Instances have been very onerous currently, and the smallest gestures are value residing for. I want to thank Completely satisfied Hen Toys for offering me with this fascinating specimen, so I might move the time enjoying with it, photographing it, and serving to me to concentrate on one thing much less painful. You’d be doing a disservice to your self not checking their retailer which has excellently priced objects on a regular basis, and top-notch service. Click on their banner below to find out more.
Attention-grabbing is the fitting phrase! Did Papo actually make this? It feels so…alien… I’ve been accumulating Papo dinosaurs for so long as this blog has been operational, although I had by no means reviewed any. My assortment is lacking a number of, however occasionally I discover a chance to slide a determine in at no cost. Lots of them have been presents, and it’s good to proceed the development. However, sheesh, if I used to be not a completist, I might have had second ideas about this determine. Why? Permit me, Emperor Dinobot and Happy Hen Toys to offer this determine a chance to defend itself. I’ll attempt to be as goal as I can.
Concavenator corcovatus was a Spanish carcharodontosaurid identified by its two sail humps, and for the quill knobs on its forearms, although it’s disputed whether or not these constructions existed to carry quill like feathers. It was a weird dinosaur at first look, however tall neural spines aren’t all that atypical in different carnosaurs (tetanurans, allosaurs, carcharodontosaurs, and so forth.), and have been noticed in Altispinax, Becklespinax (the 2 are doubtless synonymous), and naturally, Acrocanthosaurus. The hump’s function is unknown. Some say it was a muscle attachment web site, a fatty deposit space, or that it was used for species recognition and for sexual shows. The determine itself measures 10″ L x 3.8″ H, and it scales effectively with different Papo dinosaurs comparable to Dilophosaurus and Carnotaurus (1:19 roughly for a 6m lengthy animal).
I’ve a big, however incomplete assortment of Papos, consisting of the primary batch launched in 2007, and extra. I solely get them on very particular events, or if I see any within the wild. I don’t actively go searching for them in actuality. When the chance rose to get a pattern from Completely satisfied Hen, I instantly jumped to the chance to get it as a result of I didn’t suppose anybody was concerned with it sufficient to evaluate it, and I feel I perceive why.
Dinosaur toys have been obtainable since just about ceaselessly. Ugly ones, good ones, all reflecting the period in paleoart the place they have been first made. Papo is thought to form of “rip off” Jurassic Park dinosaurs, however their fashions are very detailed, very effectively painted, very lovely even supposing all of them are inaccurate in a method or one other. That is in all probability as a result of they have been emulating Common’s Jurassic theme park monster’s aesthetics. That’s the reason I maintain them on my Jurassic Park/World shelf. Even non-Jurassic dinosaurs observe the aesthetic with exaggerated motion poses that might break even essentially the most versatile animals.
However this…that is totally different than all of the others. One thing just isn’t fairly proper. One thing feels off.
Exaggerated tripod pose: Verify. Detailed sculpt: Verify. Inaccuracies: Verify. Properly hand painted: Verify(?)… That is being referred to as “the worst dinosaur determine ever” by some collectors, however I don’t know if the title matches, as I’ve seen worse. The sculpt is certainly detailed, however it doesn’t really feel like a Papo. Sure, it is vitally clearly Concavenator, and it’s making an attempt to be the Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom Concavenator, however it even fails at that. The small print are uneven, the paint and wash is totally different and utilized in a sloppier than typical means, and the sculpt itself is sloppy, and horrible. It’s deformed. No less than the jaw opens and closes. I can’t actually say what it’s concerning the particulars that bothers me. It’s simply ugly. It doesn’t know whether or not it desires to be a feathered iguana-like dinosaur, a dinosaur, a theme park monster, a paperweight… And it was very clearly sculpted by a special group than those that sculpted Dilophosaurus, Carnotaurus, Allosaurus, and so forth.
