“Hello, my fellow dinosaur lovers. Dr. Bella Bricking here once again, as well as the indispensable Beth Buildit. As always, we are happy and proud to be here. Happy National Dinosaur Day and Happy Pride Month!”
“Hey there, folks. Hope you’re still holding up strong.”
“Today’s review is an exciting one, for it deals with an animal we have never tackled here before: the iconic Stegosaurus! Behold set 76965, Dinosaur Missions: Stegosaurus Discovery!”
“Stegosaurus, huh? Well, it’s about darned time LEGO tackled that one!”
“Yes, despite the fact that you and I have been reviewing Jurassic World LEGO sets since 2015, the set containing this species was released only last year. It contains 420 pieces and retails for $84.99 Canadian. Although it should be noted that this is not the very first time LEGO has done a Stegosaurus figure.”
“Awright then, let’s get cracking, Doc.”
“The Stegosaurus itself is made up of one head and body section and four limbs. When assembled, it measures nearly 22.5 cm long and stands 11 cm tall at the uppermost plates. Said plates and thagomizer are made of soft plastic to prevent both breakage and accidental injury. They are light beige in colour, while the rest of the animal is olive green and light brown with dark green and white markings and yellow eyes. Unlike with the previous dinosaur figures we have reviewed here, the claws on this one are unpainted.”
“Hey, hold a sec, Doc! Those legs are totally recycled from the Triceratops, aren’t they?”
“Yes, your eyesight does not deceive you, Beth. And it does admittedly detract from the figure’s overall appearance, as it is a well known fact that Stegosaurus had much larger hind legs than this. The head is also noticeably oversized.”
“At least it can grip a standard LEGO bar in its mouth, Doc, like the tip or the leaves of this carrot. And I do mean at least, because there’s no studs anywhere at all on this toy. The legs rotate and that’s it.”
“Astute observations, my dear Beth. Nevertheless, it is good to finally have a Stegosaurus to go with the rest of our prehistoric LEGO menagerie. I have little doubt that this figure will appear again in a future set. Perhaps a Lost World-themed one? Only time will tell.”
“And that’s not the only dino in this set, Doc. There’s also this young Velociraptor, about 4.5 cm long and 3 cm high. Way bigger than the baby figure, but way smaller than the adult one too. It’s light grey with dark grey and blue-grey stripes and yellow eyes, and it’s got a stingle stud on its back.”
“Delightful. And now, it is once again time for us to build. Ms. Buildit!”
“So here’s the two minifigures, Ben Pincus and Sammy Gutierrez, both wearing their outfits from Jurassic World: Chaos Theory. Sammy comes with a camera and a magnifying glass and Ben comes with . . . a literal carrot and stick. And like most JW minifigures, their heads are double sided. Sammy goes from opened mouth grin to confident smirk and Ben goes from smiling to scared. I dunno, I don’t watch the cartoon, but these look pretty good as far as minifigs go.”
“And here, my dear Beth, is something I know you will be most enthused about: Ben’s personal combined conveyance and residence.”
“You mean this van? Yeah, it’s pretty swell, Doc. Unlike the model in the cartoon, this is equipped with a brush guard, roof lights, and bigger wheels for off-roading. The big crate on the roof can hold Sammy’s stuff and two minifigures can sit side by side in the front, including us!”
“Only do mind the speed limit, Beth, if you please.”
“Chill out, Doc. Now, the roof and rear wall open up to reveal a bed with a small table and decals on the walls showing storage lockers and what look like conspiracy notes. Also, pulling out the entire floor section reveals . . . something weird underneath.”
“I say! Is that supposed to be a bathtub or perhaps even a jacuzzi, Beth?”
“Looks like it, Doc. Apparently it hasn’t been shown in the cartoon, at least not yet. Don’t ask me what the point of it is. I guess the designer just wanted to add an extra play feature.”
“Well, it is important to maintain one’s personal hygiene while travelling, Beth. The van also features a hitch at the rear for attaching a trailer. Said trailer is a small mobile lab with a flip-up radar dish, a microscope with a translucent smooth round brick for an amber fossil, and a monitor showing a scan of the Stegosaurus.”
“Somehow, Doc, I doubt that that equipment is hardy enough to withstand being towed behind a van in the wilderness. Anyway, here’s a campfire with a hollow log for sitting on. Only watch where you put your hands, because there’s something living inside it!”
“I shall keep that in mind, Beth. Here too is a dinosaur nest containing one intact egg and a recently hatched one. And note that both of these small builds have clips at one end . . . “
“. . . so you can attach them to this big ol’ tree, Doc. A hollowed out tree at that. There’s an attachment at the back for the ladder on the side of the van, plus a railing at the top. Guess it’s a makeshift observation post.”
“And note that there is a heart carved into one side of the trunk with the initials for Claire and Owen. Plus there is even an adorable little squirrel for good measure!”
“Yeah, that critter better watch out for the raptor.”
“Leave it to you to dream up gruesome scenarios, Beth. Now how about giving everyone your final thoughts on this set?”
“Well, it’s pretty good. The tree playset and the van are both fun to build and fun to play with, especially the van. Helps that you can attach other LEGO trailers to it. The minifigures and the little raptor are nice too. The Stegosaurus is a bit of a letdown to me, though. Sure, it looks cool and it’s something fans have been wanting for a long time, but it would have been way cooler if it had come with all-new leg pieces and a swinging tail like the one on the Ankylosaurus from 2020. And maybe some studs on the sides since they couldn’t be placed on the back.”
“As always, your forthright assessment is appreciated, my dear Beth. Nevertheless, I think most of our dinosaur lovers will rather enjoy playing with this set. It is currently available wherever LEGO is sold. And that concludes our latest review. We will see you all in December!”
“Hang in there, folks. Keep them elbows up.”
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