The best company ?

Schleich animals are of different color depending on the country that produces them "Made in Germany" or "China" or "Portugal".  They are very expensive and bad paintings (see the new Kudu). Safari Ltd animals is cute but evil paintings, perhaps because it spends money in the information tag.Papo animals are very detailed, no  expensive, but no realistic (see the jaguar   ). Bullyland makes bad animals.  Collecta is very very expensive. (Papo remains my favorite). So what?

Build a new company

Kikimalou wrote:

Build a new company

AhahAHAHAahAhAAAAAAAAH

I really want to help you because I like to study collector's profiles!
But first you must answer these questions?
Why onbly a brand?
Do you want to collect all series and variations of a brand or a specific series?
Give me some examples of good figures to see your taste!

Some points for your reference:
Bullyland, Schleich and Safari are brands with more than a decade making animals, to complete these brands is a real hard task because there are so many releases and some of them are very rare and expensive, mainly Schleich and also some Bullyland. Safari has also the problem of not being easy to know what this brand really released because there are not many sources in the web. :)
Papo and CollectA are younger brands, 2004 and 2006 respectively making animal replicas ut the average quality in the first years is poor in average. But they are among the best during these last years and it is not hard to know what they released until now.
You also have a very young brand, called Mojo Fun, It is only starting its 2nd year of life and obviously it is easy to know all the releases of the brand. The quality of 2011 figures are in average with other modern brands and in 2012 Mojo and CollectA started to work with our forum and it will certainly help increasing the realism of their produts. See the topics about new releases.
Maybe Colorata is the king among realism but figures are expensive and hard to find. It is not easy to follow their story.
AAA is a brand of animals of different sizes and also not easy to follow, not the most accurate but some people ejoys their style.
Nayab makes very cheap figures but the general quality is poor.
From vintage brands you have Lineol, figures are relatively realistic but very expensive and hard to find in good condition. Starlux is also interesting!
Britains is a very well known brand that worked in 1:32 scale, makes nicely done sculpting, not really expensive, but maybe small and it is hard to find figures with the painting in good condition, good sculpts, poor painting.
You have also some puzzle figures but if you don't like glued parts, so, I'm sure you will not also love figures with attached parts even they are not glued.
Confused? There are much more, reply to my questions and I will help you with a choice. :)

please realize most of the animals are about the same prices but depending where you live affects how available the products are and when there are less products they are worth more.
ps - when models ,like the kudu, are mass produced there will always be some defects. I have the schleich kudus and they have a great paint job.

lukaleon085 wrote:

Schleich animals are of different color depending on the country that produces them "Made in Germany" or "China" or "Portugal". They are very expensive and bad paintings (see the new Kudu). Safari Ltd animals is cute but evil paintings, perhaps because it spends money in the information tag.Papo animals are very detailed, no expensive, but no realistic (see the jaguar ). Bullyland makes bad animals. Collecta is very very expensive. (Papo remains my favorite). So what?

Maybe You should not generalize your opinion about prices, e.g. in the Czech Republic are Papos in average more expensive than Procon/CollectA figures. I tend to say: Kaiyodo has the best birds, CollectA has the best horses, Papo has the best big cats etc., but I think there is no one BEST company at all. I do not collect the entire product line from the "best" company, so I choose only the best (in my opinion) figures no matter of their manufacturer. Some cliche about good German and bad Chinese painting of Schleich figures are vague today too, some Schleich horses from my wife collection "made in China" or "made in Portugal" are significantly much better painted than the same models "made in Germany".

I can appreciate different figures from different companies, however if I had to choose just one brand to collect, I prefer the artistic style of Papo (Just EXTREMELY disappointed with this years selection of the animal species they made and the lame "white" versions of crocs and the young lion)! I also really love the Safari LTD Wildlife Wonders series as well as some of their other Wildlife series figures(I don't think they really made anything comparable to 11's Indian rhino!).

This is one thing I have really enjoyed while visiting the forum and that is when the members do a "walkaround" of a figure.
A big ThankYou to those that have been doing these.

