Yowie has a very interesting and vast collection of prehistoric critters in their lines, though some have been a pain to write up owing to the lack of material to discuss accuracy with. However, at least most of these had something to go off. This figure, however, is so vague in it’s written material that it is odd that it was included: Yowie’s Stegosaur. No specifics, just….. stegosaur. Here we go!
Starting with the model itself before delving into what it actually is, it is certainly bright and eye catching, a mix of yellow and blue, enough to give some Geoworld models a run for their money. It has a simple pose, a pondering walk, which does well for it. There is a little wiggle up and down for the head and tail, but it isn’t going to change the pose much. As with all Yowie models, it’s pretty small, only being 2.4″ long and 1″ high, quite tiny, maybe good as a juvenile.
Now to the tricky bit: accuracy. First, we must discern the species. As the fact card says it’s from the Cretaceous period, the size given on the fact card and the shape of the plates point towards Wuerhosaurus, one of the last Stegoaurs, found in China and Mongolia. It isn’t quite as broad as perhaps could be, resulting in a very short tail. The spines take there classic look, though the credibility of this is suspect, as the fossils were likely broken, so the real shape of the plates is unknown. The tail is a tad short too. It does nail the general shape though, so that is one point in it’s favour.
This figure isn’t overly terrible, but there are better examples of this species out there, so unless you want a good sized juvenile, I can’t really recommend it for most collectors. It is also long discontinued, so eBay would be your best bet. it’s up to you, but I personally wouldn’t go hunting just for it.
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So the reason this figure is so non-specific is that it’s based on footprints found in Western Australia (that have since been stolen, to boot). We have no skeletal remains of Australian stegosaurs.
It’s also not the only Yowie figurine representing an ichnotaxon; the Giant Sauropod from the same series is also based on footprints found in the same area as the Stegosaur.