Minmi (Science and Nature, Pty Ltd.)

Today I´d like to introduce to you Science and Nature Minmi. The company did it as a part of their signature line of figures, “Animals of Australia Realistic Toy Replicas.”

Minmi is the name of a small herbivorous ankylosaurian dinosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous Period of Australia, about 119 to 113 million years ago. Ralph Molnar named and described the type species in 1980. Its name sounds a little funny and cute. According to Wikipedia, the meaning of “minmi” itself is uncertain; it refers to a large lily in the local aboriginal language but might also be derived from min min, a kind of will-o’-the-wisp. Only three metres long, the animal was very small ambassador of the suborder Ankylosauria.

The figure itself is a very small ambassador of the group of Ankylosauria figures, too. It´s only 6,1 cm long and stands 2,6 cm tall.

You might think that a figure of this size and of this plastic material can´t be very accurate and has to inescapably look clumsy, but that is not the case with this cute little fellow. It is colored in browns, tans and yellows and correctly holds many rows of bony plates at its back and at its flanks.

The figure has been based upon the painting on the Australian Museum homepage.

https://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/dinosaurs/fact-sheets/minmi-paravertebra/

On its belly it says:

Minmi

Made in China

(c) Science and Nature

And on the underside of the tail there is the CE sign.

The little spikes at the tail of the figure protrude from the side of the tale, whereas they protrude from the top of the tail on the picture. That much detail on the other hand is too much to ask for for such a small figure.

The feet seem to be correct with four toes each and each separately painted white.

There seems to be a collar of bony plates around the neck. The head is surprisingly detailed. No facial expressions to be expected here of course, and compared to the picture, the muzzle is closed. I like the eyes – they are only tiny black dots and yet they contribute much to the charm this little figure holds. And even the nostril shave been painted seperately.

I enjoy holding this figure in my hands, touching it, encouraging it to stand self-assured beside Carnegie Euoplocephalus, Schleich Animantarx and their kind . It may not be as correct as the CollectA version, and while I don´t like Ankylosaur figures that much and (probalby wrongly) think Ankylosaurus were the most boring of all dinosaurs , I like this figure and rate it 4 out of 5 stars.