Rounding out my spooky animal reviews for October it’s time to look at one of the many renditions of the gray wolf (Canis lupis), an animal whose history is intricately woven into our own like few other animals. For much of human history, the wolf would have been a competitor and potential predator of humans. Once the most widely distributed species of land mammal the wolf’s range has shrunk as the human range has expanded and in places where both still live side-by-side, conflict still occurs. Ironically, while being feared, vilified, and persecuted, wolves have simultaneously been the subject of human admiration and deification. The domestication of the wolf adds a further paradox in that one of our greatest natural enemies is also our best friend in the form of the domestic dog.
At this time of year, the wolf is particularly iconic because of the critical role it plays in the werewolf mythos. Indeed, no Halloween celebration would be complete without a werewolf movie or two. My favorite is An American Werewolf in London but there are plenty of good ones. A common theme in werewolf stories is exploring the duality of man, the internal struggle between our animal instincts and civilized aspirations, which in a way somewhat parallels the difference between wolves and their domestic counterparts, and our relationship with wild wolves as well.
ToyAnimalWiki lists about 120 different toys and figures representing the gray wolf, so choosing one for my collection was a somewhat daunting task but I knew I wanted to tackle one this October. For 2022 Papo released a gray wolf and based on production images I was convinced that I had finally found the wolf I wanted, but alas, the actual figure is a far cry from its production images, and not in a good way. Instead, I decided to go with a different wolf, but also from Papo. The 2010 female gray wolf, the subject of today’s review.
There are an estimated 36 different sub-species of wolves, and they range in size from the 45 lb. (20 kg) Arabian gray wolf (C. l. arabs) to the 130+ lb. (58 kg) northwestern wolf (C. l. occidentalis). Confidently identifying the Papo wolf would be no easy task and I’m going to play it safe and assume it’s the Eurasian wolf (C. l. lupus) since Papo is a French company and this is the sub-species most widespread in Europe. Eurasian wolves weigh an average of 71–110 lbs. (32–50 kg) and measure about 41-63” (105–160 cm) in body length, although larger specimens do exist. The Papo wolf has a body length of 3.5” (8.89 cm) which puts it at 1/11 to 1/18 in scale. Since it is a female, I suppose it’s safer to put it at the smaller end of the scale.
The Papo wolf is presented as hyper focused and trotting forward with beautiful fluidity, her right leg extending far behind her, tendons taught and limbs muscular. Her tail is elevated behind her and in nature this is one way to distinguish a wolf from a coyote as coyotes move with theirs pointed down. The posture is one of my favorite aspects of this toy as it is neither static, nor presented as some snarling, vicious monster. She’s just moving along in a manner you might expect to see in the wild, as she melts off into the wilderness.
The detail work here is top notch, especially with regards to the pelt, an attribute that drew me to this toy. With its dense, thick fur, this wolf appears ready for a harsh northern winter. The fur is thickest around the cheeks, neck, shoulders, back, and tail, and flows with the movement of the figure. The wavy fur follows the various contours of the wolf’s body and overlaps beautifully where the various part of the wolf meet, such as where the neck meets the shoulders.
The muzzle is detailed with small pits that the whiskers would grow from. The bright yellow eyes are symmetrical with nicely aligned pupils, unlike the last canid I reviewed. The paws are properly large and broad, with sculpted and painted nails and pads. Nipples are sculpted on the underside. The sculpt has an appropriately broad snout, short ears, muscular neck, and deep chest, and I see nothing anatomically to take issue with.
The figure is painted with a mixture of gray tones with a white muzzle, legs, and underside. It’s certainly an appropriate color for a “gray” wolf and I quite like its execution. The nose and outline of the mouth are painted in shiny black, making them appear wet. Initially I was drawn more towards the 2022 wolf because of its reddish coloration, a nice change of pace for gray wolf figures, but the execution on this one is significantly better.
Although there is a glut of splendid gray wolf figures to choose from, I think I came out alright in picking this one. It’s fluid movement and stoic expression make it stand out of the pack and its level of detail in sculpt and paint application only serve to elevate it further. It will make a wonderful addition to any wolf pack or if you only collect one figure per species, an excellent representation of wolves as a whole. The Papo gray wolf is still in production and retails for about $7.99. And before we part, one last piece of advice this Halloween season… “Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors. Beware the moon.”
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That’s a really nice wolf. I went with the most recent Safari version, for which I prefer the overall sculpt and paint, but the Safari figure is very rigid in its pose, whereas this Papo model has a nice dynamic feel to it, as you mention.
I was a huge fan of An American Werewolf in London when I was young; I also really liked Wolfen and The Howling. Curious if I watched the latter two, would I still like them (American Werewolf in London will always remain a favorite).
I like the Safari one as well, this Papo one partly edged it out because it didn’t have a review yet, haha.
I watch The Howling every couple years, it’s still a solid werewolf movie. I haven’t seen Wolfen yet though, I’ll have to prioritize it. Dog Soldiers is another favorite of mine.