Schleich 2012 quality.

Got several 2012 Schleich figurines- a falcon, eaglets and a number of horses ( Akhal-teke mare and foal, TWH mare, Icelandic mare and foal, sport horse). To tell the truth, I was disappointed.
Well, the Akhal-Teke mare and foal are rather cute (though the mare doesn't look like a real horse of this breed). TWH is great. New Icelandic mare and foal molds are quite nice (though I do not like the way the foal's painted), but the stallion.. I have no idea where the sculptor got all these proportions, but he's awful. The head's far too small, the legs... Well, I believe he has some wierd problems with his legs, if he stands them this way. I just couldn't force myself to buy him, though I collect iceys. If you compare him with a bay icey mare running tjolt- he's terribly disproportionate.
The same thing I can say about the Camargue family 2012. They are quite nice, but they are too plain. And if the old Camargue mare looked really cute and accurate, these horses (esp the mare) aren't that great.
As for the birds- I'm really impressed! Esp the little ones- they are so funny!
I have a strong feeling that Schleich equines' quility is reducing every year (the molds themselves, poses, etc), while the other animals are still quite good and interesting (new panda, eaglets, reptile).

I am very sorry to say that I agree with you a long way

There are brilliant models, too.
But for the first time ever in my time as a collector I was so upset by the quality of the paintwork of several models, that I complained over Schleich to the seller, and he passed it on to Schleich.

I must say that Schleich took it very seriously, and asked to get those models sent to the Quality Manger.
The replacement models I got were beautyfully painted.
Let`s hope that complaints do help

But the sculpturing of the horses ....I don`t know what to do.
Some are "Barbie-horses" some are plain, and some are - like the tölting Icey - plain wrong
They completely lack the charm of the old Schleich horses

For the last 3 - 4 years I have bought them. Taken them out of the plastic bag for photographing, and then packed them down in a box. I never felt the thrill and joy of other models, and never felt like having them standing on a shelf to enjoy.

These are hard words from my keyboard.
Usually I love all my models, and usually I see a lot of positive in them even if they aren`t accurate.
Perhaps our expectations are too high ?

We can and should complain about painting quality but with mould there's no much to do. Barbie horses sell better than good replicated horses. Ordinary poses are easier to sculpt so the production gets cheaper. And of course, to make a horse with good proportions the brand should study carefully the breed and not only copy a specimen of a beautiful picture. It also mean more money.
That's strategy to sell more and I remember some brands of other kind of products fascinated with their success, increasing in quality to live confrotably under this success. You know what happens then?
It will only change when the sells start dropping and other brands showing better quality turn popular and more appreciated in the market. Anyway it will take a long time once many Schleich collectors buy their figures only because they are Schleich and not anymore because they love them. :)
It is good to hear in these topics someone that loves the brand saying honestly that the figures are not good. Many times also happens that someone don't think that the figures are good but they will defeat the brand because they always collected it. So the feedback that the brand will receive is that the figures are good enough inspite the lazy work. :)
Saying the true is the best way to help those we love, people, brands, etc.

I agree with all of you. I´ve only seen them in pics because they are still no avaliable here, but that´s the impression they give me.

Roger wrote:

We can and should complain about painting quality but with mould there's no much to do. Barbie horses sell better than good replicated horses. Ordinary poses are easier to sculpt so the production gets cheaper. And of course, to make a horse with good proportions the brand should study carefully the breed and not only copy a specimen of a beautiful picture. It also mean more money.

Well, I could do it without asking too much money I´m sure I could do the horses better than the 2012 ones. And I don´t have to study their anatomy, I know it perfectly!

SyLoBe wrote:

I agree with all of you. I´ve only seen them in pics because they are still no avaliable here, but that´s the impression they give me.

Roger wrote:

We can and should complain about painting quality but with mould there's no much to do. Barbie horses sell better than good replicated horses. Ordinary poses are easier to sculpt so the production gets cheaper. And of course, to make a horse with good proportions the brand should study carefully the breed and not only copy a specimen of a beautiful picture. It also mean more money.

Well, I could do it without asking too much money I´m sure I could do the horses better than the 2012 ones. And I don´t have to study their anatomy, I know it perfectly!

Well, I believe in you. Anyway I think we must study everything, even we are sure that we know something. Every sculptors of the brands are surely familiar with lions and it is rare to find a nicely done figure.
I'm sure that you would be able of making better than the 2012 Schleich assortment and accepting low comissions!

Thanks Roger :)

I know, I know! But I think it´s easier to do a good horse for someone who know them than for someone who doesnt :) Of course I have to look at their anatomy, each horse is unique! I remember when I sculpted a real life horse model with only one ancient pic, at that moment I was so glad I knew about horses anatomy so I could deduce how was the horse seeing only one angle. I couldn´t have done that with a dog, I think; i would have needed more pics because I´m not used to sculpt other than horses `^^

Anyway, I think my message sounds a bit... pretentious? I know my horses are far of being good. But I really feel I can do it a bit better (I hope not to fail with my next horse haha! )

I think you are right, Silvia, it is very important to KNOW about horses and to love them.
Perhaps more important than knowing abouy anatomy.
And each horse is individual. Exactly!
That is what is wrong with this year`s Icelandic stallion. They have tried to make him look like the kind of horse that he isn`t. They tried to put something of the more southern breeds into him, and he came out like something that doesn`t exist.

