Collection Review: CollectA and Papo Antelopes

Figure Brand: CollectA & Papo

Figure Name(s): Scimitar Horned Oryx (88637)
Impala (50186)
Blackbuck Antelope (88638)

Sex: All males

Name: Scimitar Horned Oryx – Sahro (Uzbek- sand)
Impala - Amir- (Arabic- Prince)
Blackbuck Antelope - Blackjack

Year Made: Scimitar Horned Oryx –2013
Impala - Amir- 2016
Blackbuck Antelope - 2013

Observations/Thoughts:
Some nice enough antelopes from CollectA and Papo.

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Sahro is my Scimitar Horned Oryx from CollectA. The animals sculpting is very nice, he’s sculpted in a running pose with his long thin legs stretched out and tail flowing behind. He’s a leggy sort of pose or build and I do like the fact he adopts that pose and he’s not just a neutral, standing one but in fact does indeed look like he’s running over desert sands. His overall colour is creamy beige with a light russet ochre on his neck and shoulders. A faint stripe runs horizontally across his flank, his tail has an ochre tip and he has two dark brown stripes a bit like a puffin or Pierrot on both cheeks. He’s got the long narrow backward sweeping horns that these oryx’s are known for and because of his pose could be added to a desert diorama as his pose looks as though he’s perhaps evading a predator?

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Amir the Papo Impala is up next and really there isn’t much to say about him. If it’s an impala you want, I would definitely recommend him, or even an animal for an African diorama for added interest. Other than that, there’s not a whole lot else to say about him except he is well sculpted for an impala. He has curling ridged horns and big bright eyes and a really soft delicate face which makes him look somewhat youthful and innocent? His overall colour is mostly a light orange-brown or russet with paler underparts, some creamy stripes near his eyes and a beige smudge at his snout, again, nice and realistic markings but aside from that nothing much else to say about him. His pose too isn’t dynamic but stationary and neutral, standing with all four feet on the ground.

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Blackjack is the last of the trio. He’s a CollectA Blackbuck antelope. I like him a lot even though he’s ain a somewhat neutral pose too. He’s a more unusual choice of animal for sculpting as I don’t believe there are many blackbuck animals models out there? His pose is the neutral standing with all four feet on the ground, except Blackjack has his head raised and extended outwards and one foreleg bent forward while the back on is slightly lifted from the ground. His overall colouring is black with cream brown underparts and two white eyepatches and lips. This colouration is mainly the reason I added him to my collection as most hoof stock is generally mid to sandy brown in colour. His horns are also different too, there’s no curve on them really, they point straight up from his head and have no ridges on them but spirals instead which I like. He’s an interesting little antelope and I would recommend him for anyone looking to add a slightly lesser known animal to their collection.

Rating:  Scimitar Horned Oryx – Sahro – 5/5
Impala - Amir-4/5
Blackbuck Antelope – 4/5

These three antelope figures are really great. In my opinion, both CollectA figures surpass the Papo impala, although each of them possesses its own unique charm. The oryx draws inspiration from the classic Starlux, while CollectA introduces an intriguing species in a popular size. Sculpting such a delicate creature in this pose is a remarkable feat, and CollectA stands out as the only major brand capable of achieving this level of detail at this scale. This contributes to making their antelopes the best in the market. Fortunately, they have released a substantial number of them in a short period, even though they are no longer producing antelopes. We can't complain, considering the variety they've offered.

Papo, on the other hand, follows a different philosophy, creating larger figures with "defensive" poses that aren't as delicate as CollectA's. Ironically, my impala figure with a broken horn was damaged during one of my moves.

I strongly believe the blackbuck deserves a 5-star rating. Despite being a small antelope, CollectA has managed to capture its essence perfectly. The only drawback is the need to spread its legs for balance. Personally, I prefer the elegant stance of the springbok, but the blackbuck's heavier horns justify the pose it has been given.

Thank you Roger and I agree on your points with these creatures! I'm sad CollectA don't have any more antelope releases in the future but that could be because...well, they've given all they can with them already?

I'm not sure CollectA won't release more antelopes. The last one was not a long time ago, it was the Dama gazelle in 2019. Though, since they started with antelopes until 2019 they released continuously new antelope figures and none during the last 4 years. Their range is absolutely saturated in terms of antelopes, no other brand got close to it and commercially it is probably not a good strategy to offer so many similar animal figures, most completely unknown to the general public.
In my opinion, CollectA should have a dedicated antelope series as Schleich did with the Birds of Prey or Safari with the Wings of the World. It would bring a special atention to this peculiar subject where CollectA is mastering and it would probably stimulate kids and collectors to complete the whole series. Then, they could sporadically replace the older models. For example, the black wildebeest, is available for more than 10 years now, it has been heavily copied by Chinese brands. They could discontinue it and replace for a blue wildebeest. It would increase the collectability interest of these models preserving the balance of the whole range. Then they could do the same with the waterbuck, replacing for a cob, the sable for a roan antelope, etc. Obviously it is CollectA who is aware of the sales, of how worn are the moulds and other factors which would help them to take the best decisions.