Rtas' main collection

V Mammals

M) Even-toed ungulates

4) Bovids

b) True antelopes

5. Other antelopes

Species : Defassa waterbuck, impala
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Figures on this picture (from left to right) :
- CollectA 88562 Defassa Waterbuck (2012-still in production)
- Papo 50186 Impala (2016-still in production)

Fun facts :
- The waterbuck was missing in the package when I ordered it on Ebay along with several other CollectA antelopes. That's the only time I have had a problem with my usual online seller.
- I apologise in advance but we are going to talk about size. Again. Indeed, I have seen waterbucks in my life but I don't remember them being so large as the CollectA figure, even compared to other CollectA antelopes such as the giant eland or the bongo for example Maybe I am wrong but it seems to me that the CollectA figure is a bit too bulky and a bit to high shoulder height. As far as proportions are concerned, it's a nice figure and all but the head looks a bit too large to me.
- The impala from Papo is clearly not compatible with Schleich or even CollectA antelopes. I knew it (or desperately wanted to forget it) when I bought it in a shop with the leatherback turtle. I am still waiting for a CollectA impala at the same scale than the other antelopes but, somehow, I got used to my oversized Papo impala with time and now even tolerate it in my African diorama !
- I have seen waterbucks and impalas in zoos, or more precisely in a safari park.

I have the same feeling with the CollectA waterbuck every time I look at him. Each time I take measurements I give him a 1/18 Scale and I give a 1/22 scale for CollectA’s Giant eland.
I don’t have Papo impala but I feel it would be more 1/15 or even 1/12.
CollectA waterbuck is a bit too bulky for my mind ( not sure my mind is right ) but it is a huge antelope, the biggest of the Kobus genus. It’s not the same with the impala, I never bought it because I feel it too bulky, I am not speaking about the size, too bodybuilded for an impala. I think it is the legs, as often with Papo hooved animals, they are too strong for my taste.

RtasVadumee wrote:

Indeed, I have seen waterbucks in my life but I don't remember them being so large as the CollectA figure, even compared to other CollectA antelopes such as the giant eland or the bongo for example

That's the reason for I don't have it in my collection after I saw it for sale directly in toy shops and rejected it always knowing it's excessive size.

RtasVadumee wrote:

- The impala from Papo is clearly not compatible with Schleich or even CollectA antelopes.

Same here, the impala is even much more giant and I always rejected it absolutely since first days of my collection (I saw it for sale in the same stationery where I bought the 4th and 5th figures of my collection). Besides the enormous size, I dislike the too thick legs and overall, the very badly done horns with exaggerated and too widely separated rings.

Impalas are surprisingly rare in zoos, I only remember seeing them in one and they was in an almost hidden enclosure, very difficult to spot through the bushes that grow in the perimeter. I've seen both defasa and ellipsen waterbucks, but the ellipsen subspecies is more common than the defasa one. Still I prefair very much more the ellipsen subspecies in figure form, but this would be so easy as to paint a white band in the rump of the CollectA figure :)

I would rarely visit the zoo with my parents as they were always busy with work, so every summer holiday my grandparents would treat me with a trip to the zoo. Now my brother is sick and tired of every zoo (unless it has giant pandas ) so my trips have greatly reduced but I still manage to visit one zoo a year.

The waterbuck is the only Collecta african antelope I still miss, but I might get it anyway. The reason I have not bought it yet is not the size of it, it's a heavy antelope anyway and I can make peace with a bit oversized models. But the head is too flat and big that make the model look weird at first glance.
If we assume that the inspiration photo could be a similar one with the one I have below, this is pretty obvious.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Still it's unlikely that any other brand will do a better waterbuck, if at all, so it's a figure worth getting!

The impala, no!

I have these two models too. I think the waterbuck is a very good model even if it is not one of the best among CollectA. If the brand had made it smaller, unlikely they could make such thin horns. I agree the impala is not at the same level but it is far from being a terrible figure. It is actually a very clever release from Papo once impalas are very wellknown antelopes and iconic species that all other major brands have just ignored. Unfortunately mine got with a broken horn during one of the moves but that’s not a tragedy. I still have some hope that CollectA releases an impala, preferrably with te same level of quality of their gazelle.

