Papo New for 2017

[Dobber]

I take back my Scheich comparison from earlier, regarding the Ceratosaurus. It looks MUCH better then I thought. 

Chris

[Neosodon]

The Ceratosaurus is well done. One of papo's best therapods. I'm not trying to hate on it but it doesn't look that much like at Ceratosaurus to me. The body, the head and the arms all look really thick and heavy. Like papo is going for the earth shaking bone crushing Disney Carnotor approach rather than the medium sized fleet footed carnivore it really was.



I appreciate papo's effort in detail and quality but I think the company compares to shleich in the sense that their focus is toward younger children who want big ferocious looking monsters rather than smaller scientifically accurate dinosaurs.

[tanystropheus]

The Ceratosaurus is well done. One of papo's best therapods. I'm not trying to hate on it but it doesn't look that much like at Ceratosaurus to me. The body, the head and the arms all look really thick and heavy. Like papo is going for the earth shaking bone crushing Disney Carnotor approach rather than the medium sized fleet footed carnivore it really was.



I appreciate papo's effort in detail and quality but I think the company compares to shleich in the sense that their focus is toward younger children who want big ferocious looking monsters rather than smaller scientifically accurate dinosaurs.

Quite the opposite.

The Papo Cerato looks like a 'live' rendition of the illustration posted below.  The Papo does not have to conform to the image below as they went with a stockier representation. Likewise, there are numerous interpretations in the paloeo world regarding T-rex. Some prefer a stockier, 'fat' T-rex. Araki sculpts tend to go with a leaner look. Regardless, the interpretation is not wrong. Sure, Papo could shrink the scales down further, but it isn't overdone.

The illustration below is more reminiscent of a disney effort...but not really.

Stop feeding the stereotypical image that Papo gears towards younger children. The majority of Papo's audience is 18+. This is the same nonsense that people say about Nintendo. Nintendo is aiming for kids. They are not --they are aiming for folks across the spectrum.

[danmalcolm]

Ceratosaurus, while being medium-sized the roped, was still a large animal. Do we have evidence against it having a larger amount of subcutaneous tissue? I don't have trouble imagining it with thick legs, saggy jowls, and a large, muscular tail. I think this model looks excellent, and though many artists portray Ceratosaurus as a thin, lithe animal, to my eyes this looks just as realistic. Go ahead and show me I'm wrong, if you're able. I could be.

[stargatedalek]

The Papo Ceratosaurus is far more accurate. That image doesn't have enough musculature around the tail and underside, and the skull and arms are also very shrink-wrapped.

The only issues the Papo Ceratosaurus has are that the arms are a little on the large size overall (not the thickness, the actual arms are slightly too long), and the accents make the skull appear shrink-wrapped (it is a tad indented around the eyes, but not nearly as bad as the promo images made it look).

I must admit, seeing it stand on its own two feet this one definitely goes on my wants list.

[Shonisaurus]

The Ceratosaurus is well done. One of papo's best therapods. I'm not trying to hate on it but it doesn't look that much like at Ceratosaurus to me. The body, the head and the arms all look really thick and heavy. Like papo is going for the earth shaking bone crushing Disney Carnotor approach rather than the medium sized fleet footed carnivore it really was.


I appreciate papo's effort in detail and quality but I think the company compares to shleich in the sense that their focus is toward younger children who want big ferocious looking monsters rather than smaller scientifically accurate dinosaurs.

Quite the opposite.

The Papo Cerato looks like a 'live' rendition of the illustration posted below.  The Papo does not have to conform to the image below as they went with a stockier representation. Likewise, there are numerous interpretations in the paloeo world regarding T-rex. Some prefer a stockier, 'fat' T-rex. Araki sculpts tend to go with a leaner look. Regardless, the interpretation is not wrong. Sure, Papo could shrink the scales down further, but it isn't overdone.

The illustration below is more reminiscent of a disney effort...but not really.

Stop feeding the stereotypical image that Papo gears towards younger children. The majority of Papo's audience is 18+. This is the same nonsense that people say about Nintendo. Nintendo is aiming for kids. They are not --they are aiming for folks across the spectrum.

I believe that the ceratosaurus Papo can be compared for his genius by seeing the detailed photographs with the acrocanthosaurus of the same brand. For my supreme misfortune and that I try to inform myself I do not understand paleontology (I am a collector and fond of prehistoric life) but from the information provided by members of the forum the figure points out that it is the best theropod ever made by the Company Papo.

