Jurassic World

Carnotaurus Gyrosphere Escape

The Carnotaurus is the whole reason to buy this, and honestly, that's plenty.

Brick Rated Score

3.7/5

Set 75929 · 2018

Pieces577

Minifigs3

Year2018

Set number75929

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The verdict

The Carnotaurus is one of the best big dinosaur figures LEGO had made up to this point, and the first time I posed it mid-roar over the gyrosphere I completely forgot I had reservations about the rest of the set.

The truck, the trailer and the lava-rock station are fun in the box but flimsier and rougher round the back than the price tag suggests. If you want that horned predator for your shelf, this earns its place. If you are hunting for the best value in the Jurassic World line, look harder. Best enjoyed as a dinosaur set that happens to come with vehicles.

Best for: Jurassic World fans who want a display-worthy Carnotaurus and will forgive the middling vehicles

The full review

What it is

This is the set built around the Carnotaurus, the horned bull-headed predator that stomps through Fallen Kingdom, and the figure is the reason this set exists. At a glance it reads like the familiar LEGO T. rex, but pick it up and you realise almost every element is new: the ridged back and tail, the twin brow horns, the stubby little arms that are even smaller than the rex's. The head sculpt got me. It has real menace when the jaw is open, even if the resting expression is a touch goofier than its famous cousin. Around it you get a raised truck with a two-seat cab and a control trailer, a gyrosphere with a launcher, and an overgrown station with an exploding lava-rock function. Three minifigs round it out: Owen Grady, Claire Dearing and Franklin Webb, plus a baby dinosaur tucked in the nest.

The catch

I have to be straight with you about the value, though. At its original 79.99 dollar price for 577 pieces, this is not a set you buy for the brick count. A big chunk of that money is the dinosaur, which is fair enough, but it means the vehicles and scenery feel thinner than the number on the box implies. The build is also surprisingly brittle for a play set, and the design attention is lopsided. Everything faces forward. Turn the truck and station around and you are looking at exposed blue Technic liftarms and hollow supports holding the tree up, which is a shame when the front looks so good. The truck itself perches so high on its wheelbase that it tips into slightly comical territory.

Who it's for

If you love Jurassic World, or you simply want a fierce, poseable Carnotaurus prowling your shelf, this is worth tracking down and you will not regret it. The dino alone carries the whole thing. If you are a builder chasing clever construction or the best bang for your buck in the theme, this is not the one, and you might be happier with one of the vehicle-and-dino sets that spreads its value more evenly. It is retired now, so you are shopping the aftermarket either way, which nudges the calculation further toward how badly you want that particular dinosaur.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

The build itself moves quickly and is squarely aimed at younger hands, so do not expect the meaty Technic sub-assemblies you get in the bigger sets. The vehicles go together fast, the station is mostly foliage and function, and the standout construction moment is the gyrosphere trailer: LEGO worked out a mechanism that lets the clear ball roll while Franklin stays upright inside it, which is oddly satisfying to trigger over and over. The lava-rock explosion on the station is a simple pop-off gimmick, fun once or twice, then mostly decorative.

The real parts draw is that Carnotaurus. It is essentially a new figure from the horns down, so if you collect LEGO dinosaurs it is a must-have mold rather than a repaint. Beyond the dino, the clear round gyrosphere elements are the pieces builders squirrel away, since transparent dome and ball parts are always handy for other builds. There is a good scattering of dark orange and lime foliage too. Just go in knowing the value here is concentrated in one giant animal rather than spread across a rich mix of small useful bricks.

Fun facts

01Almost every part of the Carnotaurus is a new mold rather than a recolor of the existing LEGO T. rex, despite the family resemblance.
02The set launched in April 2018 alongside Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and retired in December 2019, and sealed copies have since climbed well above the original 79.99 dollar price.
03The gyrosphere trailer hides a mechanism that keeps Franklin standing upright the entire time the clear ball rolls forward.
04The station includes an exploding lava-rock function, a nod to the erupting volcano that drives the movie's plot.