Croco Jungle Research Station by Schleich

Croco Jungle Research Station from Schleich is aimed at Age 3 + and is priced at RRP £99.99.

We are absolute fans of Schleich Products and have been for a while now since discovering them after my son was gifted some of the animals which he never put down and took everywhere with him.
The realistic looking animals in the sets they have available are made with the most explicit detail and precision of the products are what makes Schleich stand out from the crowd in my opinion.

Our latest product we would like to share with you is the Croco Jungle Research Station which is by far the best one so far , they just keep getting better which I thought impossible.

Every time I find a collection I love, it expands just that little bit more to keep the play alive and our imaginations running free.

The Croco station is definitely one to enjoy .

On receiving the Station , I realized how big the box was for starters, the perfect size for a large gift if you needed one for any child who loves animals, Safari's or explorers etc .
The box was heavy, I expected a fare size but not as big as what we found.

As I opened the box , I could see that there would be a few things needing building but there was a very easy step by step instruction manual which I left the children to follow and within less than half an hour they had put it all together , no problems at all.

There is a lot to discover in this set.
First of all the main part for me would be the Station itself.
The building which resembles a man made cabin is at a height away from the wild animals to be expected below. Although the animals such as the Orangutan and the Panther are very well known for their climbing ability so luckily there is a hidden trapdoor in case of any sneakers.
The whole building shows us the smallest unmissed details such as a set of shelves inside which have a few plates, a cup and of course the little survival knife which would naturally be used to cut and eat his meals with .
A small window sporting a small hook on the outside where he can hang his binoculars to take his morning gaze at the animals he cares for is not just a hook but also looks somewhat of a horn from an animal such as a Warthog or antelope that maybe would have been roaming the safari or maybe fed to the Panther which is now captured and locked safely in his cage after his small injury during his chase.
Ranger Tom has more than enough on his hands to keep him busy in his little campsite set and if the day gets too much , there is a hammock for him to rest his little head .

Below the shelter, you will not just find the cage with that beautiful looking Panther but you also have a large enclosure to keep any other animals such as the crocodile or baby elephant separated . The Orangutan likes to hang on around the Station out the way and I am sure he is trying to take a peak at the treasure map that Tom has hidden away.
Feeding the animals and sending other items such as the trunk with all of his belongings in down to the surface is not so hard when there is a hoist all there ready to use with its expanding net attached and if anything was to go wrong , there is a rather large Satalite all ready to send for any emergency services.

It is a very busy little set , there is nothing missing from here that I can think of other than a Vet at  work which is also available for an extra price of just £12.99 , she reminds me of Jane from the film Tarzan with her baby Orangutan hanging from her arm, his trusted partner I feel is all that would be the perfect accompany to this wild living quarter style set.

The children of all ages in our home loved to sit and play with this from 1 year to 15 years.

You are probably wondering why the set is called the Croco research station?
Well not only is there a wandering Crocodile surrounding Ranger Tom in the area of his workplace but there is also a mysterious cave that looks distinctively like a crocs head , and a large one at at that.

This exciting adventure lets you discover the wild insides of the croco cave and there is nothing boring or normal about this little mystery.
Inside the cave is held up with just a trunk from the forest trees which can be opened or closed depending on your daring mood and if you dare to take your torch and take a look inside , you may just be lucky enough to find the case of hidden treasure with the skulls or even discover the hidden compartment under one of the crocs teeth where there are even more coins waiting to be found. 

This is one of the most wonderful sets I have been lucky enough to enjoy , there are hidden joys or exciting play in every corner of the set and even a few trapdoors and secret passages leading to the treasure chamber.
This is set directly to the left hand side of the Station as it clips on to the side and all the wonderful combinations of mystery, realistic animals and discovery options , your children are to be instantly inspired to combine their own toys with this set. 
My younger son aged 8 years old brought his dinosaur rangers and creatures into the set and they worked perfectly together, he even brought the army in at one point.
One thing I found was that the croc cave is rather heavy , I like that in a product but it also means it needs to be able to be set up somewhere so not to drop on anyone's toes and injure themselves . My boys have had many hours of fun making their play come to life with this wonderful and realistic set and I am so excited to expand it with the other pieces which can be used to add to the play set . 
I would love to buy the Advent Calender of 2017 , it features a new piece to add each day leading up to Christmas and ensures they would get something that would add to their wild life experience.
I love that this encourages all aspects of play not only in fun and good motor skills but also educational too where we can sit and talk about each animal and its habitat.
​It enabled the children to ask questions without been prompted to about what the animals were, how they became to be captivated, what they ate, how they were cared for and if they would be released into the wild again safely at a later date after ranger Tom was finished getting them healthy .

What do you think of the new addition to the wild life collection, would it be on your list?
Let me know in the comments below and tell me what animal you would be scared to cross in the Jungle