I was rather excited when I first discovered that LEGO had a 3-in-1 Creator set that featured three different dinosaur builds. I was even more excited when I learned that the set retailed for under $15.
The LEGO 31058: Mighty Dinosaurs set contains a total of 174 pieces and includes instructions for three different dinosaurs: a Pterodactyl, a Triceratops, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. There is also a fourth dinosaur that LEGO provides directions for on their website, a Brontosaurus looking thing (check that out here).
Of course, as with all 3-in-1 sets, you can only build one dinosaur at a time - I didn't actually build the online only dino but I did build each of the other three "terrible lizards" so let's take a look.
Before I get to the builds, a quick note on the box and packaging.
The fact that this is a 3-in-1 set is clearly marked on the box (which is good) and you can quite easily see all three models that the set allows you to build. Of course, T-Rex gets star billing (and he is most definitely the "main build" of the set as you'll see), but the other two dinos look alright on the box front as well. I also have to mention that I dig the volcano in the background of the box art, pretty cool and it sets the tone well for imaginative play.
Once you rip open the box, you find three individual instruction booklets (one for each of the three dinosaurs) plus the 174 pieces split into three different (non-numbered) bags. No matter which dinosaur you choose to build first, you'll need to rip open all three bags and spread the pieces out prior to building!
I decided to build each dinosaur in order of my presumed interest beginning with the Pterodactyl.
The Pterodactyl has a movable head (but not a movable jaw which I feel like was a missed opportunity) along with wings that you can pose in a variety of ways. Of course, all three dinosaurs in the set make use of the same selection of pieces so the green color scheme will be apparent throughout the review. That said, the Pterodactyl makes decent use of tan as a secondary color to add a bit of variety to the look.
The Pterodactyl also gets some crazy looking feet and claws, though that red technic pin and gray connector piece is definitely off-putting and ruins what could have been a decent enough back end of the dinosaur.
It should also be noted that the Pterodactyl build leaves a whole lot of pieces from the set unused. I guess that's par for the course in a 3-in-1 (especially for what is ostensibly the #3 build in the set).
Moving on to the second dino in the kit, the Triceratops.
Like most people, I think I prefer the land dinosaurs naturally - my favorite dinosaur as a kid, after all, was Ankylosaurus who definitely wasn't about to take to the air any time soon! The Triceratops in this build is actually quite nice, especially when viewed from the front of the model. The LEGO designers did a nice job capturing the Triceratops' crown and three horn look.
From the side, once again we see the red technic pin (which is still off-putting to me) as well as the large grey ball joint. In addition, the back of the Triceratops' head looks quite poor - the backside of a bunch of plates isn't usually a good look, especially for animals! Finally, I should mention that the two different shades of green on the legs (the front legs being brighter than the hind legs) is kind of weird. I get the limitations from the available parts but the look isn't great.
Once again, the Triceratops doesn't use all of the available parts, but it does do a bit better job of part usage than the Pterodactyl.
That brings us to our final build of the model - and the main build: the mighty Tyrannosaurs Rex.
Let me get this stated right away: No matter what you think of either of the other two models this set is worthwhile simply for the T-Rex build. No question about it.
The T-Rex is highly posable which makes him perfect for play (or for display). His jaw opens and closes (and I love the many teeth in his mouth)! His little tiny arms are adorable (and movable) and his strong hind legs can also be moved. Finally, you can position his tail in a number of ways to help T-Red maintain his balance. I even found the small included dino skeleton cute - and it works well since the designers needed the pair of large bones for the Triceratops' horns in the second build!
Overall, I didn't care much for the Pterodactyl build but I did kind of like the Triceratops. However, the T-Rex is definitely a winner and it makes the entire set worth picking up. Heck, for under $15, I'm tempted to buy another copy of the set and maybe make the Triceratops to have a couple of dinosaurs to display together!
Overall, I give the LEGO 31058: Mighty Dinosaurs set the following rating:
The Bottom Line (out of 10):
Fun: 10
Play Value: 10
Kid Value: 10
Adult Value: 5
Overall: 10
This set is clearly aimed at kids and not adults (there aren't any minifigures or overly interesting pieces included) but it's absolutely perfect for what it is. In fact, I'm guessing any dinosaur loving adult will find plenty of value in the set (I know I did, for example)! For kids, this one is a slam dunk. Three different dinosaurs to build means lots of opportunities for play (and building) and each dino can be posed in different ways to complement play even more. Even better, all three builds are fairly strong - only things like horns and claws are likely to pop off under normal play conditions which is important for a set designed to be played with! I don't give a lot of 10/10 ratings on sets but this one undoubtedly deserves such a score based on fun, price point, and replayability.
The LEGO 31058: Mighty Dinosaurs set contains a total of 174 pieces and includes instructions for three different dinosaurs: a Pterodactyl, a Triceratops, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. There is also a fourth dinosaur that LEGO provides directions for on their website, a Brontosaurus looking thing (check that out here).
