On the Papo Ankylosaurus

[Faelrin]

I have a few questions on this figure. Now I've seen the promo pic, and I quite like how it looks there. I've seen a few images and reviews of it on the net too. Is the one with the color scheme matching the promo pic the actual product (that is currently available)? Promo pic:

Like is this one a bootleg? I've even seen one that looks like that in video reviews, and it honestly doesn't appeal as much to me because it is lacking a lot of the paint detail seen in the promo pic.


The one seen in the images on the blog review, and several other images, seem much closer to the promo pic, and I prefer it in that case. Blog pic:


Another question I have is what exactly is the Papo Ankylosaurus? Is it a chimaera of Ankylosaurus (like the head and tail), Scolosaurus (armor arrangement, and general look of the armor spikes and such), Euplocephalus (anything else), etc? I don't care exactly that it is a chimaera, but I am curious to know what it 'consists of'. Also what is the deal with the digits? Is the number of those right or no?

[ZoPteryx]

Another question I have is what exactly is the Papo Ankylosaurus? Is it a chimaera of Ankylosaurus (like the head and tail), Scolosaurus (armor arrangement, and general look of the armor spikes and such), Euplocephalus (anything else), etc? I don't care exactly that it is a chimaera, but I am curious to know what it 'consists of'. Also what is the deal with the digits? Is the number of those right or no?

Correct.  It's basically an "Euplocephalus" with the head of Ankylosaurus, with a little inspiration from the JP Ankylosaurus.

[DinoToyForum]

  I edited the spoiler tags from your post, I didn't intend for the spoiler tags to be used In that way. I want the forum to be image rich.

[Roselaar]

Mine looks a lot more like the blog pic specimen than the one in the second pic. I bought it when it was freshly released, maybe Papo has done a slight change to the paint job since then in recent re-releases, as they did on some of the other older models.

[Faelrin]

Sorry about doing that with the spoiler tags. I'm so used to hiding images on other forums (mostly to spare users with slow net heavy image drops). I know that wasn't a real image heavy post, but it was a force of habit, since I noticed we now have spoiler tags. Granted the other forums I go on don't have that nifty image resize feature either.

[Reptilia]

I too have an Ankylosaurus that looks like the one in the blog picture, and I got it around 2015. The one in the second picture you posted looks indeed like a bootleg compared to the blog one, but it is just a matter of paint change and a decrease in quality. It happens a lot when a figure is produced for years, earlier production runs are almost flawless, while later ones get cheaper and cheaper. Here's an example with the Allosaurus:

Blog review from 2008, year of release.





Video review from 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=663gQGD1sBU

The difference in quality is huge. It must be something affecting all brands, but being a Papo collector I noticed that in their products. With the Ankylosaurus however it seems they actually changed the colour scheme, as is noticeable in the two pictures you provided. Not a massive change like a proper repaint though. They did the same with the Stegosaurus and Spinosaurus, which both look slightly different these days than when originally released, despite the stock images on the Papo site are still those of the original versions.

Here are video reviews for both Ankylosaurus versions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZynKXs5KNM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO4Giih5CkI

If you want the original I suggest you to ask to sellers if they can provide a picture of the actual product they have for sale, they might still have an earlier copy. If you don't mind I think that going with a blind purchase on Amazon or elsewhere will likely bring you the second version.

[Faelrin]

Thanks for the info Reptilia. I think I will have to ask an online store like DeJankins when I have the money for it. Kind of sad they decrease the quality of the products over time though. Might be the price to pay for getting into this collecting game late though. I'll have to wait and see.

Edit: Just saw some pics on JPToys of the original version of the Papo Allosaurus. Here's one such image:


Looks like the newer version in the video in the post above has less red on the crests and the legs seem to have the brown on the legs and arms applied sloppier. The body color looks much more like a dark yellow then the beige seen in the original version and the promo pic, unless that is just the lighting in the video. I guess that might mean that the lesser looking paint job on the Ankylosaurus is legit (regardless if the one in that image in my post earlier is bootleg or not), from a more recent production run. Double disappointment there, since the Allosaurus was another one I wanted to get and the difference between the two seems staggering.