Roger wrote:

I have these two models too. I think the waterbuck is a very good model even if it is not one of the best among CollectA. If the brand had made it smaller, unlikely they could make such thin horns. I agree the impala is not at the same level but it is far from being a terrible figure. It is actually a very clever release from Papo once impalas are very wellknown antelopes and iconic species that all other major brands have just ignored. Unfortunately mine got with a broken horn during one of the moves but that’s not a tragedy. I still have some hope that CollectA releases an impala, preferrably with te same level of quality of their gazelle.

I know I have a problem with most Papo antelopes. The impala is better than the gemsbok but I have the chance to own the Kitan club impala and the Tree House Kid one (who needs a repaint) so I can live without this one.
Nevertheless I would be happy too if CollectA give us a nice impala pic next thursday

I'd be very, very happy with a roan antelope

Advicot wrote:

I'd be very, very happy with a roan antelope

It would be a very good news too

Advicot wrote:

I would rarely visit the zoo with my parents as they were always busy with work, so every summer holiday my grandparents would treat me with a trip to the zoo. Now my brother is sick and tired of every zoo (unless it has giant pandas ) so my trips have greatly reduced but I still manage to visit one zoo a year.

One zoo visit per year is NOT ENOUGH !

spacelab wrote:

Still it's unlikely that any other brand will do a better waterbuck, if at all, so it's a figure worth getting!

I don't regret to have it AT ALL. I have much worse figures in my collection I am happy with But that's probably the ONLY CollectA antelope that can be criticized somehow, so I did not want to miss the opportunity of some "CollectA bashing" ! (the nilgai is another model I am not fond of, but we will talk about it later)

Anyway, I am very happy that my thread generates so many comments !

However, I have a problem with postimage, cannot access the website anymore. Can anyone try to upload a picture on postimage so that I know if the problem is only with my computer ?

Kikimalou wrote:

Advicot wrote:

I'd be very, very happy with a roan antelope

It would be a very good news too

Even if I am not such an enthusiast of Papo antelopes, I think a roan antelope would be a perfect species for Papo. It is a massive animal and horns are not delicate. It is also large so a perfect candidat for the French brand. I kno Christophe the impalas you mentioned are little treasures I’d love one from CollectA.

RtasVadumee wrote:

Anyway, I am very happy that my thread generates so many comments !

However, I have a problem with postimage, cannot access the website anymore. Can anyone try to upload a picture on postimage so that I know if the problem is only with my computer ?

My photos to Kelly actually didn't come out... maybe it is a temporary problem and will hopefully soon be fixed!

I know it isn't but I have a family business of sheep farming to help with, I struggle to find time for much else

Roger wrote:

Kikimalou wrote:

Advicot wrote:

I'd be very, very happy with a roan antelope

It would be a very good news too

Even if I am not such an enthusiast of Papo antelopes, I think a roan antelope would be a perfect species for Papo. It is a massive animal and horns are not delicate. It is also large so a perfect candidat for the French brand. I kno Christophe the impalas you mentioned are little treasures I’d love one from CollectA.

A Roan antelope could be a good challenge for Mojo

The more the merrier :)

Kikimalou wrote:

Roger wrote:

Kikimalou wrote:

Advicot wrote:

I'd be very, very happy with a roan antelope

It would be a very good news too

Even if I am not such an enthusiast of Papo antelopes, I think a roan antelope would be a perfect species for Papo. It is a massive animal and horns are not delicate. It is also large so a perfect candidat for the French brand. I kno Christophe the impalas you mentioned are little treasures I’d love one from CollectA.

A Roan antelope could be a good challenge for Mojo

Surely Christophe but as it is too closely related with the sable I think they won’t release it. I also think that the Papo gemsbok is a bulky guy almost like a roan so I thought it would work nicely with the French brand. I didn’t mind if it was on esteroids like their buffalo and with extra teeth.

