Dinosaurs are a perennial favourite of the LEGO® Creator range, with no fewer than 18 sets released since 2004, and the latest 31151 T.Rex brings us several alternatives: new brick-built T.Rex, Triceratops and Pteranodon models to put together. But wait. This combination of dinosaurs has appeared in the same box before: in 2017’s 31058 Mighty Dinosaurs – (and its colour-swapped alternatives77940 and 77941), a 174-piece Creator 3in1 set that has been diligently moving off the shelves since 2017. If nothing else, this demonstrates the popularity of Brick-Built dinosaurs, even in the setting of great-looking (but expensive)moulded models from the Jurassic World saga.

This model is part of the latest(June 2024) wave of LEGO Creator 3in1 sets and has 626 pieces. It has a recommended retail price of $AUD89.99/$USD59.99/€59.99/£54.99. Thanks to the LEGO Group for sending this set for an early review.

But perhaps the most intriguing matchup with the options in this set released in recent years is 21320 Dinosaur Fossils – a LEGO Ideas set from 2019 that features skeletons for each of the dinosaurs depicted in this new set. Let’s take a closer look at the models in this set and compare them against the models present in 21320 and what is involved in putting them together.

The Parts (Note: These Pictures are Incomplete)

The Knoller in Chief has once again laid out the elements. You might be surprised to discover that the set includes a large number of olive green and earth green elements with a few filler colours to boot – particularly tans. The 2×4 45º ridge slope, which also drops one plate in height along its length, is not new, but this is the first time I have held it in my hands in real life. There are six in this set, There are a variety of other slopes and wedges included in this set, including 1×2 x2/3 slopes; stafford slippers and wedged 1×2 curved slopes. Many of the dark and olive green sloped and wedges are new recolours in this set. there is also a solitary bright light green lightsaber blade. For reasons I am sure will become apparent towards the end of the build…

Now…Unfortunately, while building the set, I got carried away: Each leg has parts in a seperate bag, and I may have been caught up in the flow of the build…and I failed to photograph the second tray of parts before I used up the bag of parts for the second leg. This also bodes well for the set design and building experience. There are also several friction joints, as we have seen featured in various large-scale mechs in recent times.

The Build:

T.Rex

I started with the hero build. The first bag starts simply enough and builds up with a collection of SNOT elements pointing outwards: The base is tan, and we build up through olive green through dark green. There is a 10-stud-long Technic brick on each side, and part of the friction click elements for the hip is attached here.

The second bag began independently of the first, and it was not entirely apparent which part of the creature was under construction. A few SNOT Brackets (upwards and downwards) provide a surface to which plates and tiles can be attached. Another click circle joint is attached at one end – the opposite side to a large ball joint – These are attached to some Technic bricks, which are attached to the torso module from the previous bag. It turns out this was the neck of the dinosaur.

We cover up the ‘tail end’ of the torso with layers of wedge plates. Dark green arches form part of the articulation surfaces. the neck is capped off by a dark green 4×4 curved slope/double wedge. We also place the first dark green recolour of the 2×45º slope. At each end, it has a cross-section of a 2xn roof ridge. But there is one plate difference in the height – front and back. The ends of this slope are cut vertically to allow them to fit in between regular bricks.

The bag finishes up by placing olive plates on the outward-facing studs on the torso – these are covered by dark green 2×2 2/3 curved slopes – with angled wedges on each end.

We follow up with the construction of the tail: a ball joint at the tail end of the torso, while a curved arch below that hinge prevents the tail from sagging completely.

I appreciate the graded colour from the dorsal to the ventral surface, with Earth Green (the really dark green) on top, olive green in the middle and tan underneath.

Moving onto the legs. The hips are built up around the circular joint with a double connector peg, this is covered over by some dark green curved slopes. the knees have a fixed position, but the ankles have a limited range of movement. The toes have slight splaying, thanks to the use of 1×2 curved plates.

We finish up with the T. Rex’s head and arms. It packs a lot of elements into the space. The jaw is filled with lots of teeth. Lots and lots of teeth. I am impressed, ultimately, by the lightsaber handle being used for the eye of the dinosaur. The arms are, as is obliged, comedically small, but we do have articulated shoulders, wrists and fingers. The head is attached via a ball joint. We add a nest containing a couple of eggs as a small side build.

The model stands up well and looks appropriately ferocious. the overall articulation is awesome and alows for some great play opportunities. The double articulated hip joints – rotation and turning in and out -allow for various poses for the creature. I came to pull the set apart to tackle the other two builds, and I was impressed that this set took me the better part of an hour to dismantle completely.

Triceratops:

The next build in the series is the triceratops. It is not a bit smaller. Again, the body ranges from gark green to olive green through to tan. colour blocking coincides with the shape of the body. The arches are now utilised to form the creature’s snout, and a beak is completed with some inverted curved arches. Ankle articulation is reduced to simple ball joints front and back. The leading edges of the rear thighs are the double-slanted slope that we previously discussed, giving the front of the back legs a dynamic appearance. The horns are added to the front of the creature’s face, creating an impression of a creature that you would not wish to cross. This was a satisfying build, but it did not feel quite as satisfying to me as the T. Rex.

