Elefants, bearded dragon, hedgehog and stork :-)

It hursts, really hurts!

Susanne, that's just horrible. This is exactly why I hesitate to buy online. I bought the Camargue horses today and like Arnaud I also checked each figurine and picked the best ones, but this year's horses aren't really good as other figurines. Just my opinion.

Roger wrote:

It hursts, really hurts!

It's terrible!

Thenkyou for your compassion, Roger , Bojan and Harriet

Bojan wrote:

Susanne, that's just horrible. This is exactly why I hesitate to buy online. I bought the Camargue horses today and like Arnaud I also checked each figurine and picked the best ones, but this year's horses aren't really good as other figurines. Just my opinion.

Yes, there is something not right about the horses this year. As far as I can see they used to be painted, but now most are just moulded in some colour plastic, and only hooves and such is painted. It makes them look cheap, IMHO

It is a very bad strategy from Schleich to lower the quality when competition ( CollectA, Papo, Mojo) get fierce

HKHollinstone wrote:

Roger wrote:

It hursts, really hurts!

It's terrible!

Oh Susanne, these 2 are almost straight from factory and already in not good condition...

Thankyou, Ana

I HATE to complain, usually I just try to forget, but with these two - and the skunk will running paint, I did send a mail to the seller last night.

Thankyou for your support, otherwise I might not have done it . And Schleich should know that such bad quality is noticed !
It is really upsetting, - Schleich may not have the nicest models any more, but I thought that at least we could be confident that the quality was ok

SUSANNE wrote:

It is really upsetting, - Schleich may not have the nicest models any more, but I thought that at least we could be confident that the quality was ok

I know

Susanne, Thank you for showing these photos :) I really liked the look of the elephants from the stock photos but now I love them. Hopefully I will add them to my collection soon.

Ohhh Susanne ! That's exactly why I don't buy new models online. I was too disappointed the only time I did it. I hope they will do something for you !!

Thankyou, Rio

And thankyou Arnaud.
Only I rarely get near a toyshop, and Schleich is almost 50 % more expensive here in Denmark than in Germany

Congrats Susanne! your photos have made a great details on most part! In here only the stork & hedgehog are on my wish only. definitely not the elephants & gorila family.

ken yeo wrote:

Congrats Susanne! your photos have made a great details on most part! In here only the stork & hedgehog are on my wish only. definitely not the elephants & gorila family.

Thankyou, Ken
I am very happy to hear that my cheap, old camera can make pictures that are of some help

It takes me a long time, - usually I have to take 5 - 10 pictures and check them on the PC, before one is ok.
But slowly, slowly I am getting the new ones on my web, - the goats a cute, I think..and the sheep.
The alpacas could be nice, but the painting on mine is awfully slobby
You can see the pictures I have made so far here : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

SUSANNE wrote:

Arnaud wrote:

And I have only ordered online once because I was disappointed when I received my figurines. Now, I choose the best ones directly in shops.

Ohh, I wished I could do that

Look, these I just packed out of the plastic bags from the factury

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That´s why I prefer buying in a shop rather than on-line! I spent long time choosing the best item of each model: paintjob, markings, legs blended...

I know

Unfortunately I would have to drive one hour each way to get to a town where one shop has them.
And they charge app 10 Euros for instance for a horse !
Also they don`t have a very wide range, - so I just have to buy online

But I must say, I have NEVER, EVER experienced anything nearly as bad as this
I think Schleich is trying to save ( too much) on quality
Bad strategy when competition is breething down their neck .

Thanks for posting the pictures, your models look great.

However I am still mystified by Schleich's choice of White-Bellied Hedgehog. Yes it gives us collectors another animal to make but it is just so similar to the current hedgehogs that I dont understand why they chose this of all the animals in the world to make. From a child's point of view its just another hedgehog.

Also I really dislike the the green plant attached to it. I have never seen such a model made before, you wouldnt make an elephant joined to an acacia would you? To me the play value is reduced and the joined plant just looks ugly.

I think Schleich thought that they need to make a unique animal as a gesture towards collectors and then chose the easiest and simplest option - another hedgehog. I cant help but feel cheated by Schleich but hey this is my only opinion.....it was certainly a cost saving excercise....I hope next year we dont get an a Giraffe joined to a tree.......

Thankyou, Numaan

I must admit that I adore that hedgehog
Hedgehogs are some of my favotite animals, and I think it is great with a new species.

I also like the plant instead of the eternal "grass"
But I wonder...does that kind of plant grow wild in Africa ???
Isn`t it the kind the Mexicans use to make tequila from ?

Numaan wrote:

...I think Schleich thought that they need to make a unique animal as a gesture towards collectors and then chose the easiest and simplest option - another hedgehog. ...

I disagree with you here. I've never seen a single collector naming white-bellied hedgehog in his/her wish-list or in "collector's choice polls" of which we had plenty recently. So I don't think it was a gesture towards collectors. It seems to be oriented at children, like other pet animal figures.
As to the plant, it's obvious why they did it - the animal itself is too small, and they invented that plant to make it bigger (remember the phrase "suitable for kids' hands" in Schleich booklets?) Maybe its a kind of "acid test" for the market, who knows...

Numaan wrote:

Thanks for posting the pictures, your models look great.

However I am still mystified by Schleich's choice of White-Bellied Hedgehog. Yes it gives us collectors another animal to make but it is just so similar to the current hedgehogs that I dont understand why they chose this of all the animals in the world to make. From a child's point of view its just another hedgehog.

Also I really dislike the the green plant attached to it. I have never seen such a model made before, you wouldnt make an elephant joined to an acacia would you? To me the play value is reduced and the joined plant just looks ugly.

I think Schleich thought that they need to make a unique animal as a gesture towards collectors and then chose the easiest and simplest option - another hedgehog. I cant help but feel cheated by Schleich but hey this is my only opinion.....it was certainly a cost saving excercise....I hope next year we dont get an a Giraffe joined to a tree.......

Numaan, I hear what you're saying, but surely a giraffe attached to an acacia tree would make more sense than a hedgehog attached to an aloe plant?!

SUSANNE wrote:

Thankyou, Numaan

I must admit that I adore that hedgehog
Hedgehogs are some of my favotite animals, and I think it is great with a new species.

I also like the plant instead of the eternal "grass"
But I wonder...does that kind of plant grow wild in Africa ???
Isn`t it the kind the Mexicans use to make tequila from ?

That would be the agave plant, I believe. Either way, it's a rather bizarre idea for Schleich to do this.

Congratulations on your new Schleichs Susanne!
And first thank you for mine by the way!
These are to be seen in another tread.
I must agree, some do look better in real, then on the pics shown before.
Those mistakes, and big scratches on new models are really awfull, and i really think, the seller must replace them, and he or she should complain to Schleich for such poor quality, schleich is not really cheap as we know!

The stork i would buy, even when he has a kind of strange facial look, the model before was much better, in your case the one on the right next to the new one.
all have their legs to thick, but ok, i can live with that...
The white-bellied hedgehog is a choice for children indeed, but bad with an Aloe plant from other parts of the world, for the rest he is just ok to me.

The bearded dragon is just ok to, nothing special, but a nice other species, although more brands make him now.

The new elephants(all of them) have a nice skin structure, and the colouration is not bad to, but they are to small as always, the legs are much to short and thick.
But i will buy them to eventually.

I got the gorilla and other models that you did send me as a present today, and i really must say, that that gorilla male is an exellent model, he is a real macho.
I made some comparising pics in my own tread.
Thank you very much for him Suzy!