The new for 2022 Papo Protoceratops dinosaur model is in stock at Everything Dinosaur. This long-awaited replica of “first horned face”, the first of the new for 2022 prehistoric animal models from Papo is now available.
Papo Protoceratops Dinosaur Model
The Papo Protoceratops dinosaur model is around sixteen centimetres long. The model stands about eight centimetres high when measured from the top of that impressive head shield. Everything Dinosaur announced that this figure would be produced and made available this year (2022), back in the late autumn of 2021.
Papo Protoceratops with an Articulated Jaw
The Papo Protoceratops has been provided with a prominent beak for cropping tough vegetation and the model has an articulated lower jaw. The inside of the mouth has been well painted, and the Papo design team have provided the Protoceratops with rows of small white teeth in both the upper and lower jaw.
The Protoceratops Genus
The Protoceratops genus was erected in 1923 when the first species (P. andrewsi), was formally named and described (Granger and Gregory). The first fossils of this dinosaur were collected during the famous American Museum of Natural History expedition to the Gobi Desert. Protoceratops andrewsi is associated with the Mongolian Djadokhta Formation (Upper Cretaceous), a second species, the slightly larger Protoceratops hellenikorhinus was named and described in 2001 (Lambert et al). Fossils of P. hellenikorhinus are associated with the Bayan Mandahu Formation of Inner Mongolia (China).
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Both the Djadokhta Formation and the potentially contemporaneous Bayan Mandahu Formation represent arid, desert-like palaeoenvironments.
Three Papo Prehistoric Animal Models Expected in 2022
The Papo Protoceratops dinosaur model is one of three Papo prehistoric animal models expected in 2022. A new colour variant of the Styracosaurus is expected in stock and, towards the end of the year (quarter 4), Papo are expected to introduce a model of a Mosasaurus.
To view the Papo Protoceratops dinosaur model and the rest of the Papo prehistoric animal figures in stock at Everything Dinosaur: Papo Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animal Models.
Why is there seemingly such a poor rendering of this model? Papo trapped themselves with a scale dilemma. Protoceratops is famously a documented rival of the velociraptor. Both creatures in the fossil record are roughly the same mass. If Papo had not scaled up the velociraptor to Jurassic park movie proportions, it would have been a much smaller sculpt. It seems to me that if protoceratops were not scaled to rival the wrongly sized velociraptor, it’s level of detailing by scale would have been much more attractive. Papo however scaled it up so that protoceratops is bigger than the concept should have been without adding detailing to match the scale. When you put the Papo protoceratops next to the Papo styracosaurus it looks ridiculous both in detailing and scale. If the same sculpt were reduced to about 2 inches (the relative size of the animal) the level of detailing would have seemed more acceptible. It was a dilemma that Papo created and could not resolve without revisiting the authenticated scaling for velociraptor.
Thank you for your comment. Papo do not declare a scale for their figures, there is no official scale declaration from Papo for any of the prehistoric animal figures in the “Les Dinosaures” range. Papo works on each figure as a separate, distinct piece without taking other, already existing models in the Papo range into consideration. The company does not profess any anatomical accuracy for their figures, preferring to produce figures with their own, unique style. The Papo models don’t generally tend to reflect the fossil record, the design team are happy to put their own “Papo perspective” on the prehistoric animal figures. If you are looking for more accurate models, then there are other ranges that tend to better depict prehistoric animals based on the scientific data. The Papo brand has a loyal customer base, they collect the figures but not because they tend to be anatomically accurate. If you are looking for a more accurate Protoceratops, we can recommend the CollectA Deluxe 1:6 scale figure: https://www.everythingdinosaur.com/product/collecta-deluxe-protoceratops-dinosaur-model/ there is also a 1:6 Velociraptor figure in this range: https://www.everythingdinosaur.com/product/velociraptor-deluxe-1-6-scale-dinosaur-model/ a partner for the 1:6 scale Protoceratops – hope this helps. Thanks again for your input.