American Alligator (Wild Life by Schleich)

I am aware that there is quite a lot of complaining about perceived accuracy flaws in Schleich’s dinosaur toys, but I have to say that since my formerly local Tractor Supply store began carrying them, I have been impressed with the realism of their animal toys. (Note to editor: by the way I’d like to give a shout out to the Dino Toy Blog here and let them know that I have Schleich’s new Allosaurus and would be happy to review it for the Dinosaur Blog). Check out Schleich’s new African elephants; they really are stunning!

This is not a brand new figure, but Schleich is still making it and it really is a decent replica of an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). The coloring is really impressive like on most Schleich animals. I really like the contrast between the dark green of the back and the yellowish underbelly and faded bands along the sides and tail.

The jaw is articulated, as with the Schleich crocodile that was released alongside this alligator. It was released in 2015. The shape of the snout is nice and broad like you would expect for an alligator, and the detail inside the mouth and on the teeth is really awesome too. The front feet have five toes and the rear feet four, which is accurate. The pose is also very dynamic, as it shows the alligator in a walking position as opposed to lying on its stomach.

There is a lot of attention to musculature shown on this figure in the neck and the middle section of the alligator. The scutes along the back and the spikes on the tail are nicely detailed as well.

The only negative things I notice is that the eyes don’t look particularly natural and the earholes behind the eyes are a bit hard to see. Other than that though this is a really awesome figure with a great paint job and I would highly recommend it for dioramas or anyone who is a bit of a stickler for accuracy. This is one exception to all the negative things collectors say about Schleich toys.