I'm also aware of the differences between the older and more recent Papo Stegosaurus and Papo Spinosaurus figures, but I think those newer versions might be improvements, in comparison to the Papo Ankylosaurus and Papo Allosaurus getting worse.

[Atokensis]

Just got myself what seems to resemble the [original] Allosaurus from 2008 on Dejankins. Although the seamline on the neck is a little unfortunate, this is still the best looking Allosaurus I have come across so far. Maybe someone have a suggestion for my seamline problem?











And here, these pictures were shown to me by EverythingDinosaurs weeks ago. Nothing against them (their service is great), but it seems that the paint job has become sloppier on the Allosaurus compared to earlier years. Not completely sure if this is how the Allosaurus looks now, but I know EverythingDinosaurs is always restocking on their dinosaurs so this is probably the Allosaurus now, unfortunately. I am also looking for an Ankylosaurus that resembles the original release, not the one with the sloppy paint job and dark grey on its back like the photo above.





Here is Pachycephalosaurus. Left one is before, right one is new.



Even the Ceratosaurus, which was JUST RECENTLY RELEASED in 2017, have changed. I personally own the two different versions. If you buy one now, you will probably get one with a sloppy bright yellow on its leg (looks very unnaturalistic in person).





Also it seems that the standing Tyrannosaurus was changed as well, even the stock photo. Most noticeably on the lower jaw, but also the overall paint scheme (notice no stripes on tail). Luckily I was able to find the earlier version on Dejankins. On top is the new version, bottom one is the older version.



It has become apparent to me that papo change their paint scheme on their dinosaurs, which is why I now usually ask sellers to send me a picture before the purchase and the reason I'm going to buy new releases right when they hit the market.

[sauroid]

sadly, i also got the later version of the Papo "Ankylosaurus" (acquired just last year)...

[tyrantqueen]

I had a first run Allosaurus and the paint was lovely and crisp.



Compared to the later run, which I purchased recently



I also dislike how glossy the Dilophosaurus is, but that's an easy fix.

[SidB]

On the subject of the Allosaurus, has anyone tried to un-pronate the hands. I have one of the original Allos, fortunately, and have only recently become disenchanted with the pronation. However, once one becomes aware - always aware, unfortunately.

[tyrantqueen]

On the subject of the Allosaurus, has anyone tried to un-pronate the hands. I have one of the original Allos, fortunately, and have only recently become disenchanted with the pronation. However, once one becomes aware - always aware, unfortunately.

It just so happenens that I am trying that out right now. There are two methods I can think of to achieve this.

The first is softening the plastic via boiling water and just manually rotating the plastic with your hands. I haven't tried this method because it's never worked for me.

The second method is cutting and resculpting with putty, which I tried.

I chopped his hands and part of his wrist off with a sharp hobby knife after softening the plastic with hot water. I reinforced the wrist/hand connection with glue and metal wire. You will need to use putty to build a new wrist connection.





(The grey paint is primer, I use it so I can see flaws easier)

I have not finished filling/replicating the skin texture yet. I tried using a texture stamp made with silicone putty, but it didn't look very good, because the new detail does not look as crisp. I may try carving the new skin manually.

[SidB]

Thanks. Yes, I like the direction in which you are heading. A vast improvement already. This, as the poll indicated, is most DTF members favorite Allosaurus, but the hands were/are a serious retro defect. I believe that you've solved the problem and I'm going to follow your example.I also like that you're working to correct the seam line behind the skull.

I suspect that hand carving the textural details will work out for you in light of the rather small area to be integrated.

[Atokensis]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do about my seam line?



Thinking about buying a really small brush and gray acrylic paint, and then slowly dotting the individual scales around the neck. Not sure if this is the best way as I have never painted on anything before, so all advice is appreciated here. Thanks.

