Spacelab's Collection FINAL PART.

part 9: Galliformes

I think it's been a month since my last collection picture and I guess I should return here with something very exciting and exotic. Instead, I'll post some chickens.

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photo 1 L to R
Pheasant (Papo 2020)
Turkey (Collecta 2016)
Peacock (Collecta 2008)
photo 2 L to R
Rooster (Schleich 1999)
Hen (Schleich 1999)
Rooster (Schleich 2017)

My 3 Chickens were adopted with trading, so I did not bother much to choose, just a little. I think they look fine and I enjoy the fact that there are two Roosters fighting for a "girl" and not the other way round.  
On the first photo, the main theme is definitely that hyper-amazing Turkey from Collecta, for me one of the top models in terms of sculpting and detail in the toy world. I really love it.
The Peacock was chosen because I prefer the way the tail-feathers are made, more sculpting than painting. The Papo Pheasant fits just fine, in his case the yellow eyes are not a problem Mr. jackal.

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I tried to find a peacock song, but I was not satisfied with my collection's options. Also, I think that Katy Perry might be cute but that "peacock" song I hear on the radio sometimes is lame and too far from my aesthetics.
So, I chose a Turkey song and a Rooster song and I will honor the peacocks of the world in the albums cover.
Unfortunately there is no official video for those two, but anyway we just listen here.
First, it's a song from 1993 by english band Curve. They were a shoegaze-electronic act, meaning the guitars are noisy, some synth-industrial elements here and there and the hypnotic voice of Toni Halliday makes everything work together. She is one of the 90's singers I had a small crush on and since there is no real video, here's a picture of her:
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Beautiful, isn't she? Anyway, here is Curve with "Turkey Crossing"



The 2nd song is about a Rooster and totally different. It's primitive, based only on percussions and it's actually a traditional song. It's performed by The Creatures, a Siouxsie & the Banshees side-project. It was released in 1983. "A Strutting Rooster"



I'm not crazy with the record I found for my peacock album cover, but it's not that bad and actually it was a commercial success when Britpop was ruling the music industry.  The Bluetones ‎with their 1996 first album Expecting To Fly. I think their song Slight Return is way too popular, well it's in this album.

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Another excellent group! I really need to grab that CollectA turkey sometime.

The CollectA turkey is indeed gorgeous and may be even worth an addition to the next CollectA order ! And I won't even have to get rid of my Schleich as both seem to fit very well as younger and older males. I think I even have an old Bully female somewhere.

I would advise you to get the Papo peafowl as your CollectA seems very undersized next to the two others.

About chickens, I have been hesistating forever over that Schleich recent rendition on the right and noone was ever able to tell me wether or not it could be used as a wild red junglefowl (the original chicken species).

I didn't know any of the musical references here but I'm happy to learn !

Wonderful pheasant and turkey (but the peacock is not the one I prefer)

Thank you to present us these so interesting groups!

RtasVadumee wrote:

I would advise you to get the Papo peafowl as your CollectA seems very undersized next to the two others.

Yes, it looks undersized next to the Turkey, but size is relevant. I don't display my models based on species but by continent. The Papo peafowl could eat my Schleich tiger and is almost as tall as my Camel.. It's a good model, much more impressive and I've checked it many times, but much bigger than I wanted to.. Still on hold.

@Spacelab's collection is back and in very good style!
My peacock is the same as yours and I love that model. I really agree about the rich sculpt on feathers, it makes a lot of difference.
I also didn't kknow the songs presented here but they are very unusual, different and interesting. A nice cover too.

I love chickens, and you've picked some wonderful models!

That turkey is absolutely stunning!!! Maybe the best bird model ever done by a Western brand!

Nice birds :)

Thank you for your comments! Next set of animals

part 10: Tapirs

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L to R
Malayan Tapir (Collecta 2020)
Malayan Tapir (Schleich 2010)
Baird's Tapir (Collecta 2013)
Brazilian Tapir (Mojo Fun 2020)

Although the Collecta sculpt was originally used for a Baird's Tapir, I believe it's the most accurate and thus the best Malayan Tapir on the market at the moment. The good old Schleich still retains its charm, a model with class and quality, but definitely not as realistic as Collecta's rendition.
The Brazilian Tapir's version was chosen intentionally, I liked it better and it's the coloration I'm much more familiar with for this lovely South-American mammal.
I'm not especially optimistic that there will be a brave company to give us a Mountain Tapir in the near future...

