Model Zoo Exhibits

zooman64 said:
When I was a child, I had a huge number of model animals which I carried around in a battered old black case. I also had a model keeper with a hunk of gory meat on the end of a pitchfork. .........
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I used to love the zoo animal models, manufactured by Britains, when I was a child. I had the zoo keeper with the hunk of meat on a pitchfork too; in fact I still have it......

Some of these Britains models were actually based on London Zoo animals; the adult hippopotamus was a model of the famous “Guy Fawkes” while the Indian rhino was a model of the famous “Jim”. There is something poignant about these models being sold as toys many decades after the original zoo animals died.

zooman64 said:
Even today I often think how great it would be for some manufacturer to produce model exhibits (such as a replica of London Zoo's original Mappin Terraces). There's definitely a gasp in the market here. How about a model reptile house where the roof lifts off to reveal the reptile tanks within? ........
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You may be interested to know that a model of the famous Hagenbeck Zoo Entrance Gates is available. See the link below:-

FALLER - Hagenbeck zoo entrance gate

zooman64 said:
They're still as detailed as ever they were, but now there seems less concern to keep them to the same scale, and a Bald Eagle is the same size as an Ostrich.
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Yes the Britains zoo models were (roughly) to scale. I think that the current models, manufactured by Schleich, are generally very good quality, but I think it is a shame that they are not in scale with each other.
 
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Tim May said:
I used to love the zoo animal models, manufactured by Britains, when I was a child. I had the zoo keeper with the hunk of meat on a pitchfork too; in fact I still have it......

Some of these Britains models were actually based on London Zoo animals; the adult hippopotamus was a model of the famous “Guy Fawkes” while the Indian rhino was a model of the famous “Jim”. There is something poignant about these models being sold as toys many decades after the original zoo animals died.



You may be interested to know that a model of the famous Hagenbeck Zoo Entrance Gates is available. See the link below:-

FALLER - Hagenbeck zoo entrance gate



Yes the Britains zoo models were (roughly) to scale. I think that the current models, manufactured by Schleich, are generally very good quality, but I think it is a shame that they are not in scale with each other.
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Well that is something new I have learned, I always suspected the Britains zoo animal collection was based on the collection at London, i.e. giant panda, gorilla, golden eagle etc. but I never knew that some of these figures were based on actual animals that lived in the zoo, amazing.
 
zooman64 said:
When I was a child, I had a huge number of model animals which I carried around in a battered old black case. I also had a model keeper with a hunk of gory meat on the end of a pitchfork. But I never could find anywhere to set them out properly. What I dearly wanted as a kid, but was never lucky enough to possess, was a model zoo with cages, ponds, paddocks, etc., but I don't think such a thing was manufactured. So I had to make do with a model farmyard as my zoo, but this of course only had about 2 or 3 animal pens and a small duck pond. Even today I often think how great it would be for some manufacturer to produce model exhibits (such as a replica of London Zoo's original Mappin Terraces). There's definitely a gasp in the market here. How about a model reptile house where the roof lifts off to reveal the reptile tanks within? Or even a model gift shop or cafe, so that children of today can build themselves a complete model zoo?
I still look at the toy animals whenever I find myself in a toy shop buying presents for friends' children, and my goodness aren't they expensive. Most retail from between £3 - £6. To have the same number now that I once owned when I was young would cost a fortune. They're still as detailed as ever they were, but now there seems less concern to keep them to the same scale, and a Bald Eagle is the same size as an Ostrich.
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Britains did manufacture cages, ponds etc. for the zoo animals, they also at one time produced a complete model zoo,about the size of a small coffee table consisting of about eight enclosures, pay box etc.,I recall not having any desire to have this model zoo for two reasons, I already had the animals featured in it, and also I was of the opinion that the enclosures were to small!, I made my own model zoo from instructions shown on Blue Peter, made from cereal packets, drinking straws etc, and very good it was too, nice big spacious enclosures. If any younger members are thinking about buying these Britains zoo animals, a word of caution, there were also imitations about, made in Hong Kong, some are glaringly obvious not to be Britains, but some are very good copies, e.g. adult giraffe, lion cubs. Most original , but not all Britains models are marked, usually on the belly of the animal, Britains, made in England.
 
Chincoteague Island Zoo's Elephant Cam

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Visit the zoo: Chincoteague Island Zoo
 
Anyone heard of papo?,they do a wide range of figurines,their wild animals[for the most part] are very good,bought the silverback recently,excellent detail.

Catalogue 2012
 
I sold all my Britains zoo animals within the last couple of years on EBay I bougt a lot too, then realising the time and space i'd need to make a proper lay out I just boxed them all up and eventually sold them when I need to raise some money, along with all my zoo maps and ephemera.

I saw a pack of Plastic animals in the post office yesterday and I picked them up to inspect. The sheep dog was the same size as the cow.:eek:

As a child my collection only had Britains as they all went near enough to scale. any well meaning relative who gave me a bag of "made in Hong kong" animals usually left dissapointed when I didn't play with them I mean how can a foal be larger than the mare. :rolleyes:

I spent my childhood making complete panaramas on rainy days, in front of the fench doors, i remember once the trouble I got into for cutting a large piece of green cloth out of the centre of my brothers subuteo soccer set. They hadn't used it for a while and I needed more grazing!

Britains stopped making the Zoo animals in 1999 and stopped all production for good when they sold out not much later to a French company.

Does any one recall the model zoo some one made and showed it off on Blue Peter? I can still recall it it loked wonderful but in reality it may not have been to scale. There it is again that all important word Scale.
Happy meories.
 
Regarding the Blue Peter zoo, it was in the very early seventies I think, I made one myself for the Britains animals, and from memory it was made out of the following, the base, large polystyrene ceiling tiles painted green, the pay box was a converted oxo box with tooth paste tube caps with pieces of sponge for shrubs, zebra paddock, this was flattened drinking straws with match sticks as posts, elephant house, cereal box with corrugated cardboard for roof and doorways, and a smaller cereal box for the camels. The sea lion pool was a polystyrene meat tray,(blue) with a rock obtained from the beach, the lion cage was two polystyrene meat trays with cocktail sticks as the cage bars, and the chimp cage was a circular cardboard cheese box,again with cocktail sticks as bars and a corgi toy tyre hanging from the roof on a piece of string, there may have been more exhibits, these are all I can remember.
 
Tarzan
While you where making yours in south shields i was doing mine in Ryton, just up river, I seem to remember using cheese triangle boxes to make round cages, that our American chatters would call corn crib cages.
Also I remember making hedges with green loo roll, dampened in wallpaper paste and then pressing them out into lenghths and when dry highlighting them with felt tip pens.
Dean
 
Playmobil have partnered with WWF for some of their new sets.

They now make an okapi which I think is rather nicely done:

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The other WWF sets include a new panda set, elephants and rhino with a leopard, and tiger and orang utan.

There are also Alpine sets now with chamois and a re-released ibex.
 
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