal, even the calf looks better with the Papo then with the Schleich. I think the Thomson's gazelle was also a good decision, with horns like that who cares with balls.
Your snow leopard repainted by Alain is really beautiful, so beautiful that it is as beautiful as mine. I am glad you are happy with it, thus we are two happy collectors.

Good additions

Some great additions, lovely pain on the snow leopard

Thank you guys !

SUSANNE wrote:

Some extremely wonderful new models you got there

And your pictures are SO great, - I do not know which one I love most ....perhaps the one with the big, macho bison looking after the calf, while the smaller and younger one is standing and looking longinly at them
But you are so right, - do we even have ONE female bison among the many, many that are to choose from ?

Yes Susanne, no female bison is available on the market... But the same thing happens with many other ungulate species.

I know females are usually not as spectacular as males and they don't sell as well... I also know most species collectors just need one representative of each animal and prefer a male rather than a female. Buf for someone like me who is not only a species collector but also enjoys collecting groups of animals, the lack of female figures is particularly frustrating. I am particularly pissed off when a brand release a male and a calf with no female as it ALWAYS happens with CollectA I also do not understand why, for example, Schleich would produce two identical warthog (except for the genitals) but not kudu female

Advicot wrote:

It's really strange seeing him almost 700 miles away in another person's collection and I can see pure joy in his eyes, surrounded by his new family, I hope we can do more transactions in the future :)

I had EXACTLY the same feeling when I saw the Papo alligator I bought for Alain on Roger's pictures (Alain sent it to Roger). It is always moving to see figures you once owned in a friend's collection, in another country. That's certainly one of the good sides of globalization

Roger wrote:

Love you additions and I confess I was not expecting you to get the Papo bison. I am glad you did, while most Schleich bisons, great but small and almost the same over all generations, the Papo model is big and it has a unique design. These animals are colossal, even the calf looks better with the Papo then with the Schleich. I think the Thomson's gazelle was also a good decision, with horns like that who cares with balls.
Your snow leopard repainted by Alain is really beautiful, so beautiful that it is as beautiful as mine. I am glad you are happy with it, thus we are two happy collectors.

I am very curious about why you did not expect me to buy the Papo bison ! Do you think it is too big for my collection ? I don't. American bisons are huge animals, they can weigh up to one ton and be two metres high. Almost the proportions of a gaur. But some individuals can be pretty small and every American bison I have seen in zoos were tiny and not impressive at all. That's why I don't find the size difference between the Schleich and the Papo so shocking.

Now I have the Papo bison, I would like to get the Papo African buffalo... I want a herd of buffaloes, even if it's full-male. I can already get the CollectA and Mojo which are available but the Papo would be nice too.

I surely don't think the Papo bison is too big for your collection. Actually, the size is the nicest I can think even when talking about Schleich sized figures. Bisons and hippos are two animals that Schleich make really small. Though, the pose, style and finish quality is completely different from what you are used. I am glad that you opened your heart to that figure, I've found it already in local shops and I never bought it. Not that I dislike but I am lazy with bisons, my model is the very vintage looking and undetailed old Papo. African buffalo is a different question, they work all perfectly together, Papo figure is quite charismatic, Mojö's model and Schleich's are better in my opinion but I can't get ride of my Papo. Actually, I have all of these more the old Schleich and I believe I still own the Safari model.

Hi there !

The toy shop close to my job has finally received some of the new Papo models from 2020 ! Nine months after their official release ! I read on another topic that Kosta wondered why Papo was always coming so slowly in France and I have to admit I wonder the same thing

Anyway, I got this first bunch of three two days ago and even got the third one for free :
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The golden jackal was the 2020 figure I was waiting the most. I am not disappointed, the eyes could be better, indeed, but I think mine are fine, better than those of Kosta's sample.

