I have found a model making company that has produced model zoo exhibits. The company is called Faller and they have made a polar bear, Orangutan, Penguin, Bison and Deer exhibits in HO scale. I will try and put pictures in the gallery.
They are also releasing a model of the Hagenbeck zoo entrance. Are the exhibits modeled on a real-life exhibit?
Mark, Gaugemaster - Faller, We Model the World Just type 'zoo' in the keyword search bar in the top right corner (it's not very informative though)
I used to have all the Britains Zoo Animals models. They were 1:32 scale. I always wanted a warthog, but they didn't produce any.
I used to have a great collection of toy animals when I was a little kid. They were made of lead (dangerous - wouldn't be allowed now.) Wonder what happened to them all? I had hippos, rhinos, lions, tigers, elephants, even a (lead) chimp sitting in a (lead) tree! They were made in Britain. I remember my aunt went to every toy shop in Sydney trying to get me a lioness! There were plenty of lions but no lionesses. She finally got me one.
I'm 32 and still have hundreds of toy zoo animals that I collected in the early years of my life. Many small plastic ones, but also numerous animals that are larger, hand-painted and very well done. Overall I must easily have 500 toy zoo animals that have been stored away for years. I naturally haven't touched them in years, but when I was a kid I'd make these enormous zoos that would fill entire rooms...ahhh nostalgia.
I know the company Faller quite well as I use them for my model railroads. I was unaware that they had zoo exhibits though.
I never knew Britains did zoo animals! I had (still have in fact) a massive collection of the farm toys though. I remember I used to go with my dad to the farm supplies shop when he needed parts, they used to sell the model tractors there.
I have some very old Scleich animals, and some of the newer ones. I want them to make tapirs! I used to collect the yowies when they were being made, and I got about 100 australian yowies a few years ago.
I have schliech animals and yowies too from when i was younger. My little brother still collects schliechs though.
Check Britains Zoo Animals out on E-bay. Reckon you could build the complete collection if you so desired (and were prepared tp pay for it). Apparantly the Platypus is the real rarity as since it was to scale of the other animals it was the 'most lost' animal in the collection.
i remember i had a gaur along with many others and i painted it black and painted its legs below the knee white with tippex, i also used to rub down the horns of the Indian and black rhinos too.
i only looked at this thread so i could hang it on all of you for letting your obsession for zoos go so far that your were now talking about "model zoos"... then i saw your talking about "britains" toy animals. as a kid i loved my animal toys and the britains ones were the only models strong enough to survive my big sisters nasty habit of chewing off the hooves on one side only (essentially giving me a farmyard of "sleeping" animals). i still have a few, including some i must have inherited from when my parents were in england. the later edition animals had shoddier paintwork, and mine are certainly not to scale with eachother - but i'm pretty sure i still have someplace an orangutan, ostrich, giant tortoise, couple of lioness', bear, a large black rhino, an eagle, and maybe some of my original farm animals such as the draft horse and cow. are they worth money now? i might check ebay...
Some Britains figures are worth a lot! I only have one old toy-elephant, it's 80-90 years old, and made of "elastolin". The new Faller models are very good. I saw some in a toyshop.
For the model train fans: "Miniatur Wunderland" in Hamburg also has Tierpark Hagenbeck in model form: Großraum HH - Modellbau Modelleisenbahn Hamburg Equally, the "rivals" in Berlin have Zoo Berlin Modellbahn Berlin - LOXX am ALEX - Miniatur Welten Berlin
you are in luck !schleich and safari ltd are both selling malayan tapirs this year, seen the pre launch photos and they are very nice! Schleich is also releasing warthog boar sow and piglet, lynx female and kit, yak, displaying ostritch,moose bull cow and calf, amongst others! Safari ltd is also releasing a really nice running dromedary and ostrich! My collection of model animals which I have collected since I was 2 [ starting with the asian and african elephant bought for me at Edinburgh zoo in 1975] has now run to thousands and thousands of animals of pretty much ANY species you can name! Growing up in rural Argyll with only the Britains animals as a boy, Im now spoiled with everything from Aardvarks to Zebu- and naked mole rats, quetzals,saki monkeys,roan antelope,linsang,secretary bird,to name a few recent aquistions-the whole Animal kingdom, which make for an awesome display! And they are much easier to look after than the ones at work!