What impresses me most and pleases is that it is only supported by one leg, taking into account that the other leg is with its dynamic foot leaving only this figure held by a static foot which indicates that this dinosaur is in motion as hunting or in position Of attack. And most importantly the two front legs are maintained as I have already commented on the air. Apart from that it does not have clown feet as is usually done for theropods, which indicates that Papo year after year is surpassing itself. And as I said I know paleontologists and paleoartists (they tell people in their talks in public as well as in private) that collect these Papo figures although they say that these figures are not paleontologically correct. Which indicates that these figures as you say are not childish but are intended for an adult audience

[spinosaurus1]

The Ceratosaurus is well done. One of papo's best therapods. I'm not trying to hate on it but it doesn't look that much like at Ceratosaurus to me. The body, the head and the arms all look really thick and heavy. Like papo is going for the earth shaking bone crushing Disney Carnotor approach rather than the medium sized fleet footed carnivore it really was.



I appreciate papo's effort in detail and quality but I think the company compares to shleich in the sense that their focus is toward younger children who want big ferocious looking monsters rather than smaller scientifically accurate dinosaurs.

the illustration you provided is not only shrinkwraped evenmore so then the papo ceratosaurus, thats not the indavidual papo has represented. the illustration is depicting a  Ceratosaurus nasicornis. the ceratosaurus papo is depicting is obviously "Ceratosaurus dentisulcatus" ( AKA an adult Ceratosaurus nasicornis) which is a bulky monster compared to the original go to specimen assigned to as ceratosaurus nasicornis


asside from a few critical points to mention such as the oversized arms and feet, papo has actually did a pretty good job on creating a representation of this animal

[Neosodon]

I've always seen Ceratosaurus depicted as slim. And the skeletons look kind slim too. But I could be wrong as a fully mature Ceratosaurus could of been quite a bit bulkier. T Rex adults are quite a bit bulkier than sub adults so that could apply to Ceratosaurus too if the skelatons are juveniles.



This skeleton makes a heavy Ceratosaurus more believable.


Yeah, so it's more scientifically accurate than I thought. Well I know a lot more about Ceratosaurus now! Sometimes it's good to get these things cleared up.

[Sim]

Stop feeding the stereotypical image that Papo gears towards younger children. The majority of Papo's audience is 18+. This is the same nonsense that people say about Nintendo. Nintendo is aiming for kids. They are not --they are aiming for folks across the spectrum.

What is the source for the majority of Papo's audience being 18+?  I visited Papo's website to see what they say:


From this page on Papo's website: http://www.papo-france.com/en/page/apropos/iletaitunefois

For almost 20 years now, Papo has been helping younger and older children to develop and to discover the world around them. Childhood is a time of dreams and adventures, and this was what we had in mind when we decided to create the first princesses, princes, dragons and knights.

Thanks to the originality of its products and the extreme care taken with product quality and safety, over the years Papo has proved popular with children and their parents. Today a reference in the world of model figures, Papo continues to develop new ranges to inspire the imaginations of children the world over.

From this page on Papo's website: http://www.papo-france.com/en/page/apropos/creativite

Toys designed to stimulate children's imagination

Papo's creations are a source of amusement and will stimulate children's imagination, which is vital if they are to successfully build their own points of reference. Papo does everything to arouse kids' curiosity through the creation of educational toys.

The diversity of the model figures and the interaction of the different worlds stimulate creativity and helps build play-related values. Whether heroic, fairy tale or fantasy, the stories come to life, combining and offering countless hours of play and pleasure.

I'm surprised Papo says they are making educational toys given what their prehistoric animal figures are often like.  For them to say that and release a repainted Jurassic Park "Velociraptor" and featherless Oviraptor for 2017 is, well, very surprising!

For the pleasure of young and old alike

It is because we attach so much importance to quality and realism that our designs have also proved so popular with many collectors or specialists, who send us their opinions and feedback from all around the world.

So from visiting Papo's website my understanding is their toys are aimed at children, and they are also popular with collectors or specialists.

[Reptilia]

Holy cow! They used the terms "educational toys" and they market unlicensed JP replicas, featherless dinosaurs and other severely inaccurate figures. Crime! They corrupt children all over the world with such a vile misinformation, much like Schleich, or worst, Rebor!

Ok.

Back on point, the Ceratosaurus is great. I still prefer both Allosaurus and Baryonyx, as far as Papo theropods go, but I'm definitely pleased with that one. I agree that the forelimbs are way too big, but it's forgettable and does not detract anything to the overall coolness, in my opinion.

