Over the past 24 hours or so, the internet has been ablaze with photos and discussion about some of the latest LEGO leaks for a pair of popular IPs (Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones). While I won't rehash everything that's already been shown by those more "in the know" I did want to highlight a couple of the leaked sets that I found interesting.
Let's start with the lone Indiana Jones set that I could see myself potentially purchasing: #77015: Temple of the Golden Idol.
This is a gorgeous looking diorama-esque set that comes with 4 minifigures and a number of built in action or play features. I love the overall design aesthetic here even if the Indiana Jones franchise wasn't one that ever particularly interested me.
Moving on to a franchise that has interested me a lot over the years: Jurassic Park. More specifically for the 2023 releases, the original Jurassic Park! LEGO is releasing a number of new sets based on the original Jurassic Park but there are there that stood out to me for various reasons beginning with the first official LEGO set that I'm aware of that has a huge brick-built mound of poop in it.
That's set #76959: Triceratops Research and it is a loving homage to the scene in the original movie where Dr. Ellie Sattler goes diving into a giant pile of Triceratops poop to try and figure out why the beast was ill. I also love the fact that the jeep is included in this set (though I don't love the reported $50 price tag)!!
Another set that interested me is #76960: Brachiosaurus Discovery.
I've long yearned for a LEGO "long-neck" for my custom Jurassic Park set-up but at a reported $85 price tag for only 512 pieces this set has a steep markup for what's basically a single dinosaur (with a funky looking neck) and a tree that I don't love the design of. The Jeep seems like a throw-in here in that there are similar vehicles (albeit with different color schemes) in the other new Jurassic Park sets from the same line-up.
Finally, I couldn't help but take a look at the largest Jurassic Park set in the line-up, #76961: Visitor Center: T-Rex and Raptor Attack.
Weighing in at 693 pieces, this is the largest set in the lineup by about 180 pieces. Unfortunately, this is also the most expensive set in this year's lineup as well (reported price is $130). There's certainly a lot of fun to be had with this particular set but man...that price point is tough to swallow!
Overall, I can't seem to get past what appears to be much-too-high prices for what you actually get in each set. Yes, I get that the big chunky dinosaurs are a bit more expensive to produce but most of the dinos in this series are old molds with new printings (the exception being the Brachiosaurus, of course). I won't say that I'll avoid the entire lineup but if I'm being honest it sure feels like I've been priced out of collecting the LEGO Jurassic Park/World sets anymore. Maybe I can pick up a brachiosaurus alone on the secondary market?!
I've watched two different Indiana Jones reviews, but hadn't seen the Temple of the Golden Idol set until this post. It's gorgeous and probably the only Indiana Jones set I'd actually consider purchasing. The only problem is the price tag. I think things have officially gotten to the point where most Lego sets I'm interested in aren't worth the price tag. Not saying I won't buy Legos anymore. But the days of placing a $150 order to get a special gift with purchase is over. I think the one exception will be the May the 4th promotion... unless it's something cheesy.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Jurassic Park sets... I think they look pretty good. But once again the prices are way over the top. I would love to see one of these YouTubers who make tons of money buy three or four of the Visitor Center sets and combine them for a really cool MOC.
I agree with regards to price, definitely feels like I'm being priced out of collecting stuff like this! It's a shame though because I'd love to get my hands on a couple of those dinos for my Jurassic Park set-up.
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