Next level in Roger's Collection... a new Mountain Goat!

I have a multifaceted collection but the main core of my collecting hobby was always to find the nicest animal representatives among major brands.
A kind of synoptic collector where the exceptions are the rule.
I received this year two packages, one from Susanne, with what I call the next level, she helped me to get two Mojö Fun figures I wanted so much and as usual she added many fantastic gifts.
The other package from Yvette, also with many gifts, feature the most alternative side of my collection.
If I show all of them at once, I will postpone forever as last year and in that way I can add the reasons why I wanted each model.

Next level is the effort to find better representatives of animals I already have in my collection. (Considering resin models are out of my reach)
Sometimes I replace them, sometimes I keep the different options.

I want to start with a crocodile, any objection?
I wanted so much the 2019 Mojö Fun Nile crocodile, it seemed fabulous in pictures and it is equally fantastic in real.

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The Papo model was my main representative of this iconic African species. A figure I love and took a long time to get because it is relatively expensive.
Papo figure was, in my opinion, the best of all since it was released. It is a superb sculpt, very detailed, large with an esciting pose.
But is the Mojö better? Well, it is always subjective when comparing two figures of this quality.
Detail is similar, even the number of teeth is comparable. Differenciated scales, perfect paws, good proportions, correctly sculpted heads.

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Painting is completely different. That's the weak part of the Papo model. It is a boring layout even if I like the base color.
Mojö Fun alternate those darker scales on flanks that gives a very realistic touch to the model and it features the tail bands typical for this species.

Pose is dynamic on both models. More reptilian on Papo but Mojö's displays better.

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Mojö's features a moveable jaws, not very efficient and it is not a bonus nor a minus for me but I believe kids will love it.
PVC material is harder on Mojö model what gives an impression of a higher quality.
The size is one of the biggest differences and the smaller size of Mojö's model turns it more compatible with other brands.

The bottom part of the Papo figure is detailed but flat, Mojö's model is more organic in this regard.

I think it was a good decision to get this figure. Though, if you own the Papo model, you only need to replace it if you want to find a smaller and better painted Nile crocodile.
I think Mojö's is generally a slightly better model but it won't replace my Papo. I will keep both in my collection.

Next days I will continue showing other models and let's see if they're good replacements.

This is very exciting, a new level and even better models! I loved reading all your comments and look forward to seeing all your 2022 additions!

Thanks for the description of these two models.

A SUPERB new addition. Congratulations!

I have the Papo crocodile because I also thought it was the best one and was picky about crocs because of their price. This Mojo one is excellent and I love the pose, I certainly will consider this model now.

Big congrats! I can't wait to see what other gifts you received

It certainly is a marvellous model, and I enjoy to read your description and the comparison pictures

Roger wrote:

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Perfect capture of two rival males fighting over a beautiful croc lady that is waiting for the winner in the next shore!

Congrats for the new addition, it's a good Nile crocodile for a good Portuguese crocodile :)

Thanks everyone, I am glad you're enjoying.

Joliezac wrote:

I have the Papo crocodile because I also thought it was the best one and was picky about crocs because of their price. This Mojo one is excellent and I love the pose, I certainly will consider this model now.

Big congrats! I can't wait to see what other gifts you received

Jolie, Papo model is very good and quite spectacular. In some points it is better than Mojö's, I think the proportions are slightly better lower mandible and back paws are more for my taste too. Mojö has a better compromise sculpt/painting and it is a resin quality model in pvc. I believe Papo croc will remain the king for many collectors. Get the Mojö, it is more affordable but do not regret choosing Papo. Those two are similar level, the choice depends of ones personal taste.
Next figure I will show is surely an obvious upgrade over the model I owned before.

Pardofelis wrote:

Roger wrote:

Perfect capture of two rival males fighting over a beautiful croc lady that is waiting for the winner in the next shore!

Congrats for the new addition, it's a good Nile crocodile for a good Portuguese crocodile :)

thanks but for a fight they are competing in different categories. Papo croc has almost twice the weight of the Mojo counterpart.

Nice crocodile and thanks for your thoughts. I considered to update my crocodile collection, too. I have more "miniature" models from old Bullyland or Playvisions and K&M, however the Papo Gharial. So, an update would be good.
However, I struggled with the Papo as it looks very heavy, but could be good next to my Gharial. I considered the Mojo one, too. As it´s slightly smaller (what I like) and has nearly the same pose, it would be good a choice. However, I don´t like the moveable jaw, a feature that is nice for Toy Animals, but not so for a "collection". Some people don´t have a problem with that, for me it´s a disturbing factor on this figure.

