Giant Moa (Yowies Lost Kingdoms Series A by Cadbury)

The largest bird today is the Ostrich, and this is owing to it’s flightlessness. The recent past, however, provided greater flightless giants. One such came from New Zealand, in the form of the South island Giant Moa, Diornis robustus, with females able to reach up to 11ft 10″ if they stretched up, being 6ft 6″ on a horizontal plane. Sadly, these giants would be wiped out when the Maori found the island, as these titans had slow reproductive cycles and provided great deals of meat, and they were hunted to extinction. Only one official company has produced a model of this species, that being Yowie. Let’s see how they did!

To the figure! This is small figure, as with most Yowie models, being 2.3″ high and 2.4″ long, not really meeting the ‘giant’ part of the name, but oh well. Could be a youngster. The pose is the traditional upright pose, which it could do, but wouldn’t do constantly. The neck and legs have some movement, so you can alter the pose, though this will need a flat surface for it, as it will unbalance it. The colour is a mix of brown and orange with a little yellow on the beak and grey legs, Not bad, likely more colourful then in reality, pushing towards the idea it may be a youngster.

Accuracy is really good here, aside from the slightly too colourful appearance. The small head and bushy feathers are here, the lack of wings and overall build are present. Brilliant, no issues!

Yowie did a great job with their Moas, giving fine examples of the group. I am happy to have this besides my Upland moa (review here), as it does show everything the moa was, albeit in kid friendly colours. I do recommend it as the easiest (and currently only official way) to get a model of the species. It is discontinued, so eBay is your best option. Happy hunting!