Rtas' main collection

Hi friends,

Thanks to because of Coronavirus, I had time to photograph most of my animal figures and I am now able to show them to you

This topic is entitled "main collection" because it will only include the figures I choose to display when I have the opportunity to. It means it will not include my vintage Schleich models that have been replaced by more recent versions. "Main" also means that only living animals from land or sea will be shown (or exceptionally, species which have gone extinct in modern history, because of mankind) and that my few prehistoric mammals and dinosaurs will be excluded (they may be presented in a separate topic).

Before joining this forum, I thought my collection was pretty big. But after seeing yours, I realise it is ridiculously small. It may be of little interest to most of you since it is only composed of stuff from Major brands and has nothing very rare or difficult to find. It is mostly a Schleich collection since I started with this brand as a child and remained deeply attached to it as a grown up.

I collect wild animals only (but a mallard duck is "wild" for me, and an ankole-watusi is exotic enough to have a place in my collection) both terrestrial and marine. My first goal as a collector was having a representative sample of vertebrate fauna, that is to say, owning every "iconic" species in the world (however, a markhor or a jaguarundi are iconic for me ). Then, I only collected one model per species and thus, I had to choose carefully which one would join my collection. Quickly however, my collecting tastes evolved and I realised it was more beautiful and more fun to display groups or families of animals, especially if the species are gregarious ones.
I started with Schleich when I was a child, then stopped, and started again two or three years ago.

As I already said, I started with Schleich in my childhood (although most of these figures will not be presented here since they are part of my vintage collection, which is separated from the main one), then stopped, and started again two or three years ago.

Most of my figures were bought in shops since I find it more fun than ordering online. Since Schleich retired most of its figures and I stopped collecting for a long time, I had a lot of fun travelling around in order to find rare figures in old toy shops.

Although this is the French brand, I was not very fond of Papo until recently, when I realised I was a bit prejudiced against this company. I am now getting more and more Papo figures to complete my groups/families of animals and I do not hesitate anymore to choose the Papo rendition over the Schleich one when it is obviously better.

Soon, it became obvious that Schleich and Papo would not allow me to get the species diversity I expected for my collection. Thanks to this forum I read long before joining, I discovered CollectA and what a hell of a discovery it was ! CollectA gave me the opportunity to complete my collection with those "iconic species" I craved for but most people don't known anything about and it became my favourite brand.

Now, I am willing to expand my collection's species range with Mojo and Safari. And thanks to this forum, I also found out small but talented companies such as Southlands Replicas

Although you probably already know every model I am going to show you on this topic, I think you still may find an interset in it. I tried really hard to take beautiful pictures and I think I succeeded for most species. I first chose to show them by continent, just as I usually display them but it did not look well at all so I decided to gather them by taxons. One of my favourite things on this forum are comparison pics so my collection topic is going to be full of them !

I will follow a semi-scientific plan. Indeed, some liberties were taken for aesthetic purposes. Here it is :

I Cephalopod Mollusks

II Fishes

A) Cartilaginous fishes
1) Sharks
a) Whale sharks
b) Great white sharks
c) Other sharks
2) Rays

B) Bony fishes
1) Marlins
2) Reef fishes
3) Seahorse

III Amphibians

IV Birds and reptiles

A) Reptiles
1) Turtles
a) Sea turtles
b) Tortoises
2) Squamates
a) Lizards
b) Snakes
3) Crocodilians
a) Alligators
b) Crocodiles and gharials

B) Birds
1) Waterfowls
a) Swans
b) Geese
c) Ducks
2) Sea birds
3) Pelicans
4) Waders
5) Birds of prey
a) Owls
b) Vultures
c) Bald eagles
d) Other birds of prey
6) Fowls
7) Tropical birds
8 ) Penguins
9) Ratites
10) Other birds

