CollectA — New for 2024

[EpicRaptorMan]

Prehistoric > Horses lol

[sbell]

I respectfully disagree with you on this Gwangi.  Horses are all one species with only slight differences, while dinosaurs are many species with lots of difference between them.  I don't think there's anything wrong with having a lot of horse figures.  I just find it ridiculous to have as many as are being made.  I believe there are people who like to have so many horse figures, but I also think it's bad taste to be so obsessed with just one species of animal.  Maybe collecting animal figures, extinct or extant, is ridiculous too, but I think being able to appreciate and learn about vaiety of life is interesting.

Taste or judgement aside... horse collectors probably take umbrage at the idea that they're too obsessed with one species and could probably tell us more than we want about each breed (because dino collectors never obsess with small details... . It's pretty presumptuous to assume that everyone should approach toy collecting like you do

My understanding is that horse collection alone outstrips all other animal collecting by wide margin. It's why CollectA had Anthony as a dedicated Prehistoric guy, and has a specific horse modeler. It's why Safari has the dedicated Winners Circle horse series. It's why Reeves bought the North American distribution rights to CollectA, and pretty much ignores the lines that aren't horse or farm (that's why they're so hard to find now).

Horse collectors speak with their wallets. And their enthusiasm.

There are huge conventions worldwide every year... just horses. Breyer literally hosts Breyerfest every year. And every smart company wants a piece of that.

The market simply states that a few good horse models will find themselves with more retailers and more buyers than a cool, obscure mammal or reptile. To say nothing of prehistoric animals (there's a reason certain species are constantly recycled).

Things are still way better than they once were. 30 years ago none of the variety we have now existed.

[Sim]

It's pretty presumptuous to assume that everyone should approach toy collecting like you do

I don't think everyone should approach toy collecting like me.  I even said that I don't think there's anything wrong with having lots of horse figures (I have no horse figures).  I just think the scale horse collecting can get to shows bad taste.  I believe that horse figures are popular, but that doesn't mean I can't think that obsession with just horses is good.

[Gwangi]

I respectfully disagree with you on this Gwangi.  Horses are all one species with only slight differences, while dinosaurs are many species with lots of difference between them.  I don't think there's anything wrong with having a lot of horse figures.  I just find it ridiculous to have as many as are being made.  I believe there are people who like to have so many horse figures, but I also think it's bad taste to be so obsessed with just one species of animal.  Maybe collecting animal figures, extinct or extant, is ridiculous too, but I think being able to appreciate and learn about vaiety of life is interesting.

And I'm sure to a horse collector the differences between Daspletosaurus torosus and D. horneri are slight and it's ridiculous to want both in your collection.  Just because the difference between a mustang and Appaloosa don't matter to YOU doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to respect that it matters to others. Being part of a hobby as niche and often frowned upon as dinosaur collecting should give you respect and empathy for collectors of other animals as well, whatever their reasons for collecting said animal. Instead you're saying it's ridiculous and in bad taste. In bad taste to obsess over a single species? What about obsessing over dead ones? And whether the feather placement on them is accurate or not? Advocates for wildlife conservation might think it's in bad taste to obsess over extinct animals verses the extant ones that are imperiled today. And I'm not saying that's my position on it, I'm just offering perspective.

I'm a dinosaur collector that's just advocating for horse collectors, I am not a horse collector. I have three examples of E. ferus in my collection. Even among extant animals I prefer wild species in my collection and there are entire groups that I wish were better represented than they are. Man, do I ever wish that freshwater fishes were as popular as horses or dinosaurs. And yes, I would prefer it if the selection of extant animals was greater than that of horse breeds. But I'm not going to ridicule horse collecting or pretend that my hobby is more justified than there's. Like I said, horses are an incredibly important animal to a lot of people and to human history in general. They were the primary mode of transportation up until the early 1900's and in many places they still are. Not to mention that people have deep and important relationships with these living animals. You can't get that from a Triceratops.

[Sim]

I appreciate what you've said.  However, my opinion hasn't changed.  I think it isn't good to be so obsessed with just one species and the reasons you've given for it don't convince me to change my mind.  We may have to agree to disagree.

[Gwangi]

I appreciate what you've said.  However, my opinion hasn't changed.  I think it isn't good to be so obsessed with just one species and the reasons you've given for it don't convince me to change my mind.  We may have to agree to disagree.

