Here at MiniZoo, we stock a huge collection of model animal brands, so it can be handy to compare animals, make, material, scale and size across each of our great brands when making your selection. Many of our brands also offer a couple of different sizes within their range too (including CollectA, Safari, PNSO, Breyer and Wild Republic), so hopefully this blog will be a useful place to start if you’re unsure on size variations.

(Edit to add: Toymany is a new brand of animal figurines recently introduced to the variety here at MiniZoo. See this blog here for a comparison featuring Toymany with our other brands.)

We have chosen a selection of animals to feature to show you some brand comparisons so you can see for yourselves.

Dolphins

From left to right: Safari Good Luck Mini Dolphin, Dolphin from the CollectA Marine Tube A, Dolphin from the Safari Whales and Dolphins Toob, Dolphin from the Wild Republic Aquatic Nature Tube, Science & Nature Small Dolphin, Schleich Dolphin, Mojo Common Dolphin, Papo Dolphin Playing, Safari Dolphin, CollectA Bottlenose Dolphin, Dolphin from the Wild Republic Whales and Dolphins Polybag, Safari Monterey Bay Aquarium Bottlenose Dolphin, and the Bullyworld Dolphin.

We have arranged these dolphins in approximate size order and overall the size range varies from 3.5cm long and 1.5cm tall in the Safari Good Luck Mini up to the Bullyworld Dolphin measuring in at 17cm long and 8cm tall.

An adult dolphin is around 3.5-4m long so if you’re interested in scale, the 3 Tube sized models are comparable to the Science & Nature Small model size, at a scale of approximately 1:60. The standard size model brands Schleich, CollectA, Safari, Mojo, and Papo are all very comparable in size and accuracy, making these figures approximately 1:28 scale.

Giraffes

From left to right: Safari Good Luck Mini Giraffe, the Giraffe from the Safari South Africa Toob, the Giraffe from the CollectA Wildlife Tube, the Giraffe from the Wild Republic African Nature Tube, PNSO Small Pemba the Giraffe, Science & Nature Giraffe, PNSO Large Bumba the Giraffe, Mojo Giraffe Male, Schleich Giraffe Male, CollectA Reticulated Giraffe, Papo Giraffe Male, Safari Giraffe, the Giraffe from the Wild Republic African Animals Polybag, and Safari Jumbo Wildlife Wonders Reticulated Giraffe.

Real life male giraffes can grow over 5m tall with the Tube sizes from Safari, CollectA and Wild Republic modelled at a scale of 1:72 and the Small PNSO and Science & Nature replicas at approximately 1:54 scale.

The giraffe models from the major brands Schleich, Mojo, CollectA, Papo, Safari, PNSO and even Wild Republic (polybag) are all sculpted around 17-18cm tall, so are scaled approximately 1:28, while the the Safari Jumbo Wildlife Wonders Giraffe measures a mighty 24cm tall, at approximately 1:20 scale.

Horses

From left to right: Safari Good Luck Mini Horse, Horse from the CollectA Horses Tube, Horse from the Safari Horses Toob, Horse from the Wild Republic Horse Nature Tube, Horse from the Wild Republic Farm Animals Polybag, Mojo Trakehner Horse, Schleich Paint Horse Mare, CollectA Pinto Mare Palomino, Safari Palomino Mare, Papo Pinto Mare, Bullyworld Paint Horse Mare, WIA Brigitte Eberl Edition Lancelot Bay Pinto, Breyer Freedom/Classic Pinto, CollectA Arabian Mare Chestnut Deluxe, and Breyer Traditional Ideal Series Appaloosa.

As you can see, there’s a huge difference in size in our horse model range. The tube sizes from CollectA and Safari are quite similar, while the Wild Republic Tube is slightly larger in this instance. 

The models from Wild Republic (polybag), Mojo, Schleich, CollectA, Safari, Papo and Bullyworld are all around the same size, approximately 10-13cm tall and 13-14cm in length. 

Both the Breyer Freedom Classic horse and the CollectA Deluxe horse are 1:12, but you can see there’s still a size difference there, and the Breyer Traditional horse is largest we stock at 1:9. 

There are size variations across breed and gender (as stallions are typically slightly larger), so you should always choose the breed and colouring that you like best to suit your play or display collection.

Piglets

From left to right: the Piglet from the Safari Petting Zoo Toob, Mojo Piglet, CollectA Piglet, Safari Piglet, Schleich Piglet, Bullyworld Piglet, Papo Yorkshire Female Piglet, and Safari Incredible Creatures Piglet.

Excluding the Safari Incredible Creatures Jumbo Piglet which is scaled at about 1:3, this selection of piglets is actually really comparable. The adults of the species can sometimes vary, but it can be handy to look at the babies - or should I say babes - for comparison as well. In the case of the piglets, the Toob figurine is pretty similar in size to the standard size. They all measure around the 5cm mark, and only vary about 5-6mm. So the only real differences are colouring, texturing and pose (and I should mention that this image only includes our standing piglets. We also have several sitting, sniffing and grazing piglets available).

Red Pandas

From left to right: Safari Good Luck Mini Red Panda, CollectA Red Panda, Schleich Red Panda, Papo Red Panda, Safari Red Panda, Mojo Red Panda, the Red Panda from the Wild Republic Asian Mountain Polybag, and Safari Jumbo Wildlife Wonders Red Panda.

Real Red Pandas can grow to 55cm long (tail included) so the Safari Jumbo Wildlife Wonders Red Panda is large enough that it is only a little smaller than half the size of the real thing!

The Schleich, Papo and Safari models are all pretty comparable size-wise, measuring at a scale of just under 1:5 and, in some cases, the pose of the model matters. The Mojo Red Panda is sculpted in a standing position, so it is taller, but its measurements are actually smaller, setting a scale of about 1:9.

We love all our brands and they each have a unique range. There’s no blanket rule that one brand is bigger than another, or more accurate and realistic, or more to scale. We always recommend choosing your favourite figurine of the animal you’re after, even if that means mixing brands because they’re all great!

If you’re unsure, and are having trouble choosing between models, you can always ask us on social media Instagram and Facebook, or join our MiniZoo VIP Facebook Group and ask our regular customers and collectors.

Jenna @ MiniZoo