Lego Jurassic Park T. rex Breakout review: "A clear highlight"

No expense has been spared with Lego T. rex Breakout, but that doesn't mean it'll eat up your bank balance or shelf space. As much as we enjoyed 2019’s now-retired T. rex Rampage set, its sheer size (the T. rex itself is roughly the size of a small cat) and prohibitive cost put it out of reach for many Jurassic Park fans. Fortunately, this version - which isn't to be confused with the identically-named 2018 release for younger builders - is a far more convincing alternative. That's because it scales down not only the T. rex, but also the price-point to a far more swallowable amount.

It's got something for everyone, too. As great as Lego’s Jurassic Park kits are, they’re often aimed at the younger end of the market. That's not the case here. While Lego T. rex Breakout can double up as something that kids will enjoy thanks to its posable and intimidating dino (yes, in spite of that 18+ rating), it also looks amazing as a diorama. That's because it’s based on the most iconic moment of the entire series - Jurassic Park’s terrifying T. rex attack. For fans of that 1993 movie, it's one of the best Lego sets around.

How easy is it to build?

T. rex Breakout isn’t the biggest of Lego kits, clocking in at 1,212 pieces. It’s quite a quick build as well, with the entire process taking a little over three hours. Obviously, if you’re the kind of careful builder who likes to separate the contents of each bag by shape and colour before you start then you can expect to add a little more time, but I’m someone who likes to dig in and search through each bag as I build.

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In terms of the actual build, Lego T. rex Breakout consists of nine steps, which are spread across 11 bags. The 220-page manual has some fantastic presentation throughout, with lots of interesting snippets about the film as well as key images from the iconic movie, which often refer to parts of the model like Tim’s night-vision goggles, or the footsteps left by the T. rex as it escapes its enclosure. Hell, it even includes a couple of cups of water that can be found on the dashboard of one of the Ford Explorers. The attention to detail is really quite something, matched only by the Lego Optimus Prime set.

As is often the case with these licensed builds, the manual also includes some commentary from the set’s creators, which further adds to the build’s overall polished nature.

The structure of the process is interesting, as I was expecting to immediately jump in with creating the T. rex, but instead you focus on the undamaged Ford Explorer. It’s an excellent design with a few clever touches as it’s essentially made from three core parts that you fuse together. However, as enjoyable as it was to build, it does highlight the fact that Lego has never commissioned a larger version of the iconic vehicle, which is a real shame.

Anyway. The Ford Explorer is spread across the first two bags and takes roughly 50 minutes to assemble.

Up next is the T. rex, and it’s easily my favourite part of the build. It’s split into three distinct parts: the tail, body, and head. It’s fairly simple to assemble and took me around 40 minutes. 

The final part of the build is equally straightforward, albeit on a larger scale; it's the diorama’s base and requires few fiddly pieces and rather basic build mechanics. Despite the size, it’s fairly straightforward and took me around an hour-and-a-half to complete.

Highlights included assembling the destroyed truck, creating the fence, and constructing the base, which is cleverly put together. The only sourspot was a piece of the railtrack that was missing, although as is always the case with Lego, the piece was replaced quickly at no additional charge.

Design

The eponymous dino is a good example of what makes this Lego T. rex Breakout set work so well; it’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into both its design and scale. As you’d expect, the tail section is full of multi-segmented parts, meaning you can pose it in a variety of interesting ways. And while it's a straightforward build, there’s clever stuff going on here; to be precise, it has some interesting SNOT (studs not on top) building. 

True, it's not perfect. Sadly, as with the tail, the body doesn’t do an amazing job of hiding the grey joints that are used for various parts of the build, and it’s disappointing that stickers have been used for the T. rex’s menacing eyes. But it doesn’t really distract too much once the diorama is finished. 

The end result is an excellent-looking model, which is surprisingly poseable and, sizewise, is in line with the moulded T. rex that Lego has already released. It’s a clear highlight of the diorama and was a lot of fun to build, especially with the Jurassic Park soundtrack playing in the background. 

While we're on the subject of the diorama, that in itself is crammed with fun details. It comprises a second, largely-complete Ford Explorer that's been overturned by the T. rex, the destroyed fence, and various neat touches ranging from the railtrack which the Explorers move on, environmental additions like water and foliage that's even more lush than the plants seen on the Lego Horizon Forbidden West: Tallneck base, and a pair of stomping great T. rex footprints. 

Just be aware that it also comes with a lot of stickers (something I’m never a fan of) and they can be quite tricky to apply, requiring you to add them to the Explorer’s side doors, bonnet, and the vehicle’s rear. 

However, they are neat fan service. As an example, there's an additional sticker that represents the touchscreen CD-ROM drive found inside each Explorer. Plus, the minifigs are equally iconic. There's Lex, Tim (with alternate hair and night-vision goggles), Dr Ian Malcolm, and Alan Grant who comes complete with his flare for chasing off the T-Rex. 

Should you buy Lego T. rex Breakout?

Overall, Lego Jurassic Park T. rex Breakout is a fantastic diorama that will look incredible on the shelf of any fan. Its simple build structure means it’s not intimidating for youngsters or newcomers, and it’s decently priced as well. 

If you love the series, you’ll find it to be an essential addition to your collection. 

How we tested Lego Jurassic Park T. rex breakout

I built this kit over the course of around three-and-a-half hours, with particular emphasis given to how easy it was to construct. I also made sure I compared this set to existing Jurassic Park Lego, along with how easy it was to pose the different elements once completed.

For other must-have kits, drop in on our guide to the top Lego Star Wars sets or Lego Super Mario sets. It's worth checking out today's best Lego deals too if you want to make your money go further.