shades variation

Very different, they're certainly from different production batches as you can probably see in the numbers marked on them. Which one is your favorite?

I bought the one in the middle a long time ago, then I received the pale one on the top left from ebay and finaly, yesterday, the top right one arrived at home with its more marked spots. It is the model I prefer but the head is a little  too colored. She is carved "2003 made in China" like the 2 other ones but there is a black number more: "1607".

Interesting comparison. Do you think they are random variations or systematic ones? By random, I mean that just by accident, Papo sometimes uses a more orange paint and sometimes a more yellow paint, sometimes it sprays more on the nose, etc. By systematic, I mean that Papo changed the production process or made a deliberate decision to change the way they painted the leopards. It looks like the spots are always made with the same "stamp" is that right?

Very interresting comparison topic, mine is of the first batch produced by Papo and I would be happy to compare with yours. Could you show us their heads, face and profile ?

Roger, I can't tell if all of them are systematic variations but it is sure Papo did systematic ones. Today's painting are very different (and often worse alas) than first batch ones. What I mean exactly is new animals like their birds are very nicely painted but when you look at an Hiippopotamus, a lion or a tiger,nowadays prods are only ghosts of the previous ones.

rogerpgvg wrote:

Interesting comparison. Do you think they are random variations or systematic ones? By random, I mean that just by accident, Papo sometimes uses a more orange paint and sometimes a more yellow paint, sometimes it sprays more on the nose, etc. By systematic, I mean that Papo changed the production process or made a deliberate decision to change the way they painted the leopards. It looks like the spots are always made with the same "stamp" is that right?

Thank you Roger!

At the first glance, I though the spots were all made with the same stamp but closer views show that the little ones are different on the head and the neck. There are surely random variations but sytemic ones too for sure. The leopard on top right, the" more spotted" one is made in a different PVC, its tail is far more supple!

Kikimalou wrote:

Very interresting comparison topic, mine is of the first batch produced by Papo and I would be happy to compare with yours. Could you show us their heads, face and profile ?

Roger, I can't tell if all of them are systematic variations but it is sure Papo did systematic ones. Today's painting are very different (and often worse alas) than first batch ones. What I mean exactly is new animals like their birds are very nicely painted but when you look at an Hiippopotamus, a lion or a tiger,nowadays prods are only ghosts of the previous ones.

Thank you Christophe

here are some pictures more: (pale, medium, dark)

According to me, the best leopard model among the main brands in spite of its big size (du calme Joe heu.. Christophe! ) but retired from the catalog since 2018..

Merci Alain , I will make some pics of mine tomorow

Caracal wrote:

I bought the one in the middle a long time ago, then I received the pale one on the top left from ebay and finaly, yesterday, the top right one arrived at home with its more marked spots. It is the model I prefer but the head is a little  too colored. She is carved "2003 made in China" like the 2 other ones but there is a black number more: "1607".

I was referring to that black painted number. It is the production batch. Probably manufactured in 2016 and surprisingly it is retired and nobody noticed.
The softer material is to put the children safety up to 10 months and more instead of 3 years age and more. I have a black panther of the same mold with a much softer material too. Thanks for providing the information and telling about your favorite. :)

You're right Rogério, it is no more on the catalog for 5 years and I didn't read any comment about that!..

   I have 2 black ones marked "1606"" and "2205". Both are made with this same soft plastic but on the second one, the spots are more visible on the black fur.

   So, turning back to the spotted ones, the "more spotted" of the 3, (on top right) is also the more recent and nevertheless, it received the best paintig according to me. The Papo painting degradation with time would not be a fatal law! The 2 other ones, older, are very similar with just, as wrote Roger, a "random shades variation". I am waiting for a fourth one who will come in a lot from ebay. I shall add it on a comparison picture!..

It is very interesting

Caracal wrote:

You're right Rogério, it is no more on the catalog for 5 years and I didn't read any comment about that!..

   I have 2 black ones marked "1606"" and "2205". Both are made with this same soft plastic but on the second one, the spots are more visible on the black fur.

   So, turning back to the spotted ones, the "more spotted" of the 3, (on top right) is also the more recent and nevertheless, it received the best paintig according to me. The Papo painting degradation with time would not be a fatal law! The 2 other ones, older, are very similar with just, as wrote Roger, a "random shades variation". I am waiting for a fourth one who will come in a lot from ebay. I shall add it on a comparison picture!..

That's the exception which confirms the rule. I can't find a picture of my leopard, it is from an early production batch, let's hope I remember photographing it when back home but here is my black panther with spots, very soft material and with the number 2009 painted on it.
It means mine is an intermediate batch between yours. Mine from 2020  and yours 2016 and 2022. Do you think mine is different enough or is it hard to tell?

I don't see any differences except the older one (1606) is more slim!

Especially if you like the model, it's great that there are so many variations because then you can collect several without having exactly the same model. Would the painting of the later Papo models be cheaper to produce than that for the first run? Otherwise, why would they change the painting?

.. maybe because of its lack of attractivity Roger.. a more contrasted dress could be more appealing for children (like it is for me! ! :)

Interesting the fact the older one is slimmer. Are the standard spotted ones more like the slimmer or the newer?
When a figure has been available for a long time and has good sales, as is likely the case for the panther figure, new mold pieces are often made when the older ones become worn. These new pieces are never perfect copies of the previous ones since a new prototype clay model is sculpted, visually copying from the standard figure. As it needs to be sculpted slightly larger to compensate for shrinkage during mold production, differences in bulkiness are common.

So here are pics of mine, from 2004 I'm affraid it is a mix of yours

I've found a picture of my leopard, it is printed 1208 which means it is a 2012 production bath. It hurts to see my picture after Christophe's but at least it is informative, I hope.

This model seems to be an other colored version since it does not seem to have received colour inside its spots.

I checked, my 3 spotted leopard seem to be slim.

About the Christophe's one, from the first batch (2004), it is very similar to my medium one.

Many thanks to you both Rogério and Christophe!

with one more, the third from the low:









It is lightly darker than the first and second ones (from the low) but seems to belong to the same production without any date indication. Probably "random variations" as wrote Roger.




.. cleary separated from the upper one, more recent (2016), as printed in black on its chest..

Yes we will name it Random

When is the fifth one due?

Caracal wrote:

This model seems to be an other colored version since it does not seem to have received colour inside its spots.

I checked, my 3 spotted leopard seem to be slim.

About the Christophe's one, from the first batch (2004), it is very similar to my medium one.

Many thanks to you both Rogério and Christophe!

Thanks for checking. I will try to remember taking a picture with natural light when I have the chance.
If my variation is of interest to you, I'd be glad to trade it for an ordinary version as long as it is nicely painted.
I hope I explained the black numbers correctly. if your last one is marked 2016, it is not a 2016 production batch but 2020 instead. Only the first to numbers represent the year. Mine is from 2012 as I mentioned before. :)