[Faelrin]

Has the Dimetrodon suffered anything like this at all? I might just pass on the Ankylosaurus and Allosaurus now if I might not be able to get one with some decent paint apps. It's really disappointing they cut the quality control on their figures, especially so soon in the case of the Ceratosaurus.

[Atokensis]

If you're still looking for an Allosaurus, you can ask Dejankins for a photo. I bought the one I have from him last week and there is only one left in stock now.

As for the Dimetrodon, I haven't notice any changes to it yet. There may be, but I'm not too sure. I actually bought mines from Dejankins along with that Allosaurus and it looks fantastic!





Unfortunately he's run out of the "original" Ankylosaurus though.

[Reptilia]

Has the Dimetrodon suffered anything like this at all? I might just pass on the Ankylosaurus and Allosaurus now if I might not be able to get one with some decent paint apps. It's really disappointing they cut the quality control on their figures, especially so soon in the case of the Ceratosaurus.

I don't know if you can say that it suffered of anything. Earlier copies had a darker wash on the upper side, especially where the sail attaches to the body, while more recent ones are a bit lighter colour-wise. Still a superb figure, but judge yourself:





Drops in quality are something that I guess you can't really avoid in products that are manufactured for 10+ years, which is what happens with the Allosaurus. The sloppier paint app on current copies is blatant, but the main issue is the material, in my opinion. It is a different type of plastic, I owned several copies before finally getting a first generation Allosaurus, and I can tell that the plastic on the latest one looked fairly different from the original run. And it's not like Papo changed the type of plastic for all of their models, recent releases such as the Cryolophosaurus and the Acrocanthosaurus are made of the same high quality plastic of the original Allosaurus. It's more like they decided to give up on that particular model, resulting in current copies looking almost like bootlegs. The Ceratosaurus case is different, the change is very minimal, you can barely notice it, although seems enough to worry nitpickers such as we collectors. Well, at least Papo can get first production runs spot on, certain other companies seem to not have quality control at all.

[Faelrin]

Thanks for the pics on the Dimetrodon, the both of you. Looks like the head on the newer Dimetrodon is a bit lighter too? In any case, this one is still on my wishlist then. I guess when I have the money I'll ask about the Allosaurus on Dejankins. I've had help there before, and is pretty much my go to now for most models (although I haven't had the chance to order there in a while). A darn shame I was so late to finding out about these, especially in the case of the Allosaurus (and even the Ankylosaurus), but it is what it is. I'll do my best to get the new 2018 Acrocanthosaurus repaint on time though.

[Atokensis]

No problem, good luck finding the caliber of figures that you want to add to your collection! I'm going to try to get the Acrocanthosaurus, Therizinosaurus, Compsognathus, Quetzalcoatlus and Iguanodon right as they release.

[Atokensis]

Has the Dimetrodon suffered anything like this at all? I might just pass on the Ankylosaurus and Allosaurus now if I might not be able to get one with some decent paint apps. It's really disappointing they cut the quality control on their figures, especially so soon in the case of the Ceratosaurus.

I don't know if you can say that it suffered of anything. Earlier copies had a darker wash on the upper side, especially where the sail attaches to the body, while more recent ones are a bit lighter colour-wise. Still a superb figure, but judge yourself:

Drops in quality are something that I guess you can't really avoid in products that are manufactured for 10+ years, which is what happens with the Allosaurus. The sloppier paint app on current copies is blatant, but the main issue is the material, in my opinion. It is a different type of plastic, I owned several copies before finally getting a first generation Allosaurus, and I can tell that the plastic on the latest one looked fairly different from the original run. And it's not like Papo changed the type of plastic for all of their models, recent releases such as the Cryolophosaurus and the Acrocanthosaurus are made of the same high quality plastic of the original Allosaurus. It's more like they decided to give up on that particular model, resulting in current copies looking almost like bootlegs. The Ceratosaurus case is different, the change is very minimal, you can barely notice it, although seems enough to worry nitpickers such as we collectors. Well, at least Papo can get first production runs spot on, certain other companies seem to not have quality control at all.

Hey do you happen to know the differences between the first generation and current Brachiosaurus by Papo?