“Season’s Greetings, fellow dinosaur lovers! Yes, it is I, Dr. Bella Bricking and my invaluable assistant and companion Beth Buildit, back once again to celebrate the holidays with you!”
“Hiya, folks. Sure hope 2021 was kinder to all of you than 2020 was. Suffering studs, did that year ever bite. Well, except for the outcome of the election–“
“Ah ah, let’s strive to remain on topic here, Beth! Today we shall be examining set 75939, Dr. Wu’s Lab: Baby Dinosaurs Breakout. Containing 164 pieces, it is the smallest of four 2020 Jurassic World sets (not including magazine polybags) and ties in to the Netflix series Legends of Isla Nublar. And I am most excited about how it contains two all-new dinosaur figures, so let us get right down to business!”
“You’re the doc, Doc.”
“The first of our new dinosaurs is this positively adorable baby Ankylosaurus that measures but a mere 4 cm long from the tip of its tiny nose to the end of its darling little club. Its main colours are beige and dull mint green with sand blue spots surrounding its big black eyes. Note that it is not the individual known as Bumpy, who instead appears in a 2021 set.“
“She is a cutie, Doc. Her feet attache securely to any studded surface and she has a single stud on her back if you wish to have her function as a side table. She’s also got a sculpted beak and toes, horns on her head, rows of keeled scutes on her back, plus that teeny little haymaker you already mentioned at the end of her tail. Although like all small LEGO animal figures, it’s one solid piece without any moving parts.”
“And here we have a juvenile Triceratops measuring 6.5 cm long. Like the Ankylosaurus, it lacks articulation, but at least the limbs are sculpted as though the animal is walking along slowly. Its main colours are beige and olive green with white for its beak and horns and yellow eyes with grey streaks directly underneath them. Also like the Ankylosaurus, there is an alternative version available in a 2021 set.“
“Aw, this one looks so goshdarned cute with its stubby little beak and horns, Doc! It even has ribbing on its frill just like on the big Tric we reviewed all those years ago. The feet peg securely into studded surfaces, but they’re also blocky and practically detailless.”
“And you mustn’t forget the most fun part, Beth! A section of the Triceratops‘ back is filled with a 1×2 brick and a 1×2 plate. By removing these bricks, minifigures like us can ride on the little ceratopsian’s back just like on a LEGO horse!”
“Yeah, that’s pretty cool, Doc. But why’d they even include this baby bottle piece, anyway? Dinosaurs aren’t mammals!”
“A salient and yet at the same time insignificant question, my dear Beth. Now it is time once again for us to construct the set itself!”
“Say Doc, have you noticed how I’m the one who always does the heavy lifting in these build montages?”
“And you do it ever so magnificently, my dear Beth.”
“Aw, thanks, Doc!”
“Here are two very familiar faces: Owen Grady and Dr. Henry Wu. Both of these particular versions were released in 2020 and appear in multiple sets. Grady’s visage alters from smug to irate while Wu’s alters from nefarious to alarmed.”
“Well, here’s the lab, Doc. Not exactly a huge setup, but there’s still a good bit of cool stuff going in here.”
“Including a considerable nod to the original film, Beth. Yes, at one end of the lab is an incubator with a raisable transparent dome and two large eggs resting on brown and green mulch. There is also an articulated robotic arm for turning the eggs periodically. The adjacent monitor screen displays the baby Ankylosaurus along with what is presumably information about its biology.”
“And the lower monitor in the middle of the lab is showing information about an egg. But the larger one above it is showing that there’s power failure happening throughout the park. Plus it looks like two people are about to be mauled or eaten judging from their red colour and the warning signs beneath them. Geez, this place really is a perpetual dump, Doc!”
“Now, chin up, Beth! The next monitor displays information on our other friend the baby Triceratops. Next to it is a large blue viewing glass. And oh dear, judging from the large overhead monitor, our young ceratopsid is in something of a mood!”
“And there’s still more bad news behind the setup, Doc. Namely, that someone has cut one of the big cables on the back on the monitor, which I assume is the reason for the power outage.”
“A most distressing development indeed, Beth. I see there is also a drinking station back here, complete with an attractive golden faucet piece. Plus a few greens for the Triceratops to consume. But whatever is that black lever for?”
“Oh, that’s the action feature, Doc. Pushing down on the lever causes the glass to pop off as if the baby Triceratops just broke through!”
“Bully, Beth, bully! Finally we come to the large work table. Here we have a tranquilizer rifle with extra sedatives, a microscope complete with a Petrie dish, a laptop, a yellow mug, and a large chunk of amber with a preserved mosquito visible inside it. One can only imagine what manner of genetic material will be extracted from it!”
“Well, there you have it, folks. Baby Dinosaurs Breakout is a relatively small but fun set with two dinosaur figures and a lot of neat details. It’s currently retailing for $29.99 Canadian and can be found at pretty much any store or chain that sells LEGO. And settle down there, little gal!”
“And so we come to the conclusion of yet another one of our annual yuletide reviews, my dear Beth. We wish all of you the very best in 2022. Be brave, be strong, be kind, and be patient. Our struggles have not ended yet, but we will get there. Beth and I believe in you. Happy Holidays!”
“Here’s to that, Doc. Be sure to get your booster the first chance you get, folks. And if by chance you still haven’t been vaccinated at all against COVID-19 yet, then for Pete’s sake, do it already!”
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Someday I’d like to see what Lego could do with a non-licensed dinosaur series.
The 2012 DINO series, which Beth belongs to, was basically Jurassic World without the license. Other than different colours, it was basically the exact same theme with various capture vehicles and a large holding pen. I don’t see LEGO doing another such series until some time after the JW well dries up.