Papo 2020

[Faelrin]

@Shonisaurus I had to look that one up, because I wasn't familiar with it, but that seems like a good choice (even if fragmentary). There's even some material for the skull! Not something that's been done before either (to my knowledge anyways).

Here's a reconstruction by @Eofauna :



@Flaffy I do think that T-posing, screaming, squiggly necked Dreadnoughtus is funny too. Sure would fit in just fine with much of the rest of Papo's gang.

[Shonisaurus]

@Faelrin Thank you for publishing the photographs of the turiasaurus, as you can see, parts of the skull are conserved, which is very difficult to conserve considering that it is from a sauropod, it is a "rare bird" in terms of paleontological discoveries within the Iberian Peninsula and it is one of the largest sauropods found to date and from the titanosaur family as the dreadnoughtus. I hope that someday @Eofauna  will make that rare sauropod.

[Sarapaurolophus]

What do you think, is the old feathered raptor popular right now? Because I want to customize it (poor guy looks a little too plucked for me) but if it's a figure that is in demand I'd sell it and wait for the 2020 repaint instead.

[Lu_Yuping]

Hi everyone, I have a question for Papo collectors concerning the future of Papo. Regarding the travesty of the 2020 lineup, most notably Mr Gigafunkosaurus, will you be throwing in the towel on this line? I have every figure to date (even the bad marine reptiles) with the exception of the allo and stego repaints, plus the standing purple Rex. I really don't think I have it in me to buy any more. What are your thoughts on the situation?

[Cretaceous Crab]

Hi everyone, I have a question for Papo collectors concerning the future of Papo. Regarding the travesty of the 2020 lineup, most notably Mr Gigafunkosaurus, will you be throwing in the towel on this line? I have every figure to date (even the bad marine reptiles) with the exception of the allo and stego repaints, plus the standing purple Rex. I really don't think I have it in me to buy any more. What are your thoughts on the situation?

I still have a little bit of faith, and will continue to buy the figures that I like (usually those that are more accurate). Papo's level of quality and detail are spot on, IMHO. It's their interpretation and poses that need work. I agree that the Giga is a perfect example of this.

But the only way there is even a chance that they will improve is:
  1) if the product is bad, don't buy it.
  2) they pay more attention to customer feedback

And if the figure is bad, contact them and let them know why. They may ignore it completely, but business wise, it would behoove them not to do so.

[suspsy]

I picked up the Gorgosaurus and the cave bear last year, and I quite like them. Before that, it was the Ceratosaurus. I guess what I'm saying is that I still follow Papo, and I'll pick up a small figure now and then, but I'm through with their big ones. Way too expensive and usually inferior to Safari and CollectA and PNSO in terms of accuracy.

Certainly no intention of getting any of the 2020 toys aside from the Megaloceros. Sure would be nice if they started making more Cenozoic beasts.

[Shonisaurus]

In my case, the megaloceros and the stygimoloch are the best figures of Papo 2020, especially the megaloceros.

In a lower place is Papo's chilesaurus is a figure that I like but from the criticism of DTF members it does not seem to be a quite acceptable figure from the paleoartistic point of view.

On the other hand the weakest figure in the group (and also a figure that has personally disappointed me deeply) is Papo's giganotosaurus. Honestly the posture of the animal and even the sculpture does not convince me it is not a realistic dinosaur from my honest point of view it is light years away from the great spinosaurus of Papo limited and scientific version of 2019.

Regarding the repainted Papo velociraptor and parasaurolophus, they represent an improvement in the paint compared to its predecessors but it is only a repaint so I do not include it among the Papo 2020 references. I would have liked a parasaurolophus and even a velociraptor with a new sculpture more realistic and scientific than they are today but it is my personal opinion.

The most disappointing figure and it pains me to say it is the Papo 2020 giganotosaurus.

[stargatedalek]

I've never been a completionist, if I don't like something I won't buy it. I have a few Papo dinosaurs but probably won't be getting any more unless they do more JP dinosaurs that get very little love from official products.

I'll be sticking with wild animals from them for the foreseeable future.

[Sarapaurolophus]

Hi everyone, I have a question for Papo collectors concerning the future of Papo. Regarding the travesty of the 2020 lineup, most notably Mr Gigafunkosaurus, will you be throwing in the towel on this line? I have every figure to date (even the bad marine reptiles) with the exception of the allo and stego repaints, plus the standing purple Rex. I really don't think I have it in me to buy any more. What are your thoughts on the situation?