Pteranodon

The final build is also the simplest of those provided in the set. This model has a small body, while most of the building effort goes towards the legs. There is some evidence that these gliding reptiles might walk on all fours while on land, with the ‘hands’ acting as front feet. In this situation, the wings fold upwards at the distal ends. the full wingspan is close to 45 studs across, making it larger than every pteranosaur previously offered in the LEGO range. It was also quite stable, and posable. It only used around half of the pieces from the set.

Bringing ideas to life.

As I set about assembling this set, I started to think about other sets that come with a T Rex, Triceratops and Pteranodon. While the smaller ‘Mighty Dinosaurs’ offered the same mixture, they were nowhere near the detail of this set, and it felt foolish to compare them. And then an Idea hit me. I opened the cupboard of shame, and there it was: 21320 Dinosaur Fossils from the Ideas range in 2019. It was balanced somewhat precariously and tumbled out, striking me on the head in the progress. This set came with all three of the creatures represented in this set. And they could all be built at once. So, I got the box out and built them.

Ideas sets can be really interesting builds, particularly the ones that go in directions that regular sets have never gone before. I was quite surprised (pleasantly) by the techniques and the neat parts usage demonstrated in this set.

Side by Side

I was amazed to see how well the Creator T Rex stands side by side with the T. Rex fossil in the Ideas set: they are approximately the same length, the head of the fossil is very slightly larger, while the Creator set has more teeth. In fact the torso is essentially the same width: about 4 studs in the ideas set, around 5 in the creator. which is essentially the rib cage plus skin. Otherwise, the legs are close to the same length, the neck is a little more posable in the new version, but only just.

It is uncanny how close these two sets are in scale.

The Triceratops is perhaps a little less perfectly scaled. Still, given the licence involved in extrapolating the actual structure of a dinosaur from a fossilised set of bones, I feel this model is still pretty on point.

The Pteranodon model is much larger than the corresponding fossil, and I feel this allowed the model to contain a much greater level of detail compared to that afforded by the scale of the fossil version.

What about other brick-built dinosaurs?

There have been other brick-built dinosaurs in the last few years: the 75936 Jurassic Park T. Rex Rampage was released in 2019 and, with over 3000 pieces, contained one doozy of a dinosaur. So, how does this new beast compare with that behemoth?

I caught up with my Friend Steve, who happened to have that T. Rex on display at home. So we put them out on the same background to compare them…here they are, along with Mighty Dinosaurs.

The 75936 T. Rex Rampage T. Rex is huge! It measures 70 cm long, compared with this new creator 31151 T. Rex at 43cm. Apologies for not getting the tape measure onto the smaller model, 31058.

And here they are with the LEGO Ideas T Rex Fossil, along with the pre-moulded T. Rex from Adventurers Dino Island and the Jurassic Park Franchise sets.

My thoughts

This was a really satisfying build: the dinosaur models are sizable but not impractical to display. There is a lot more substance to this set than to most of the Jurassic World sets, especially at this price point.

The cheapest set to contain a moulded T. Rex is the $USD49.99 T. Rex Breakout from 2022. with 140 pieces, it is a 4+ set.

Personally, I love any non-IP creature building set, and 31151 T. Rex does not disappoint. Each model is substantial, but the Pteranodon trails a little behind the other two presented here. The hero model is highly posable, with the movement at the neck and head allowing a significant level of posability and expression within the build.

The detailing in the colour of the dinosaur hide is fantastic, particularly when compared to 2022’s 76956 T. Rex Breakout. This is part of the luxury of scale afforded by this larger model. Indeed, you could criticise that masterful set because the T. Rex is perhaps a little out of scale with the minifigures – almost feeling smaller than it should be. Excuse me while I fix it.

The recolouring of the ridge slope creates an effective line along the dinosaur’s spine. The articulation at the hip is quite effective, allowing the legs to turn from slight internal rotation to moderate external rotation.

But, it was the easy comparison with the Ideas Dinosaur Fossils that left me most impressed. The T.Rex models in each set appear to be designed at a similar scale, allowing a ‘before and after’ look at the dinosaurs across the epochs:

As a parts pack, the set is rich in Earth Green, Olive Green and Tan elements, with a smattering of other colours included for good measure. With tiles and a good number of wedge plates, to say nothing of a large collection of 1×2 curved slopes, I suspect you would be able to create several other dinosaurs with the elements present in this set, to say nothing of the options for landscaping.

I am happy to give this set 4.5 arbitrary praise units out of 5: we get several substantive builds with some interesting techniques, to say nothing of a fairly consistent colour palette. In short, I really enjoyed the build, and after building the pteranodon, i went back to rebuild the T. Rex!

But I’d love to know your thoughts. Is this Creator 3in1 set for you? Or one to leave on the shelf? Why not leave your thought below. The set goes on sale through LEGO.com on Jun 1, although you might find it sooner in stores. It contains 626 pieces and a recommended retail price of $AUD89.99/$USD59.99/€59.99/£54.99.

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Until Next Time,

Play Well!

Creator 3in1 31151 T. Rex was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes, as we some others in the past. All opinions are my own.