Papo Boxer - a Walkaround, A Walkaround... And another Walkaround.

Yes, that's a lot of walking.

Well, not really. But I just love this figure. I am absolutely thrilled with it. So here it is:

The Papo Boxer.
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I think a lot of what I love about this figure is how realistic it is.
For a collector like me, who collects to scale, to standard model dogs, finding and even customising is extremely difficult - when you are after a particular look. Sure, there are plenty of Labrador figures, but they often don't even work anatomically let alone conformationally.
For me, my love of collecting is representing the breeds as they are now. To standard.

Unfortunately, the Boxer is one of those breeds today that some people hate, and some people love. Personally, I love Boxers. I love their temperament, and their head. Despite the head, I also hate undershot jaws and probably wouldn't own a Boxer unless it was very cold where I lived.

My take on all this is, I love this figure! I will be showing how realistically it is! Also, it is only a figure. The Boxer is one of those breeds where a lot of debate is inevitable. I do not agree with bad breeding practises, but I love this figure. So, without a inbreeding/show dog discussion, please enjoy how realistically the figure was made - with me!

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There is one thing I do not like about this figure. It is the front face. Ughh. It does, creep me out a bit. But more on that further on.

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Mmmm. The muscles, the anatomy. The head. The head on this dog is just    
The paws, rounded, too, as in the standard.

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Nice tuck, although chest could be deeper, but we'll blame that on it being male.
Docked tail, although it's a little large...

A few comparisons here, just to show why I love this figure - for its realism.

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Boxer bitch, light in body and bone, with typical US style cropped ears and docked tail.

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Boxer dog, Papo, displays a heavier body type, typical of male Boxers. Stomach not as shapely as that of the bitch, but smooth and well tucked. Larger head, due to gender, docked tail, cropped ears, and some nice colouring going on - fawn/red and white (Irish) with Black Sable and Mask.


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Boxer dog, male. Note how this dog varies to the bitch - while it has natural ears, the body is also fuller, broader and the head larger.  Papo Boxer displays this masculinity. Eeeh but a not brilliant topline. Papo Boxer displays excellent topline.

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Did I mention he's realistic?

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From above. A nice shot of beautifully tucked stomach, widened ribcage, and rear angulation. As seen in real Boxer dogs.


But let's get back to that face.

Everything else about this dog, I like. I like alot. Even the head from the side is breathtaking.
But each time I look at this face from the front... ergh. heebie jeebies. It's anatomically wrong.
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So. The face. What's predominantly wrong here is the dewlaps and the ears.
The dewlaps are beautiful from the side, and very accurate. In fact, this is what I love the most about Boxers - these extra flaps. The dewlaps appear to make the head bigger, but in reality, the muzzle is quite small.

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How a Boxer should look - from the front. Papo's Boxer is a little too narrow on the head, and has very little muzzle - all dewlap. A little too much, even for me. The eyes are also possibly not set deep enough into the head.

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A beautiful head. However, I do think the nose is just a little too far back into the skull. By the smallest fraction. =P

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Beautiful.

But those ears. On the ears, I will relent. Cropped ears are not triangles. But I will assume that anything smaller would have snapped off during molding.

While it is a very controversial topic, personally I don't hate Boxers with cropped ears. They should, at least, look something like this: elegant, tapering, and not triangular!
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Docked tails, too. But, if you're going to do it, do it well. This Papo Boxer at least attempts that. Some dog figures have dogs with tails docked way longer or shorter than standard allows. eee.
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Mind you, it is a bit round and not very pointed, but at least it looks docked.

Nicely docked.
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And I am nearly all out of comparisons. But don't worry, this Boxer is my favourite figure now     and I was very, very happy with him. (As you can see).

I like to compare my models to real dogs because, one day, when people ask me 'that's a dog? What kind of dog?' about my figures - I will be able to inform them in an educational and accurate way. I think that's important, too, and I love being able to educate people about dogs.

Thanks for all stopping by and looking, hope you decided to buy one!      

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With friends...

Beutiful! I loved your analysis of your new favorite model   I know not much about dogs, but now I know a little more about Boxers   

Thank you for the walkaround    The other walkaround    And the last walkaround   

I wish we will see more topics like that  

Nice pics of a wonderful dog!!

Wonderful walkarounds, and wonderful model , and wonderful comments   

The boxes I have known were fun, kind, alert and very clever, they are great dogs   

The only reason I would never have one is that they drool all over the place, A LOT ! and all the time !
Which confirms that people have bread the anatomy of the head wrong.   

A question, Miss Jane : Why would you only own one if you lived in a very cold place ? They are very warmth loving creatures  

Thankyou for this exceptionally great topic   

Thanks for the walkaround...
However, I don't believe that Boxers who win AKC shows are the most typical Boxers today...

Thanks for showing! Nice boxer! Ok, the head is little bit scary but I like him a lot. Congratulations!  

