Hanoverian Stallion, Dappled Grey (Horse Country by CollectA)

Review and images by Harecraft Horses; edited by bmathison1972

This year CollectA have treated horse collectors to several re-releases in a new paintjob. Unlike wildlife collectors, model horse enthusiasts tend not to mind this at all – so many breeds come in more than one colour, and the variation is great for building an extensive herd. The Hanoverian is one of the most popular of CollectA’s horse sculpts, and it’s easy to see why, with such great sharp accurate anatomy and good conformation for the breed. So, it’s no surprise that collectors have been customising this one for years, as the old colours were very plain and not very nicely done compared to more recent releases from the brand. So, with no new original finish colours released since the mould made its debut in 2010, it was about time he got a handsome new makeover!

The colour suits the mould well, and is perfectly good for the breed, as well as being remarkably well done for a mass-produced toy-type model. The shading is nicely sprayed, then the dappling printed over the top – a lot like the spots added to big cat models, so you can be sure each one will have the same good design, placement, and application of the dappling, rather than relying on factory artists to dot them on by hand. While it’s not quite on the level of the WIA dappled grey Arabians, it’s better than anything CollectA (or Schleich, Papo, Mojö Fun, or Bullyland) have ever offered before, and that’s great!

The white markings are also crisply applied, rather than quick/lazy fuzzy fade-out edges, which is something I and many other model-horse collectors, count as the sign of a quality paintjob – even Breyer don’t bother on many Classic and Stablemates releases anymore, so it’s good to see CollectA going the opposite way and making sure they add better markings than they did in the early days. Another lovely touch is the eye detail – you can’t see in my pictures, but he’s got metallic golden-brown eyes painted in, with horizontal oval pupils just as they should be.

The mould, as I said, has been deservedly popular with horse collectors for over a decade now, so there’s really not much I can write about it which hasn’t already been written 🙂

The other side, showing the placement of dappling is symmetrical and planned, not random patches put on anyhow.

The only downside is the hoof painting, the back ones are in the right place but a little bit messy, but the front ones are painted far too far up, onto the fetlocks – perhaps others were done with more care, and I got an unlucky one, but it is a negative and will probably affect show quality if you’re considering photo or live showing with your models. If you happen to live in a country/area where CollectA are stocked in actual physical shops, that’s something to look out for when hand-picking your purchases.

Some plain background pictures:

Here is the new colour, alongside one of the 2010 bay stallions. The older paintjob isn’t bad, it’s just a little dated now that CollectA is using more shading and detailing, to compete and get themselves at the lead of the ‘standard size’ model horse market.

Although they’ll probably never compete with Schleich in terms of sales figures, brand awareness, and toy shop presence (in the UK, almost every toy shop or department store has a Schleich display, but I’ve never seen CollectA in a physical shop), their quality and realism have pushed them to the forefront in the more particular and demanding teen/adult collecting hobby. Model horse people really do value anatomy and accuracy over easy availability!