Still not a massive fan of the Acrocanthosaurus colour scheme, and I don't particularly like how the purple and orange stripes end abruptly on the head, but I'm appreciating the figure more and more now that I see actual pictures.

Probably the first time I like the actual models better than their prototype counterparts shown in the catalogue shots.

[tanystropheus]

Stop feeding the stereotypical image that Papo gears towards younger children. The majority of Papo's audience is 18+. This is the same nonsense that people say about Nintendo. Nintendo is aiming for kids. They are not --they are aiming for folks across the spectrum.

What is the source for the majority of Papo's audience being 18+?  I visited Papo's website to see what they say:


From this page on Papo's website: http://www.papo-france.com/en/page/apropos/iletaitunefois

For almost 20 years now, Papo has been helping younger and older children to develop and to discover the world around them. Childhood is a time of dreams and adventures, and this was what we had in mind when we decided to create the first princesses, princes, dragons and knights.

Thanks to the originality of its products and the extreme care taken with product quality and safety, over the years Papo has proved popular with children and their parents. Today a reference in the world of model figures, Papo continues to develop new ranges to inspire the imaginations of children the world over.

From this page on Papo's website: http://www.papo-france.com/en/page/apropos/creativite

Toys designed to stimulate children's imagination

Papo's creations are a source of amusement and will stimulate children's imagination, which is vital if they are to successfully build their own points of reference. Papo does everything to arouse kids' curiosity through the creation of educational toys.

The diversity of the model figures and the interaction of the different worlds stimulate creativity and helps build play-related values. Whether heroic, fairy tale or fantasy, the stories come to life, combining and offering countless hours of play and pleasure.

I'm surprised Papo says they are making educational toys given what their prehistoric animal figures are often like.  For them to say that and release a repainted Jurassic Park "Velociraptor" and featherless Oviraptor for 2017 is, well, very surprising!

For the pleasure of young and old alike

It is because we attach so much importance to quality and realism that our designs have also proved so popular with many collectors or specialists, who send us their opinions and feedback from all around the world.

So from visiting Papo's website my understanding is their toys are aimed at children, and they are also popular with collectors or specialists.

You are going into technicalities. Toys and figures always say stuff like ages 3 and up, but the collectors that purchase them are generally a lot older than 3.

Schleich is more popular with children simply due to availability (they can be found in a number of toy stores). Papo dinosaurs are not as accessible, and anecdotal information seems to suggest that Papo dinosaurs (not horses, knights and play sets) are more popular with adults. Likewise, games like GTA are marketed towards adults but are insanely popular with teens and preteens.

Perhaps, Dan's Dinosaurs, DeJankins or Everything Dinosaurs could verify the actual fan base for these dinosaur brands.

I think every single dinosaur brand says that they are "educational". It's simply copy and paste at this point.

[Takama]

Stop feeding the stereotypical image that Papo gears towards younger children. The majority of Papo's audience is 18+. This is the same nonsense that people say about Nintendo. Nintendo is aiming for kids. They are not --they are aiming for folks across the spectrum.

What is the source for the majority of Papo's audience being 18+?  I visited Papo's website to see what they say:


From this page on Papo's website: http://www.papo-france.com/en/page/apropos/iletaitunefois

For almost 20 years now, Papo has been helping younger and older children to develop and to discover the world around them. Childhood is a time of dreams and adventures, and this was what we had in mind when we decided to create the first princesses, princes, dragons and knights.

Thanks to the originality of its products and the extreme care taken with product quality and safety, over the years Papo has proved popular with children and their parents. Today a reference in the world of model figures, Papo continues to develop new ranges to inspire the imaginations of children the world over.

From this page on Papo's website: http://www.papo-france.com/en/page/apropos/creativite

Toys designed to stimulate children's imagination

Papo's creations are a source of amusement and will stimulate children's imagination, which is vital if they are to successfully build their own points of reference. Papo does everything to arouse kids' curiosity through the creation of educational toys.

The diversity of the model figures and the interaction of the different worlds stimulate creativity and helps build play-related values. Whether heroic, fairy tale or fantasy, the stories come to life, combining and offering countless hours of play and pleasure.

I'm surprised Papo says they are making educational toys given what their prehistoric animal figures are often like.  For them to say that and release a repainted Jurassic Park "Velociraptor" and featherless Oviraptor for 2017 is, well, very surprising!

For the pleasure of young and old alike

It is because we attach so much importance to quality and realism that our designs have also proved so popular with many collectors or specialists, who send us their opinions and feedback from all around the world.