V Mammals

A) Monotremes

B) Marsupials
1) Kangaroos
2) Carnivorous marsupials
3) Other marsupials

C) Bats

D) Insectivorans

E) Lagomorphs

F) Rodents
1) Large rodents
2) Small rodents

G) Toothless mammals

H) Carnivorans
1) Feliforms
a) Mongooses
b) Viverrids
c) Hyaenas
d) Felids
1. Small felids
2. Cheetahs
3. Leopards
4. Black panthers
5. Snow leopards
6. Jaguars
7. “Sumatran tigers”
8. Bengal tigers
9. White tigers
10. Lions
11. White lions
2) Caniforms
a) Mustelids
b) Procyonids
c) Red pandas
d) Bears
1. Giant pandas
2. Black bears
3. Brown bears
4. Polar bears
e) Canids
1. Foxes
2. Gray wolves
3. Other canids
f) Pinnipeds
1. Seals
2. Other pinnipeds

I) Sea-cows

J) Elephants
1) Asian Elephants
2) African Elephants

K) Primates
1) Lemurs
2) Monkeys and apes
a) Monkeys
b) Apes
1. Asian apes
2. Gorillas
3. Chimpanzees

L) Odd-toed ungulates
1) Rhinoceroses
2) Equids
a) Zebras
b) Other equids
3) Tapirs

M) Even-toed ungulates
1) Giraffids
a) Giraffes
b) Okapis
2) Camelids
a) Old world camelids
b) New world camelids
3) Deers
a) Roe deers
b) Red deers
c) White-tailed deers
d) Reindeers
e) Moose
f) Other deers
4) Bovids
a) Caprines
1. Wild sheep
2. Wild goats
3. Musk ox
b) True antelopes
1. Asian antelopes
2. Gazelles
3. Grazing antelopes
4. Alcelaphine antelopes
c) Bovines
1. Spiral-horned antelopes
2. Bisons
3. Yaks
4. Zebu
5. Ankole-Watusi
6. Other bovines
5) Pigs
a) Vietnamese pigs
b) Wild boars
c) Other suids
6) Hippopotamus
7) Cetaceans
a) Toothed whales
1. Dolphins
2. Orcas
3. Other toothed whales
4. Sperm whales
b) Various toothed and baleen whales
c) Baleen whales
1. Gray whales
2. Blue whales
3. Humpback whales

I will post pictures regularly but don't know how often nor how many at the same time. Perhaps you could advise me : should I post a whole family at the same time or would it be better to show only one picture each day ?

For each picture, I will add a few comments and precise if I have ever seen the species, were it be in a zoo, aquarium or in the wild.

It's your thing.. Whatever pleases you the most

I Cephalopod Mollusks

Species : Giant Pacific octopus
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Figures on this picture : Schleich 14768 Octopus (2016-2020)

Fun facts :
- There is not much to say about this octopus. It was bought in my favourite Schleich shop to replace my very old Safari ltd octopus which is now part of my vintage collection.
- I have seen the species on this picture (aquariums).

Update :
- Safari 277829 Giant Squid (1998-still in production) was added to the collection. For further information, please check the addition topics.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Tas, there isn't such a thing as a collection of little interest.
I am already enjoying your plan, obviously the method you choose is up to you but I enjoy the idea of loads of comparison pictures, they are very useful these days once many collectors are now interested in collecting multiple brands instead of a single one. You start with an octopus, curious, do I have an octopus in my collection?

Actually my plan is meant to end with the humpback whale which I consider to be the jewel of my collection I want pictures to be more and more interesting and that's why I begin with this octopus which is not, I have to admit, the sexiest animal to start with

Can not wait to see more :)

Thank you Andreas !

I will post other pictures in the afternoon.

This is a wonderful octopus, I love it. I don't collect sea life, but this is a good one.

Thank you spacelab !

I love the texture of this figure !