I especially like it when they do photos of the same figure lined up with other brands for comparison. I Love It!

I too prefer to buy only those figures that I like and am sometimes disappointed after buying online to see a better model in another brand.

I don't have a particular brand in mind now. In the past I used to crazy over schleich than others. Since late this year, I have somehow becoming more scrutiny on the sculpturing details, proportion & posing of the objects.

I do agreed that Papo in overall somehow did not disappoint me at all. Even through this year the models wasn't promising as compared with 2011.

Schleich model is always design for children in mind & occasionally may find a few of them which is ok for collector.

Bullyland model - a mixed feeling & don't expect much from them.

Safari Ltd - For past two years their product line for me is still above average. The only sad things is they only introduce 10-15 figures a year.

Collecta - I like their 2012 & 2012 releases and fulfilled many collectors dreams animals. Painting & Sculpturing have been improves so much.

Mojofun - Only in their first year and no comment yet!

Colorata - Above average, too small in some animals and expensive!

Hi, Lukaleon

From what our friends have already written you can see that we all have different opinions, - fortunately, because imagine if we alll wanted only the same models

Like Roger, I would love to hear more about your collection.
Just like you I had "feelings" about different brands, - but then I got to know them.
Held the models in my hands, and I had to change my mind completely

The most extreme example was that I thought the Papo-horses were weird, - but when I got some I fell completely in love with them

Many people say they don`t like Bullyland, but Bullyland has made some wonderful models. Their dogs are gorgeous, and they have a great range of birds of prey.
Their prehistoric models are almost a legend

CollectA, - the first ones I got were horrible, with peeling paint, scratches and all sorts of things wrong with them, so for a long time I didn`t like them either, - but then I got the swan , the spoonbills,etc.. - and just see how they are now making some of the most beloved horses on the market.

All in all I LOVE the fact that the brands are different.
They all have charm.
And they have all made terrible blunders, - and beautyful, charming models.

One of the great charms of collecting is to discover the beauty of various brands.
In my opinion, of course

jarda wrote:

Maybe You should not generalize your opinion about prices, e.g. in the Czech Republic are Papos in average more expensive than Procon/CollectA figures.
...Some cliche about good German and bad Chinese painting of Schleich figures are vague today too, some Schleich horses from my wife collection "made in China" or "made in Portugal" are significantly much better painted than the same models "made in Germany".

I totally agree! Especially about the painting.

ken yeo wrote:

I don't have a particular brand in mind now. In the past I used to crazy over schleich than others. Since late this year, I have somehow becoming more scrutiny on the sculpturing details, proportion & posing of the objects.

My situation exactly, Ken!

Many Thanks Friends!!!

Roger wrote:

I really want to help you because I like to study collector's profiles!
But first you must answer these questions?
Why onbly a brand?
Do you want to collect all series and variations of a brand or a specific series?
Give me some examples of good figures to see your taste!

Some points for your reference:
Bullyland, Schleich and Safari are brands with more than a decade making animals, to complete these brands is a real hard task because there are so many releases and some of them are very rare and expensive, mainly Schleich and also some Bullyland. Safari has also the problem of not being easy to know what this brand really released because there are not many sources in the web. :)
Papo and CollectA are younger brands, 2004 and 2006 respectively making animal replicas ut the average quality in the first years is poor in average. But they are among the best during these last years and it is not hard to know what they released until now.
You also have a very young brand, called Mojo Fun, It is only starting its 2nd year of life and obviously it is easy to know all the releases of the brand. The quality of 2011 figures are in average with other modern brands and in 2012 Mojo and CollectA started to work with our forum and it will certainly help increasing the realism of their produts. See the topics about new releases.
Maybe Colorata is the king among realism but figures are expensive and hard to find. It is not easy to follow their story.
AAA is a brand of animals of different sizes and also not easy to follow, not the most accurate but some people ejoys their style.
Nayab makes very cheap figures but the general quality is poor.
From vintage brands you have Lineol, figures are relatively realistic but very expensive and hard to find in good condition. Starlux is also interesting!
Britains is a very well known brand that worked in 1:32 scale, makes nicely done sculpting, not really expensive, but maybe small and it is hard to find figures with the painting in good condition, good sculpts, poor painting.
You have also some puzzle figures but if you don't like glued parts, so, I'm sure you will not also love figures with attached parts even they are not glued.
Confused? There are much more, reply to my questions and I will help you with a choice. :)

Luka, your answer is very eloquent!