Wow, the Mojo is a huge improvement in colouring, for that alone I think it stands out as much more appealing for the shelf, display, photography, whatever people wanted to do with it that colourful and detailed paintwork is very eyecatching and effective.
But I can definitely see why you're keeping both in this case, as the Papo example's nowhere near bad enough to need evicting from the collection. Sounds like your ideal would be the Papo sculpt wearing the Mojo paintjob

Duck-Anch-Amun wrote:

Nice crocodile and thanks for your thoughts. I considered to update my crocodile collection, too. I have more "miniature" models from old Bullyland or Playvisions and K&M, however the Papo Gharial. So, an update would be good.
However, I struggled with the Papo as it looks very heavy, but could be good next to my Gharial. I considered the Mojo one, too. As it´s slightly smaller (what I like) and has nearly the same pose, it would be good a choice. However, I don´t like the moveable jaw, a feature that is nice for Toy Animals, but not so for a "collection". Some people don´t have a problem with that, for me it´s a disturbing factor on this figure.

I agree the moveable jaw does not contribute for a better sculpt but is a bonus in terms of displaying because it gives you the option of showing it with open or closed mouth. On Mojö's crocodile it is more disturbing than on Papo's alligator because crocodiles have longer heads and especially because the pose turns it much noticiable but I live well with it.
Bullyland crocodiles are not even close to those, whichever you get, it will be much better.
About the sizes, check this comparison picture, Papo's is noticiably larger while Mojö's is only slightly longer than Papo's gharial.

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George wrote:

Wow, the Mojo is a huge improvement in colouring, for that alone I think it stands out as much more appealing for the shelf, display, photography, whatever people wanted to do with it that colourful and detailed paintwork is very eyecatching and effective.
But I can definitely see why you're keeping both in this case, as the Papo example's nowhere near bad enough to need evicting from the collection. Sounds like your ideal would be the Papo sculpt wearing the Mojo paintjob

Oh, surely the Papo model is a good candidat for a repaint. I wonder how this spectacular figure could look if repainted for you or any other talented collector. Unfortunately this is an expensive figure and repainting a croc is probably not that exciting. I think a retouch on painting could make a huge difference, like adding darker scales on flanks and the tail bands but I can't do it myself.

Whilst on previous example we were comparing two models of a very similar quality and the choice depends of which details each collector favours, this time, the new model is clearly superior but... let's see!

Choosing a White-tailed deer buck for my collection has been an adventure similar to pumas. It doesn't matter how many I get, I am always not completely happy but finally I've found one that pleases me a lot.
It is the CollectA rendition, released in 2018.

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It is replacing my Schleich model from 2014. It is important to notice that Schleich already released a new model, in 2019 but not saying it is bad, it is not a competitor to the CollectA figure.
There's another I eyed for a long time but I never acquired it, I am talking about the Safari released in 2012 with an impressive set of antlers, great ears, good geometry but a controversial bright painting.

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Deer are delicate animals, a big trouble for toy makers because the antlers and thin legs need often to be thickened for child safety.
This is the point where we see immediately that CollectA excelled. These antlers couldn't be thinner, they're correctly shaped for the species and legs are also very delicate, notice the back legs.
The design is clearly also more collector oriented while Schleich couldn't avoid the US Bambi effect. Its face, eyes and expression are clearly made to look cute and happy.
Both poses are simple, The back legs are more elegantly posed on CollectA's model but I really prefer the tail up option of the Schleich figure. These deer have really big tails and they often put their tails up, very typical for the species and it also allows us to see the inner side of the tail that gives the name to the species.

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I also love the clever way this CollectA buck is painted. Markings are correct for a typical specimen.
The rump patch is particularly good, also the neck and inner legs.
Schleich, as usual, opted for softer color transitions, I usually like it but for this particular species I think a brighter white color works nice.
An unexpected difference is the material, both models are the same size, CollectA's has a slightly more robuste body but all the rest is more massive on Schleich model.
How to explain that CollectA's weighs 53g and Schleich's only 35g?
This Schleich figure is from a period when the brand started to use less dense materials for some figures. It has a rubbery touch but the material is not soft or easily bendable. Though, it is as dense as water, it floats in submarine mode.
It was a decision to allow the brand to make a less chubby figure than usual but CollectA was able of going further keeping a good quality dense pvc.

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Concluding, this is clearly a figure at the same level as the Père David's deer, fallow deer and woodland caribou, all CollectA.
Now I need a next step moose. Here is a comparison with the 2009 CollectA one, a figure I love but that is already aging. Any recomendation or should I wait for a CollectA new generation?