II Fishes

A) Cartilaginous fishes

1) Sharks

a) Whale sharks

Species : Whale shark
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Figures on this picture (from top to bottom) :
- Schleich 16089 Whale Shark (2006-2013)
- Papo 56039 Whale Shark (2018-still in production)

Fun facts :
- The Papo one is the first I got from one of my regular shops, to replace the old Schleich 16076 Whale Shark from 1996 [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] which is now part of my vintage collection. I just could not resist that wonderful sculpt with open mouth !
- However, I still wanted a larger whale shark, a giant 15-20 metres long specimen ! The Schleich one comes from Portugal, I bought it to a collector from there. Maybe he was Roger and I did not even know it ! Although both whale sharks do not look exactly similar, I think they still fit well together and I am waiting for the 2020 baby from Papo to complete this family.
- I have never seen a whale shark.

Looking forward to your photos. Like the other Roger, this Roger also likes comparison photos.

Great to see the Papo whale shark together with the Schleich. I love the Papo, but like you, I have also been looking for a larger whale shark. I have been considering the Schleich (still produced as a Chinese copy), but seeing your picture, it isn't so much larger than the Papo. One that is (a bit) larger is the Recur: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] It is 26.7 cm from tip of nose to centre of tail (30.5 cm until top of tail). It's made of soft vinyl, which is not to everyone's taste, but I have to say that it doesn't look so different from hard plastic. It's less detailed than the Papo, but I am quite happy with the quality. I just wish it was even larger.

Oh, and good to hear that there is going to be a Papo baby whale shark!

Very nice. The papo whale shark is stunning and will be in my collection soon too.

I really like the way you are stating whether and where you have seen the animal.

Thank you Steve and Roger !

rogerpgvg wrote:

I have been considering the Schleich (still produced as a Chinese copy), but seeing your picture, it isn't so much larger than the Papo.

Trust me, it is larger and much more massive than the Papo. But on this picture, the Papo is closer to the camera which makes it look bigger than it is. If you have the Schleich 1:32 whales, the Schleich whale shark is just fine.

Steve170 wrote:

I really like the way you are stating whether and where you have seen the animal.

Thanks ! Fortunately, I have seen most of the species I will show on this topic since I am fan of zoos and a birdwatcher.

Very nice beginning to your amazing collection (I'm sure) to come.

I rarely sold figures but I have a pale idea that I needed to find new owners to some of my larger sea life animals. I remember selling a few of them but I have no idea if I ever sold a whale shark! I have a pending plan of collecting different shark species, I tried first with some tube sized figures due to my lack of room but, I gave up once I was getting no satisfaction. If I ever re-start it, I will focus on Safari sharks but maybe my whale shark will be the Papo one. I really love the open mouth and the contrasting painting that seems to result very well in this particular species.

Thank you Adam !

Roger wrote:

I rarely sold figures but I have a pale idea that I needed to find new owners to some of my larger sea life animals. I remember selling a few of them but I have no idea if I ever sold a whale shark!

What is your Ebay account ? I will check if it was you

Roger wrote:

If I ever re-start it, I will focus on Safari sharks but maybe my whale shark will be the Papo one.

Oh yes, I have seen that Safari did various shark species, I can't wait to order some of them once the confinement is over, especially the nurse shark and the sand tiger shark which is one of the most common species in French aquariums

II Fishes

A) Cartilaginous fishes

1) Sharks

b) Great white sharks

Species : Great white shark
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Figures on this picture (from top to bottom and left to right) :
- Schleich 16092 Great White Shark (2006-2013)
- Schleich 14700 Great White Shark (2013-2018)
- Schleich 14809 White Shark (2018-still in production)

Fun facts :
- I have craved for the great white shark from the 1:32 series since the first time I saw it on the Toy Animal Wiki ! Although it is a bit too large and less accurately proportionate than the last rendition from Schleich, I think there is something truly charming about it. As a consequence, it was the first I got from a French ebay second-hand seller, to replace the old Schleich 16075 White Shark [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] which did not look like a great white at all !
- The two others were bought later in local shops as younger/smaller specimens.
- I have obviously never seen a white shark since this species is impossible to breed in aquariums (all attempts always resulted in the death of the individuals).