It is definitely too big for my Schleich wolves but fits pretty well with the CollectA black-backed cousin :
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I did not need a new squirrel since I already have several but I was unable to resist the new Papo rendition. Moreover, I could get it for free thanks to a sales offer so I could not refuse it. Here it is with the old Schleich model. It is clearly an improvement as far as paintjob and texture are concerned. As some of you know, I don't have the last Schleich squirrel anymore as I gave it to my grandmother as a gift. Anyway, I think I prefer my new Papo one.
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And finally, last but not least, this one would be my 2020 favourite figure if I was not so attached to the Schleich dromedary mare. I may be mistaken but I think this is the first one to be released by a major brand and that is great ! It was very brave from Papo to choose such an unusual species as the mole and the figure is a true success. Furthermore, the size is perfect.
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Great additions Ben, and it's nice to see you on the forum.

These 3 are all on my wishlist, and after much time last night deciding, I am going to remove the new Papo tortoise from my wishlist

Thanks Adam, it's also nice to see you here. I apologize for being much less active on forum but I am often too tired to try speaking English after a long working day, lazy I am ! Moreover, I feel less motivated about collecting figures these days. I still enjoy going to local shops during my lunch breaks but I currently don't feel that collecting mania I had when I registered here.

But I don't forget you, Roger, Spacelab, Pardo, Alain, Susanne, Andrès and the others !

Advicot wrote:

These 3 are all on my wishlist, and after much time last night deciding, I am going to remove the new Papo tortoise from my wishlist

You are perfectly right, that tortoise is a mess, it's the same sculpt and SAME SIZE as their former Galapagos tortoise, quite shameful I have to say...

Congratulations, very good additions

I hope I 'll be able to get these 3 species from french fauna very soon! Lucky you Benjamin!

Just what I was waiting for! A size comparison for the mole.
I was afraid it would be (too) large, but it seems to be decent sized.
I will put it back on my "to order list", thank you.

Benjamin, it is wonderful to see you back. I confess that some of us commented under the scenes about your absence. During this period, I already felt a little demotivated too and not long after I entered in a huge fever again. Everything is like that in our lives, our enthusiasm is not a straight line.
You really choose always very well painted samples of Papo figures. The jackal looks really beautiful in your picture, I like the markings above the eyes and it seems to have a dry brush over the fur that I am not sure I've seen on other samples. Maybe it is your camera.
I also enjoy a lot that squirrel, after Kosta's walk around, it was sure for me that I wanted it in my collection. I also intend to get the mole although I was not very excited when the official picture popped up. I hope we can help you to recover your excitment.

Wonderful additions!

Roger wrote:

Benjamin, it is wonderful to see you back. I confess that some of us commented under the scenes about your absence. During this period, I already felt a little demotivated too and not long after I entered in a huge fever again. Everything is like that in our lives, our enthusiasm is not a straight line.
You really choose always very well painted samples of Papo figures. The jackal looks really beautiful in your picture, I like the markings above the eyes and it seems to have a dry brush over the fur that I am not sure I've seen on other samples. Maybe it is your camera.
I also enjoy a lot that squirrel, after Kosta's walk around, it was sure for me that I wanted it in my collection. I also intend to get the mole although I was not very excited when the official picture popped up. I hope we can help you to recover your excitment.

Thank you Roger. I am sorry about my absence, I am aware it made me look like one of those "temporary collectors" from facebook groups who was only there because of the confinement... I feel guilty about not catching up on you guys, especially you and spacelab. As you know, I have not been collecting a lot during those last months, only Schleich and Papo figures from local shops. I have not ordered CollectA, Mojo, Safari or other brands' models since the end of the quarantine and now I have a full-time job and have moved in a new flat, I don't come back to my parents' house as often as I used to and, as a result, I don't see my collection as often neither. Out of sight, out of mind...

But things may change now, as I am trying to get rid of my vices (which ruined me completely and prevented me from buying figures as I had no money left), and I think my collecting hobby can help me in that way. I will try to be more active on forum and I will probably have more things to show you in the weeks to come. I am especially planning to get the new CollectA models from 2020 : the mountain gorilla, the sloth and maybe even the komodo dragon although I am not really convinced by this last one.