But the paint means an awful lot, too.

The mare and foal of the Akhal Tekkés were such a disapointment to me.
Then I herd that others thought they were ok, so I found a place where they guaranteed they were " made in Germany".

I need both sunlight and luck to make a good picture to show the difference in a picture, but the German made ones are SO much nicer !

Here the German one in front, the lighter one.
The other one is unpainted plastic and looks rather cheap.
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Perhaps you can see that the lighter one has much more structure.
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Same with the foal. The Chinese made one isn`t painted :
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Well, to be fair, - they ARE cute
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I´ll have to take better pictures of those horses at daylight

More bad paintwork .
Here is a picture of the skunk that I returned to Schelich :
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And here the replacement, - he is SO fine
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SyLoBe wrote:

Thanks Roger :)

I know, I know! But I think it´s easier to do a good horse for someone who know them than for someone who doesnt :) Of course I have to look at their anatomy, each horse is unique! I remember when I sculpted a real life horse model with only one ancient pic, at that moment I was so glad I knew about horses anatomy so I could deduce how was the horse seeing only one angle. I couldn´t have done that with a dog, I think; i would have needed more pics because I´m not used to sculpt other than horses `^^

Anyway, I think my message sounds a bit... pretentious? I know my horses are far of being good. But I really feel I can do it a bit better (I hope not to fail with my next horse haha! )

Ahah, Silvia! What a big dissertation around my comment! Of course I don't want you thinking that your customs are not good or something similar. I am surely not the best to judge it.
From what I know from your works I'm sure you are very talented and that with such love for this world you'll be able of find the way you want. I don't have any talent but I already reviewed carefully some releases and I figured that I feel more confortable with antelopes than bulls, for example! And, in my life what I see more are bulls!

I totally agree with you guys.
I'm not a horse expert when it comes to moulds, but I sure can see a bad paint job. Why do they even paint their figurines-the biggest differences are seen in horses- in China? (okay I know it's cheaper for them, but they're so bad made I can't even look at them)
I mean, CollectA and Papo models are also Made in China, but they're not bad painted (at least those I have)!!!

It seems to me that Schleich may have squeezed the prices too much on their Chinese supplyiers, just as Roger says.
Or perhaps they have changed supplyer there ? The chinese models used to be different, - but not THAT bad, IMHO
Also now we see models made in Tunesia.

Schleich got new owners s few years ago. Perhaps they are now pushing for lower costs ?
I think it is a very bad strategy !

As we know, the competition is breething down their neck, and costomers are getting used to better and better models. They ought to improve the quality instead !

SUSANNE wrote:

Perhaps our expectations are too high ?

I don't think so. Not when we speak of a brand that specialize on animal replicas, you know. Schleich's famous for its quality and authenticity, so I do believe that we can expect anatomically correct figurines. Do you remember their old Icelandic horses? Or Camargue? They could be easily recognized unlike to the new ones:(
I quite agree with Roger, this all requires large sums of money, but.. well, Schleich used to create really good equine figurines. So what's the problem now?

Roger
I'm so badly surprised because this manufacturer had horse replicas that many collectors considired to be among the best ones. Of cause creating authentic figurines with a great variety of poses is expencive, but look at CollectA, for ex.- they have hired McDermott for their equine line, and the result is fabulous! Look at Mojo..

There are two main ways to make money! You make a brand with a lot of work, dedication and quality. It is recognised and the brand goes well! :)
The easy way is to copy a good brand. You save a lot money, less work and also some less quality!
Schleich is the only brand I know that sells at the same time originals and copies for the same price! Double money!

If I knew for a fact that I'd get Germany made horses, then I'd buy them, but I have to say I hate the China ones

I´m afraid I will only be able to get the Chinese ones

SyLoBe wrote:

I´m afraid I will only be able to get the Chinese ones

Most of the chinese ones are really fine, too.
But you can always ask sellers on the net, where their models are made . That should solve the problem

I don't think schleich squeeze the China supplier too! Or maybe moving to a cheaper province. Many foreign factories in China are practicing this. Normally quality issue rise, when moving to a cheaper province.

ken yeo wrote:

I don't think schleich squeeze the China supplier too! Or maybe moving to a cheaper province. Many foreign factories in China are practicing this. Normally quality issue rise, when moving to a cheaper province.

I think you are right !
Several of my Schleich are made in China, and they are perfectly ok, - some are even nicer made than the ones made in Germany ( Not than Portugal, Croger ).

I can also see that some of my new ones, - like the farmer and his wife - are just beautyfully crafted , and they are also made in China !

It seems it is mainly the horses, where the quality has dropped

Has anyone else seen the Peregrine Falcon? I saw these recently, but they are definitely NOT Peregrine Falcon paintjobs. The ones I saw competely lacked the black on the face, and no black mustache that all Peregrines have. The ones I saw were also very pale grey on top. It could probably pass as a Gyrfalcon. It's not quite robust enough to be one, but coloration is more Gyr than Peregrine in my opinion.