Well, I tried. And I don't think it's good to dismiss and ridicule an entire sub-set of our hobby. And I also don't think it's good to dismiss entire clades of animal as boring and uninteresting. So yeah, we can agree to disagree.

[Isidro]

I think it isn't good to be so obsessed with just one species

And I think many people in the world would think that it isn't good to collect animal figurines at an adult age
I'm not interested at all in horses nor dinos, but I think there is nothing wrong about people that like to collect them

[suspsy]

Horses are hugely popular and hugely profitable worldwide; that should be painfully obvious. If you demanded to CollectA or Schleich that they reduce their output of horse figures, they'd happily point to any number of sales charts which clearly show that horses are their best-selling products, more so than wild animals, fantasy creatures, or prehistoric fauna. And if you persisted, they'd probably chuckle, shake their heads, and tell you stop emailing them.

If you told a collector of horse figures that they were wasting their money and space, they'd probably tell you off.

And if you told a breeder of actual horses face to face that they're wasting their lives, you'd probably lose your face. Those folk are pretty damn serious about their work and their passion.

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that Safari hasn't increased their output of horses.

[Koifish]

Then of course, there's me, waiting for more figures of species gone extinct in the last 1-2 centuries 

[Sim]

Horses are hugely popular and hugely profitable worldwide; that should be painfully obvious. If you demanded to CollectA or Schleich that they reduce their output of horse figures, they'd happily point to any number of sales charts which clearly show that horses are their best-selling products, more so than wild animals, fantasy creatures, or prehistoric fauna. And if you persisted, they'd probably chuckle, shake their heads, and tell you stop emailing them.

If you told a collector of horse figures that they were wasting their money and space, they'd probably tell you off.

And if you told a breeder of actual horses face to face that they're wasting their lives, you'd probably lose your face. Those folk are pretty damn serious about their work and their passion.

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that Safari hasn't increased their output of horses.

This is all irrelevant.  I've asked you once before to not reply to my posts, I ask you again now.

[bmathison1972]

It is not irrelevant. It is actually quite valid. You have criticized people who want to collect only horses. In fact, some cut-and-pastes of your exact quotes:

"I just find it ridiculous to have as many as are being made."
"I also don't understand how people can be happy with an endless stream of nearly identical horse models.  It's ridiculous."
"I also think it's bad taste to be so obsessed with just one species of animal."
"I believe that horse figures are popular, but that doesn't mean I can't think that obsession with just horses is good."

Meanwhile, multiple people on this forum, including myself, Gwangi, sbell, and suspsy have tried to explain, very respectfully I might add, why they are so popular and why companies produce so many of them. You just don't seem to understand, or care, or both (?).

[Sim]

I thought it was clear I don't have a problem with people collecting a lot of horses, I said "I don't think there's anything wrong with having a lot of horse figures."  What I find weird is the extreme extent of it.  That's all.  I don't think there's something wrong with that.  However, if someone thinks there is something wrong with that I can accept that.

I disagree suspsy was respectful in their reply.  It was filled with veiled attempts to put me down in the created scenarios: "that should be painfully obvious", "If you demanded" (who is going to do any demanding?), "And if you persisted, they'd probably chuckle, shake their heads, and tell you stop emailing them", "they'd probably tell you off", "And if you told a breeder of actual horses face to face that they're wasting their lives, you'd probably lose your face" (Who said anything about horse breeders?)

[bmathison1972]

those last couple comments were made in jest; I thought the winking emojee would have made that clear but I guess not.

I've known suspsy, Gwangi, and sbell for years on these forums, and there was no malicious intent in their comments, I can assure. You've been taking constructive comments way too seriously.

Anyway, time to put this discussion to bed. This is a 'CollectA New for 2024' thread, not a debate on the habits of horse collecting.

[Gwangi]

Then of course, there's me, waiting for more figures of species gone extinct in the last 1-2 centuries 

I want those too! 

[EpicRaptorMan]

From what I can tell it wasn't simply "jest" but instead as a means of being passive aggressive. I've seen the arguments some of these members have had as well over the years.

[SerAndrew]

In my case, I only find it intriguing that they dont get bored because it's true that horse figures are very similar and the available products are so much that even the poses are repeated. CollectA itself releases the same moulds with different coats.
I myself get bored if several brands release the same animals...