I am currently preparing an update of this thread, with new Papo and Schleich additions, and I also intend to show you some pictures from my holidays in the French Alps/Switzerland. I will also have to continue my collection topic, as I am far from having shown you everything.

Very excited Ben

RtasVadumee wrote:

Roger wrote:

Benjamin, it is wonderful to see you back. I confess that some of us commented under the scenes about your absence. During this period, I already felt a little demotivated too and not long after I entered in a huge fever again. Everything is like that in our lives, our enthusiasm is not a straight line.
You really choose always very well painted samples of Papo figures. The jackal looks really beautiful in your picture, I like the markings above the eyes and it seems to have a dry brush over the fur that I am not sure I've seen on other samples. Maybe it is your camera.
I also enjoy a lot that squirrel, after Kosta's walk around, it was sure for me that I wanted it in my collection. I also intend to get the mole although I was not very excited when the official picture popped up. I hope we can help you to recover your excitment.

Thank you Roger. I am sorry about my absence, I am aware it made me look like one of those "temporary collectors" from facebook groups who was only there because of the confinement... I feel guilty about not catching up on you guys, especially you and spacelab. As you know, I have not been collecting a lot during those last months, only Schleich and Papo figures from local shops. I have not ordered CollectA, Mojo, Safari or other brands' models since the end of the quarantine and now I have a full-time job and have moved in a new flat, I don't come back to my parents' house as often as I used to and, as a result, I don't see my collection as often neither. Out of sight, out of mind...

But things may change now, as I am trying to get rid of my vices (which ruined me completely and prevented me from buying figures as I had no money left), and I think my collecting hobby can help me in that way. I will try to be more active on forum and I will probably have more things to show you in the weeks to come. I am especially planning to get the new CollectA models from 2020 : the mountain gorilla, the sloth and maybe even the komodo dragon although I am not really convinced by this last one.

I am currently preparing an update of this thread, with new Papo and Schleich additions, and I also intend to show you some pictures from my holidays in the French Alps/Switzerland. I will also have to continue my collection topic, as I am far from having shown you everything.

Some vices really can ruin us and it will be fantastic if you can remove them from your life.
About the CollectA sloth, I recomend you to visit this wonderful [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Susanne offered. I am afraid you won't approve the size of this model.
It would be great to see your Alpine adventures.

Oh, thank you Roger (and Susanne too) for showing me that, you avoided me a huge disappointment !

Congratulations, very good additions

Dear Ratas, SO great to see your new models, and even with comparisons

A couple of days ago I did wonder where you were, but something ( probalbly the dogs telling me they wanted to take me for a walk ), - and I must admit I have not bee super-active lately either, so I might just have missed your comments

The mole is gorgeous , and I hope I can get it soon .

Bullyland also made two moles , but they were were very large, only made from 98 - 05.
There was also a mole in the K&M Garden Tube, but it is very small

So at last now we get a mole of a suitable size

Hi guys ! As promised, here are my newest additions from september.

The first ones I got were the two new boxed sets from Schleich which were released this summer : the white lioness with cubs and the tortoise home.

I definitely needed a Schleich white lioness as the only other one which could have been compatible with my Schleich male I got in the waterhole set would have been the Papo young withe lion, but it has testes [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I would have obviously preferred a new sculpt but this lazy choice of Schleich was predictable and their last lioness sculpt is, in my opinion, the best they ever produced so I guess it is ok to re-use it. I was pleasantly surprised by the two cubs as I truly think they are way better than any other one made by Schleich in the past (Schleich lion cubs have always been AWFUL, I always bought Papo cubs instead).
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Unfortunately, this lioness and her cubs do not share the cream-colour shades of the male's fur. As a consequence, they don't fit perfectly together.
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That's quite a shame as I have always considered that the Schleich model was the best white lion rendition on the market because of this light beige colour (every other white lion figures are... white). In my opinion, white lions and lionesses are often beige/cream-coloured and not white. Here is a picture taken in La Flèche Zoo, one of the closest to my parent's hometown :
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Quite funnily, the regular lioness almost fits better with the white male ! But it is way too brown for a leucistic individual.
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The second boxed set from Schleich was a very pleasant surprise !
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Without shelter :
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I was more interested in the white lioness set but now, I have to say that the tortoise home is by far my favourite. The adult is so detailed and the tiny babies are so cute ! It's also nice to get a smaller tortoise species as figures which does not represent giant Aldabra or Galapagos tortoises are pretty rare. As far as tortoises are concerned in 2020, Schleich clearly wins over Papo and they shamefull "Hermann's" tortoise which is the same size and sculpt as their giant one and does not look AT ALL to the promo pic !

