Killer Whale, 2018 (Wildlife Ocean by Schleich)

The world’s largest and most visually striking dolphin, one of its most intelligent animals, and undisputedly one of its most accomplished predators, the killer whale (Orcinus orca) needs no introduction from me. Whether they’re attacking boats or wearing dead salmon as hats the orca is constantly generating interest and is one of our most beloved and familiar animals. Where toys and collectibles are concerned it is one of the most commonly made animals but interestingly it seems to be an animal that is seldom done well. Browsing Toy Animal Wiki, it looks like most orca figures are plagued with wonky proportions, mis-painted saddles and spots, or missing blowholes, or a combination of those and other inaccuracies. Finding an orca for my collection was no easy task but this year I settled on two, the newly released Type D orca from Safari and the 2018 orca from Schleich.

The Schleich orca measures 8” (20.32 cm) in length and with its falcate dorsal fin represents a female whale. Mature males have a spike-like dorsal fin that can measure up to 6’ (1.8 meters) high! In life, female orcas measure up to 26’ (7.9 meters) while males reach a length of 30’ (9 meters). Scaled down from 26’ the figure comes out to be 1/39 in scale. The figure rests on its belly with the tail slightly lifted upward.

In overall form this must be one of the best killer whale figures I’ve seen. Of course it is though, that’s why I chose it for my collection. The body is robustly built, with a conical head, centrally located dorsal fin, and broad rounded flippers. There is a sculpted blowhole but no anus or umbilicus. Where some orca toys have heads that are too large, body lengths that are too short, thin bodies, or poorly aligned dorsal fins, this one appears to nail it all.

The underside is white, and continuous from the lower jaw to where the anus would be located and with white patches that rise onto the flanks. The white underside is narrowest where the umbilicus would be located. The underside of the fluke is also white and the white patches behind the eyes are accurately located. The paintjob is almost perfect but there is one glaring omission, the gray or white saddle that should be located behind the dorsal fin.

Schleich came exceptionally close to perfection with this figure, nailing the anatomy and patterns in every respect but one. It’s unfortunate, but when picking an orca figure, it looks like compromises need to be made. The pros greatly outweigh the cons with this one though, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better orca. Missing or inaccurate saddles appear common on orca figures, and it’s odd because I can’t think of a good excuse for it. For those that enjoy customizing their toys this one would be an excellent candidate for it. The Schleich orca is currently in production and retails for about $8.99.