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I had promised to collect and post a bunch of photos and notes on 1:9 scale horses in a single thread. Some of this has been posted before, so I apologize for any repetition, but here goes --
Similar to the search for 1:9 scale vehicles to answer the transportation needs of various Mego figures, dioramas and displays, there is clearly a need to find 1:9 scale horses, other than the not-so-common ones released by Mego. This is especially considering that your various Planet of the Apes and Wild West figures don't look particularly screen-accurate behind the wheel of a Bratz cadillac, although that may just be a matter of opinion.
For example, consider how this photo displays the respective figures in a much more interesting manner than, perhaps, simply standing on a shelf in front of a row of books --
And, of course, I cannot ignore Mego Museum member CAZAFANTASMA's repaint of a Breyer horse to compliment his custom Indiana Jones --
An average horse is 15 hands high at the withers. This is equivalent to 60" -- or 5' -- so 1:9 scale horse should stand slightly over 6.5" tall. The best way to measure would be against an 8" Mego figure -- the horse's shoulders should be approximately the same height as the shoulders of the Mego. A horse that is only CLOSE in scale will still suit most Mego-mount purposes; this ultimately depends on the modeler's intent. As has been observed elsewhere, vehicles and other accessories that are slightly under/over-sized seem perfectly suitable for use with Mego figures -- of course, it is important to note that Real World horses are not all the same size anyway.
The Planet of the Apes Action Stallion released by Mego is a correct 1:9 scale, shown here along with my favorite 1:9 scale Bay (which was used for the "Col. Tayor in the Forbidden Zone" photo, above), as well as another 1:9 horse. I will try to include some Mego Apes in these photos to help keep a proper perspective of scale.
There are several brands of horses that are either dead-on 1:9 scale, or so close to the proper size as to make little difference. Without question, however, the best is the Breyer "Traditional" series of horses, which are specifically 1:9 in scale. The advantage is that this line also includes a large amount of 1:9 scale saddles, bridles and other tack. Be aware that Breyer makes horses in other scales, so make sure you know what you are purchasing.
The "Traditional" scale Breyer horses are available in a number of poses (standing, walking, rearing, running, etc), and several of these poses are molded in various colors to represent standard coloration or even specific horses from history.
A dramatic display might be for a mounted figure on a rearing horse. Note that the high-stepping "Five Gaiter" horses (#51 Red-Eyed, #52 Commander, #1129 Rhett, among others) have a braid in their mane that is conspicuous, but this can be painted or covered-over, if not desired.
Breyer also makes other specialty horses in the same scale, including random foals and even some workhorses.
I want to also address Breyer's "Woodgrain" highly valued release... these horses were molded with colored plastic that resembles carved wood, imparting each horse with an utterly unique pattern. While these are not realistic horse colors, the value of these (similar to all Breyer horses) plummets when there is any surface damage... of course, then a simple repainting corrects ALL the problems.
If you are looking for screen accuracy, don't forget that Urko rides a white stallion in more than one episode of the series...
So... where to obtain Breyer horses? Of course, you can find them online (eBay particularly), but they are extremely common at flea markets, particularly in rural areas where little girls are wont to collect horses. Many hobby model stores sell them MIB, but if you want to pay full retail price, you already stopped reading this. Ideally, you want to find a good flea market deal... they can be found between $5 to $10 if you are patient, but the standard going resale rate is always $20. These are highly collectible and, unless the horse has cosmetic damage, you can expect to see people demanding more than $20 for them.
Good results can be found by plugging "breyer traditional bay -foal" into an eBay search; if results are sorted by "Price + Shipping: lowest first," you can take your pick of the best deals.
You want to be on the lookout for flea market tables like THIS --
... But you really want to be on the lookout for flea market signs like THIS --
Of course, Breyer is not the only choice...
"Bigtime Barnyard" brand carries a line of 1:9 scale horses with rooted hair. Some of these are also battery-powered, presumably with sound effects, but I have not seen these outside the box.
There is also a "Grand Champion" series of 1:9 scale horses by Empire with rooted hair and sound effects. These also have rooted hairlike manes and tails and some battery-powered ones have horse sounds (whinneys, galloping, etc.).
The "Bonanza" series of horses by American Character are scaled for 1:8 scale figures, which makes them very useable for Mego purposes. In addition, the ball bearings in their hooves makes them an ideal replacement equine for pulling the Planet of the Apes wagon. Unfortunately, I balked at purchasing one of these at a flea market this past summer, as I now want one for my "herd" and cannot shake my Buyer's Remorse --
I have found random other horses of unknown lines; these carry no brand marks, but can often be had for only a couple dollars each --
I need to post a word of caution ... it can be very difficult to correctly size-up toy horses without seeing them in person. As I indicated above, the size difference from one horse to another is most notable, perhaps, when you are mixing sizes of horses within the same herd/team/regiment. Therefore, if you are forming a cavalry of mounted gorillas, you should strive to seek out a single brand for all of them to get the best effect. If you end up getting a couple smaller-scale horses in your search, perhaps pair those off separately for a wagon team.
But extreme differences in scale will not work. Similar to the "other" lines of Breyer horses, it is easy to mistake an online auction photo for a horse of an unwanted size. The aforementioned "Empire Industries" also produces horses in a smaller scale, so Caveat Emptor!
... at the same time, it is probably unnecessary to mention that 1:6 scale Marx horses (Johnny West line) and those from Gabriel's 1970s Lone Ranger line are much too large for standard 8" Mego figures.