Nice again

Thanks again Andreas !

Oh, what a super nice thread! As a collector with very similar collecting tastes than yours (however I've been sticked into the Synoptic phase, only one for each species), this thread and seeing your collection interest me a lot. And much more important: you're going to review your collection with detailed photos and facts of each one of your figures, not just an overlook photo of the whole collection as other collectors usually does! This make this thread, your collection and even yourself much more interesting for me!!!

Only the listing above shows clearly that your collection is NOT ridiculosuly small. I've jouned Animal Toy Forum when I had 5 or 10 figures, more or less, I didn't remember. Now I have 202. Probably less than you. And I considere it a big collection (taking in account that I don't collect domestics, prehistorics, nor more than one for each species).

That common octopus is extremely oversized for somebody that give certain importance to scale Would be like a rhino-sized chicken Just kidding at you

I own the Papo whale shark too. Maybe is a bit small, but for me is the best whale shark ever in figure form. Especially the paintjob is exquisite and this is a thing that most, almost all, whale shark figurines fail, like the snow leopards.

Currently I don't have any Great White. I planned to get in the future one from Safari, but these Schleichs's are not bad either. The one currently in production don't get my attention, but the retired 14700 is absolutely amazing!!!!!!!! I know that is the same that the current one but with closed mouth, but that closed mouth makes all the difference. That's the great white that I would love to have. With closed mouth, as they tend to be while swimming!

beautiful and useful pictures! and thank to tell us in which context you acquired each of your figurines! impatient to see the following! :)

I took my pictures and opened this topic thinking about you Pardo (or should I call you Isidro ) since I knew you wanted to see my collection. I am glad you are still interested in following this topic. I hope my plan does not disappoint you : I tried to take a semi-scientific approach, mixing old and new taxonomy in order to get the most relevant comparison pics from a naturalist but also an aesthetic and a collecting point of view.

Yes, my collection is probably bigger than yours but since you only collect one model for each species and I have, let's say, 9 chimpanzees (I just can't stop buying chimps ! ), I think you may own more species than me, and I still value diversity over quantity.

Yes, that octopus is a bloody kraken but I already had an old Safari one from my childhood of the same size and thus, I could only replace it by a more realistic one or have no octopus at all in my collection. Moreover, Schleich is extremely available to me and I often buy Schleich figures just because I get bored and going to the shop is an activity like any other.

One thing is for sure however : that octopus is not compatible with the Diana monkey

You are right about the closed mouth : it changes everything. I prefer the 14700 over the 14809 too, it looks much more natural.

Caracal wrote:

beautiful and useful pictures! and thank to tell us in which context you acquired each of your figurines! impatient to see the following! :)

Thank you Alain

I never noticed the difference in size between the 1:32 shark and the more recent renditions. I like the size of the "Portuguese?" shark, these creatures are huge! I even can see the fin out of the water. I have the current Bullyland great white shark as a gift from Susanne and I am more than happy with it.

My taxonomy point of view is also a mix of old and new things as I analyze each case and accept or not the changes according to their common sense. So of course that never could be a problem.
I'm also respectful with those that follow the ultramodern or nonsensic taxonomy for their collections/schemes/whatever. Each one is free to follow the taxonomic school that they want for each taxa of Life! For example Blaine follows that modern classification and I never told him nothing... And that's as should be :)

You're a bit obsessed with diana monkeys are you?
Some TOOB octopus are perfect for our collections (of course less detailed than bigger figures) but you need to buy the whole sealife TOOB full of sardine-sized whales just for that octopus...

Pardofelis wrote:

You're a bit obsessed with diana monkeys are you?

I am also obsessed with typical British villages with high murder rates, Adam would confirm it