Quite funnily again, despite a significant colour variation, I think that this new family fits pretty well with my old tortoise figure from the pet series :
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I would like to pretend they are all the same species and the dark old model is the male while the new, lighter figure from the set is the female. But which species ? I know that the model from the pet series was identified as a Russian tortoise on TAI. But I don't understand how you decided that ? Which criteria did you use to decide it was a Russian tortoise ?

I am far from being a tortoise expert and I don't know which species this model is supposed to represent. But as far as the new figure from the set is concerned, as soon as I saw it out of the box, I thought about an Asian brown tortoise (Manouria emys).

This new set is not referenced yet on TAI so I would like to open a debate with you about the species it is supposed to represent. Don't hesitate to tell me your opinion on that matter.

My next addition was a very unexpected one. As I already told you, I stayed three days in a very small village in the French Alps, surrounded by mountains. A very revitalising place far from society and civilization. I really did not expect to find animal figures from major brands in this ass end of nowhere, but one morning, we went to the only gift shop in the village to look for a souvenir for my mother and I found that :
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I already have my Schleich old chamois which I am still happy with and I usually do not collect Bullyland figures as I think most of their current models are AWFUL, but this find was so unexpected that I HAD TO buy it as a reminder of my holidays ! Furthermore, this chamois is very decent for a Bullyland figure. Here it is with his Schleich fellow :
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I prefer the sculpt of the Schleich rendition (Bullyland is too stocky) but I prefer the painting of the Bullyland model (especially the head and eyes).
The shop keeper told me that she also had the ibex and the marmot but both were now out of stock. I would have gladly bought the three of them, especially as I think they all are retired (including my chamois). I am not sure about that so please let me know. Anyway, the best souvenir I could have brought back would have been the Bullyland bearded vulture because :
1) It's probably my favourite bird of prey
2) I don't have a figure of it and Bullyland is the only major brand to have ever produced a figure of it
3) The bearded vulture was the main goal of these holidays in the Alps
4) I actually saw it during my stay !
Unfortunately, the shop keeper told me she never had it.

On the way back to Brittany, I asked my father to stop in a shopping mall on motorway side, because I wanted to visit a girl I almost lost my virginity with three years ago when I worked for Greenpeace as a street fundraiser. One of the most humiliating stories in my life but I am a masochiste who enjoys to remind bad memories. Unfortunately (or fortunately for my ego) she did not work there anymore. But there was a toy shop in that mall I had not seen three years ago (I had not started collecting again at that time so I just did not pay attention to toy shops). I did not find anything very interesting there but still decided to buy the Schleich reindeer. I have been hesitating a lot about adding it to my collection or not (because of its size) and Roger predicted that I would surely buy it one day, for no particular reason. I thought it was the good moment to do it.
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It is too large compared to my CollectA Caribou, I knew it when I bought it but never mind, my European reindeer was getting very old and needed to be replaced :
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Finally, the toy shop close to my job had received new Papo figures during my holidays.
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The cormorant was probably the Papo figure I was waiting for the most (along with the golden jackal) and I am not disappointed by the final result nor its size which is perfect for my collection. I am just a bit disappointed that the white marks on the hips are missing but I read here that it may be another species than the great cormorant so I guess it's all right.
And now I have a sailfish figure, hopefully I will never confuse it again with a marlin, won't I Pardofelis