The LEGO® Jurassic World theme has been providing us with some interesting builds. Many of them have been released alongside a new film or TV series. Since the last film in the World trilogy was released in 2022, the LEGO Jurassic sets have experimented with new concepts, including sets inspired by fossilised dinosaurs. The Dinosaur Fossils collection began with a T. rex skull and footprint. This was followed up by a Triceratops Skull. For the latest addition to the range, things have been supersized. The third Dinosaur Fossils set revisits the Tyrannosaurus rex but expands beyond the skull to include the entire T. rex skeleton. It’s the biggest LEGO Jurassic World set to date, and here’s a closer look at this massive new set.
Product Details
Set Name: Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus rex | Set Number: 76968 | Pieces: 1760 | Theme: Jurassic World
Number of Bags: Bags x 24 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: N/A | Characters: Alan Grant & Ellie Sattler
RRP: £219.99/$249.99/249.99€/399.99AUD/329.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online and LEGO Retailers from March 12th (Insiders) March 15th (General)
Countless species of dinosaurs have been discovered, and everyone has their favourite, but one has a very special place in many people’s hearts. In 1993, cinema goers were invited to take a trip to Jurassic Park. As things go slightly wrong during a tour of the park, the T. rex breaks free, and we soon learn why they were one of the most feared prehistoric hunters. Lovingly dubbed Rexy, the T. rex even survived a trip to Jurassic World. The enduring appeal of this particular dinosaur has seen it inspire several LEGO Jurassic sets, including a brick-built model and the aforementioned dino skull. The latest set to be inspired by Rexy is the biggest yet.
As mentioned, this is the third set in the LEGO Jurassic World series dubbed Dinosaur Fossils. The set was released in early 2024 and featured a similar style version of a T. rex skull, along with a fossilised footprint. The concept was revisited earlier this year with the Triceratops Skull. This featured a brick-built Triceratop skull and a fossil kit. Both sets mounted the skulls on a display stand with an information plaque. Although far, far bigger, the latest addition to the range includes similar traits to its smaller counterparts.
Similar to dinosaur skeletons displayed in museums, the build begins with a stand/display base. As the T. rex appears in skeletal form, it needs something to support it. The stand is themed and features a few fun Easter Eggs. Dotted around the rock-clad stand are chunks of fossilised amber, and there is even a mosquito suspended in a brick of amber. The other Easter Egg is hidden beneath a panel and shows a partially uncovered T. rex skeleton. The stand features two platforms, upon which the skeleton’s feet will eventually rest, along with two tall columns. These will support the rest of the skeleton. The stand offers a decent balance between being minimal and being substantial enough to support the weight of the skeleton. I also like that it’s not overly reliant on Technic pieces. It’s mostly constructed from System bricks. This allows the stand to feel a little more ‘natural’ and not just being there as a tool to hold the skeleton.
The stand is merely a perch for the skeleton. You build the body section separately to the stand, and it simply slots onto the two columns with a couple of pins. The core section of the rib cage holds an amazing Easter Egg. As explained by Mr DNA in Jurassic Park, to create dinosaurs, InGen scientists replaced missing strands of dino DNA with frog DNA. Inside the long beam, which becomes the core of the rib cage and the point of connection with the stand, you’ll find a frog. Better still, it’s seated behind a steering wheel. This incredible secret is soon hidden away by it’s a fun thing to discover during the build process.
Once this section of the body is complete, it’s placed on the stand, and the rest of the skeleton is built on it. There are the two large rear legs. These are also built independently of the body and slot in it. The two rocky areas found on the stand become perches for them to rest on. They are only kept in place by an axle rod, and this is merely to keep it aligned. Although connected to both the body of the skeleton and the stand, the legs only add little support; most of the work is still done by the stand’s two columns.
The T. rex is famously known for its tiny front arms. These are awkwardly added by something best described as a boney necklace. A strip section spans around the front of the skeleton’s ribcage. It clips to each side of the ribcage and features two tiny arms. It looks odd however, it’s how the arms are found on a real T. rex skeleton. The bony shell which represents the ribcage is quite simply achieved. A series of different-sized sections slots into the section mounted on the stand. Thankfully, almost all of the various connection points are made from brick yellow elements, so the set doesn’t suffer from the awkward sections of oddly coloured elements being used.
At the other end of the skeleton is the tail. This is what gives the skeleton its impressive length. The tail almost doubles the overall length of the set. The tail is built in sections, which slot together and are held in place with a pin. This gives the tail a little flexibility but not enough to curl it closer to the body, so you’ll need a big space to display the set.
The final section of the skeleton is the head. Essentially, this is almost the same as the T. rex skull features in the first Dinosaur Fossils set released in 2024. It does require a little more building than the earlier set to allow it to connect to the rest of the skeleton. This is done via a new ‘supersized’ connection joint. This hefty new element is strong enough to support the weight of the head and also allows it to be positioned in various ways. The new element does the job of holding the head, but it does offer limited side-to-side movement, which is a shame but a necessity. I quite like that the head is almost an exact match to the smaller set, as it makes the collection of three Dinosaur Fossils sets feel like a connected series of sets.
Once complete, you are met with an impressive LEGO creation. It’s visually impactful not only through the sheer size of the set but also how well it comes together. Larger LEGO builds can often suffer from various issues, such as awkwardness putting it together, easily knocked off sections or iffy-looking connection points due to stock element colours. Thankfully, those issues are not present in this set. Even the stand has been incorporated into the build in an easy but visually pleasing way.
With the skeleton complete, the last thing to build is the display plaque. This includes a tiny dig site being worked on by original Jurassic Park characters Dr Alan Grant and Dr Ellie Sattler. Both offer unique versions of the character and are based on their appearance during the dig site scene. It’s a nice little addition to the set and officially ties it to Jurassic Park, despite being a Jurassic World set. The information plaque matches the style used in the T. rex and Triceratops skull sets, and it’s a printed piece.
If it hasn’t been made clear, the set is massive. The impressive build will make an impactful display piece, providing you have the space to house it. It’s clear someone saw the T. rex skull set and thought it would be great if the rest of the skeleton was included. The result is a wonderful example of how versatile LEGO elements can be and how a long-running theme can keep things fresh by experimenting beyond mere playsets. It does have limited posing options, but that’s an acceptable payoff for a stable, solid build. The LEGO Jurassic World Dinosaur Fossils Tyrannosaurus rex set will be available to Insiders members from March 12th.
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The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Universal. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