I do not consider their 2020 figures a "travesty" at all. In fact, that Stygimoloch looks better to me than what other companies can offer in that price range. Virtually everyone seems to be upset about the Giga but seem to ignore Papo has broken arms and tails before. They did a repaint of their Parasaurolophus with flat hands, broken spine and broken tail instead of updating the animal - and yet the Giga is what so many are upset about.
I simply have my standards elsewhere, I guess

Of course, as always, buy what you want to buy. If you are no longer a fan then vote with your wallet!
It just slightly perplexes me that the Giganotosaurus is what turned so many collectors off. I just don't get the hype around this animal. It's like inaccuracies are fine as long as they are not on your fave?

[suspsy]

The difference being that the Parasaurolophus came out all the way back in 2005. One would certainly think that, after 15 years, Papo would have left such glaring mistakes far behind them for good. We know for a fact that they can pull off impressive theropods that are also in keeping with current science when they want to; their Ceratosaurus and swimming Spinosaurus are proof of that.

[Sarapaurolophus]

The difference being that the Parasaurolophus came out all the way back in 2005. One would certainly think that, after 15 years, Papo would have left such glaring mistakes far behind them for good.

That is exactly why I think the old Parasaurolophus model should have gotten retired or retooled instead of getting a repaint. Repaints are continuations, therefore I have to assume Papo is content with how the Parasauro looks. They are happy doing their poses the way they did them 15 years ago. So once again I have to wonder why the Giga is the straw that broke the camel's back. I have to assume because it is a fan fave for some reason since the other weirdly posed models don't get half the outrage
Haven't seen any petitions for the Chilesaurus or Parasaurolophus to get retooled.

I don't mean to start an argument, btw. I just want to understand why the Giga is a special case.

[Concavenator]

They are happy doing their poses the way they did them 15 years ago.

Well, it may sound as a joke, but actually, the old (er) Papo figures have way better poses than the current ones. Compare, for example, this year's Giganotosaurus or Chilesaurus, or the 2019 Pentaceratops for that matter, to their 2008 Allosaurus and 2010 Pachyrhinosaurus...

[Shonisaurus]

@Sarapaurolophus I understand that Papo's giganotosaurus has been the main disappointment among those of us who are Papo collectors, for a simple reason it had been a highly anticipated figure in recent years, long-awaited and in my case I expected something spectacular from Papo, such as his sedentary JP / JW based tyrannosaurus or even his skull island vastatosaurus tyrannosaurus (at least it seems to me) in dynamic position.

Papo's giganotosaurus posture is unfortunately too exaggerated and excessively unreal and does not have the appeal of other non-scientific theropods such as its tyrannosaurus rex and spinosaurus (old version). I expected from Papo about the giganotosaurus something great from them and unfortunately it was not.

The chilesaurus at least from my point of view has its grace and is a figure more similar to reality, although perhaps the pose is a bit forced.

Of the stygimoloch and megaloceros I am very happy with both figures, but Papo's giganotosaurus must have been the star of the production of new Papo figures and is perhaps the weakest figure in the group from my point of view.

[suspsy]

Well, quite a lot of people have been clamouring for a Giganotosaurus from Papo for years now (I am not one of them), so I certainly can't fault them for being disappointed by this toy. And aside from repaints like the Parasaurolophus and the original T. rex, the majority of Papo's post-2005 toys have been sculpted in pretty good poses, particularly the theropods. Even the Cryolophosaurus, which is also in a vertical pose, comes off as more natural than the Giganotosaurus.

[Takama]

I actaully do not mind the Repaints that Papo does to there models, because As these models get older, the production qulity on the paint scemes gets lazier and lazier. Unless, they repaint it, and start a new run.
Take the Pteranodon for Example







As for the gigantosaurus. This is a dinosaur we wanted Papo to do from as far back as 2012, and YEAH what they made is a majour disapointment. 

FYI I think the pose on the Parasaurolophus is acceptible, and the Chilisaurus gets more hate then it deserves ocasinally.

[japfeif]

The difference being that the Parasaurolophus came out all the way back in 2005. One would certainly think that, after 15 years, Papo would have left such glaring mistakes far behind them for good.

That is exactly why I think the old Parasaurolophus model should have gotten retired or retooled instead of getting a repaint. Repaints are continuations, therefore I have to assume Papo is content with how the Parasauro looks. They are happy doing their poses the way they did them 15 years ago. So once again I have to wonder why the Giga is the straw that broke the camel's back. I have to assume because it is a fan fave for some reason since the other weirdly posed models don't get half the outrage
Haven't seen any petitions for the Chilesaurus or Parasaurolophus to get retooled.

I don't mean to start an argument, btw. I just want to understand why the Giga is a special case.