So from visiting Papo's website my understanding is their toys are aimed at children, and they are also popular with collectors or specialists.

You are going into technicalities. Toys and figures always say stuff like ages 3 and up, but the collectors that purchase them are generally a lot older than 3.

Schleich is more popular with children simply due to availability (they can be found in a number of toy stores). Papo dinosaurs are not as accessible, and anecdotal information seems to suggest that Papo dinosaurs (not horses and play sets) are more popular with adults. Likewise, games like GTA are marketed towards adults but are insanely popular with teens and preteens.

LOL thats becasue parrents are too ignorant to know that games are rated depending on content. Papo figures are toys that are aimed at everyone.    Theres a reason GTA is rated M for MATURE!!!!! you cant compare somthing thats not age restricted, to somthing that is.

[stargatedalek]

LOL thats becasue parrents are too ignorant to know that games are rated depending on content. Papo figures are toys that are aimed at everyone.    Theres a reason GTA is rated M for MATURE!!!!! you cant compare somthing thats not age restricted, to somthing that is.

No, it's because some parents have faith that their children also understand what a games rating entails. I played M (and even a few A) rated games when I was a kid, but I was always fully aware beforehand of what that meant. If I'd been taken off-guard it may have startled or bothered me, but I knew what I was getting into and wasn't bothered. Children aren't balls of innocence to idiotic to understand their own limits like some people want to believe.

I know this is off topic but spreading misinformation about an already needlessly villainized industry isn't ok to do.


As for the topic at hand, it's a perfectly fair comparison. Papo's figures are restrictive because of price, no normal kid is affording many with their own money.

[Takama]

You do have a point with the compariison thing, i will admit that.

[Dyscrasia]

Besides the coloration and limb proportions, the Papo Ceratosaurus seems to have been heavily influenced by the Sideshow Ceratosaurus. I have both, and if they were the same color, then basically one would be the miniature version of the other.

[Reptilia]

Judging by the pictures available online I don't see much of a similarity between the two of them. The thing that definitely Papo borrowed from Sideshow this year is the Cryolophosaurus colour scheme, which in fact is heavily reminiscent of the Sideshow Ceratosaurus. There's a clear connection between Sideshow pieces and certain Papo figures, Tupuxuara and feathered Velociraptor are the most recent examples. Mr Seo must be an admirer of Sideshow Dinosauria then.

[Dyscrasia]

The overall bulkiness, shape of the skull, tail thickness, and especially the forelimb design (not the proportions though) are very similar.

Besides the color scheme, the only other notable difference is the scale pattern.

[Sim]

I've always seen Ceratosaurus depicted as slim. And the skeletons look kind slim too. But I could be wrong as a fully mature Ceratosaurus could of been quite a bit bulkier. T Rex adults are quite a bit bulkier than sub adults so that could apply to Ceratosaurus too if the skelatons are juveniles.

The first and second Ceratosaurus skeletons in your post appear to be juveniles due to their proportions.

You are going into technicalities. Toys and figures always say stuff like ages 3 and up, but the collectors that purchase them are generally a lot older than 3.

Schleich is more popular with children simply due to availability (they can be found in a number of toy stores). Papo dinosaurs are not as accessible, and anecdotal information seems to suggest that Papo dinosaurs (not horses, knights and play sets) are more popular with adults. Likewise, games like GTA are marketed towards adults but are insanely popular with teens and preteens.

Perhaps, Dan's Dinosaurs, DeJankins or Everything Dinosaurs could verify the actual fan base for these dinosaur brands.

I wouldn't make a claim about what the audience of a toy line is like if I didn't know it was true.  You're just expressing your opinion, there's no need to make it seem like more than it is.  I would be surprised if you have a better idea of who likes Papo's figures than Papo does!  Here in London, my experience is Schleich are the most widely available prehistoric toys in shops, with Papo following not far behind.  I haven't seen any Safari figures sold here for over 15 years, and I've never seen any CollectA figures sold here.

I think every single dinosaur brand says that they are "educational". It's simply copy and paste at this point.

At this point I wouldn't be very surprised if that was true.  I'm glad there are companies that give more importance to the educational quality of their prehistoric toys than others do.

[tanystropheus]

I've always seen Ceratosaurus depicted as slim. And the skeletons look kind slim too. But I could be wrong as a fully mature Ceratosaurus could of been quite a bit bulkier. T Rex adults are quite a bit bulkier than sub adults so that could apply to Ceratosaurus too if the skelatons are juveniles.