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WOW ! Imgine, before you mentioned this model, I never gave it a second look

It is indeed wonderful, and I am deligted that I had the opportunity to meet this handsome creature

Thankyou very much for the nice photos , sensible comments and great comparisons

I love your interesting comments as always and definitely agree about the beautiful delicate, thinner look-more realistic!

You chose the same model for white-tailed deer than me and you know I only chose the finest example of each species for my collection. Indeed very far superior than the Schleich rendition, but there is also the Safari white-tailed deer that is nearly as good as the CollectA.

Excellent addition! I really love the Schleich deer for sentimental reasons but the CollectA one is certainly much better for the many reasons you stated. I don't have the Safari white-tailed deer which is surprising because I have loads of Safari, I may have to get them. Looking at photos the Safari ones are very desirable, I just wish they weren't such a bright orange. I may hold off for now though since I already have lots of deer.

Congrats!

I'll highly consider ordering the Mojo crocodile from Minizoo when the new CollectA 2022 figures are out

A truly spectacular representation! Congratulations and I look forward to the development of this topic.

Thanks everyone, I enjoy reading your preferences too.

SUSANNE wrote:

WOW ! Imgine, before you mentioned this model, I never gave it a second look

It is indeed wonderful, and I am deligted that I had the opportunity to meet this handsome creature

Thankyou very much for the nice photos , sensible comments and great comparisons

Thanks from me Susanne, I have it thanks to you.
That's perfectly understandeable that you don't feel the needing of getting another buck.
You have the Safari that I suspect got too orange because of the diet you administrated to it.
You also have the Papo model, the most dynamic and artistic. Actually very nice looking one too.

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Joliezac wrote:

Excellent addition! I really love the Schleich deer for sentimental reasons but the CollectA one is certainly much better for the many reasons you stated. I don't have the Safari white-tailed deer which is surprising because I have loads of Safari, I may have to get them. Looking at photos the Safari ones are very desirable, I just wish they weren't such a bright orange. I may hold off for now though since I already have lots of deer.

Congrats!

I'll highly consider ordering the Mojo crocodile from Minizoo when the new CollectA 2022 figures are out  

Thanks, these animals are very iconic to North American people and when a figure has sentimental meaning, it worths much more than the better sculpted one.
There are many subspecies of white-tailed deer, so maybe you can find one that is orange. Also, it is a model that is available for a good number of years, maybe a less bright variant exists.

Another worthy upgrade, I especially like the way the head and antlers are done.

CollectA seem more willing to risk breakage in pursuit of realism, assuming the audience will be older children and teen/adult collectors who are more careful with their figures; Schleich aim for not having angry parents write to them about how their little kiddies have broken toys, so everything has to be a bit chunkier than in life.

Wonderful addition and commentary.Like, Suzanne I have the Safari and the Papo models and others by different copies.One of my favourites but I only have the doe, is the Breyer version.

George wrote:

Another worthy upgrade, I especially like the way the head and antlers are done.

CollectA seem more willing to risk breakage in pursuit of realism, assuming the audience will be older children and teen/adult collectors who are more careful with their figures; Schleich aim for not having angry parents write to them about how their little kiddies have broken toys, so everything has to be a bit chunkier than in life.

If a company states that their animal figures are toys then they have to comply with European and Global legislation and meet whatever legal aspects are in place. Here the products are robust in nature to avoid being broken, legs are thicker, there are no sharp areas and they have to be a certain size to avoid a child swallowing them. This definitely fits into Schleich's remit.

For animal replica figures aimed at collectors who are adult then almost anything goes and the products can be life like more delicate in nature, have slender legs, sharp pieces and can be small enough to fit in scale with other objects in this range. Perhaps this is CollectA's remit.

In my day as a child, mid 1950's/1960's, the legislation was around lead-free paint and Britains couldn't sell their hollow-cast lead figures in the UK but they could in other parts of the world which didn't state that toys had to have lead free paint or indeed couldn't be made from lead. The next stage of UK toy safety measures were that tinplate could not be used in toy manufacture due to sharp edges.

The legal reason for a difference in style would only apply if Schleich were approved safe and practical for a younger age range, though?
I have a CollectA tag here, it says 3+ on one side, and 0-3 crossed out in a red circle on the other side. Schleich's website says they are approved for age 36 months. So both companies' figures are equally approved for children over 3 years old.