Allow us to pray. I imply…allow us to take a look at the small print. Once more, it’s clearly Concavenator. It has the forearm quills, the hump, the allosaur-like head although it ought to look extra like a carcharodontosaur no less than, or like a correct Concavenator, as we do have a complete skull of the animal. It has quill-like feathers on the again of the top, which really do look type of cool, however then they taper off and change into armor like scutes working alongside the again, which finish on the hump. Then, the hump turns into feathery all the way in which to the tail, which has furry feathers working in the direction of the tip. It has extra armor like scutes working alongside each side of the again and tail, too. There are folds of pores and skin on the neck, which do appear like of good, and it positively seems like an iguana as I wrote above. The wattle is feathery (why, although? Aren’t they often fleshy?), however the remainder of the neck is scaly. The abdomen has molded gastralia trying armor for some cause. The nostrils on both sides are NOT of their appropriate place. They need to be nearer to the highest entrance of the cranium. It’s unbelievable that they received this unsuitable.
The small print are very inconsistent. It’s a hodgepodge of all types of scales, quills and feathers. The highest of the cranium has the identical armored scutes that seem on the armored portion of the again. The scaly texture on the highest a part of the cranium is totally different from the decrease jaw’s scales, and the remainder of the physique has totally different scaly particulars, nearly as if totally different individuals added their very own desired particulars on the determine. This degree of inconsistency detracts worth from the determine to the purpose the place it turns into annoying to have a look at. Different Papo dinosaurs, as inaccurate as they’re, nonetheless handle to be per their particulars.
Many of the physique is painted in a grass inexperienced, washed over to make particulars stand out, so you will have numerous shades of inexperienced throughout. The feathered hump, quills, wattle and decrease sides are orange, with a few of the similar inexperienced wash, however fastidiously utilized on components just like the neck quills, the wattle, and the tail. The scutes are darkish forest inexperienced. The cranium has a lighter inexperienced wash so it seems considerably clearer than the remainder of the physique. The eyes are black and and not using a pupil. The mouth and tongue are pink, and the claws are painted black on the fingers and toes. Take observe, Mattel, take observe. Even ugly dinosaurs have painted claws. I feel the paint is likely one of the higher features of the determine, however like the remainder of the determine, it’s totally different everywhere in the physique; so totally different that it simply seems unnatural. The feathers appear like creamy paint contrasted towards a extra lifelike wash over the physique. The paint is simply as inconsistent as the remainder of the determine, and once more, it seems very totally different from different Papo releases, most of which have wonderful and constant coloration particulars.
Generally much less is extra. Papo’s Concavenator seems like an electrocuted dino-clown subsequent to the Carnegie Concavenator, and the small Safari Ltd. Concavenator. The sculpts and paint for the Safari animals are constant, which I suppose look type of boring subsequent to Clowncavenator in spite of everything is claimed and finished.
Papo’s Concavenator desires to be a greater model than the one which appeared in Fallen Kingdom by additionally making an attempt to appear like an actual dinosaur, however it fails at that. No less than the colour palette is appropriate. I would not have to let you know why the Hammond Collection Concavenator can be superior, you possibly can learn the evaluate here. I suppose it’s an unfair comparability, for the reason that HC Conca is an motion determine.
I’m beginning to lose steam right here. This was extra exhausting than it ought to have been. How might this tiny dinosaur determine go so unsuitable? I wished to offer it a chance to defend itself, however this determine is a group of unusual selections. One thing is occurring at Papo, and I might be trying additional into the matter.
As you possibly can see from the image above (although it didn’t come out very clearly), the determine stands out from the others, however in a nasty means. The shortage of consistency ruins the show, and I hope whoever sculpted this takes observe and humbles themselves, as a result of standing out like that is dangerous. I’m not going to say a lot towards whoever painted this, as a result of I’m positive that portray this determine was tough. Some sculpts lend themselves to totally different coloration types, and I perceive that. Like I mentioned above, much less is extra, consistency is nice as a rule, and that is coming from somebody who loves figures that stand out, figures that break the mildew, however that is what players name a “tryhard”. I’m by no means a conservative dinosaur collector, which is likely one of the the reason why I nonetheless accumulate Papo, even when the figures are lower than good. In my thoughts, even ugly dinosaurs have rights.
As soon as once more, I wish to thank Happy Hen toys for offering me with this determine, and serving to me start this investigation into Papo’s current incursions into the extra questionable features of this pastime of ours. You will get your individual Concavenator here at Completely satisfied Hen Toys. There’s something to be mentioned a few 2023 determine that has already been marked down for a “Sale” value. See above for all of that. Advisable for, effectively, me. I fairly prefer it, however that’s in all probability as a result of it was generously donated to the gathering by HHT.
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