Spacelab's Collection FINAL PART.

What a wonderful range of rabbits, the Schleich are my favourite- so beautiful and realistic! They are stunning jut like all the Schleich model from this time, and this post was summed up perfectly by the music!

I like the CollectA hare a lot, great group of rabbits. And the music of course goes right along with them! 

That's quite inmpressive how you always manage to find an album with the animal you are talking about printed on the sleeve. I wonder if you'll be able to keep doing this when you will be presenting more unusual critters.

I think almost everybody out there bought the white hare as an Arctic one Actually, I do think that the Papo works better as a mountain hare and the Schleich as an arctic one, but I have no criteria to give, that's just jizz.

The Nayab rabbit is very good, I would use it as your domestic one instead of the other one if I had to choose.

Of course, I knew the chosen song but was unaware of the band or any background surrounding it.

spacelab wrote:

Roger wrote:

Your Nayab model is clearly an Easter rabbit.

Now it's an Easter Rabbit, next week I will identify it as an American Rabbit. And the future is full of surprises..

That's a versatile rabbit. It is a pity [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] have not shared the complete list of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] once their identifications of these models seem to be very accurate. At least when compared with the identifications Nayab provided. So, better to keep that rabbit, maybe it is a unusual species.

Nice bunnys

RtasVadumee wrote:

The Nayab rabbit is very good, I would use it as your domestic one instead of the other one if I had to choose.

The Schleich domestic rabbit is a great rendition of the Checkered Giant breed and it's not so common we have rabbits of a specific breed, so I definitely prefer this. Also it's a France originated breed..

RtasVadumee wrote:

That's quite impressive how you always manage to find an album with the animal you are talking about printed on the sleeve. I wonder if you'll be able to keep doing this when you will be presenting more unusual critters.

The answer is "NO". Partly because I can't check all my records and doing it from memory so I might forget some and partly because I don't think I have a record with a Civet on the cover...

Part 4: The Lions den

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L to R
Young Lioness (Schleich 2019)
Lion Cub (Schleich 2018)
Male Lion (Schleich 2018)
Alpha male White Lion (Collecta 2017)
Alpha Female (Papo 2006)
Grumpy Lioness (Collecta 2010 *old painting*)
Persecuted Lion (Collecta 2010)


My smartphone camera played tricks on me, I couldn't get a clear photo and I'm not sure why this white Lion always comes out sooo white and the creamy shades disappear.. Anyway, this is an amazing big lion actually, so it's my alpha male. I have nothing to add about the Papo female, all's been said. One of the best mass production models generally and I was lucky to replace mine with an older produced one thanks to Paige. The old Collecta male is going to leave the pride any time soon.. There are much better cubs than the one I have, but my daughter chose it for me as a present when she was 3, so this will always be my very precious cub.

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Lions are a very popular theme in all kinds of art and instead of posting a very popular song I chose a hidden gem from 1984. The band is called Tones On Tail, they are actually a short-lived project that came up from the ashes of Bauhaus when they broke up. If you've never heard of Bauhaus, they are one of the most important and influential bands for the dark-wave / goth scene, so now you know.
The song is called "Lions" of course and it's an atmospheric creepy dark number, quite matching to the theme.




It could not be more easy to choose a Record artwork from my collection this time. It's one of my favorite records and also an amazing album cover. The band comes from London, they were called The Sound and their album "From The Lions Mouth" was released in 1981. A post-punk/new wave masterpiece, but just take a look at the cover, it's a piece of Art. Literally, since this is actually a 1872 painting by Briton Rivière called "Daniel in the Lions' Den". If you live close to Liverpool you can see the real thing at Walker Art Gallery.
Check my photos of the gatefold cover:

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The expression of lions in front of Daniel is tremendous, don't you think?

Cheers!

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Beautiful lions! That Papo lioness looks right at home.

Nice lions too

Yes, such a beautiful pride! I just love your alpha male, this CollectA model is my favourite of all the lion figures I know- it is one of the only ones which really captures the bravery and beauty of this animal! That Papo lioness is stunning too, and great songs to go with this post!

I completely agree Bonnie about that royal couple!

I like your selection of lions and the Papo lioness is mandatory. I am glad you have found a sample as good as you wished.
I have the CollectA lioness pending, I am always postponing it and I will probably miss the dirty version that I love.
I have the Mojö Fun lion 2nd generation that I really love but I know it is useless to recomend it to you.
I agree you can't find a better lion cub than this one, unless your daughter gives another to you.
OK, I wished a more festive song about lions once my favorite lions won the UEFA Futsal Champions League today but itt is a funny coincidence that you posted your lions today. The record is a fantastic piece of art!

Thank you all!
Roger, my lionesses won the Water Polo Euro-League the other day, that's a coincidence too. Hmmm, now that I think about it, mine are rather sea-lionesses..
But I'm rarely in festive mode, so..

Nice Lions tribe Kostas and very nostalgic to me (I'm not a too much nostalgic guy ) but this white lion reminds me the King Leo, a Japanese cartoon I watched when I was young and the Sound remind me when I was 17 years old. It was not one of my favourite band but the singer Adrian Borland reminded me of Jim Morrison at the time.

