LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape review

LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape takes one of the most memorable and gruesome moments from Jurassic Park and packs it into a 4+ LEGO set.

Jurassic Park is absolutely packed with iconic moments, and one in particular that stands the test of time is when game warden Robert Muldoon is outsmarted by the escaped, hunting Velociraptors, distracted by one as another creeps up alongside him – he manages to utter ‘Clever girl…’ before being mauled to death off camera.

That is played out alongside a sequence involving Dr. Ellie Sattler narrowly avoiding attack from another Velociraptor in the power shed, while discovering the severed arm of John ‘Ray’ Arnold in the process.

Combined, these are scary, impactful moments from the third act of Jurassic Park and – in spite of the horror elements – are still full of play potential for a LEGO set. Naturally then, in marking the 30th anniversary of the film with a wave of releases, the LEGO Jurassic Park team packaged these moments into a set – unfortunately, though, it’s in the set with the youngest possible age recommendation set, 4+.

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— LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape set details —

Theme: LEGO Jurassic Park Set name: 76957 Velociraptor Escape Release: June 1, 2023

Price: £31.99 / $39.99 / €37.99 Pieces: 137 Minifigures: 2

LEGO: Available June 1, 2023

— Where to buy LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape —

LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape releases on June 1 at LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores, and will also be available at third-party retailers.

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— LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape build —

That 4+ moniker would ordinarily feel quite detrimental to a set like LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape – and thematically at least this is about as family-friendly as such a moment from Jurassic Park will ever get. And in terms of LEGO model, any other theme with a 4+ set does feel limited in piece count, design complexity and set size as a result of providing an early building experience for younger LEGO fans.

And as its own thing, 76957 Velociraptor Escape is a fun little creation that won’t trouble any regular LEGO fan for more than 15 minutes to build – but within that time you do put together a reasonably recognisable little section of what we presume is a combination of the power shed and Raptor enclosure. It’s chunky and simplistic in design, but credible enough for your eyes to immediately accept what it is. The little buggy that Ellie drives is nicely put together too, and adds a further level of playability to the scene being acted out.

The latest design for the Velociraptor is one of the best yet for the colour choices and details matching what we saw on screen 30 years ago, while both the characters of Ellie and Muldoon are excellently realised in LEGO minifigure form.

And that’s the entire set. 4+ sets cannot offer too much more than that. Yet, we can’t work out whether it’s the result of too many previous Jurassic World and Jurassic Park sets being – for their price – relatively parts-bare, detail-light and budget-limited, or if the 4+ sets are catching up, but 76957 Velociraptor Escape still feels like it skews much closer in design and interest to the rest of the 30th-anniversary Jurassic Park sets than we would otherwise expect.

It’s not necessarily a good thing as we genuinely consider: is it because this is better than most 4+ sets, or because the older Jurassic World/Park sets don’t offer a lot more for even higher price points?

— LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape characters —

LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape contains two minifigures in Dr. Ellie Sattler and Robert Muldoon, and one dinosaur in the Velociraptor. These three are the main points of interest to 76957 Velociraptor Escape, with Muldoon in particular locked exclusively to this set. For any completionists out there it makes this set far more desirable than it otherwise would be, but at least his character design makes it worthwhile, and an extra Raptor here and there for your efforts is never a bad thing.

— LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape price —

LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape comes in at £31.99 / $39.99 / €37.99, which is par for the course with Jurassic World and Jurassic Park sets, representing some of the worst LEGO value for money across the entire roster of products. The dinosaur moulds are what hike the prices up, which in this particular instance makes still receiving such an oversized Velociraptor doubly frustrating.

If the LEGO Group downsized this creature to something a bit closer to its on-screen size (which is still way bigger than the real animal ever was), maybe as it did with the Dilophosaurus, then we’d have a better LEGO set – and a cheaper one, too.

— LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape pictures —

— LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape pros and cons —

LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape is for the youngest age group entering into the LEGO hobby and ticks all the right boxes for them – there are a couple of characters, a nicely-designed dinosaur, a small vehicle to wheel along and a little area to play around in too, and for the target audience there is value to be found.

It’s such poor value for anyone looking for anything more credible, partly because it’s not for anyone looking for anything more credible and so it stings that a character like Muldoon is locked into this set.

Pulling older LEGO fans into this set also risks said older fans realising that the difference between what you get in this 4+ Jurassic World/Jurassic Park set and in the older Jurassic World/Jurassic Park sets isn’t as big as you would otherwise expect. But more on that in our other reviews.

76957 Velociraptor Escape pros76957 Velociraptor Escape cons
Muldoon and Ellie minifigures are greatStill not the most challenging of builds – it’s for younger hands
Another raptorWhen will LEGO downsize the Raptor?
More in the box than you’d expect……but still a lot of money for not a lot of pieces

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your 30th-anniversary LEGO Jurassic Park sets through one of our affiliate links.

— Alternatives to LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape —

LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape is most comparable with other 4+ age range sets including 60375 Fire Station and Fire Engine, 75332 AT-ST and 10784 Spider-Man Webquarters Hangout – most themes have at least one 4+ set that likewise struggles to offer credible value for money, at least for older builders.

— LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape FAQs —

How long does it take to build LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape?

LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape is buildable in 15 to 20 minutes, maybe a bit longer if the LEGO Velociraptor distracts you.

How many pieces are in LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape?

LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape contains 137 pieces, including those for two minifigures, for Robert Muldoon and Dr. Ellie Sattler.

How big is LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape?

The main building from LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape measures 18cm at its tallest and can extend 24cm long and is 11cm wide.

How much does LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape cost?

LEGO Jurassic Park 76957 Velociraptor Escape comes in at £31.99 in the UK, $39.99 in the US and from €37.99 in Europe, releasing June 1, 2023.

Author Profile

Rob Paton
As one half of Tiro Media Ltd, I mix a passion for print and digital media production with a deep love of LEGO and can often be found on these pages eulogising about LEGO Batman, digging deeper into the LEGO Group’s inner workings, or just complaining about the price of the latest LEGO Star Wars set. Make a great impression when you meet me in person by praising EXO-FORCE as the greatest LEGO theme of all time. Follow me on Twitter @RobPaton or drop me an email at [email protected].

Rob Paton

As one half of Tiro Media Ltd, I mix a passion for print and digital media production with a deep love of LEGO and can often be found on these pages eulogising about LEGO Batman, digging deeper into the LEGO Group’s inner workings, or just complaining about the price of the latest LEGO Star Wars set. Make a great impression when you meet me in person by praising EXO-FORCE as the greatest LEGO theme of all time. Follow me on Twitter @RobPaton or drop me an email at [email protected].

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