V Mammals

M) Even-toed ungulates

4) Bovids

c) Bovines

1. Spiral-horned antelopes

Species : Mountain nyala, bongo, giant eland, greater kudu
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Figures on this picture (from left to right) :
- CollectA 88689 Mountain Nyala (2014-still in production)
- CollectA 88823 Bongo Calf (2018-still in production)
- CollectA 88809 Bongo Antelope (2017-still in production)
- CollectA 88768 Giant Eland Calf (2016-still in production)
- CollectA 88563 Giant Eland Antelope (2012-still in production)
- Schleich 14644 Kudu Calf (2011-2013)
- Schleich 14645 Kudu Antelope (2011-2013)

Fun facts :
- That's certainly my most beloved tribe of animals in my whole collection and one of my favourite "family pictures". I don't know what to say except that they are all perfect, all masterpieces, including the Schleich odd one out in this CollectA herd Even the calves are superb and I especially fancy the young bongo
- The bongo was the very first African antelope I bought from CollectA because I absolutely loved how beautifully painted the face pattern was and how real the horns looked and also mostly because I wanted to get my very first forest antelope rather than more savannah ones. It was one of the models that convinced me to get more CollectA figures.
- However, my favourite figure on this picture is definitely the giant eland. No picture can make you feel what it is to see it in real, hold it in your hands... Of course the sculpt is good but the painting makes all the difference. It is so delicate, so nuanced... In my opinion, the finest painting we have ever had on a CollectA figure.
- Unfortunately, despite looking very good on pictures, the calf does not reach the same level in real.
- The kudu is a good representative of the golden age of Schleich, a very beautiful figure which I am unable to tell apart from its CollectA fellows when I look at my photo. However, it has one big flaw : it lacks male genitals ! I know it's just a detail to many of you but it bothers me quite a lot as sex is something important in my collection since I collect pairs and families of animals rather than single individuals. I don't know why testes are missing on this one while they are usually present on Schleich male figures... Actually, I know that some collectors, including MartinH from this forum, used this lack of genitals to customise it into a female by simply removing the horns. That's a clever idea as the rather thin silhouette of the Schleich model makes is perfectly plausible as a female.
- There is a huge debate about which greater kudu one should buy to go with the CollectA antelopes. Not surprisingly, I belong to the "Schleich team". Indeed, although the Schleich model is tiny in comparison with the much bulkier CollectA bongo, it fits perfectly with the giant eland. In my opinion, the Schleich kudu is less shocking next to the CollectA bongo than the Papo kudu is next to the CollectA giant eland. But that's just my opinion. Furthermore, I think that the painting tend to favour the Schleich choice too. CollectA figures are known to benefit from the finest paintjob among western brands. Schleich is usually slightly not as good but this greater kudu is among their best painted ones and, again, I am unable to tell Schleich apart from CollectA when I look at this picture. To the contrary, Papo is renowned for its ambitious sculpts but painting is usually less convincing. I mean, you don't need to be a Papo hater to admit it, and their kudu is no exception, looking "glossier" and more "plastic-looking" than its Schleich counterpart. Finally, the Papo kudu is made of more malleable plastic and while the Schleich figure is too light, the Papo model is too soft, especially the horns which tend to bend easily as it happened within the collection of many sts members. That's why I think the Schleich kudu, despite not fitting perfectly with the others, is a clever choice than its Papo counterpart for every CollectA antelope lover !
- I may have missed the Schleich kudu. Indeed, I found it in the shop's display case I had not seen at first (it was the last one and there was no one left on the shelves). I never found it again during my numerous "figure hunts" proving that it's a very rare figure. I ordered all the other CollectA antelopes on Ebay.
- I have seen greater kudus and bongos in zoos. I have seen "regular" nyalas in zoos (angasii) but I have never seen the mountain species (buxtoni) and I have seen common elands but no giant ones (I would love to as they are much more beautiful than the common ones).

My history with greater kudus is quite weird. Papo kudu was one of the models that I bought locally that got me more excited. I couldn’t stop looking at it. However, I couldn’t avoid the Schleich greater kudu, much better than the previous model and actually a figure I was not expecting to see sculpted like that by Schleich. When I decided to reduce my collection, I ended choosing the Schleich model. There’s something special on Papo’s kudu but I think Schleich’s is a better rendition. I also love these CollectA, of course, they are almost perfect and I also think the giant eland is the best. I know you are not too much into Safari but I think the lesser kudu was a good candidat to enrich this beautiful group. I have one and I love it.