Of course, as with all 3-in-1 sets, you can only build one dinosaur at a time - I didn't actually build the online only dino but I did build each of the other three "terrible lizards" so let's take a look.
Before I get to the builds, a quick note on the box and packaging.
The fact that this is a 3-in-1 set is clearly marked on the box (which is good) and you can quite easily see all three models that the set allows you to build. Of course, T-Rex gets star billing (and he is most definitely the "main build" of the set as you'll see), but the other two dinos look alright on the box front as well. I also have to mention that I dig the volcano in the background of the box art, pretty cool and it sets the tone well for imaginative play.
Once you rip open the box, you find three individual instruction booklets (one for each of the three dinosaurs) plus the 174 pieces split into three different (non-numbered) bags. No matter which dinosaur you choose to build first, you'll need to rip open all three bags and spread the pieces out prior to building!
I decided to build each dinosaur in order of my presumed interest beginning with the Pterodactyl.
The Pterodactyl has a movable head (but not a movable jaw which I feel like was a missed opportunity) along with wings that you can pose in a variety of ways. Of course, all three dinosaurs in the set make use of the same selection of pieces so the green color scheme will be apparent throughout the review. That said, the Pterodactyl makes decent use of tan as a secondary color to add a bit of variety to the look.
The Pterodactyl also gets some crazy looking feet and claws, though that red technic pin and gray connector piece is definitely off-putting and ruins what could have been a decent enough back end of the dinosaur.
It should also be noted that the Pterodactyl build leaves a whole lot of pieces from the set unused. I guess that's par for the course in a 3-in-1 (especially for what is ostensibly the #3 build in the set).
Moving on to the second dino in the kit, the Triceratops.
Like most people, I think I prefer the land dinosaurs naturally - my favorite dinosaur as a kid, after all, was Ankylosaurus who definitely wasn't about to take to the air any time soon! The Triceratops in this build is actually quite nice, especially when viewed from the front of the model. The LEGO designers did a nice job capturing the Triceratops' crown and three horn look.
From the side, once again we see the red technic pin (which is still off-putting to me) as well as the large grey ball joint. In addition, the back of the Triceratops' head looks quite poor - the backside of a bunch of plates isn't usually a good look, especially for animals! Finally, I should mention that the two different shades of green on the legs (the front legs being brighter than the hind legs) is kind of weird. I get the limitations from the available parts but the look isn't great.
Once again, the Triceratops doesn't use all of the available parts, but it does do a bit better job of part usage than the Pterodactyl.
That brings us to our final build of the model - and the main build: the mighty Tyrannosaurs Rex.
Let me get this stated right away: No matter what you think of either of the other two models this set is worthwhile simply for the T-Rex build. No question about it.
The T-Rex is highly posable which makes him perfect for play (or for display). His jaw opens and closes (and I love the many teeth in his mouth)! His little tiny arms are adorable (and movable) and his strong hind legs can also be moved. Finally, you can position his tail in a number of ways to help T-Red maintain his balance. I even found the small included dino skeleton cute - and it works well since the designers needed the pair of large bones for the Triceratops' horns in the second build!
Overall, I didn't care much for the Pterodactyl build but I did kind of like the Triceratops. However, the T-Rex is definitely a winner and it makes the entire set worth picking up. Heck, for under $15, I'm tempted to buy another copy of the set and maybe make the Triceratops to have a couple of dinosaurs to display together!
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| You get a few extra pieces in the set but otherwise the T-Rex build uses up all the pieces in the box. |
Overall, I give the LEGO 31058: Mighty Dinosaurs set the following rating:
The Bottom Line (out of 10):
Fun: 10
Play Value: 10
Kid Value: 10
Adult Value: 5
Overall: 10
This set is clearly aimed at kids and not adults (there aren't any minifigures or overly interesting pieces included) but it's absolutely perfect for what it is. In fact, I'm guessing any dinosaur loving adult will find plenty of value in the set (I know I did, for example)! For kids, this one is a slam dunk. Three different dinosaurs to build means lots of opportunities for play (and building) and each dino can be posed in different ways to complement play even more. Even better, all three builds are fairly strong - only things like horns and claws are likely to pop off under normal play conditions which is important for a set designed to be played with! I don't give a lot of 10/10 ratings on sets but this one undoubtedly deserves such a score based on fun, price point, and replayability.
I'm with you. Totally considering buying two of these sets and building the Triceratops and T-Rex. I actually have two Amazon gift cards, but I've been waiting for them to drop the 21043 (Lego Architecture: San Francisco) price. If it doesn't happen soon... I'll probably just use them on these sets.
ReplyDeleteFuji: Yeah, you can't go wrong with this set. I also like some of the Architecture sets but you almost have to get them on discount or else they feel like a total rip-off. I have the Trevi Fountain set and the London skyline. I haven't built the London one yet, maybe I'll feature that on the blog soon!
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