LEGO Dinosaur Fossils 21320 Building Set (910 Pieces)

This build was surprisingly interesting and intricate. When I first saw it in the store I was a bit sceptical, but I had heard good things about it and decided to give it a try. I really took my time on the first build because I wanted the experience to last a while, but it could easily be completed faster. It would have been nice if the name plates were printed pieces instead of stickers, I think the value of this set is quite high, but this is a display piece only. There is very little play factor as the models are built into the stands and can be somewhat brittle. For the price it is an excellent set

The absentee mood of Christmas and the advertising blitz I had been bombarded with for days culminated in me dropping 600 dollars on Legos on boxing day, because that is what is good for mental health, treating yaself. It had been years since I had bought a Lego, only 2 modular buildings back in 2013, the Cinema and the Parisian Restaurant, but a good decade since my childhood Lego obsession. Back then, it was a crazy consistent stream of Lego toys; Power Miners, Bionicle, Agents, Atlantis, Knights Kingdom, that brief shining year when Dino Attack came out and my mind exploded when I had awesome Lego dinosaurs which still have yet to be matched in size, and inevitably Star Wars. With a pent up need to spend that cash money, I funneled that desire into Lego sets, deciding upon 3, this one being one of them. The dinosaurs themselves look quite impressive once completed, their tails and heads are adjustable, and the T-Rex's tiny arms too. It's quite interesting to see the merging of Bionicle joint elements with bricks. The T-Rex also looks the best of the 3, the Pterodactyl getting the short straw on the impressive factor for sure. While there's some particularly clever uses of bricks in this, it wasn't ever challenging, more my inebriation being a challenge than the instructions. With the conclusion of building this though, I am eager to build my other 2 far larger and more nuanced sets, with a lot more flare and play factor I suppose. Not that I play with Legos, I just display them and spray the Air in a bottle stuff on them to blow the dust away. Of course, once the next 2 sets are built, and there being a brand new Lego store less than 5 minutes drive away from me, it wouldn't be doubtful of the next impulse purchase being a modular building, or whatever might be in stock. Next build is also the Bookshop, a modular building and a legitimate impulse purchase cause it was the only building left when I was there. This is why being an adult is great cause my impulse purchase is more expensive than my planned one.

This was my first foray into an advanced set for myself rather than my kids., and I'm very pleased with the results. I decided to spread out the building over the course of a week, and I imagine you'd need to spend at least 3-5 hours to build all three. The building experience is satisfyingly challenging, but never too complex. However be warned that some parts are quite fragile, so I'd recommend against building it with young kids as parts are prone to fall to pieces. The resulting models are really impressive, especially the T-Rex which absolutely towers over our previous "mighty dinosaurs" kit. The set also opens up a lot of possibilties for creative building thanks to the huge variety of bone-like pieces included. At my son's request I've already used the pieces to make a dipolodocus skeleton, and am currently working on a skeletal dragon. My only criticism is that I was a bit disappointed to find the models are built so that the feet and legs are integrated into the displays. I had thought they were dettachable, allowing for more freedom for playing. However, my sons and I still had a good time using them as the centrepiece for a Lego Natural History Museum! The inclusion of the skeleton, paleontologist, and box of tools and items is also a nice touch for imaginative play.

Wow, what an amazing set. I had seen this set announced, but have only just bought it to give me something else to do during Crisis Lock-Down! The builds are incredible. I made one creature a day over three days. The last and most challenging was the Tyrannosaur, and this took just over 2 hours. The level of detail is amazing, and i love the Paleontologists box of bits and pieces. I would thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in dinosaurs. Come on Lego, please can we have Fossils #2 (Brachiosaur, Icthyosaur, Stegosaurus???)