I love your posts! And this is a wonderful batch, I'm always so interested when someone shows a figure that is their favourite/ is painted the best, because I then look at it and realise how amazing it is!
It's really interesting reading about all the knowledge you have on the brands, such as how CollectA is known for excellent painting, and Papo for sculpts, for someone fairly new to these brands, I love to learn all the different views and knowledge! Is your collection synoptic? If so have you done canids/dogs yet? Sorry if you have as I'm new on this wonderful topic!
And on top of that, wonderful models, so thank you!

Some really good figure you have presented there

Marvelous! Tragelaphines are also one of the groups that I love so much, and CollectA did a very good job with their species. Giant eland was one of my early figures, both because the rendition is very good as because the species is exciting for me. The mountain nyala came after, from my first forum-member trade, and the bongo came the last because I always had a lot of doubts about buying this bongo, being slightly too big for my tastes and overall with so ugly paintjob on the face. But this was before I acquired acrylic paints. After that I bought the bongo and inmediately repainted its face for make it looks like a bongo. Fortunately, the bongo calf have a much more correctly painted face, but it's not my cup of tea since I don't collect calves. But once I have the bongo I don't find a kudu that fits with it. Your picture illustrates what you said perfectly: the Schleich great kudu fits perfectly with the giant eland but is dwarved by the bongo! I have both but since years I plan to get the Safari lesser kudu too and it fits more with the bongo than with the eland so a Papo-sized kudu would be nearer the media for my collection than the Schleich one (tough I would prefair something intermediate). Anyway I always avoided the Papo kudu not for the size, but for the horrible horns, always absolutely defformed and heavily assymetric already from the cast. I don't think they're very bendable, it's just that the prototype is already deformed, since all individuals of this model that I've seen have the same exact deformation. Anyway I think a kudu are now impossible to get enough space in my very overcrowded shelves, and if I need to choose I will choose lesser kudu as it's much more exciting species for me.

Of course I also saw bongos and great kudus in zoos. I also have seen lowland nyalas, that are somewhat rarer in captivity. I also saw lesser kudu. Like you, I saw common eland but no giant eland. Giant eland are very rare in captivity. San Diego Safari Park have them. I have been to San Diego but visited only the zoo and not the safari park - it's very difficult to reach by public transport, and most of its exciting species are already present at the Zoo (not the giant eland). About mountain nyala, there are as many in zoos as it's geographic neighbour, the hirola (so, absolutely zero).

Bonnie wrote:

It's really interesting reading about all the knowledge you have on the brands, such as how CollectA is known for excellent painting, and Papo for sculpts, for someone fairly new to these brands, I love to learn all the different views and knowledge! Is your collection synoptic? If so have you done canids/dogs yet? Sorry if you have as I'm new on this wonderful topic!

I'm far to be a knowledgeable member on this forum ! I choose my figures mostly by instinct and most people here who comment my thread have a much more "rationalised" collecting approach.

I don't know if my collection is synoptic or not, I never managed to really understand what this word meant, whether it be in English or in French (it's the same word in French) !

About dogs, I love them, they are the only worth pets in my opinion and are even much more than pets, I love mine far more than almost every human being on this planet except perhaps my mother and another person very dear to my heart who does not want to see me anymore, but I do not collect domestic dogs figures nor any other domestic species (there are a few exotic exceptions however). I only want to own figures of dogs I had or currently have, that is to say the shih-tzu and the chihuahua which were recently released by Schleich (the models are not very convincing though...). But being limited edition figures, I did not find them in local shops and it has become even more difficult now with the second confinement.

However, I have a few wild canines you can see here : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

You can also see my real dog here : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Pardofelis wrote:

I have both but since years I plan to get the Safari lesser kudu too and it fits more with the bongo than with the eland so a Papo-sized kudu would be nearer the media for my collection than the Schleich one (tough I would prefair something intermediate).

You still have the vintage Schleich which is the perfect size between bongo and giant eland but it is... well, "vintage" and far to be good enough to fit with CollectA.

May I see your repainted bongo ?

I will think about the lesser kudu !

I definitely agree with you about dogs! They really are the most wonderful pets, and your chihuahua is absolutely adorable and looks like the sweetest companion! And I hope you manage to find the Schleich chihuahua released this year- I managed to buy mine online so maybe you will find your there! And I love your wild canines, you have such a good selection of models!