Fossil discoveries can often turn up in the most unlikely places. From quarries to Chinese medicine shops, fossils may appear where least expected. This was the case for the species Umoonasaurus, better known as Eric the Pliosaur. The bones of this animal had not only fossilized, but opalized, making them appear like jewels, hence why they were nearly sold to a jewellery shop, if it hadn’t been sold to a business man. Now it’s held in the Australian museum, and it’s been produced into a model by Yowie.
This is a small figure, as with most the Yowie figures, measuring 2.7″ long, 1.1″ high and 1.5″ wide, though the species is quite small at 8 foot long, so should fit in with a few lines. The grey body with mustard spots works quite well, good for a small animal that may need to hide from bigger predators. The pose is a swimming pose, with a little wiggle to the head, tail and limbs, works well, though this can make it a bit gappy in places.
Now to accuracy. With a complete specimen to be based off, this should be accurate. This captures a lot of the features of the fossil, like the shorter neck, small head and long tail. The paddles are quite long, possibly a tad long, but not so bad. Eyes are a little cartoonish, but at least they are about the right size for the animal. Not bad at all.
Overall, this is quite a nice figure, if small, but it works in it’s favour. There aren’t any other models of Eric, so this is your only option, so I do recommend it. EBay is your best shot to get it, as it is long since discontinued, but I say grab it if you find it.
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