I think we all saw that the quality has gown down dramaticly in Schleich for the this year, not only the way of painting, but in the sculpting and moulds to...
When this is because a new owner came, and these people did cut on costs and things like that, they will lose very rapidly on their no.1 position on the modelmarket, i am pretty sure about that.
Like Susanne said, they are resting and sitting back to comfortly, while other companies are still improving, not even talking about the new brands that are on the market right now, like Mojö!
I must admitt, that some models do look better in the real, then on pics, but the polarbear is a very big disappointment for me for example, so very toyish, with a cartoonish look, which was not neccesary i think.
The last years the models were improving very much on naturalism, and now in just one year they are going back to the 1980's almost, and that is at least very strange...

sphyrna18 wrote:

Has anyone else seen the Peregrine Falcon? I saw these recently, but they are definitely NOT Peregrine Falcon paintjobs. The ones I saw competely lacked the black on the face, and no black mustache that all Peregrines have. The ones I saw were also very pale grey on top. It could probably pass as a Gyrfalcon. It's not quite robust enough to be one, but coloration is more Gyr than Peregrine in my opinion.

Mine is like this, I plan to repaint it. The Germany made ones seem to be so much nicer and actually look like a peregrine.

Schleich's quality got lower over the years, that's a fact. If I compare the flexible rubber Golden Eagle marked "Germany 1998" with the hard plasticWolverine marked "China 2010", I immediately see that the wolverine's quality level is a lot lower than this of the golden eagle's: the wolverine sounds drier hit on a surface, while the eagle gives a low sound; the wolverine seems easier to break to the touch than the soft eagle; the wolverine is lighter in the hand than the heavier eagle, while both have the same size, etc. See what I mean? When I see that, I wonder why we keep paying high prices for Schleich models. They are not "european" anymore. They are just like most "made in China" cheap things we see in any store...

Bowhead Whale wrote:

Schleich's quality got lower over the years, that's a fact.

...., I wonder why we keep paying high prices for Schleich models. They are not "european" anymore. They are just like most "made in China" cheap things we see in any store...

You are right ! For the first time ever I got a new Schleich model with a broken leg in the mail !
They didn`t break earlier

But people keep buying them, partly because of habit ( there are SO many Schleich-collectors), and partly because they can`t get anything else.
Here in Denmark lots of people don`t even know there are other brands than Schleich and the cheap ones you get 20 for 3 dollars.

That the older Schleichs were more restainable is true for sure, but not exactly better in quality or mould, those are two things...
The models from that time(and i know the even older Classics from my youth in the 1970's) were rougher in the mould, and not as detailed as now.
Besides that, the models got even better in realism the last years(by their coorporation with the Berlin Zoo), but exactly now in 2012, they go down again(the polarbears are THE example for that), and that is a fact that i just can't understand!
The materials they used were just different in those times, including PVC'S, which was banned of course.
But that shouldn't be a reason for Schleich, to make their newer models from a material that brakes of course!
They make models that are good in the hands and mouth of children, so what happens when a child chokes in a broken off part of the model then?

I agree with Willy about the 2012 Polar Bear. I think it's kind of awful. (And how it pains me to write that.)

I am really curious to hear from those of you who are long-time collectors of Schleich horses specifically. Which figures are known to be especially accurate sculptures and are well-regarded?

Of the ones I own -- and that's not many; I've collected much more cattle than I've collected horses -- I really love the Percheron Stallion. Perhaps I'm revealing that I have no taste. (If so, that's okay, you can tell it to me straight. I have thick skin and like to learn from my mistakes.)

The general decline of Schleich is really distressing. And the fact that figures are breaking in transit! Holy mackerel! It's sad.

-Scott

grinninglizard (scott) wrote:

I am really curious to hear from those of you who are long-time collectors of Schleich horses specifically. Which figures are known to be especially accurate sculptures and are well-regarded?

Of the ones I own -- and that's not many; I've collected much more cattle than I've collected horses -- I really love the Percheron Stallion. Perhaps I'm revealing that I have no taste. (If so, that's okay, you can tell it to me straight. I have thick skin and like to learn from my mistakes.)

-Scott

It is hard to say which ones are most well regarded, Scott. That is a question of taste, I suppose.
As you can see, even if there are plenty of horse lovers and collectors of Schleich horses here in the forum, people aren`t falling over each others to ansver..

In my opinion the horses from the early 90´s had life and action and movement...the ones like the running mare, the black Arab mare, Lippizaner stallion and the old Shire. But they weren`t so very accuate.

Then in `02 came the Trakehner and the Holstein and the chestnut mare..and the year after the English thoroughbred and the brown Icey, which I also like a lot. They may not be the most well regarded, but I think they are both accurate and charming. They are surely some of the few where you can`t be in much doubt as to what breed they are.

The Clydesdales are surelly beautyful, and I LOVE the heavy horses. Perhaps the chestnut one , no 13244 from 2000 the most.

But....it may be hard to find two people who agree completely .
No way round it...you have to get them all and make your own opinion