Three years after Jurassic World: Dominion closed the book on two generations of scientists and park staff, the franchise is back with a new cast, a new director (Rogue One‘s Gareth Edwards), and, most importantly, a new island full of deadly dinosaurs to escape from in Jurassic World: Rebirth. In advance of the film’s debut this July, LEGO is releasing 6 sets, with the biggest of them all being LEGO Jurassic World Rebirth 76976 Spinosaurus & Quetzalcoatlus Air Mission. The playset packs in two large dinosaur figures, four minifigs, two vehicles, and a substantial ruin that doubles as a dino nest and brings big Adventurers energy. It also sports the biggest pricetag yet for a Jurassic playset. This epic Air Mission is available on June 1 and can be pre-ordered now for US $159.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £139.99. Is it worth a braving a detour to InGen’s lost island to pick it up? Let us be your guide.
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. The colors are shared with each of the inGen vehicles, so perhaps that’s the inspiration. Each set also features a realistic Spinosaurus in the right corner, suggesting the infamous dino will play a big role. The front of the box shows all of the characters, dinos, and vehciles in action poses, as well a portraits and names of the characters.
The back of the box mixes up the scene to see other angles of the contents, with insets showing off the play features.
Slicing the tape and lifting off the box lid, we find 7 numbered paper bags, 2 paper bags with Spinosaurus parts, a plastic bag with dino parts and a dark tan plate, a bag for the instructions and stickers, and a loose Quetzalcoatlus body.
The instructions are split over three booklets, one each for the truck, helicopter, and ruins playset. The instructions don’t include any of the bonus material you’d find in an 18+ set, which is the norm with LEGO playsets for younger builders, but it still would have been nice to have some dino facts. The sticker sheet contains 14 stickers, which is reasonable considering the size of the set.
The build
Bags 1-2 are dedicated to an InGen flatbed truck, some tracking equipment, ScarJo’s new minifig, and the Quetzalcoatlus. We’ll cover characters and dinos later, but first the build. Before we start on the car, we assemble what appears to be a refrigerated crate for holding syringes of dino DNA. Officially there is one syringe each in yellow and grey, but you get a spare of each. Moving on to the car, the chassis a a fairly straight-forward construction at six studs wide.
The second bag finishes off the truck and adds the six wheels. The Jurassic Park logo and truck console are both printed with the remainder of decorations being stickers. There’s room for two minifigures to sit somewhat inelegantly inside.
Bag 3 is dedicated to a compact helicopter. The vehicle’s controls include a printed console and a steering yoke made from a bucket handle. Moving along, the chopper gets a pair of stud-shooters and struts. Cupcake elements are cleverly used as stabalizers.
Finally we construct the rotor and add a Technic tail. This chopper seats just one minifig. It seems like every Jurassic playset line needs a mini chopper, and this one is a bit smaller while adding some new build techniques, like the struts.
With the vehicles and dinosaurs out of the way, it’s time for the main attraction: the ruins! On to bag 4. We start off with the foundations, mixing earth and stone, and water. SNOT bricks on the front allow for some assymetrical rockwork and a menacing row of teeth. We also add a fun geode and a skull for atmosphere.
From there, we build up with a pair of dark grey BURPs. A matching set of jaws looms over the opening. By the time we conclude bag 4, we have a fairly substantial entrance that wouldn’t feel out of place in the Adventurers LEGO line.
Bag 5 focuses on one of the set’s main play feature – a set of boobytrap spikes. What was John Hammond thinking when he designed deathtraps inside his already-ludicrously dangerous theme park? Maybe this is just a toy thing. In any case, the spike mechanism swings to eviscerate unlucky trespassers. A technic gear ratchets the trap into place, while pulling a chain releases the spikes. A rubber axle connector makes the mechanism nice and responsive.
The remainder of the bag bulks up this layer on top of the trap mechanism and adds a bit of foliage to the entrance.
Let’s see that trap in action. Remember, the penitant man is humble.
Next we move on to the wings of the ruins. Behind one wall there’s a large sticker of petroglyphs, which I’m guessing is a playful addition courtesy of LEGO’s graphic design team and not a reference to the film. There’s also a 1×1 “amber” brick with a printed mosquito, a staple piece of the Jurassic sets.
The left side features a waterfall entrance while the right side adds a climbable wall. The kid in me appreciates the multiple approaches, especially a secret waterfall entrance!
Once the two side modules are completed, they snap on to the gaping maw entrance. It certainly looks like a thrilling backdrop for adventure, like something out of an Indiana Jones story. Or considering this is a theme park, maybe the queue to an Indiana Jones ride!
Our last two bags are dedicated to the second floor of the ruins. Here we bring in the large plate fron the unnumbered bag. The ruins integrate olive green profile bricks and assorted pearl gold elements in various states of decay. A nest in the center of the platform holds a quetzalcoatlus egg.
Two larger chunks of stonework are delicately connected by a single stud with a lever positioned underneath to cause more dino chaos. Here’s the other play feature of the ruins in action:
The dinosaurs
The stars of any Jurassic set are the enormous molded dinosaur figures. This set comes with two!
