With a new Jurassic World movie coming out this summer, it’s no coincidence that LEGO has just released another set in their Jurassic World/Jurassic Park line. And while this set does include adorable Minifigures of Doctors Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler, it stands alongside the other, smaller Dinosaur Fossil sets like the Triceratops Skull and T. rex Skull.
The Jurassic World Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus rex, set #76968, is a 3,145-piece LEGO set that includes 2 Minifigures. When assembled, the T.rex skeleton stands 13″ tall, and a whopping 41.5″ long. That’s just shy of 3 1/2 feet! The set retails for $249.99, and is available at LEGO stores or on the LEGO webstore.
The set comes with 25 bags of bricks, as well as a Jurassic Park plaque. There are three instruction books included.
In a nice nod to the Jurassic Park movies, the backs of each instruction book also indicate the number of the book:
In the first few pages of the first instruction book is the usual background information for the set:
As I mentioned, there are only two Minifigures included in this set, Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler.
The first instruction book covers the assembly of the base, and the T.rex spine.
Here’s what things look like at the end of the first instruction book:
There are some fun details to be found in this first stage of assembly. Situated among some rocks on the base is this specialized brick of a prehistoric mosquito caught in amber:
In Jurassic Park, it’s revealed that scientists were able to extract dinosaur DNA from prehistoric mosquitoes.
There’s also a baseplate on one of the sides of the base. This plate is hidden, but can easily be found by removing the rock it lies behind.
Finally, in a delightful hidden Easter egg that sadly will never be seen again once the set is constructed, there is a frog behind a steering wheel that is found in the center of the spinal column. As a reminder, in the movie Jurassic Park, the scientists used frog DNA to fill in the gaps in the genetic codes for the dinosaurs. This also disastrously allows for the dinosaurs to mate.
The second instruction book covers the legs, arms, and ribcage.
Here’s how things should be looking at the end of the second instruction book:
The second instruction book has pretty straightforward assembly, with no hidden details.
The third book covers the assembly of the tail and head of the T.rex, as well as the Minifigures.
In this final stage of the assembly, you create a diorama for the Minifigures, complete with a Jurassic Park plaque. This diorama, which is of a fossil dig, can either be attached to the base of the T.rex, or displayed separately.
And finally, here’s the finished Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton:
Even though this is another 18+ set, I found the Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus rex to be a fairly straightforward assembly. The only time that I truly had to be careful was in putting together the tail pieces, as you can easily pop off a vertebrae spur when you’re connecting the multiple jointed segments. Other than that, the build will pleasantly hum along until you’ve got a completed model.
And what a completed model this is! It truly looks like a dinosaur skeleton. It’s sheer size not only contributes to its realistic look, but it’s a truly impressive display piece. Of course, the downside to something that big is finding a place to put it. But seeing as LEGO has made other, larger sets (the Eiffel Tower springs to mind) , this may not be an issue for LEGO enthusiasts. Just make sure you’ve got someplace to put the set once you’re finished.
I loved the little Easter eggs that call back to both the Crichton novel and the original Jurassic Park movie. It’s those little details that make LEGO sets like this one such a pleasure to build.
If you’ve got the room for this set and love dinosaurs, you’re going to be very happy with the LEGO Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus rex. In my opinion, it’s the next best thing to having an actual T.rex skeleton. Despite the overall monochrome look of the finished set, there’s a lot of variety in the assembly, so you’ll have a good time putting it together. And fans of Jurassic Park will love all those little hidden details.
For more information or to make a purchase, head to the LEGO webstore!
Disclosure: LEGO sent me a set for evaluation, but had no input into this review.
Source: geekdad.com