I have never been much of a CollectA fan but I ran across this little guy and was intrigued. It looked a lot better than some of the others CollectA nodosaurs and ankylosaurs that I have seen (Their Polacanthus and Scelidosaurus being the main offenders).
Minmi was found in Roma, Queensland, in 1964 and named after a nearby creek. It was the first thyreophoran unearthed in the Southern Hemisphere and is also one of the few dinosaurs known from an almost complete specimen. Minmi may be too primitive to be included in the Ankylosauidae or Nodosauridae families. It is suggested that Minmi is the basal most known ankylosaurid. Minmi was approximately 3 ft tall and 6.6 ft long.
Now to the fun part – how does this little guy stack up? I’ll start with the pose, which is rather uninspiring but still acceptable. It looks like the animal is just walking along at a relaxed pace, with one foot raised, and the head slightly turned down and to the side as if it was looking for some tasty leaves and ferns to nibble on. The proportions are quite accurate for such a small figure. The head is fairly accurate as the skull is longer than it is wide and the snout region is higher than the base of the skull. The only issues (and a slight one) is the postorbital and jugal horn are a little too prominent, looking more like an ankylosaur, but that is really nitpicking. The neck on the model might also be a little too long and thin.
The hind legs are longer than the front legs, which again is correct. Minmi had a long tail and the tail on this model appears to be very close to the correct length. Along the back it has transverse bands of scutes that run the length of the body very similar to a crocodiles, and has spines from the hips. The proportions again appear to be correct in most respects, the spikes maybe a little over done.
The paint job is not sloppy but neither is it exciting. It has a brown yellow top with sides and belly of grey, with a small splash of yellow on the legs. The texture is nice with small pebbly scales but like the rest of the figure it is basic and simplistic. Even though it is a simplistic model, I think it is easily overlooked as a truly nice model, one that I am proud to have in my collection.
Available from Ebay here.
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This is a nice little model. In some ways, it reminded me of the Invicta Scelidosaurus model. With its small spines and knobs on its back, one can trace its ancestry from the earlier dinosaur. The colors can also show some variation under camera flashes. Mine’s came out as lavender after taking photos under dim lighting.
Thanks for an interesting review Rob, and the photograph with the diorama setting is very nicely done! I agree with Rob’s comments that this is actually a very good figure, and – for its price range – this is probably one of the best ankylosaur figures out there. Don’t be fooled by the rather dull paint job, which really does not do this little guy justice – when you have the model in hand, the detailing is very crisp and generous. I repainted mine to bring out the detail of the armour, and am very happy with the result.
As always great photosand reviews Plesiosauria in this case, moreover this figure apart from the assertions of the other commentators belongs in my humble understanding the gilt and dark time of Collecta, which is surpassing strides.
But today there is a piece of toy moderately credible in regard to this Australian dinosaur minmi which I understand is a must for every good collector.
Thank you for your kind words. I have been delaying a review on Olorotitan, maybe I’ll do it next. I agree that CollectA is improving, which is great for all of us who love prehistoric animals.
Very nice photos and detailed review.
For those interested in more about this creature, see: http://australianageofdinosaurs.com/dino-minmi-paravertebra.php
CollectA has provided a mixed bag of figures to be sure, but they are improving every year, and there are other gems from past years in need of review. E.G., their Rajasaurus, Kentrosaurus, Gigantoraptor, Proceratosaurus and Olorotitan, among others.
Cheers.