But of course it has nothing wrong and nothing is written in terms of taste, collecting habita and passions!

Btw, I strongly dissagree with the term "bad taste" being used to define other people preferrences! It's even naïve I'd say

[MudpupWaterdog]

Looks like just Placerias and maybe the cuttlefish for me from Collecta this year, but that's okay because Safari swung right for my heart and wallet. I hope the Placerias is on the smaller side so that it can scale with my Safari or Schleich Postosuchus - 'New Blood' was always my favorite episode of Walking with Dinosaurs.

[Sim]

In my case, I only find it intriguing that they dont get bored because it's true that horse figures are very similar and the available products are so much that even the poses are repeated. CollectA itself releases the same moulds with different coats.
I myself get bored if several brands release the same animals...

But of course it has nothing wrong and nothing is written in terms of taste, collecting habita and passions!

Btw, I strongly dissagree with the term "bad taste" being used to define other people preferrences! It's even naïve I'd say

I had looked at CollectA's new horses for 2024 and the horses all appeared to have basically the same face.  And of course the rest of the horses' anatomy was very similar.  I was surprised there are people out there who like having so many similar figures.  But thinking about it now, people like what they like and I agree now that there's nothing wrong with being so into horse figures.  I think it was naive on my part to think differently.  Sorry to those I upset.

[sbell]

In my case, I only find it intriguing that they dont get bored because it's true that horse figures are very similar and the available products are so much that even the poses are repeated. CollectA itself releases the same moulds with different coats.
I myself get bored if several brands release the same animals...

But of course it has nothing wrong and nothing is written in terms of taste, collecting habita and passions!

Btw, I strongly dissagree with the term "bad taste" being used to define other people preferrences! It's even naïve I'd say

I had looked at CollectA's new horses for 2024 and the horses all appeared to have basically the same face.  And of course the rest of the horses' anatomy was very similar.  I was surprised there are people out there who like having so many similar figures.  But thinking about it now, people like what they like and I agree now that there's nothing wrong with being so into horse figures.  I think it was naive on my part to think differently.  Sorry to those I upset.

It's funny, yesterday I was in a TRU and saw a little girl run up to her grandma holding a pair of Mojo Fjord horses declaring that she NEEDED them.

She then proceeded to pick out every other horse figure (that she claimed not to have)... must have been 7 or 8 figures in her hands...she at least then reached for... I think a llama? Something else anyway.

It made me think of this conversation... to be clear, I have nothing to do with horse/domestic animals in my collection, but clearly it's a big deal to some people!

I just save money now by being mostly interested in freshwater/weird fishes and caudate amphibians, plus whatever grabs my attention.

[Gwangi]

I have to admit that although I appreciate the horses I don't really look closely at them when they are revealed. For a horse to catch my eye it has to be one from a short list of breeds that I have an interest in. I don't know the differences between most of them. But that doesn't mean the differences aren't there and I'm sure the horse collector can tell them apart just as easily as I can tell a porbeagle from a salmon shark or a T. rex from a Tarbosaurus. And I do enjoy collecting cattle breeds, which is certainly just as strange to some of you as horse collecting is (I have 8 so far). But I spent most of my life around cattle, so I like them.

And a horse figure may be appealing simply because of the breed attached to it. For example, I got the CollectA Chincoteague pony. It just looks like a regular old chestnut pinto mare BUT...it's a Chincoteague pony, a feral breed that's local to me, so I wanted it simply for that reason. Of course there are subtle differences between a proper Chincoteague pony and other breeds...short and stocky with think legs, adaptations for the harsh coastal environment it lives in. And a bloated belly from eating salt rich cord grass that requires them to drink more freshwater than is typical for a horse. Most people wouldn't take note of those things on the actual horse, let alone a toy of one, but they're important to those wanting a faithful reproduction of the breed.

And I suppose that with any breed there is a fanbase. Someone might want a Irish cob because it's a breed from Ireland, or a thoroughbred because they're into horse racing, or an Arabian because that's what Napoleon Bonaparte rode, or an American quarter horse because their grandpa had one. And then yes, there are probably folks that just want as many horse breeds as possible because they're a completist. Anyway, I feel like I'm rambling and I'm not sure to who. I'm done now.