The first and second Ceratosaurus skeletons in your post appear to be juveniles due to their proportions.

You are going into technicalities. Toys and figures always say stuff like ages 3 and up, but the collectors that purchase them are generally a lot older than 3.

Schleich is more popular with children simply due to availability (they can be found in a number of toy stores). Papo dinosaurs are not as accessible, and anecdotal information seems to suggest that Papo dinosaurs (not horses, knights and play sets) are more popular with adults. Likewise, games like GTA are marketed towards adults but are insanely popular with teens and preteens.

Perhaps, Dan's Dinosaurs, DeJankins or Everything Dinosaurs could verify the actual fan base for these dinosaur brands.

I wouldn't make a claim about what the audience of a toy line is like if I didn't know it was true.  You're just expressing your opinion, there's no need to make it seem like more than it is.  I would be surprised if you have a better idea of who likes Papo's figures than Papo does!  Here in London, my experience is Schleich are the most widely available prehistoric toys in shops, with Papo following not far behind.  I haven't seen any Safari figures sold here for over 15 years, and I've never seen any CollectA figures sold here.

It sure sounds like a claim, but I really would not be surprised if my 'guess' was true or had some element of truth to it. Of course, it might be possible that Papo models are equally popular with children as they are with adults (especially, when taking into account all regional markets), but, as stated previously on the thread, the cost-restrictive nature of the models would limit the reach. From a purely aesthetic point of view, there really is no point for Papo to jam-pack their models with statuette (maquette) level of details as children would be more than satisfied with Schleich quality toys (assuming that there is reasonable playability).

I tend to make claims (substantiated, unsubstantiated and/or predictive) all the time because of my hybrid business/medicine/social science background, and I've been on the marketing side of things for quite some time. But, if you feel so strongly about the statement, then consider it retracted.

[Sim]

It sure sounds like a claim, but I really would not be surprised if my 'guess' was true or had some element of truth to it. Of course, it might be possible that Papo models are equally popular with children as they are with adults (especially, when taking into account all regional markets), but, as stated previously on the thread, the cost-restrictive nature of the models would limit the reach.

I don't think the cost of Papo's figures would make them less popular for kids than comparable toy lines (e.g. Schleich) since I imagine parents would be doing a lot of the buying.  Additionally, from what I've seen in shops here, Papo figures tend to cost around the same as Schleich figures unless they're very large (e.g. Tyrannosaurus, Spinosaurus, Brachiosaurus).  Sometimes I've even seen some Papo figures that cost less than Schleich figures.  And looking just now on John Lewis's website, I noticed they no longer have any Schleich figures on there while they have more Papo figures available there than the last time I checked.  As for in-store, the last time I passed by their toy section a while ago, I think they had a more or less equal amount of Schleich and Papo figures.  It looks like Papo toys might be becoming more popular than Schleich toys.

From a purely aesthetic point of view, there really is no point for Papo to jam-pack their models with statuette (maquette) level of details as children would be more than satisfied with Schleich quality toys (assuming that there is reasonable playability).

The level of detail Papo puts into the paintjobs of their figures is unusual for a toy line.  I think that might be what allows Papo to compete with Schleich here.  The other companies as far as I'm aware currently have little or no presence here in London.  Maybe the highly detailed paintjobs of Papo figures are what has made it possible for them to exist and sell well in shops here, despite Schleich's apparent attempts to eliminate competition.  Maybe that's why, as Everything Dinosaur said, "we hear from a reliable source that last year Schleich tried unsuccessfully to poach the design team from Papo." (Quote from Reply #37 in the Schleich's future thread: link)

I get the impression there are children that would be satisfied with Schleich quality toys, but I think even as a kid I would find a lot of the Schleich prehistoric figures unpleasant and unappealing.

I tend to make claims (substantiated, unsubstantiated and/or predictive) all the time because of my hybrid business/medicine/social science background, and I've been on the marketing side of things for quite some time. But, if you feel so strongly about the statement, then consider it retracted.

I think saying things like they're a fact when it's not actually known and there are things that suggest it isn't true, is misleading.  I wouldn't normally comment on this though.  The reason I commented this time is because Neosodon expressed their thoughts very nicely and respectfully, and I felt it wasn't fair or nice when you said this to him:

Stop feeding the stereotypical image that Papo gears towards younger children. The majority of Papo's audience is 18+. This is the same nonsense that people say about Nintendo. Nintendo is aiming for kids. They are not --they are aiming for folks across the spectrum.

Maybe it's just me, but that's how I felt and why I decided to comment.