I think it’s fair to say that almost everybody loves dinosaurs. They are these giant mysterious creatures that walked the Earth an almost incomprehensibly long time ago. They feel like mythical creatures, something dreamt up in a story.
It’s no surprise that LEGO approved the Dinosaur Fossils Ideas set. It’s a platform designed for flushing out great ideas for LEGO sets. Dinosaurs are a great idea.
LEGO and Dinosaurs aren’t a new combination but this approach is something different. Here we don’t get clone dinosaurs or time travel. No, we get the dinosaurs how we see them today – as bones on display for our wonder.
Should you buy it?
If you are an AFOL looking for a gorgeous display piece then yes, you should. If you are looking for something for a young kid to play with I’d opt for the Jurassic World sets instead.
21320 Dinosaur Fossils features 3 main display pieces, plus a few extra.
Pteranodon Longiceps
If you want to get all technical Pteranodon Longiceps was a pterosaur and not technically a dinosaur. It’s probably not going to bother anybody other than the fussiest of palaeontologists.
Overall this is the weakest of the three main builds. It’s not bad by any means but it just isn’t as big or impressive as the other two builds. You’ll be able to knock this one out pretty quickly and when you are done it’s more likely to be a case of “That’s neat” than “Damn that’s awesome!”.
Triceratops Horridus
The triceratops is certainly one of the more well known dinosaurs in popular culture. They have an iconic appearance with their three horns and large head plate. They are presented as the gentle giants of the dinosaur world, big pointy cows essentially.
The triceratops model is awesomely done. I am not qualified to comment on the scientific accuracy of it but I can certainly say that it seems to have all of the bits you’d want/expect.
The head has got three horns and the head plate is nicely sized and detailed.
The body contains a lot of cleverly built details such as the ribs, which are attached to a “THILL FOR GIG” element to give them the correct angle and positioning.
There is a lot of articulation included in the neck and tail of the triceratops, allowing you a bit of flexibility in terms of display.
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Arguably the most famous of the dinosaurs. You can’t have a set that includes multiple dinosaurs and not include the T-Rex.
It’s not a surprise that this is the biggest and most impressive of the three fossils. Pictures don’t really show how impressive this is once completed. It’s awesome.
Again I don’t know how accurate it is but there is still a lot of great detailing. I particularly love the skull, it’s just scary looking.
In terms of articulation you can open or close the lower jaw, allowing you to give it an intimidating roar. Ball joints allow for the forelimbs to be positioned as you please. The tail also includes multiple points of articulation.
Palaeontologist & LEGO Sapiens
Rounding out the set is a minifigure palaeontologist and a “LEGO Sapiens” skeleton on a display stand. The palaeontologist minifigure is great with a very suitable looking outfit. He also comes with a crate with a bunch of accessories such as a random dinosaur egg, book, mug and some tools.
The LEGO Sapiens is a cute little bonus. The dinosaurs are all built to 1:32 scale, so while it may not be exact the skeleton should give you a close approximation of how big the dinosaurs are compared to a person.
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Overall I really love this set. It’s just a great display piece. Part of me thinks it could be better with a different dinosaur instead of the Pteranodon Longiceps, but that would push the price further. As it stands now I think the price is just about right.
The biggest issue with price is that it’s going to be hard to find on sale. Myer have it listed online but they almost always exclude Ideas sets from sales. There is always LEGO online but again you are going to pay RRP – the right GWP and VIP points might make this a better option though.
This article features affiliate links. This set was provided to me by LEGO at my request. Opinions are my own.
We need a Modular Museum to store and display these fossils! Or a Jurassic Park Visitor Centre!
A modular museum. I’d love to see that. BTW, I got this set for 15% off in shop at Toyworld. Just got to be lucky to find the sales, I suppose.
You should have a look at this one: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-11989/InyongBricks/10214-tower-bridge-alternative-build/#comments.
I have built it and worth the cash.
Another yes. These really do look realistic, and I thought this was $100 well spent. Did wonder though why they are white and not tan/bone, I assume this is because not all the required pieces were available in tan?
Great review and I really love this set.