Collection Review: Schleich Lions and Caracal

Figure Brand: Schleich
Figure Name(s):

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Schleich Black Lion (similiar to 97702)

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Schleich African Lion 14812

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Schleich Caracal 14867

Sex: Lions- Male
Caracal- Female
Name: Black Lion- Morpheus
African Lion- Leopold
Caracal- Alexandra
Year Made: Black Lion- 2018???
African Lion- 2018
Caracal- 2023
Observations/Thoughts:
Lovely cat sculpts from Schleich, especially with the added interest of the Black Lion. He’s unrealistic sure, but I love interesting and different animals, so he’s my favourite. He is probably a repaint of the snarling lion sculpt but that doesn’t matter and rather than being all black, he’s actually a deep smoky grey on his mane- it’s highlighted and has depth and shadow. Also, his eyes are a startling gold yellow, and complete with the snarl showing all pointed teeth, he is formidable and impressive. I called him Morpheus, because I felt he should be named something in keeping with the dark and midnight. Morpheus, the Greek god of sleep and dreams seems fitting for him. I can imagine him leading and guiding someone into the world of dreams.
Leopold, the African Lion is a great figure too, I love him an awful lot, he’s not snarling, but doing the typical standing pose with a benign kind of smile on his face. His tail is down, and he looks very serene, passive and kindly. I called him Leopold because it seems to suit him, I imagine he’s a kindly, wise and fatherly figure. The mane also extends from his neck and chest down past his elbows like in real lions, ending in long stripes underneath. Not my favourite part of him, but oh well…
Alexandra, the Caracal is a nice sculpt too, she’s obviously smaller than the lions, built very lightly and has a long slender body. Her hips are also higher than her shoulders (maybe caracals are really like that?) and tufts of hair on her ears.  I think for what she is, she’s a basic sculpt and fine really, nothing too out of the ordinary, except with her head being slightly down/forward she comes off as stalking something through the tall grasses actually, and you could definitely pose her like so.
Rating: Morpheus the Black Lion- 4/5
Leopold the African Lion- 4/5
Alexandra the Caracal 3/5

Lions are the animals whose sculpts improved most the last years. Even if the Schleich lions are not my favorite ones, they're nicer than Schleich's earlier versions. The caracal is far from being spectacular but it is quite decent and a bold species choice from Schleich. I have it in my collection. Most felines have back legs longer than the front legs since jumping and leaping are important for them. Caracals are especially impressive jumpers, this video is surely somewhat sensationalistic but take a look at it.

Thanks Roger, caracals are very nice little wild cats alright, and impressive jumpers. Her mould definitely has a high back, I know all felines generally have this, but for some reason is very noticeable in her as opposed to any other schleich mould?

I understand your point. It seems that the hip bones are misplaced. Perhaps it shouldn't be as pronounced, but while most felines have longer hind legs, the variations are more subtle in panthers like lions or tigers compared to caracals or lynxes. However, this model is almost built like a cheetah, which has much longer hind legs compared to the front legs. It's difficult to tell, as cats are very flexible, as you can see in that video. Personally, I appreciate the fact that the difference is noticeable rather than being ignored.

It is...It's a strange looking high placed hip alright. Maybe because it's a smaller mold, they were trying to accentuate that?

I see some kitties!
The black lion is actually on my wishlist. I think that he looks super cool in this colouring. And the name Morpheus really fits him. I already have the other two colourations on this mould and will hopefully add this one too. Never thought that I would ever have a small lion conga.
Leopold's mould is not really my cup of tea. I like the older mould better and therefore won't get him. But he is a decent mould nevertheless.
I want to love the Caracal but I still can't do it properly. Her body just seems too long for me though I have read a review where it was stated that her body length is actually fine and I am sure that this person knows more about caracals than me. She will end up in my collection anyway as there are currently no other renditions of caracals from major brands. I'm really happy that they even made a cub which I might like even more than the mother. So maybe when I'll have her at home she will grow on me.
And by the way: I really like your new avatar! You seem to like ravens, don't you?

Brandubh94 wrote:

It is...It's a strange looking high placed hip alright. Maybe because it's a smaller mold, they were trying to accentuate that?

I don't think it is related to the size of the figure since it is not that small for a Schleich. I think it is just the sculptor wanting to give a more feline appearance to the figure playing with the plasticity of these animals.
Schleich is currently commisssioning their sculpts to several different sculptors and lately we've witnessing some sculpts which doesn't look at all like a traditional Schleich. I believe the person who sculpted this caracal is the same who sculpted the gazelle and eventually the puma. Those sculpts are narrower and more delicate than what we are used and they bring a new concept to the Schleich design. They're not perfect but I really don't dislike them.

Thanks Katy, and I'd definitely recommend the black lion, he's absolutely fantastic though I think that's all down to his unusual colour.
I do like the caracal alright, I just find her shape a bit hard to get used to and yes, I ADORE ravens! They're my favourite animals I think, and my name here: Brandubh actually means 'Black Raven' which I think is really funny because most ravens generally are black?!

Yknow I was actually thinking of that too Roger, could it be down to the sculptors preference.
Some list the names of the sculptors on this animal figurine wiki page right?
It would be interesting to see who did this caracal and what other ones have they done

I like ravens quite a bit as well. They might be my favourite birds though it's quite hard to choose as I like also owls and colorful parrots... But it's just the way they are used in different kind of folklore that really attracts me. And I like black as well...
Oh that's interesting with your nick. Is it Irish?
And I just remembered a Russian idiom with ravens. If a person is vastly different from the rest (not in a positive way) we say that this person is like a white raven.
In German we have a similar idiom just that we say black sheep instead of white raven.

Oooh that's a cool saying, I like that a lot more than black sheep. White ravens are possible I guess so that's cool?
And yes, Brandubh is an Irish term for a black raven. In Irish folklore they're typically associated with death and war etc., as the goddess Morrigan is able to transform into one.

Brandubh94 wrote:

Yknow I was actually thinking of that too Roger, could it be down to the sculptors preference.
Some list the names of the sculptors on this animal figurine wiki page right?
It would be interesting to see who did this caracal and what other ones have they done

Schleich and most of the brands rarely provide official information about who sculpts their figures. We sometimes put the information at the wiki but we often forget or we just don't know.
Maybe [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is interesting for you, you can find some sculptor names through the several posts, I made myself a relatively long one but atention, the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] sculptor in my list is just a little joke.

Thanks Roger!