Every new Jurassic movie adds at least one new dino species or hybrid, and this summer’s Jurassic World: Rebirth looks to be no exception. But the franchise also loves bringing back the original MVPs – T.Rex and Velociraptor – who, like Godzilla, have become the heroes as much as monsters. Each of these legends gets its own set in LEGO’s line of Rebirth sets in the form of 76972 Raptor Off-Road Escape and 76975 T. rex River Escape. The sets contain 286 and 199 pieces, respectively, and will be available on June 1. You can pre-order now for US $39.99 | CAN $44.99 | UK £29.99 (Raptor) and US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99 (T.Rex). 32 years after Spielberg and co turned them into stars, does this dino duo still shine?
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
The box and contents
All sets in the Jurassic World: Rebirth line feature new branding that pairs the familiar Jurassic logo against red and black framing with a realistic Spinosaurus roaring in from the right corner. A stripe along the bottom names the characters and dinos in each set.
The back of the box shows the contents from a different angle with insets showing the play functions.
Raptor Off-Road Escape contains three numberd paper bags, while the two instruction manuals, sticker sheet, and raptor body are all loose in the box. T.Rex River Escape also has 3 numbered bags as well as a plastic bag containing T-Rex parts and liferaft and a loose T.Rex torso. Three instruction books are stored ina paper envelope. There are no stickers.
The build
We kick off Raptor Off-Road Escape by snapping the jaw onto a clever girl, and assembling a outcropping of jungle foliage for her to hide behind.
More than just scenery, the hedge contains a built-in play mechanism to stage your own jump scares.
Bags 2-3 are dedicated to building the InGen Jeep in signature brick yellow, dark grey, red, and black. The Jurassic logo on the hood is a printed slope with the remaining details applied as stickers.
While the building techniques aren’t too complicated (it is rated 6+) the Jeep is quite detailed and well-proportioned. A tranquillizer gun snaps to the side and a separate tracker module can be stored in the rear of the vehicle.
T. rex River Escape begins with a pair of mini vehicles. In addition to oars and a spotlight, the raft includes a small frog friend. The ATV is a very familiar site in Jurassic and other action playsets for younger builders and could easily have been a polybag vehicle.
Bags 2-3 are dedicated to a decrepit shelter along the riverbank. First we assemble a small pier and a launching mechanism for the life raft. Next we move onto the shelter. Inside is a countertop with a coffee mug. Two of the wall segments are designed to break away should the T. rex decide to do a little rampaging. A nougat-colored spider clings to the outer wall. Is it a reference to the upcoming film or just a bonus critter for the kiddos?
The two sections snap together via technic pin.
The lifeboat clips onto the rocks and a hidden lever pops it off for a quick getaway.
The dinosaurs
The raptor model used for the Rebirth sets is the smaller design previously used in the Atrociraptor Bike Chase. While most past raptors have had moveable arms and legs, the limbs on this smaller model are fixed, with the only articulation being its jaw. The raptor sports a new color pattern with stripes along the back and blue spotting on the face. It’s somewhat disappointing that the claws aren’t printed, but the atrociraptor didn’t have that either.
Arguably, the bigger star of this Raptor escape – albeit a tiny one! – is the baby aquilops. This tiny ceratopsian dino is a single element with excellent printing on the face legs and tail.
The T. rex escape comes with one dino model, the big girl herself! The T. rex is built from 8 elements and uses the same mold we’ve seen in other recent sets from Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. The colors are new to this set using muted earthy tones.
As with the raptor model, the claws aren’t printed a different color, and the the teeth are made the same brick yellow as the lower jaw to avoid having to color them separately as well. It’s a minor downgrade to the most reliable dino of the franchise.
The minfigures
Each set comes with two minifigures and all are exclusive to their respective set.
Raptor Off-Road escape comes with dad Reuben and daughter Isabella. Reuben wears a frumpy red top that is fairly non-descript and unflattering. The legs are printed. Isabella’s pink top has a cute design with what looks like a soaring pelican (a reference to the last shot of the first film?). Each character sports back printing in the form of clothing folds, as well as an alternate scared facial expression.
T. rex River escape features Teresa Delgado and Xavier Dobbs. Knowing nothing about the films, I’m guessing these two young adults find love in a dino crisis. Teresa is wearing an oversized top with a colorful print that is hanging off one shoulder, showing a bit of the neckline. Xavier’s is showing even more skin with a completely unbuttoned top. Each has back-printing with clothing wrinkles. Both minifigs are given shorts by printing a strip of flesh tone across the legs. Teresa’s face options are a smirk or a smile, while Xavier can exude confidence or grimace in fear.
The finished models
The centerpiece of Raptor Off-Road Escape is the detailed Jeep model, which hearkens back to the off-road vehicle from the first film. The raptor’s jungle hiding spot isn’t particularly display worthy, but the jump scare play feature is a lot of fun. The new Velociraptor mold and baby aquilops are the smallest dinosaurs of this wave.
Rated for 5+, T. rex River Escape is a simple set of minibuilds to anchor exciting role-play with the beloved Tyrannosaur. The building is little more than a façade, designed to break apart easily, and the vehicles are built from just a handful of parts each. For a lucky child, there’s a lot to play with. For a builder or collector, it’s a rather humble offering, dino aside.
Conclusion and recommendation
Jurassic Sets have always walked a line between appealing to younger kids looking for action play and older kids and AFOLs who are here for the amazing dino molds and unique minifigs. For Jurassic World: Rebirth there are no 4+ explicitly branded for the youngest builders, but rather the simpler sets are folded into the overall line so these sets – especially the T. rex River Escape – are pulling double duty as generalist sets and entry points to dino role-play.
Raptor Off-Road Escape is definitely the more interesting build, featuring an excellent Jeep style vehicle with iconic colors and nice display presence. The patch of jungle with the jump scare mechanism is fun and the baby aquilops is wonderful. At $30, or even its original $35 price point, I would recommend the set for any dino fan. After the initial announcement, LEGO raised the US pricing to $40, making the value proposition much dicier, especially given the smaller and unarticulated raptor.
With T. rex River Escape, you’re paying a hefty surcharge for the T. rex model and the life raft. If you’ve never paid attention to Jurassic sets before, a $50 sticker price for 200 parts might seem unreasonable, but the price is quite in line with past sets and this is actually the cheapest way to acquire a T. rex with this mold. The downgrade in printing detail is a small disappointment. Ultimately, it’s not a bad playset at all for a lucky kid, but the least exciting set of the line for collectors and builders.
76972 Raptor Off-Road Escape releases on June 1 and can be pre-ordered now for US $39.99 | CAN $44.99 | UK £29.99. You may also be able to find it on Amazon and eBay.
76975 T. rex River Escape releases on June 1 and can be pre-ordered now for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99. You may also be able to find it on Amazon and eBay.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
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