LEGO Jurassic World 76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack review

76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack is the biggest LEGO Jurassic World set so far this year and, as a result of embracing its mad premise, is probably the best.

The Jurassic World movies are absurd and not for many reasons in a good way. That being said, the LEGO Jurassic World theme has shown time and again how embracing the absurdity in just the right way can make for a great LEGO set.

So, in the one corner we have Giganotosaurus, a huge, green, finned T. rex-like creature, and in the other corner Therizinosaurus, with long neck, feathers and huge talons. Put them together within the confines of a large dinosaur genetics laboratory and you have not only a nightmare for spellcheck, but a bizarre premise that manages to create one of the most entertaining and ridiculous LEGO Jurassic World sets so far – 76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack.

--- Set details ---

Theme: LEGO Jurassic World Set name: 76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack Release: April 17, 2022

Price: £114.99 / $129.99 / €129.99 Pieces: 810 Minifigures: 6 Dinosaurs: 2

LEGO: Available now

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76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack is the flagship set for the wave of tie-in LEGO Jurassic World sets for the upcoming movie Jurassic World: Dominion. While the films themselves leave so much to be desired by so many (according to the box office, most of us went to see the first two), the LEGO sets are usually quite masterful for giving you exactly what you want from a LEGO dinosaur set. That is, when they aren’t hit by budget issues often created by such giant moulded dinosaurs as the two included in 76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack.

Pleasingly, then, 76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack avoids feeling like either massive dinosaur included has impacted value, and that’s despite it being the most expensive set from the 2022 range of Jurassic World sets, as the only one north of £100 / $100 / €100. There are other high-priced Jurassic World sets such as 76948 T. rex & Atrociraptor Dinosaur Breakout that do underdeliver as a result of including big, moulded dinosaurs, but 76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack still manages to offer all the size, scale and play that you would want from a set at this price.

The headliners in the set remain the two dinosaurs and importantly they are both fantastic in size, colouring, detail and all-round appearance, playing off each other nicely for what we would anticipate is some conflict, and serving as suitably-sized beasts to cause panic for the six included minifigures dotted around the laboratory and observation tower.

The Therizinosaurus’s large talons are unusual at first glance for their proportions, but are easier to accept in person than the official imagery and box art may otherwise suggest. Likewise, the designs of both creatures are far more intricate than you may realise at first glance, and represent some of the most detailed large-scale dinosaurs that the theme has produced so far.

Once you put the dinosaurs together and attention turns to building the rest of the set, it is initially somewhat worrying that there are only five sets of numbered bags included. However, it’s a misleading appearance as there are close to 800 pieces in there, and indeed while the build may also be relatively simple, it has size and enough detail throughout, reflective of smart LEGO design and efficient parts usage, boosted by a decision to build upwards, rather than in bulk.

That smart design approach in particular translates into the observation tower that sits at an appropriate height in relation to the two dinosaurs, and offers space for a good number of minifigures both inside and out. It’s the sort of construction you don’t often see anywhere in LEGO and makes for an intriguing and new type of building here – it is somewhat dystopian in nature, and also the sort of thing that wouldn’t be out of place in a Star Wars diorama.

The adjacent laboratory also brings height to the table with a two-storey design, and is accented nicely on the exterior with plant decorations and on the interior with various small-but-clever devices and tools you would expect from a dinosaur genetics lab. Importantly, again, there’s plenty of space within the building for the many characters to hide from the giant dinosaurs also included, with enough detailing to ensure that space doesn’t feel sparse.

There’s also a fairly large helicopter included, which is nice in shape and size, particularly for how some of the bodywork comes together to form the overall shape, but at the same time it is rather too big as a vehicle for the tiny helipad on the roof of the lab – it’s great for play, but not great for display.

All told, though, there is the feeling of a lot going on in 76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack and all of it interesting or fun. The dinosaurs bring the character and colour to the set and serve as nice contrasts to the colder nature of the lab and tower, while in size everything plays off each other very effectively.

--- Characters ---

Six named characters are included, five of whom are returning. Old man Dr. Alan Grant headlines the line-up as the exclusive and lives up to his billing, while he is joined by Jurassic veterans Dr. Ellie Sattler and Dr. Henry Wu (though of the three only Wu is credited on the box as a doctor). All three are great designs, all benefitting from respectful and detailed designs to represent their older selves.

Owen Grady and Claire Dearing feel obligatory, while new character Kayla Watts makes for an understated but nicely-designed addition to the collection. It’s a shame that all three, and Dr. Sattler, can be found in cheaper sets, leaving the heavy lifting of this set down to Dr. Grant and Dr. Wu.

--- Price ---

£114.99 / $129.99 / €129.99 places 76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack at the very top of the pile for the April 2022 Jurassic World sets, but for that you get brand new and exclusive dinosaurs, two decent-sized buildings, six minifigures and a large vehicle. For quantity alone the value is there, but for play, display, story and character, this set delivers on so much more than that too.

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--- Summary ---

76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack takes an over-the-top premise and embraces the absurdity and fun of it to create a huge LEGO Jurassic World set worthy of top billing in the latest range of releases.

Every aspect of the set works on an individual level and as part of the wider picture that 76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack creates, as two gigantic dinosaurs clash at a large setting filled with minifigures.

Jurassic World as a film series may frustrate in its pursuit of entertainment sometimes because it overcomplicates what works at a far more basic level. The LEGO Group understands that, takes the simpler approach and the result is great LEGO sets like 76949 Giganotosaurus & Therizinosaurus Attack. With two dinosaurs, two buildings, six minifigures and a vehicle, it's everything you could want, with the scenario clean, clear and just fun.

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