A New Adventure: Red's CollectA Horse's

Hello fellow collectors!

For the past month or so I have been seriously considering starting a new "CollectA Horse" collection.
Originally I wasn't interested in CollectA, as I already had a large collection of Schleich and the scale of the models was slightly different,
which would have messed with the realistic display scene I had set up at the time.
However with the recent decline in Schleich's quality & realism of their models over the last few years,
the more I see of CollectA the more I am persuaded to start collecting them. (I don't think I'll fully stop collecting Schleich yet unless they somehow continue to get worse )

Before I started buying CollectA models I decided that I should do some research to try and figure out how easy or difficult it would be to start a collection from scratch
and for the most part it seems like it should be reasonably easy to get most models (I am a completionist so if I start a collection I need to know I can finish it).
As I was looking up the models I stumbled across one that seemed to be quite elusive, The 2006 Dartmoor Pony (88023).
"Identify your CollectA" had it listed but there was no image of it and there was no listing for it at all on the "Toy Animal Wiki" so I did some digging
and was able to finally find a pdf document for a 2007 "procon" catalogue online which had both the 2006 Thoroughbred Mare and Foal (88021 & 88022, both listed with images on Identify your CollectA)
and the only existing image I was able to find of the 88023 Dartmoor Pony.
(from what I can gather I think "procon" was the original name before they changed to CollectA but I'm not 100% sure on that. I just know they're the same company somehow)
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Brilliant! I now knew what every model looked like and with the exception of these 3 models they seem like they should be relatively easy to get.
Then I realized that when I had been looking up the 88022 Thoroughbred Mare I had seen an eBay listing for a horse that looked similar but wasn't her
and so originally I had just ignored it but after seeing the image of the Dartmoor I went back to compare it and by some miracle there it was.

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The model that had been the most difficult to find any info on or images of was randomly listed on eBay for just £8.75 (Total)
and so I decided "why not?" and bought him. At least that way if/when I do start fully collecting them I don't have to worry about finding this model again later down the line.

So here he is, my first CollectA model:
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If anyone wants to add him to TAW then feel free to use my pics if they're useful.

I'm not sure when I'll next be adding to this Topic as I don't currently have the space to start my CollectA collection properly. I need to invest in a new display cabinet/shelf first.
but I'm very excited for when I can finally get into this brand

That sounds exciting

I can definitely recommend CollectA horses even though I have currently only two foals in my collection but I'm eager to get more.

This Dartmoor pony looks very interesting... Poor thing has seen better days. It's a model that I don't remember properly which is probably the case with most Procon models. It certainly has it's charm but the new one looks definitely better.

And yes, from what I know CollectA started as "Procon" and was later renamed to "CollectA". Luckily the quality also increased after that.

One of CollectA's (or Procon's) most rarest horses is probably the 2010 Andalusian stallion who was available only during that year. Though I'm sure that it's still way easier to find for a reasonable price than any retired and limited Schleich editions.

Excited to see more in the future

The Dartmoor pony is on TAW, you can find it here.
It was part of the Woodland series and it explains why you didn't find it. The same way the Przewalski's Horse is listed under Wildlife.

That's an exciting project. It is very rare to see a true CollectA horses completist. I confess this topic makes me happy and sorry for my dissertation.

Procon is the parent company for CollectA. I'd say, Procon created the brand CollectA and it turned itself as a company.

CollectA was born during the golden era of Schleich horses. Despite their effort, it was not easy to fight against such a well stablished company as Schleich and first generation of CollectA horses were probably not competitive enough.

CollectA did not gave up and in 2010 they abandoned the idea of making horses somewhat similar to Schleich concept and started a completely new phylosophy. They started a partnership with a very reputated horse sculptor, Deborah McDermott and the new horses assumed a completely new concept breaking completely with the past models.
They turned larger, much more delicate and far more realistic. Though, the transition was not easy, the brand was still targeted to 3+ years as it is Schleich and producing these figures in accordance with child safety laws proved to be a tremendous challenge, forcing the brand to experiment with various production techniques, some yielding adverse results that contributed to the line not gaining the popularity in the market they desired.
Among these experiments, the need to use a more flexible material so that the more delicate legs of the horses wouldn't break proved to be problematic, as some figures ended up succumbing to their own weight, resulting in bent legs and balance difficulties. It's worth noting that there was also a push for much bolder poses than those of the initial generation figures.
If these difficulties weren't enough, the more flexible material also proved detrimental to the paint application, not only in terms of adherence but also because it caused stress to the paint causing it to peel off.
Again, CollectA did not give up.

With experience, they managed to find a denser and more resistant PVC formula that fulfilled its function more efficiently, avoiding these problems and making the figures not seem cheaply manufactured as before.
Moreover, the subsequent models released were no longer as delicate, featuring sturdier legs but without compromising the realism of the figure. I'm not sure if it was Deborah herself who realized that sculptures for plastic production would have to be sculpted differently from those made of resin, or if the molds are reworked in the factory.
The latter option is likely since this has been the case with the latest Schleich horses, which are commissioned to external sculptors and retooled in the factory.