A wonderful walkaround with great photos Thanks!

Excellent walkaround.
Funny how this boxer looks extremely nice when seen from the sides,
but seen from the front it's almost a different kind of animal all together.
If you look at only the top half of the head (eyes and ears) it's almost catlike.
But even with a fitting head, it would almost be a crime to display this boxer from the front,
since the sideviews (both left and right) are so very well executed.

I just saw a few pictures on you blog, so when I clicked on "Papo Boxer - a Walkaround" I didn't expect this much   . I really enjoyed reading it and even learned some things   I think other brands should compare their fleshly made models to (pictures of) real dogs (or other animals) before producing them so they can change any flaws they encounter.    (luckily we know Mojo is doing that with some help of STS like with the sloth)

I hope you're going to do more walkarounds like this one, but I do think my might consider calling it a 'review' rather than a 'walkaround'

I love her        but the face is really rare XD

Thank you all for the comments! I am so happy that you all like him too, except that face!   

I will address questions in order.   

Susanne: Yes, drooling is indeed one of those things that can be associated with the angle of the jaws, and the fact that Boxers can be undershot. Also, the long dewlaps help with the pooling of fluids.   

As for why I wouldn't own one unless it was cold, well, a few reasons. First, my version of cold is only Australian cold. In most parts of Aus, it doesn't snow unless up high. And where I live, never.
Boxers are indeed warm loving creatures. But remember also Australia is not far from the equator and is generally a very hot place. Why this affects dogs, well: heat stroke.
It is very bad in most dogs, even short haired breeds. But brachycephalic dogs (Boxers, Pugs, Pekinese, Staffy, etc) with squashed noses already have difficulty breathing. Add heat to that and they suffocate very quickly. Its a big problem with these dogs in this area. Also they don't exercise well in warmer environments.
Hope that helps?


skysthelimit: Your point is valid, but, as I mentioned before, I collect to standard figures. If I wanted to collect just any dog, that would quickly degenerate into any dog, any crossbreed, and soon we lose the whole idea. They're just dogs at that point, which is great, but I like my dogs to look like real breeds. Thing is, no, we don't see Boxers like that around, often because they are the surplus from backyard breeders who often don't have standards, so, if the hocks are way out, they don't even know. This is different to working strains, but these again, do have a standard. I happily collect strains/types as long as they look like what they are meant to. If I were to collect any sheepdog, paint it black and white and call it a Collie, that's what it is. But chances are it has a lot of points that just aren't realistic.
As I said, I am not creating breeds, but rather, comparing how well figures are sculpted to the real thing, and, for me, I stick with standards.
There is always a place for pet dogs, but I still think if someone is going to represent a breed by their brand, they should care about the outcome. Take, for example, the Schleich Huskies. No Huskies, pet or working, have raised tails unless running, and certainly not in the Schleich position. To me, it frustrates, because that shows they didn't really review the breed first. To most people, it doesn't matter, but to a small minority of doggy people, it does.
Sorry if that wasn't what you meant, but that is why I collect.


Bloodrayne: Yes, the face is almost cryable! I think it's the ears, but I still dislike it quite a lot. Haha.


AJ: Thank you! Yes, I will happily call it that in future.   


Would anyone be interested in more of these 'reviews' of dog figures in comparison to real dog breeds?
I would be more than happy to do them. There might be a few oddities, mind... like the Schleich Boxer, which resembles... very little.

Anyhow..

Miss Jane wrote:

Susanne: Yes, drooling is indeed one of those things that can be associated with the angle of the jaws, and the fact that Boxers can be undershot. Also, the long dewlaps help with the pooling of fluids.   

As for why I wouldn't own one unless it was cold, well, a few reasons. First, my version of cold is only Australian cold. In most parts of Aus, it doesn't snow unless up high. And where I live, never.
Boxers are indeed warm loving creatures. But remember also Australia is not far from the equator and is generally a very hot place. Why this affects dogs, well: heat stroke.
It is very bad in most dogs, even short haired breeds. But brachycephalic dogs (Boxers, Pugs, Pekinese, Staffy, etc) with squashed noses already have difficulty breathing. Add heat to that and they suffocate very quickly. Its a big problem with these dogs in this area. Also they don't exercise well in warmer environments.
Hope that helps?

Ahhh! I see  !!! 
Thankyou, now I understand !  

And, yes, I would love to see more topics like this from you   

Me too, I hope to see more topics like these. I hope you can find regularly time to present a dog figure with all this information and showing your knowledgeable points of view! :)
I don't understand anything about dogs what surely doesn't mean I am not interested in thopics like this one. I love to learn and learning with toys and friends is always fun.
Among major brands, Papo dogs are by far my favorite. My first judgement of a figure is its general shape and not the face or eyes as it happens with most customers. So, if general shape is not good, a good face will not convince me. It looks Papo makes a good approach to dogs general shape. :)
Looking forward to see more reviews like this one.