This is an interesting question, one that I have been pondering about for a while myself, although, in short, there is no real answer.

Personally, I favour Schleich models. I've been a fan of their line since the '90s, and have collected them since then (horses and German shepherds in particular in a systematic way). I think they reached the peak of quality in the mid- or late-noughties (2005-9), but I haven't been equally impressed in the past couple of years. I got the impression they commissioned some figures to less talented sculptors - some new models such as the new golden retriever or the sitting male German shepherd have really awkward proportions. And the paintwork in general has also become very easy to accidentally scratch (not as bad as Bully, but still enough to make is an annoying task to look for a "mint" figure to buy at the shop).

But the details are amazing and realistic, and I fell in love with their fantasy line as well - so imaginative. They actually managed to bring a new world to life, not mere fantasy clichés, and at the same time it's a world children can define and invent on their own tems.

My second favourite company is Papo, of which I only collect selected figures. Early models were very toy-like and I didn't like that. But they have been improving, and I'll be more than happy to collect more in the future (i.e. systematically collect certain sets) if they continue investing on realism and quality.

Safari aren't easy to find around here... so I don't have many, and the ones I have are oldish, from a time when their realism was no match for Schleich. But recently I've seen some really impressive models and I'm trying to get hold of them to better compare them to the other brands.

Finally I've recently discovered Mojö, now that they have been making figures for a couple of years their quality seems promising. I can't wait to get my hands on some of their models to have a chance to evaluate them. Because from what I've seen in pictures, they seem better detailed than Papos, and if that's the case, they may find in me a very loyal collector.

HELLO EVERYONE
I was here thinking (i only collect horses) but in a general way, wich brands have better detailed representation of their animals? make them seem realistic enough.

i dont realy like the "new" brands that came to the market, like mojo, bullyland and Papo.. i alredy had all of these brands and never liked them enough, only kept 1 papo and the rest was sold. they seem like a cheap copy compared to schleich and collecta, but their prices are about the same...Safari also as some realy nice pieces although some just seem childish with no detail or good color...

whats your opinion? let me know
(maybe there´s more brands that have horses) that i dont know yet :)

thanks for reading!!

The "new" brands from Asia are very good, so are some animals from Yujin or Kaiyodo and some more very realistic. From Kaiyodo the Natural Monuments serie is with the best of the market. Also some Kaiyodo Birdtales (i think the Kingfisher) looks like real.

But i know only one Horse from Kaiyodo (Birdtales serie). Any horses you find by Nayab, but not so good as the main brands.

You'll find here several different opinions. For example, I enjoy best Mojo, Papo, Safari and CollectA than Schleich. I've never understood why so many people, mainly younger collectors and generally feminine collectors, have a huge atraction for Schleich figures and find them more detailed. For example, what means more detail when comparing a Schleich crocodile with a Papo crocodile. A Schleich hippo with a Papo hippo, rhinos, lions, tigers. I agree that many older Papo don't look great, mainly painting is very cheap looking but newer Papo I like much better than Schleich:
Safari almost the same, where a Schleich rhino has more detail than a Safari rhino? The difference between Indian rhinos quality is so huge and favourable to Safari that it is hard to understand even I love to read and accept other opinions. Again, I agree that generally, Schleich paintings are better than those from Safari, but sculptings, proportions and scientifically, I find Safari better.
About Mojo, I think the worst Mojo figures are exactly those that look like Schleich relatives. with the exception of the first year, all Mojo released, look better than Schleich relatives in my opinion, wolverine, hippo, gazelles, crocodile, etc. The brand is not only being able of making complex paintings but that is natural for a brand that was born recently.
CollectA the same, adding a huge diversity of animals never seen in Schleich range and a great quality.
Schleich figures are usually chubby, with large heads and boring poses. Though, the finish quality is very good. Newer versions are not so nicely manufactured but the quality is interesting. The design is all concentrated in face, with a general cute looking, nice shiny eyes and most are standing turning the head to one of the sides, a boring but successfull formula to shelf figures.
About the childish matter. We had this year a lot of Schleich horses with braids, huge eyes, pink ribbons and a fantasied looking. According with Schleich, their figures are targeted to children and not to adulte collectors.
Is it the manufacturing, the stereotyped thing that Scott suggested, the cuteness, the brand which people is used with, I don't know. But it is interesting this preference.
Also, as a last point, I agree that particularly in horses, Schleich is a reference when considering a certain generation of figures being farm life and horses much better than wildlife and dinosaurs. Remember, just a personal opinion and the reason why I don't collect brands but the figures I like best.

