Papo 2023 Mosasaurus

New for 2023 from Papo France is this amazing Mosasaurus. The head is modeled very well. It offers an interesting skin texture and very expressive eyes which are lined with a white lines to highlight them. However, after opening the jaw I was left in awe as the level of detail is incredible. The wrinkled tongue, palate, individually modeled teeth and second row of teeth in the upper jaw are amazing details. Looking inside, you can see that the path to the esophagus is also processed. That´s something!

The lower jaw stays firmly closed when closed and does not open accidentally. As for the color it has a grayish-blue color with brown elements that blend very subtly into each other. Which I like a lot.

A very controversial topic among collectors is the dorsal fin that this model has as there is no historical evidence that Mosasaurus had one... anyway.... considering that these are animals with no documented looks it is possible that he actually had it. I personally find it an interesting element which is also very nicely processed because its ends are "ragged" and colored brown which adds to the realism.

The main fins are very well modeled and you can see the bone structure. The overall texture of the skin with all the folds and muscles and veins and arteries...amazing. The long and massive tail is curved to the side so the swimming pose looks perfect. It is topped by a large V-shaped fin with a shorter upper part.

I have to say that after a few failed pieces that Papo has put out recently, this is really a quality one that brings a nostalgic whiff of the original quality.

I love to see a new Papo "Dinosaur" that is just as good as their older figures. The mouth is incredible! I'm waiting to see how the kronosaurus and einiosaurus look as well Congrats!

This mosasaurus isn't really to my taste, but there's no doubt that Papo quality is almost top-notch on this model. I'm not a fan of overly reptilian mosasaurs, but that's really a matter of personal taste.
Still, this model is very tempting.
what bothers me a bit is that I find there's a big contrast between the color of the underside of the jaw and the neck.
As for the dorsal fin war, it just follows on from the feather war, the Spinosaurus war and the lip war.
For as long as I've been around hard-core dinosaur enthusiasts, I've always known about wars and the destruction of yesterday's eternal truths.
There's no more evidence of a dorsal fin on a mosasaur skeleton than there is on a dolphin !
thank you Martin for this walkaround

Kikimalou wrote:

This mosasaurus isn't really to my taste, but there's no doubt that Papo quality is almost top-notch on this model. I'm not a fan of overly reptilian mosasaurs, but that's really a matter of personal taste.
Still, this model is very tempting.
what bothers me a bit is that I find there's a big contrast between the color of the underside of the jaw and the neck.
As for the dorsal fin war, it just follows on from the feather war, the Spinosaurus war and the lip war.
For as long as I've been around hard-core dinosaur enthusiasts, I've always known about wars and the destruction of yesterday's eternal truths.
There's no more evidence of a dorsal fin on a mosasaur skeleton than there is on a dolphin !
thank you Martin for this walkaround

By definition, mosasaurs are marine lizards, so they should look reptilian. But like all Papo 'dinosaurs' this looks to me like another movie monster rather than an actual animal.

there is no evidence of a dorsal fin on a mosasaur, but, as Kiki eluded to, as soft tissue that doesn't preserve well in the fossil record, we may never know if they had one or not :)

The overwhelming opinion (including by scientists who work on prehistoric marine reptiles) is that the 2023 CollectA mosasaur is superior.

I love your detailed opinion and description complementing your set of great pictures.
Regardless of the disputable scientific acuracy, some details can really give an extra touch and turn a figure more appealing. I find it an exciting figure to be fair.

bmathison1972 wrote:

Kikimalou wrote:

This mosasaurus isn't really to my taste, but there's no doubt that Papo quality is almost top-notch on this model. I'm not a fan of overly reptilian mosasaurs, but that's really a matter of personal taste.
Still, this model is very tempting.
what bothers me a bit is that I find there's a big contrast between the color of the underside of the jaw and the neck.
As for the dorsal fin war, it just follows on from the feather war, the Spinosaurus war and the lip war.
For as long as I've been around hard-core dinosaur enthusiasts, I've always known about wars and the destruction of yesterday's eternal truths.
There's no more evidence of a dorsal fin on a mosasaur skeleton than there is on a dolphin !
thank you Martin for this walkaround

By definition, mosasaurs are marine lizards, so they should look reptilian.  But like all Papo 'dinosaurs' this looks to me like another movie monster rather than an actual animal.

there is no evidence of a dorsal fin on a mosasaur, but, as Kiki eluded to, as soft tissue that doesn't preserve well in the fossil record, we may never know if they had one or not :)

The overwhelming opinion (including by scientists who work on prehistoric marine reptiles) is that the 2023 CollectA mosasaur is superior.

Of course mosasaurs could look reptilian, why not, just as whales are looking mammalian but in a very different way than  otters and seals. I prefer to think of mosasaurs as the killer whales of their time, and imagine a more "convergent evolution" PNSO-style look for them.
The CollectA is maybe superior in a scientific way, it is first closer to my tastes  

I would love to catch one like THIS

Wonderful model Martin and your presentation was Bang on ! .. the details on this figure is very much classic Papo style which makes this a very collectable figure.