In 2024, the LEGO® Jurassic World theme introduced a new subtheme which focused on the fossilised side of dinosaurs. The first two sets included a T. rex skull, followed by a Triceratops. Last year, the concept was expanded to offer a complete skeleton of the T. rex, and now it’s the turn of the Triceratops. Like Tyrannosaurus rex, it’s inspired by the original Jurassic Park films. So the skeleton is joined by another Jurassic Park character in minifigure form. Here’s a look at the Dinosaur Fossils: Triceratops set.
Product Details
Set Name: Dinosaur Fossils: Triceratops | Set Number: 77985 | Pieces: 1154 | Theme: Jurassic World
Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Sticker: n/a | Minifigures: Dr. Gerry Harding
RRP: £89.99/99.99€/$109.99/149.99AUD/154.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers from June 1st
The build begins with the display platform, which holds the various parts of the Triceratops’ skeleton. This is themed to match the environment where we first met the Triceratops in the first Jurassic Park film. In addition to making it a little more interesting to look at, the base of the platform serves as an anchor point for two columns. These Technic structures hold a long section of bricks, upon which much of the body section is added. Most of the elements used are sand yellow, but among them are various black and grey pieces. These are elements which only come in select colours. Yes, they stand out, but they are less annoying in this type of set, as real skeleton displays often use similar connections.
The legs are mounted separately to the body, but are positioned to give the impression they are all part of one skeleton. Some smaller sections of ‘bone’ are added to areas around the legs to help hide the joints. One of the trickiest aspects of the set’s construction is positioning all of the rib bones, legs and feet. The instructions do a good job of showing where these sorts of pieces should sit, but they are a little awkward to get perfect.
The final section of the build is the head. This is different to the smaller Dinosaur Fossils set from last year, but is still nicely detailed. I especially like the eye area, which uses Black Panther ears to highlight the eye socket. There’s also a frog hidden in the mouth of the skull. This is a fun nod to the use of amphibious DNA to help bring dinosaurs back to life. There is another secret hidden within the base of the set. But I’ll leave that for you to discover if you pick up the set next month.
The focus of the set may well be the Triceratops skeleton, but it also includes an exclusive minifigure. During an iconic scene in the first Jurassic Park film, Dr Ellie Sattler meets a sick Triceratops and discusses its condition with park vet Dr Gerry Harding, and it’s this character which as finally become a minifigure. This includes a Jurassic Park-branded cap and shirt. He’s also sporting a pair of Aviator shades, a gold torch and a medic kit. It’s nice to have another Jurassic Park character in minifigure form.
Dr Harding can be displayed on a small scenic platform, which also includes a printed display plaque, offering details about the Triceratops. The minifigure display stand can be fixed onto either side of the larger platform.
Although the scale of the T. rex skull set was used as the basis of the larger T. rex set, the Triceratops skull set is much bigger than the skeleton. But that smaller scale does mean the set offers a much lower price point than the T. rex, and it’s just an impressive-looking set. This set and the others in the subtheme offer much more impressive build experiences than the play-focused sets. Plus, they do make wonderful display pieces. The LEGO Jurassic Park Dinosaur Fossils: Triceratops set will be excavated on June 1st and can be pre-ordered now.
The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts in this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Universal Pictures. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of it