First we have the Quetzalcoatlus, a pterosaur of the late Cretaceous. This mold has appeared once before with the Quetzalcoatlus Plane Ambush set from Jurassic World: Dominion, but the color is new. Last time it was white, but this time the creature is sand blue with dark orange markings. The only articulation points are the jaw and the wings, which can swivel and flap. You can pose the dino standing upright or in flight position. As with the last release, there is no printing on the underside of the Quetzalcoatlus.
The scale of the Quetzalcoatlus is impressive, being significantly larger than other pterosaur molds. The lack of articulation at this scale makes it a bit awkward for posing with the model, as aside from attaching to the highest point via the belly, there’s no space for it to perch. Also, the mouth can snap closed or open, but there’s not enough tenshion to pose it with something in the mouth. I wanted to have the beast hold a minifig in its mouth, but it just won’t do. maybe some texture inside the beak/mouth would have helped make the bite more… bitey.
Our other dinosaur is the Spinosaurus, a brand new mold for a species that hasn’t been seen in LEGO form since 2001. Believe it or not, the Spinosaurus debuted in 1371 Spinosaurus Attack, one of the first ever Jurassic sets released by LEGO as part of the Studios line. The new mold bears little resemblance to its ancestor as so much has evolved in LEGO’s approach to large animal molds since then. The new model is composed of eight pieces, with a ball joint for the neck and Technic pins for the remaining joints.
The arms are the same mold used for the Allosaurus and the leg molds have appeared before on large Therapods. The body, head and tail are all unique, with the large dorsal fin giving the figure an impressive silhouette. The tail is two molded elements, rigid at the base and and rubber towards the narrower tip to prevent breaking and/or gouging.
The minfigures
For the first time in a decade, we have an all-new cast of characters in a Jurassic film, so looking at these figs, I have nothing to go on but the trailer.
Based on casting, the two biggest draws are Zora Bennet, played by Scarlett Johansson, and Dunan Kinkaid, played by Mahershala Ali. The characters are cover-ops mercenary types, so their unique printed torsos should make them quite appealing to builders looking for miltary designs. Zora’s head has an upbeat face and an intense one. No scared face for ScarJo! Duncan sports a beret that doesn’t cover the back of his head, so he only gets one neutral expression. Zora has leg printing on the front for extra cargo pockets.
Our other two characters are Martin Krebs, played by Rupert Friend, and Dr. Henry Loomis, played by Johnathan Bailey. As the former is a pharmaceutical rep, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that his intentions aren’t entirely pure and that he winds up dinosaur chow, even if he is sporting a seductively unbuttoned shirt. Dr. Loomis looks decidedly unseductive in his sporting vest. Both characters have back printing and sport an alternate face. Krebs’ can look suave or constipated, while Dr. Loomis can look calm or slightly spooked. Krebs has leg printing of a belt and pouch.
The finished model
In the latest Jurassic film, the heroes require DNA from three especially large and dangerous species found on inGen’s backup island. This playset is based on the team’s attempt to get Quetzalcoatlus DNA from the pteroraur’s nest. With a two story ruined temple, complete with waterfall and booby traps, two vehicles, and two very large dinosaur figures, this is a substantial playset. As the film won’t be out for another two months, I don’t know how it compares to what we’ll see on screen, but as a toy, it’s a great mix of play features and accessories to role-play any number of adventures.
Play really is the name of the game here. The ruins find a good balance between functionality and display presence, but this is clearly a set made for kids and kid-at-heart grown-ups.
Conclusion and recommendation
This set fills my heart with nostalgia and joy. It’s the ruined temple set piece that sells it. The structure could easily slide into the Adventurers or Indiana Jones theme, and having menacing dinosaurs there just makes it more delightful. The building techniques aren’t at the level of the more sophisticated Ninjago temples or Monkey Kid dioramas, but there’s enough detail to spark the imagination. I much prefer an epic jungle adventure set piece like this to another containment compound set.
For a set with two vehicles, the offerings here are decent but not exceptional. The chopper is a fun design but the rotor blade feels way too thick at this scale. The truck interior is sparse – a space to jam your figures inside of rather than something to keep for display. (The Jeep set in the Raptor Attack set fares much better in this regard).
As with all Jurassic sets, you’re paying a pretty big tax for those custom dino molds, to the tune of roughly $25 a pop. If you’re not excited by adding these dinosaurs to your collection, it’s hard to recommend a playset at this steep a price point. That said, if you’re a fan of jungle exploration in the tradition of Johnny Thunder, there’s still a lot to love about these ruins. Buy it for the dinos. Love it for the adventure.
76976 Spinosaurus & Quetzalcoatlus Air Mission contains 984 pieces and releases on June 1. You can pre-order it now for US $159.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £139.99.
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.
Check out our full gallery of pictures:
Might be random, but what is “A rubber axle connector makes the mechanism nice and responsive” for the swinging down spike mechanism?
Sometimes LEGO play mechanisms are finicky and loose – this one uses the rubber element to maintain tension when the trap is set. The function was reliably consistent. Nothing revolutionary, but well-executed.
I like the two small vehicles, with their consistent colour scheme and “Thunderbirds” type numbering.