I agree....I personally do not "get" the mystique and aura around Giganotosaurus (which Papo absolutely dropped the ball with). Every year it manages to pop up on someone's "oh please God have Papo come out with a Giganotosaurus this time around, I'll die a happy man..." wish list. I mean, it's basically just another big bipedal theropod. You never hear that sort of demand for Albertosaurus, Gorgosaurus (yes Papo did one, but I never heard all the fervor for one before it came out),  Carcharodontosaurus, Mapusaurus, Tyrannotitan, etc....it's always been the Giga. Nothing wrong with that, just an observation..but I digress! But I seriously wonder if there'd have been this much outrage if it had been a different dinosaur....(but then again, maybe that's precisely why there's so much noise about it, because it WAS on so many folks' Wish Lists and when it finally arrived, was a bit like getting a kick in the gonads...)

But more to the point, yes I definitely intend to buy the new Papo figures as they come out. Even though they mess up occasionally, like the Giga and a few others (Polacanthus, the aforementioned Parasaurolophus & marine reptiles come to mind), I think they are still the most realistic figures in terms of looking like a "real animal" even if they are not hitting all the checkpoints of every new (and admittedly not-so-new) paleontological fact point, and I believe their hits far outweigh their misses. You take the best comparable price-point dino from Safari or CollectA and place it in the grass in a yard...it still looks like a painted toy sitting there. Nearly any Papo figure will cause the casual observer from a few feet away to do a double take, thinking it's a live animal.

And for that I always rank Papo up there with the best of them, and their ONLY flaw in my opinion is their sometime lack of scientific accuracy.
Although folks CAN go a bit crazy with that (some will complain if the neck of a new figure is an inch and a half longer...with regard to scale of course... from what the fossil record says it should be), there's no question that Papo flubbed their Giga bad. Although maybe it wasn't as much a case of "scientific inaccuracy" like some folks say...I believe maybe they just tried something different, what in their minds must have seemed an interesting & dynamic pose...that unfortunately totally fell flat. But I certainly wouldn't think that would warrant a total "I'm 100% done with Papo for life" attitude. Of course, everyone is free to choose for themselves what company to buy from and what figures to purchase, but just for me, this botched Giga was certainly no deal-breaker.

[Loon]

Although folks CAN go a bit crazy with that (some folks will complain if the neck of a new figure is an inch and a half longer from what the fossil record says it should be)

An inch and a half can make a pretty big difference depending on the scale of the animal. If that's a 1:40 scale figure, that's adding an extra 5 feet to the neck. But, I guess that's a "crazy" thing to complain about.

That's why Mekaneck is a perfectly accurate homo sapiens figure.

[SidB]

Although folks CAN go a bit crazy with that (some folks will complain if the neck of a new figure is an inch and a half longer from what the fossil record says it should be)

An inch and a half can make a pretty big difference depending on the scale of the animal. If that's a 1:40 scale figure, that's adding an extra 5 feet to the neck. But, I guess that's a "crazy" thing to complain about.

That's why Mekaneck is a perfectly accurate homo sapiens figure.

Speaking of "Mekaneck", it reminds me of a common comic book ad, many, many years ago. They promised the vertically challenged segment GROWTH, if they bought and wore their product while they slept. Turned out to be some sort of adjustable neck brace!

[KeU]

I thought I might be able to make better use of the Papo Giga pose.
Check it out. Did have to tweak it slightly to fit the context of my drawing.
http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=8608.msg255517#msg255517

[Sarapaurolophus]

I actaully do not mind the Repaints that Papo does to there models

I don't mind them, either. I just used the Parasaurolophus as an example to illustrate Papos willingness to keep inaccurate/outdated figures in their line-ups.
I really like the new tiger stripes Parasauro, actually. I repainted my old one.

I personally do not "get" the mystique and aura around Giganotosaurus (which Papo absolutely dropped the ball with). Every year it manages to pop up on someone's "oh please God have Papo come out with a Giganotosaurus this time around, I'll die a happy man..." wish list. I mean, it's basically just another big bipedal theropod. You never hear that sort of demand for Albertosaurus, Gorgosaurus (yes Papo did one, but I never heard all the fervor for one before it came out),  Carcharodontosaurus, Mapusaurus, Tyrannotitan, etc....it's always been the Giga. Nothing wrong with that, just an observation..but I digress! But I seriously wonder if there's have been this much outrage if it had been a different dinosaur....(but then again, maybe that's precisely why there's so much noise about it, because it WAS on so many folks' Wish Lists and when it finally arrived, was a bit like getting a kick in the gonads...)

One of my friends guessed it got so popular because of the Ark games. I wouldn't know about that because I don't play or follow those

In any case, I hope Papo will make the next fan fave better looking so the disappointment won't be so great.

When they did that monstrous archaeopteryx or that corpse-looking Amargasaurus I wasn't exactly thrilled, either. So at least now a few theropod fans know my "pain"