great points referd to :) i know most people have different opinions i was more talking about horses than general animals. i dont collect by brand as well i just keep and search for those i like, but i was disapointed when i bought my 1st bullyland, i just didnt like it at all. even the material they were made of was strange, they are more soft than schleich. About the schleich i only referd to then cos they are the only ones available in my country, so yes i liked them more cos i can have access to then easily. i´ve bought bronze, iron and wood horses just becouse they looked nice so the brand for aint a big deal. i just noticed that some brands dont have such good horses. Even schleich this year, some of the 2013 horses dont look that great :/ oh well
do you know any other brands and were i can find them?
thanks

I thought you were asking all kind of animals.
This concept of horses, of an affordable price and showing some realism, I only know Breyer and other Major brands we talked before. There are some expensive resin horses that our horse "girls" know much better than me.
You have also some vintage brands like Britains, Elastolin, Lineol, etc. But those are usually hard to find and hard to find in good condition for a good price. It is also not easy to enjoy them in a first touch because they are old figures with an completely different manufacturing.
I think, that choosing correctly, following the treads and presentations on forum, you'll find some very good horses in other brands like Schleich.
I think some of most recent Papo are fantastic, Mojo 2012 horse, made by Ana are very good, maybe they deserved a richer painting only, last CollectA horses from Deborah, those less Breyerish are beautiful, Safari has also some new great horses. I understand that the rubberish material of Bullyland turns them not atractive, I had and still have the same feeling but that is a question of time. One of the major brands horses I like best although I don't have it, is a Bullyland horse called Don Johnson in picture below. If you click on picture you'll be redirected to the topic about this figure.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

hello :) well thats all true.
that lovely horse is a bullyland (and until now the only one that looks amazing) just becouse some one dedicated himself to sculp him :) i am actualy waiting to get him from the german site :) thanks

Hi

I think Roger is giving some good points here.

Myself, entered this forum with only Schleich horses in the stables, but all good threads with reviews of horses from other brands opened my eyes to a world beyond Schleich. I had to enter online ordering, as only Schleich seems available in shops where I live.
In my opninion there are many true jewels to be found in other brands. I had to get used to something different than Schleich, but I'm so happy I gave other brands a chance, especially CollectA. Now I even have one Papo and one Safari horse in my collection as well, because of reviews her at STS

I think, yes, Schleich has some of the best quality paintwork, but there it stops as well. Just as good, and even better sculpts are to be found in other brands.

Well, I from Schleich-like brands I consider McDermott series made for CollectA to be most realistic (anatomy) for now. I also love the molds made by Anna for Mojo Fun and Papo horses- they have relly great poses, that the other Schleich-like brands miss so much. The don't just stand or run somewhere, they are also scratching, jumping, bucking, etc.
As for other brands- I like Breyer, some Peter Stone (but very few molds), Sandicast (equine molds by Sommer Prosser). Also some Hartland pieces (mustang esp), and China, like Hagen-Renaker (the molds made by Maureen Love and then used by Breyer for their vintage Classic and Stablemates lines).

I'd like to mention artist resins also, but they have limited runs and are really expensive at times.

And I'm in love with the equine pieces released by different war miniature manufacturers (Andrea Miniatures, for example).