Haha, I just saw King Leo, he is beautiful though he has a rather "androgynous" style for a king.

To be honest I can't see the connection of Borland with Morrison, though that scene had several frontmen that were heavily influenced by the Doors, like the Sound's label-mates, Echo & the Bunnymen.
Unfortunately, Adrian had an even saddest death than Morrison, since he committed suicide in 1999 jumping in front of a train. He was just another Schizoaffective disorder victim. Very talented and passionate person.

Oh, me, I'm such a nostalgic guy! Really. And I think you are more nostalgic than you think you are, look at all those charming vintage models you just bought..

I was 8 years old when "Le roi Léo" series was shown on French TV, it was my favorite cartoon then

About Borland and Morrison, listen to skeletons or New dark age on "from the lion's mouth". It's not often but every time I hear these songs something in the voice instinctively reminds me of Morrison.

It's true my collection began in 2003 on a nostalgic mood after a tragic event in my life but my collection evolved in two month from nostagia to curiosity and investigation: I bought my first German old stuff then but also fresh new japaneses brands like kaiyodo, Yujin or Bandai (they were new models of the year then). We were a few to hunt them on eBay for cheap prices.

First of all, thank you for making me discover a new song and you cannot imagine how happy I am that you didn't choose this one which would have been an incredibly predictable and boring choice :


Then that album artwork is gorgeous, that's surely a worthy item in your collection.

Concerning the figures now, I probably won't be very consensual here but I always make it a point of honour to be honest so here is my opinion.

I'm definitely not a fan of the CollectA lion which, in my opinion, precisely too much looks like King Leo or Mufasa in its brown, regular version. The nobility surrounding that figure is too stylized for me, even if I am known to appreciate the Schleich embelishment. In my opinion, it does not look real. Maybe I'm biased and I would have accepted it from Schleich but that's not what I expect from CollectA.

I obviously love the Papo lioness (unlike their lions which does not find favour with me either), which can easily compete for the best figure ever contest, only its size is prohibitive for me.

Your new Schleich lion does not look so bad on the pic but it's usually a model I absolutely hate when I see it in local shops. As you know, my favoured model is the previous rendition.

Roger is mentionning the Mojo lions and I know they are his favourite. I have never seen them in real but they are much likely the closest thing to what I'm looking for in a lion toy. However I'm certain that they are the same size than Papo's and CollectA's.

When I read the title, I was thinking you were refering to the official lions den from Schleich which I once missed an opportunity to get and I am now regretting bitterly.

RtasVadumee wrote:

Then that album artwork is gorgeous, that's surely a worthy item in your collection.

It's not a very rare record, since it was distributed by a major label and not a small independent one. The original issue you see above is selling around 70 euros for a Near Mint copy in the second hand market.

RtasVadumee wrote:

I'm definitely not a fan of the CollectA lion which, in my opinion, precisely too much looks like King Leo or Mufasa in its brown, regular version. The nobility surrounding that figure is too stylized for me, even if I am known to appreciate the Schleich embelishment. In my opinion, it does not look real. Maybe I'm biased and I would have accepted it from Schleich but that's not what I expect from CollectA.

Hmm, I can't understand this. Isn't nobility one of the main and most obvious features of the male Lion? I'm glad CollectA released a model capturing a good essence of that feature. I'm a bit bored now to post photos of the big brands white lions models, but if this one does not look realistic enough, I'm not sure what to say about the papo/mojo/schleich versions.. Beauty and class exist in the lions world.

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Was there any realistic chance I would post "the lion sleeps tonight"?

part 5: The Waterfowl

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photo 1 L to R
Mute Swan (Collecta 2008)
Black Swan (Papo 2010)
photo 2 L to R
African Gander (Collecta 2012)
Domestic Goose (Schleich 1999)
Greylag Gander (Schleich 2011)
photo 3 L to R
Mandarin Duck (Papo 2017)
Mallard Duck (Schleich 1991)
Mallard Duck (Schleich 2017)

I'm low on waterfowl, but to be sincere I was never intended to have more than 3-4... It was an accident actually. The Collecta Swan is amazing, but I chose wrong angle in my photo. Anyway, most of you know how good it is, so it doesn't matter. I bought the black swan used for some cents and was in a bad state, but I recovered it and looks OK I think... I kept the old Mallard in my collection because I want to use one in the wild and one in my farm.
I'm not sure I want more waterfowl, maybe I will consider a couple from the M+B line, but it's not a priority. I also have the cute AAA african goose with chicks ( [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ) but it's rather small for me, so it will go eventually.

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I decided to post waterfowl a couple of days ago while I was driving and I really made a list big enough to fill a double CD only with Swan songs by memory. I made my choice based on video, because I thought it was interesting how this guy that made this unofficial clip matched perfectly the song with scenes from the famous Aronofsky film "Black Swan".
The song is called "Into A Swan" by Siouxsie, the princess of Punk or godmother of Goth, anyway a true female icon for the art of music and with some marvelous releases with her band, Siouxsie & the Banshees from 1978 to 1995. This song though is a more recent one, from her only solo album that was released in 2007.




