LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull review

LEGO Jurassic World kick-starts what’s hopefully a new subtheme in 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull, serving up a successful and substantial slice of fossilised fun across 577 pieces.

We’re wandering a post-cinematic landscape for the Jurassic World franchise at the moment, with no signs of future silver-screen instalments on the horizon. But the IP is alive and kicking across video games, TV series and merchandise, and the LEGO Group still wants a slice of that pie – so it’s cooking up new recipes for dino-shaped sets in 2024, starting with 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull.

And as we’ve seen in other long-running franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter, letting designers off the leash – free of the shackles of tie-in storylines and the like – is often just what’s needed to reinvigorate a stagnant theme. 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull is to Jurassic World what 76391 Hogwarts Icons Collectors’ Edition is to the Wizarding World, or 75356 Executor Super Star Destroyer is to a galaxy far, far away: the LEGO set you never knew you needed, but which you absolutely do.

— LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull set details —

Theme: LEGO Jurassic World Set name: 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull Release date: January 1, 2024

Price: £34.99 / $39.99 / €34.99 Pieces: 577 Minifigures: 0

LEGO: Order now

— Where to buy LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull —

LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull launches January 1, 2024 at LEGO.com, in LEGO Stores and should be available through select third-party retailers.

— LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull build —

This isn’t the first time the LEGO Group has broached the idea of brick-built fossils: we’ve seen T. rex skeletons in two LEGO Jurassic World sets (76940 T. rex Dinosaur Fossil Exhibition and 76961 Visitor Centre: T. rex & Raptor Attack), while the LEGO Ideas theme once served up an entire box of prehistoric bones in 21320 Dinosaur Fossils.

But the designers have never attempted one at this scale, which gives 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull a clear and distinct identity next to its contemporaries. And – as the best models often are – it’s one that will have you instantly dreaming of what else might one day join it on shelves. That’s because 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull skewers pretty much every staple of any good LEGO display set: a varied and engaging building experience; interesting use of elements; and a substantial and arresting aesthetic.

Between the base, footprint and skull there really isn’t time for anything to get tiring here, and all three of those disparate elements come together to form a surprisingly cohesive final model. The skull alone would have been just fine as a set, but embellishing it with the leaves, display plaque and footprint was a smart decision, tying together the entire package with a few pops of colour.

And the skull itself? Well, consider that the designers kick off the instructions by placing an image of a real-life T. rex skull side-by-side with the LEGO version, demonstrating their confidence in how well the brick-built beast matches up to its inspiration. It isn’t misplaced: this thing is pretty much as accurate as you could hope for at this scale, and through the lens of available LEGO pieces.

It all comes together through a remarkably simple combination of slopes, plates and tiles, but takes full advantage of the growing library of elements within each of those groups to mimic the various angles, gaps and (most importantly) the snarling teeth of a real T. rex. The jaw is hinged and can be displayed opened or closed, which is about as interactive as 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull gets, but expectations for anything more would perhaps be unfair.

If there’s one thing to criticise, it’s the stickered plaque, which recalls the larger stickers on LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series sets on a smaller scale. It’s a little easier to place, but you still don’t want to mess it up. A print would have been the cherry on top of what’s otherwise one of the best surprises of 2024 so far.

— LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull characters —

LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull doesn’t include any minifigures, which makes complete sense for a set like this. No complaints here.

— LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull price —

You probably won’t be getting your hands on a real-life T. rex skull any time soon – one sold at auction in 2022 for a cool $6.1 million – but 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull is the next best thing. And the best part? It’s only £34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99. Stack this up next to sets at a similar size or piece count and you might as well strap those to an asteroid and blast them off into space. (Too soon?)

Price-per-piece aficionados will have a field day here, but even those wise enough to know that’s not a metric always worth trusting in will find little to grumble about. The final model is much more substantial than initial images might have you believe, and while there’s obviously a lot of negative space within and around the skull, you definitely won’t feel short-changed picking this up at full price.

— LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull pictures —

— LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull pros and cons —

The deeper you get into any LEGO theme, the greater the number of interesting possibilities. Some lines devolve into endless remakes, but the best flex their creative muscles to try new things and take risks. Jurassic World has been showing promising signs of the latter in the last few years – 76956 T. rex Breakout is just one example – but in 2024, fully free of ties to any one movie, space is opening up to allow the designers to take the theme to intriguing new places.

With a set name that sure sounds like the start of a fresh subtheme, 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull represents just one of those curious new possibilities. And it’s taken no time at all for it to find its feet, embracing the concept of larger LEGO fossils with an engaging, attractive and accurate build that would have deserved just as much applause with an 18+ label on the box. Dino-enthusiasts should waste no time at all grabbing this on release day.

76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull pros	76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull cons
Substantial and varied build	That one sticker is a bit stressful
Great value for money
A roar-some display piece

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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— Alternatives to LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull —

76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull stands unique in the wider LEGO Jurassic World portfolio, but you can find another exploration of the same concept – on a smaller, play-friendly scale – in 76961 Visitor Centre: T. rex & Raptor Attack. You’ll also find brick-built dino skeletons in the now-retired 21320 Dinosaur Fossils and 76940 T. rex Dinosaur Fossil Exhibition.

— LEGO Jurassic World 76964 Dinosaur Fossils: T. rex Skull FAQs —