Similar to the search for 1:9 scale vehicles to answer the transportation needs of various Mego figures, dioramas and displays, there is clearly a need to find 1:9 scale horses, other than the not-so-common ones released by Mego. This is especially considering that your various Planet of the Apes and Wild West figures don't look particularly screen-accurate behind the wheel of a Bratz cadillac, although that may just be a matter of opinion.
For example, consider how this photo displays the respective figures in a much more interesting manner than, perhaps, simply standing on a shelf in front of a row of books --
And, of course, I cannot ignore Mego Museum member CAZAFANTASMA's repaint of a Breyer horse to compliment his custom Indiana Jones --
An average horse is 15 hands high at the withers. This is equivalent to 60" -- or 5' -- so 1:9 scale horse should stand slightly over 6.5" tall. The best way to measure would be against an 8" Mego figure -- the horse's shoulders should be approximately the same height as the shoulders of the Mego. A horse that is only CLOSE in scale will still suit most Mego-mount purposes; this ultimately depends on the modeler's intent. As has been observed elsewhere, vehicles and other accessories that are slightly under/over-sized seem perfectly suitable for use with Mego figures -- of course, it is important to note that Real World horses are not all the same size anyway.
The Planet of the Apes Action Stallion released by Mego is a correct 1:9 scale, shown here along with my favorite 1:9 scale Bay (which was used for the "Col. Tayor in the Forbidden Zone" photo, above), as well as another 1:9 horse. I will try to include some Mego Apes in these photos to help keep a proper perspective of scale.
There are several brands of horses that are either dead-on 1:9 scale, or so close to the proper size as to make little difference. Without question, however, the best is the Breyer "Traditional" series of horses, which are specifically 1:9 in scale. The advantage is that this line also includes a large amount of 1:9 scale saddles, bridles and other tack. Be aware that Breyer makes horses in other scales, so make sure you know what you are purchasing.
The "Traditional" scale Breyer horses are available in a number of poses (standing, walking, rearing, running, etc), and several of these poses are molded in various colors to represent standard coloration or even specific horses from history.
A dramatic display might be for a mounted figure on a rearing horse. Note that the high-stepping "Five Gaiter" horses (#51 Red-Eyed, #52 Commander, #1129 Rhett, among others) have a braid in their mane that is conspicuous, but this can be painted or covered-over, if not desired.
Breyer also makes other specialty horses in the same scale, including random foals and even some workhorses.
I want to also address Breyer's "Woodgrain" highly valued release... these horses were molded with colored plastic that resembles carved wood, imparting each horse with an utterly unique pattern. While these are not realistic horse colors, the value of these (similar to all Breyer horses) plummets when there is any surface damage... of course, then a simple repainting corrects ALL the problems.
If you are looking for screen accuracy, don't forget that Urko rides a white stallion in more than one episode of the series...
So... where to obtain Breyer horses? Of course, you can find them online (eBay particularly), but they are extremely common at flea markets, particularly in rural areas where little girls are wont to collect horses. Many hobby model stores sell them MIB, but if you want to pay full retail price, you already stopped reading this. Ideally, you want to find a good flea market deal... they can be found between $5 to $10 if you are patient, but the standard going resale rate is always $20. These are highly collectible and, unless the horse has cosmetic damage, you can expect to see people demanding more than $20 for them.
Good results can be found by plugging "breyer traditional bay -foal" into an eBay search; if results are sorted by "Price + Shipping: lowest first," you can take your pick of the best deals.
You want to be on the lookout for flea market tables like THIS --
... But you really want to be on the lookout for flea market signs like THIS --
Of course, Breyer is not the only choice...
"Bigtime Barnyard" brand carries a line of 1:9 scale horses with rooted hair. Some of these are also battery-powered, presumably with sound effects, but I have not seen these outside the box.
There is also a "Grand Champion" series of 1:9 scale horses by Empire with rooted hair and sound effects. These also have rooted hairlike manes and tails and some battery-powered ones have horse sounds (whinneys, galloping, etc.).
The "Bonanza" series of horses by American Character are scaled for 1:8 scale figures, which makes them very useable for Mego purposes. In addition, the ball bearings in their hooves makes them an ideal replacement equine for pulling the Planet of the Apes wagon. Unfortunately, I balked at purchasing one of these at a flea market this past summer, as I now want one for my "herd" and cannot shake my Buyer's Remorse --
I have found random other horses of unknown lines; these carry no brand marks, but can often be had for only a couple dollars each --
I need to post a word of caution ... it can be very difficult to correctly size-up toy horses without seeing them in person. As I indicated above, the size difference from one horse to another is most notable, perhaps, when you are mixing sizes of horses within the same herd/team/regiment. Therefore, if you are forming a cavalry of mounted gorillas, you should strive to seek out a single brand for all of them to get the best effect. If you end up getting a couple smaller-scale horses in your search, perhaps pair those off separately for a wagon team.
But extreme differences in scale will not work. Similar to the "other" lines of Breyer horses, it is easy to mistake an online auction photo for a horse of an unwanted size. The aforementioned "Empire Industries" also produces horses in a smaller scale, so Caveat Emptor!
... at the same time, it is probably unnecessary to mention that 1:6 scale Marx horses (Johnny West line) and those from Gabriel's 1970s Lone Ranger line are much too large for standard 8" Mego figures.
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