Gary Collinson reviews the Raptor Escape, Raptor Rampage and T. Rex Tracker LEGO Jurassic World sets…
With the long-awaited fourth instalment of the Jurassic Park franchise set to grace the big screen this week, LEGO has unveiled its latest movie tie-in products with a range of sets based upon Universal Pictures and director Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World. Which means we’re getting another Chris Pratt minifigure to go with Star-Lord from last year’s Guardians of the Galaxy range, not to mention a whole host of dinosaurs! There are six sets in total, and I’ve spent the last week constructing three of them in ‘Raptor Escape’, ‘Raptor Rampage’ and ‘T. Rex Tracker’.
‘Raptor Escape’ consists of 394 pieces and includes two members of Owen’s (Chris Pratt) Raptor Squad in Charlie and Echo, along with two minifigs in velociraptor trainer Barry (played by Omar Sy in the movie) and an unnamed park vet. The main build is a pen for the aforementioned raptors, which includes a working gate, collapsible observation tower and sliding food tray for some extra playability, and we also get a decent looking (if somewhat large) quad bike, complete with flick firing tranquilizer gun.
If you’re wanting to get your hands on the full Raptor Squad, then you’ll also need to pick up the 324-piece ‘Raptor Rampage’ set, although considering it comes with minifigs for Owen and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire – both of which are exclusive to this set – I’m assuming this one’s going to be near the top of most people’s shopping list anyway. Along with the film’s two leads and an ACU trooper, ‘Raptor Rampage’ includes Delta and Blue, in addition to Owen’s motorcycle and the main build, a mobile vet unit with detachable rear section and a spring loaded tranquilizer shooter.
No Jurassic Park movie – or indeed LEGO line – would be complete without the legendary Tyrannosaurus Rex, and she makes her appearance in ‘T. Rex Tracker’. The largest of the three sets here, it contains 520 pieces, with minifigs for Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofrio) and female ACU officer and another park vet, as well as the main build, the ACU Tracker. A rather odd-looking vehicle (which I’d be surprised to see in the movie), the ACU Tracker is actually a decent enough build and has plenty of functionality, with features such as a firing harpoon gun, detachable motorbike and removable dino cage for trapping the T-Rex.
While the main builds of these Jurassic World sets aren’t bad (the velociprator pen from ‘Raptor Escape’ in particular makes for a very nice display piece), I can’t help but think they’re a bit of an afterthought to the obvious main attraction- the dinosaur figures. Although these use the same molds as 2012’s LEGO Dino sets, they really are rather fantastic – especially the fearsome T. Rex – and while the sets themselves may be a tad on the expensive side, the superb range of dinosaurs and minifigs that come with them certainly help to justify the price tags.
Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.
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