In a very personal opinion, this slightly less delicate design caused the latest models to align more closely with the market occupied by traditional Schleich collectors. The figures have their distinctiveness marked but with more appealing designs and a very interesting quality. The diversity of breeds, poses, and figures repainted with superior quality have been making CollectA increasingly popular in this niche, to the extent of partnering with Breyer, perhaps the biggest name in the realm of horse figures.

Roger wrote:

The Dartmoor pony is on TAW, you can find it here.
It was part of the Woodland series and it explains why you didn't find it.  The same way the Przewalski's Horse is listed under Wildlife.

Thank you for the info Roger!
I appreciate it as I don't know as much about CollectA as I do about Schleich.

Whilst the model in the link you provided on TAW is listed as 88023, it seems to have the image of the 2008 version (88241)
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A great idea, to go for the most difficult figure first to avoid having to hunt it down later!

I've also been making a semi-complete CollectA collection over the last couple of years - originally I just picked whichever colour option I liked best for each breed, once I dropped that rule and started buying multiple colours, that soon evolved into 'may as well get them all then!' But I've decided to split old from new, and only aim to gather all the Debra McDemott models, as their sculpting style is much more my taste than the older moulds.
There's only two of those I haven't got, now (one still in production, one not), and it really is satisfying to cross them off the list. It can become something of a treasure hunt to find all the right ones in stock online or track them down on ebay, and also a lottery if you buy second hand batches with some unexpected surprises!
I think part of the reason they're so addictive is cos they're quite a small range, when compared to something like Schleich where there's a vast list of past editions, with breeds repeated over and over again with different years, and exclusives, and numerous special colours from playsets or magazines. To decide to get every single one from a starting point of zero, rather than collecting a few at a time as they're released, would be a huge endeavour, needing a lot of organising to know what you were searching for, and a lot of expense to find the rarities. CollectA are so simple in comparison, no specials or elusive editions or pricey rare colours, just all regular runs - the list reads like the breed index of a horse book, many only ever done in one colour, and it's really addictive to work your way through them.

TheRedLupine wrote:

Roger wrote:

The Dartmoor pony is on TAW, you can find it here.
It was part of the Woodland series and it explains why you didn't find it.  The same way the Przewalski's Horse is listed under Wildlife.

Thank you for the info Roger!
I appreciate it as I don't know as much about CollectA as I do about Schleich.

Whilst the model in the link you provided on TAW is listed as 88023, it seems to have the image of the 2008 version (88241)
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You're absolutely right. I think I built all those tables of CollectA models through catalogues and it helped me to have a good overview of their collection. Though, identifying individual models is not my cup of tea.
Susanne fortunately photographed it with the tag and I can confirm the product number and that it is really wrong,.
So, I will use your pictures.

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Congratulations are starting your collection with such a lucky find! I look forward to seeing more of them.

Congrats! CollectA is my favorite brand. They're realistic, but still affordable.

Today I received my second CollectA horse  
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Model Number: 88021
Name: Maisie
Breed: Thoroughbred
Gender: Filly
Coat: Bay
Released: 2006
Retired: 2008

Her legs are a little bent but she was very cheep and still stands perfectly fine so it's not really an issue.
I think she's very cute  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Model Number: 88023
Name: Scratch
Breed: Dartmoor
Gender: Stallion
Coat: Bay
Released: 2006
Retired: 2008

(Just wanted to add a proper info description for the Dartmoor)

It is really an early model with a short life. As I already said, I really enjoy seeing these forgotten figures being admired as collectibles.

A 3rd horse has joined my (very) slowly growing CollectA collection. This one even came with a tag!  

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Model Number: 88022
Name: Jodi
Breed: Thoroughbred
Gender: Mare
Coat: Bay
Released: 2006
Retired: 2008

Congratulations, it is one of the earliest retired ones. It is missing on TAW, I will use your picture since you mention that you allow us to use your pictures.

Congrats on starting your Collecta herd! Together with WIA it's my favourite "rubber" brand now:)

Congrats!

Earlier this week was my local country fair that takes place every year.
As I was looking around the trade market stands I found one that was selling CollectA models.
It's the first time I've seen the more modern CollectA models in person and I immediately fell in love with them (seeing them in person has absolutely reinforced my decision to start collecting them)
I ended up returning home with 2 new models:

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Model Number: 88720
Name: Tara
Breed: Knabstrupper
Gender: Mare
Coat: Black Leopard Appaloosa
Released: 2015
Retired: TBA

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Model Number: 88779
Name: Calypso
Breed: Tinker
Gender: Mare
Coat: Black Tobiano
Released: 2017
Retired: TBA

Those Deborah sculpts are all really good and realistic! I don't collect CollectA horses tough, if I decided to start a wide collection of horse figures I'd surely use the modern CollectA as the core of my collection together with the WIA I really love and surely some Schleich to complement. CollectA offers a diversity of breeds you can't find anywhere. Also, they really intend to represent the conformation of each breed so they act as an encyclopedia of horses in model shape.