I don't think I own a record with Tapirs on the cover nor do I remember a Tapir song, so that's about it.

Beautiful, realistic tapirs!

All stunning specimens! Great family portrait.

Nice group!!

TAPIRS

Oh ! It has definitely been a while since we last chatted about the evolution of your collection ! I remember that last time we talked about tapirs, you were buying the new CollectA in its Malayan version against my advice, because you didn't care about having a Baird's

Now look at your family picture : you finally bought the Baird's and the Mojo Brazilian, and even added the Schleich Malayan you didn't need anymore

The CollectA is a muscled male while the Schleich is a chubby female, of course it would have been a promoted marriage within my collection if it was not for the Baird's. As I often say, we are too much used to seeing the CollectA model as a Baird's, it's too disturbing to accept the same mould for another species, even if I assume I wouldn't have been able to tell it's a Baird's had it been painted as a zebra Malayan

Tapirs, I really love these animals so much!
They look musical to me, a kind of aerophonic creatures.
You present them correctly because the CollectA model was originally used as a Baird's but it was initially sculpted to be a Malayan. As the sculpt also served for a Baird's and CollectA was in a wave of alternative species, they decided to paint it as a Baird's. That's the reason why it is so good as a Malayan and I am wanting it for a long time already, only it was not available last time I bought a few figures online. I don't have it myself but if there is a very special baby figure, even for non baby collectors, it is the CollectA youngster. Absolutely wonderful model.

beautiful family picture!

Thank you all, I'm moving on to

part 11: Zebras

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L to R
Grevy's Zebra (Collecta 2016)
Plains Zebra (Schleich 2018)
Plains Zebra grazing (Schleich 2010)

I can't find anything new or interesting to say about these zebras, they are posted so many times here. Schleich makes good zebras and I don't think there is any serious alternative to the Grevy's. It's without a doubt very nice and a perfect size to scale with the smaller common ones. I'm quite content with these 3 and if I ever need a foal, the Mojo one is the most tempting. But I don't need a foal.
This time I have music to match my models, cool music actually..

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Any way you run, you run before us
Black and white horse arching among us

This is a beautiful sweet ballad by Beach House, a dream-pop American band from Baltimore. They are really interesting, the girl's voice is haunting. Lyrics interpretation might vary, to me is mostly about feeling different or superior, though "deception" is one of the issues here too.. "Zebra" is From Beach House's 3rd album "Teen Dream" that was released in 2010.



Now, my album cover. I bought this one when I was 14 and I still enjoy it, a classic record actually for the early 80's scene. The band comes from Liverpool, they are called The Teardrop Explodes and this is their debut LP Kilimanjaro(1980). As you can see on the photo of the sleeve, the highest Africa mountain stands proud behind a zebra and gnu herd. Here it is:

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Excellent again! I really love the Schleich drinking zebra.

I ended without a plains zebra among my major brand figures. I haven't fixed it and I really owned the Schleich zebras too. They're really good. I wiill eventually get the CollectA model. I have the Grevy's, even if we had an alternative, I am not seeing which other brand could provide a better model. Maybe only Mojö Ffun with Anna's sculpt could provide a nicer one but I doubt any of the brands can give us a better painting.
I really like the song you suggested and what a crazy bridge in that Kilimanjaro.
By the way, art is also the ability of making different persons having different interpretations. It works for lyrics but also for covers.
In my perspective, my interpretation of that cover is that it is about local gastronomy.

Roger wrote:

In my perspective, my interpretation of that cover is that it is about local gastronomy.

Lol, said the Lisbon lion.

Nice presentation again :)

I have been looking for that comparison for a while, they indeed perfectly fit aesthetically and sizewise. The stripes pattern and the different shape of the skull make them useful educational toys to tell the species apart.

It doesn't surprise me that this song is about feeling superior or different : in psychology, a "zebra" is an intellectually gifted, yet misfit, person.

RtasVadumee wrote:

It doesn't surprise me that this song is about feeling superior or different : in psychology, a "zebra" is an intellectually gifted, yet misfit, person.

Oh, I didn't know that. It all makes sense now and also confirms my initial thought. Thanks!

These are the best zebras! :)