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Now, the album cover I chose is really special. Well, I also chose a 7" single cover too, but lets talk about the album first.
Depeche Mode - Speak & Spell (1981)
When this was released, 40 years ago (omg I'm getting old!) there was much controversy about the artwork. Many hated it, could not understand it, it seemed out of place. Why a new electropop band from Basildon would choose a Swan in a plastic bag for its debut album?
The controversy increased through the years, as Depeche Mode became a huge band in terms of popularity and die-hard fans. Anyway, it was a much fun theme of discussion and nobody really remembers why they did this photo, but just look at it. How beautiful it is and how symbolic seems today. A swan in a plastic bag. This amazing photo was made by Brian Griffin in his studio, the swan is stuffed of course. I just love it.

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Then I also have a cover with ducks. A 7" single this time, that I wanted to put it here not because of its artwork quality, but because it's one of the most beautiful 80's pop songs ever written.
Tears For Fears - Mad World (1982)
Nothing to do with waterfowls, but it deserved a mention in my collection topic. ( [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] )
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"And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had.."



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Absolutely beautiful waterfowls- I always love models of the animals I see in day to day life and so it is a joy to see these ducks! I completely agree, those swans are stunning, and I love the flapping geese with wings outstretched- poses like this always bring life to a model! A wonderful Schleich mallard too- a quintessential duck that has been captured perfectly!

I told it many times on forum, even before CollectA being an almost consensual brand.
Their mute swan is one of the most iconic pieces from their first wave of models. It is not inspired in any other known figure and the result was just the most glamourous mute swan model I ever witnessed. So many other figures, some very beautiful too, were released during these years but it keeps number one for me. Sometimes I think how cool it would be to interview someone from a brand to talk about a specific model and I surely would love to know the whole story behind the swan.
Fantastic performance also for Papo, despite having the wonderful Safari mandarin, I ended getting this Papo model, it is such an incredible piece.
I believe you would enjoy most of the Maia & Borges River and Lake Birds. They are closer to the design of Schleich of 10 years ago than exactly of what we see these days in CollectA or so but they are very beautiful, some really unusual in toy shape and their quality finish is irreprochable. How can we live without their wood duck?
This time I really enjoyed the songs you added. It is good to recall that the Mad World is Tears for Fears' fault.

Beautieful figures again - and song too

I enjoy Tears for Fears, even if their sound can seem a little "outdated" today, I love that. Not so fond about Depeche Mode but that's certainly because I have heard them too much on radio as the radio is turning 24h/24 in my parents' house

I first thought that was an ostrich on the artwork

About your figure waterfowls, indeed, the feathers' texture of that swan is gorgeous. Might be a good candidate to marry my wonderful Schleich female with cygnets on her back as I am not satisfied with the new Schleich swan. But of course, mute swan is not an exciting enough species to justify an internet order.

The Papo black one is a very lazy inaccurate repaint but still a must-have as I think it's important to have a black swan.

I would suggest you the swimming mallard to replace your vintage one in your farm or your wild collection [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] . However, your use of the model from the 90s is clever because its brownish monochromic body clearly indicates a hybridized domestic duck instead of a pure-blood wild duck (even if genetic studies have shown that 100% pure mallards almost didn't exist anymore). I know you're a family man but not a family collector, but the swimming female is a little masterpiece I strongly recommend too : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

You're right Roger, CollectA is basically the table which Schleich and Papo supporters can have a friendly drink on together between two skirmishes

However, I would not qualify the Safari mandarin anything near to "wonderful", it's rather cartoonish and ridiculous, even if I kind of like it because it gave me the opportunity to meet a kind fellow collector and recruit her for STS (even if she's not active).

M+B wood duck is surely great and not too strikingly bigger than Papo's mandarin but if I had to advise only one of their figures to our friend, it would rather be the common loon as it represents a totally new order in one's collection no other brand has ever represented.

RtasVadumee wrote:

M+B wood duck is surely great and not too strikingly bigger than Papo's mandarin but if I had to advise only one of their figures to our friend, it would rather be the common loon as it represents a totally new order in one's collection no other brand has ever represented.

Well, I was leaning more to the Tufted Duck, because it's so funny and also very different in coloration from the others I have.
About the CollectA Swan, I was really wondering why you got the new Schleich instead of this, but it's probably because it's much easier for you to get a Schleich than a CollectA model. Anyway, Swans are Swans, they are all pretty.

Careful, the tufted duck is huge compared with a Schleich mallard ! I mean, the wood duck is too but it's even more striking with the tufted one I think. But maybe that's because I am soooo used to these birds.

Yes, that's only for that reason. I try to limit my number of internet orders as much as possible while I have no limit for local purchases. So the swan is unlikely to ever be a priority unless I get the barn owl maybe (but again, if the website offers other brands, a load of Safari will be likely to come first).