“Ho, ho, ho there, fellow dinosaur lovers! Yes, it is I, Dr. Bella Claus, at your service once again! And where would I be without my loyal and trusty steed, Bethdolf?”
“I told you not to call me that, Doc!”
“Oh, come along, Beth, you were the one who refused to wear the elf hat again. Now, for this year’s Holiday Special, we will be looking at a 198-piece set released in 2021 and based on Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. I give you: T. rex Dinosaur Fossil Exhibition!”
“Bwah? T. rex Dinosaur? What, as opposed to T. rex Mammal? Or T. rex Fish? How about T. rex Mollusk? Or how about—“
“Your point is duly noted, dear Beth. Let us now commence the building process!”
“Well, here’s a face that frankly I’m bored of seeing over and over, Doc: Owen Grady, with the exact same double-sided head and same outfit he’s had in 14 sets now. Meh.”
“Chin up, Beth. Here too is Darius Bowman, the plucky protagonist of Camp Cretaceous. He is immediately recognizable by his yellow jacket and raptor tooth necklace. Like Owen, he also features a double-sided head with a confident expression on one side and a perturbed one on the other side.”
“Aww, and here’s a critter I’m happy to see again: a baby Triceratops just like the one we covered here last year. Has the same yellow eyes and white horns and beige underbelly, but with greyish-blue replacing the olive green. Oh, and also a flat 1×2 plate on its back instead of a studded one. Don’t they look cute together, Doc?”
“They certainly do, Beth. Next we have an information kiosk complete with an overhead lamp, a dinosaur egg, a tooth or a claw (it’s up to you decide which), a plant sample, a labelled illustration of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, and a pointer for good measure. And here also is a simple but sturdy pedestal with studs for attaching a skeletal mount and a display sign which depicts a fleshed out T. rex next to a minifigure, an approximate date of 68 to 66 million years ago, and the United States. Although it must be noted that, since T. rex has been found in Canada and possibly Mexico as well, it would have been more accurate to depict the entire continent of North America instead.”
“And here’s the real star of the set, Doc: a T. rex skeleton! It’s mostly made up of beige bricks, but there’s lots of black and white ones too, plus a few light and dull brown ones. Measures about 30 cm long when standing in a typical horizontal T. rex pose with the tail straight and the head facing forward.”
“Remarkable, Beth! And as you can plainly see, the head is reused from previous LEGO T. rex figures, but it has been carefully painted to resemble a skull. Black is used for the nares, antorbital fenestrae, orbits, and lateral temporal fenestrae, and I must say that it does look more than a little unsettling!”
“I like it, Doc. The rest of the skeleton is made up of all kinds of different bits and bricks and those handy dandy joint pieces used in Creator sets. Although it’s not exactly accurate to the real deal, is it?”
“Absolutely not, Beth. Indeed, there are so many inaccuracies that it would take up several paragraphs to summarize all of them. But we mustn’t be overly critical given the size and price point and of this set. What matters is that this certainly does look like a dinosaur skeleton, and unmistakably that of a T. rex.”
“And more importantly, Doc, it’s a heap of fun to play with! The head has the exact same range of motion as always. The arms raise outward at the shoulders and the hands can grip accessories. The tail’s jointed in five places. The toes and feet pivot a little. And the legs have universal joints at the hips and the ankles, so they can bend and rotate quite a lot! You can get waaaaaaaay more poses out of this skeleton than the actual T. rex figure! And it holds together pretty well too, although you don’t want to be dropping it on the floor!”
“Wise counsel, Beth. Yes, my overall assessment of this LEGO set is that it is rather unique compared to other Jurassic World sets and also highly enjoyable to build and play with. It is currently available wherever LEGO is sold, although given that it is a 2021 release, it is likely to be discontinued in the near future. Best to act promptly if you wish to acquire one for yourselves, fellow dinosaur lovers!”
“And with that, Doc, we wrap up yet another year. Cheers to that. And how about passing me one of those biscuits?”
“Of course, my dear Beth. 2023 promises to be a most exciting year for fans of both LEGO and Jurassic Park, as it will be the film’s 30th anniversary! In the mean time, we wish all of you our sincerest Season’s Greetings! May you be safe, healthy, and above all, happy!”
“See ya next time, folks. Peace.”
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These reviews are a tradition I’ve come to look forward to every year, even if I don’t collect Lego.
My dad got a dinosaur LEGO set: an owl to assemble. He collects owl stuff, mainly figurines, or mugs, banks, etc
Such a fun review, it was a blast to read. Thank you!