I'd say that's enough proof for me to believe Schleich are deciding to make things chunkier and less pointy, rather than being forced to by the rules, otherwise CollectA would have to fit the same criteria.
It's not a bad thing to make tough strong figures - if I was the parent of a small child who'd be rough with toy animals, I'd choose one which looked chunkier and like it would cope with the bad handling and chaotic storage, rather than spend money on something which looked like it might break. For an older child, I'd go for one which looked more realistic and trust they'd take care of it.
I'm sure they do a lot of market research to decide which would sell best, and durability would be hugely important to parents, who surely buy a lot more animals to be played with than are bought by collectors who want to take a picture then put them on a bookshelf like we do

Maybe my summing it up as keeping parents happy wasn't strictly accurate, but there's no legal reason they have to be different if both brands are marketed as safe and appropriate for the exact same age range.

That's all very interesting. I confess I enjoy to put a lot of thought about the design decisions behind each model. CollectA and Schleich figures share the same markets and the same safety legistlation. Only Papo is marketing figures for children over 10 months of age but not all. About Papo, they use a rubbery material that bends easily for these m10+ figures.
Schleich has a design more vocationed to younger people and it is regardless of the safety. Just notice the big eyes, or all those braids, flowers, etc. very common on horses. It is surely not related with child safety. Also, CollectA puts clearly more effort in finding solutions to make a realistic sculpt, especially in figures with delicate parts. This white-tail deer has a dense pvc but the antlers bend easily, I believe they're easy to break anyway.
Schleich also made an effort with this particular model, antlers are not that thick, they're very flattened. Though, they do not bend at all but they are made of a low density plastic and tips are round. I think the faces of these models show that the Schleich figure has clearly a friendly expression while CollectA's has a more realistic approach and this is not exactly related with sculpt. Schleich sense of quality is not always too much into how realistic is a model. They put a lot of effort to make sturdy figures, perfectly balanced and often with a high finish quality. Next models I will compare, do not pose any special challenge in terms of how safe is the sculpt and we will see how Schleich performes very well with animals that work with a round design.

Here's an animal that represents a completely different kind of challenge for makers.
No delicate parts, just a shape that reminds other felines, namely a leopard and a complex painting. It is not surprising that not all brands released jaguars.
Susanne found it for me, I was looking for it for a long time but it was unavailable anytime I checked.
I was not needing a new jaguar, the 2007 Schleich model keeps being a very good model and I also have the most recent one.
Though, I always liked a lot the pictures of the Safari figure since it was released in 2015.

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As we know, jaguars are robuste felines, more than leopards and with stronger limbs.
Schleich model is bulky, as typical for the brand and it works perfectly with this species.
However, I think the back legs of the Schleich model are somewhat short and that's a point Safari got better.

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Safari model has a richer texture, even richer than the newer Schleich jaguar and that's the point where the Schleich 2007 jaguar may look somewhat aged. Schleich's has a subtle texture but I really like it. It is also not very relevant in an animal with with a striking pattern.

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Painting is very rich in both models, both in face and body. The number of rosets is very generous and they have the typical central spot over a darker background.
Both tails are correct in length, it is good to remember that jaguars have tails clearly shorter than leopards. I believe I like better the way Safari's tail is painted with the tip with those bands instead of the Schleich's continuous rosets.
Poses are good on both models, maybe Safari's is slightly nicer.

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Sorry for that picture but I think we can see how Schleich got correctly the square head. Safari's is not bad either. Interesting how their ears are differently painted and I like the fact that Safari applied white around the eyes.

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Concluding, those are two phenomenal models. Schleich is a classic already being the best Schleich feline for a long time.
Safari is the king of the current jaguars on market, a wonderful work by Doug Watson.
There's no replacement here, if you are a synoptic collector and you already have the Schleich model, you don't need to replace it.
If you're searching for your first jaguar figure and you get Safari's model, you'll get a very good one.

Since it was mentioned, here goes a picture of my Schleich 2017 jaguar I received last year as a gift from Yvette.
It is also a very good figure but previous Schleich and Safari are better in my opinion.

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Excellent figure! I had the Safari jaguar before the Schleich ones and I do l think that Safari's is easily the better version. I particularly love how Safari's model has the "stripes" painted across the chest, while the Schleich one just has rosettes all over the body. The pose is more interesting and I like that there is a painted tail tip.

Safari's model also has the folds of loose skin around the stomach that I love. Finally, the jowls on Safari's is executed really wonderfully I think. The only thing I would change about Safari's model is to have a less vibrant orange coat. Maybe a more yellow/golden color.

That being said these are both gorgeous models like you mentioned. I really wish Safari would give us some updated tigers and snow leopards along with new species. They are probably my favorite brand for felines.

Congrats!