Triceratops Research (Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary by LEGO)

“Greetings and salutations once again, fellow dinosaur lovers! It is I, the one and only Dr. Bella Bricking, along with my trusty and ever-faithful companion, Beth Buildit! And today is a truly momentous occasion, is it not?”

“Yup, sure is, Doc. Exactly 30 years ago, a certain little movie called Jurassic Park opened in theatres worldwide and basically blew up right from the get-go. Ended up grossing a whopping $914 million, which made it the highest grossing movie of all time—till it got sunk by Titanic. It’s a safe bet this blog would be a whole lot emptier without it!”

“Most assuredly, my dear Beth. And what better way to commemorate this day than with a review of one of LEGO’s five special 30th anniversary Jurassic Park sets? Feast your eyes on the 281-piece Triceratops Research! Let us open the box and get right down to work!”

“Well, here’s a blast from the past, Doc. This is the exact same mould as the one we reviewed all the way back in 2015. No changes to the sculpting, same articulation. It was previously reused for Triceratops Rampage in 2019 and for Triceratops Pickup Truck Ambush in 2022. Gotta be honest too, all those other ones had spiffier colours to them.”

“I concur, Beth, however, this one is rather faithful to the ailing Triceratops that appeared in the film. The base colour is milk chocolate brown with lighter brown for the underbelly, claws, horns, and beak. A slightly duller shade of brown is used for the front side of the eppoccipitals and for the osteoderms running along the sides of the torso and tail. The eyes are pale orange lined with black and the many small markings and spots are dark brown.”

“Oh, and one other thing worth nothing, Doc, is that this big gal’s got some serious rage eyes on her. Looks like she’s fully over her tummy troubles and ready to kick some tail. Hey now, cut it out there, you two!”

“There now, that’s much better, isn’t it? Setting a proper example for the little ones!”

“Well, guess it’s that time again, Doc. Let’s get building!”

“Yes, and do you know something, Beth? I would very much like for you to handle the smaller of the two builds in this set. You always work so terribly hard in these reviews; I think it’s high time you took it easy for a change!”

“Wow, thanks a bunch, Doc! Just what exactly am I building anyway?”

*grunt* “So sorry, Beth, I’m a little bit occupied at this time!”

“Hey, hold on a second! Is this what I think it is, Doc?”

“Just look at how perfectly I applied this sticker, Beth!”

“Oh, for crying out loud, it IS what I think it is! Did you know about this the whole time, Doc?”

“Splendid work, Beth, you’ve beaten me by a mile!”

“Yeesh. Anyway, here’s a dirty Ellie Sattler and a clean Ian Malcolm, both with reverse faces. Ellie can either look determined or upset while Malcolm is either grinning or grimacing. Also, Ellie’s got a way better hairpiece than the previous version we reviewed, plus her shirt is a more accurate shade of pink.”

“Indeed, but on a disappointing note, Ellie’s legs are only painted on the front, and with noticeably less detail. And, oh yes, as you saw in the previous image, Ellie comes with a handy spade for conducting her important scientific research.”

”Yeah, scientific research into this, a big ol’ pile of Triceratops !#$*

“Beth, language! But yes, this is indeed a sizeable mound of droppings surrounded by a couple of plants. It is clearly not the gargantuan one that Malcolm wryly commented on in the film, but rather the smaller one that Ellie was shown digging through. The top of the mound can be removed to reveal two pairs of poisonous West Indian lilac berries inside, despite the fact that Ellie was unable to find any trace of them on screen.”

“And don’t forget the little brown frog, Doc. All five of the 2023 Jurassic Park LEGO sets have a frog included in them, just like our ginormous pal from a few years ago.”

“That certainly is a quaint little touch, Beth! And now we come to what I personally consider to be the highlight of this set: a modified 1992 Ford Explorer XLT! The exterior is decked out in the iconic and unmistakable light green, yellow, and dark red with beige interior upholstery and a black brushguard.”

“This really is an impressive job, alright. The brushguard and the roof have the correct number of lights mounted on them, as well as the one mounted on the right side. The wheels have hubcaps with five painted-on holes, the JP logo is plastered on the hood and the doors (which don’t open), and the back even has the official Ford brand and logo. Rolls along nice and smoothly too, Doc!”

“There is one glaring continuity error here, however, my dear Beth. As you can see, this vehicle is labelled 04, but in the film, the occupants of 04 were Tim, Lex, and that ill-fated quakebuttock Gennaro. Ellie, Malcolm, and Grant rode in 05 instead.

“Ah well, what can you, Doc? Anyway, the rooftop comes off easily so that you can put minifigures inside, and store the spade in the back. The vehicle seats four, although it’s a pretty tight fit and we don’t stay attached very well due to there being only one stud per seat. Hands to yourself, Goldy, unless you want to lose one!”

“And there is even a dashboard-mounted interactive computer showing a map of Isla Nublar. I declare, Beth, LEGO certainly spared no effort in getting this vehicle down pat!

“Yup, you can totally recreate scenes from the movie with this ride, Doc. Or slightly altered scenes, if you get my drift!”

“Your penchant for the macabre never fails, Beth. Well, I think this is quite a marvellous set overall that will undoubtedly be enjoyable to build and play with regardless of one’s age. The Triceratops is as fine a figure as ever, the mound of droppings is a delightfully disgusting inclusion, and the vehicle is excellent! But it must be noted that this set does not come cheap. On the contrary, it is rather dear, $64.99 Canadian to be precise. Happily, this set was free thanks to our having accumulated enough VIP points at the LEGO Store!”

“Yeah, say whatever you want about the Jurassic World trilogy (*barf*), but the original Jurassic Park will always be a classic. And I guess now it’s time to say goodbye again, right, Doc?”

“Actually, Beth, we have one more building project to complete. Come along, everybody, to work!”

“And there we have it! Well done, everyone! Happy 30th Anniversary to Jurassic Park! Farewell for now, fellow dinosaur lovers!”

“See you again at Christmas, folks!”