To mould or not to mould: LEGO Jurassic World dinos divide fans

LEGO Jurassic World is set to debut a variety of new dinosaurs this summer – but how they're built is dividing the community.

New moulded elements are often costly and so not debuted too often but themes like Jurassic World tend to see more than most. That's just the nature of a theme dedicated to fantastical creatures that need unique parts.

The LEGO Group recently offered a first look at some of the upcoming animals: a Spinosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Titanosaurus and Mosasaurus, gearing up to a reveal of the upcoming wave. The Mosasaurus in particular relies on brick-built techniques rather than new moulds.

As with most changes to LEGO sets, this has been both welcomed and criticised, splitting the community down the middle.

A break from history

Some fans are frustrated that the inclusion of brick-built dinosaurs mean that long-term collectors won't have a unified look for their displays. Comparing the brick-built Mosasaurus to moulded builds certainly highlights a dramatic change in design.

"I've been wanting a Mosasaurus for so long, but now that I see a brick-built one I realise how sad I am it is not a new mould to fit the rest of the line," said oeuf0pIatien on reddit.

Of course, design changes in LEGO themes are nothing new – but also no less frustrating to people who want one cohesive look. LEGO Harry Potter fans often deal with the same issues when trying to build up a complete, multi-set Hogwarts Castle, as the style and scale of the sets evolve over time. While LEGO sets can't stay wholly the same forever, it's a fact of collecting that you're going to see shifts in the aesthetics as themes grow.

A leaf from LEGO Avatar's book

For those frustrated with the brick-built Mosasaurus, it feels especially galling when there's a potential solution hidden in another theme. LEGO Avatar combined a brick-built with moulded elements to create the whale-like payakan in 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit, pictured above.

"I would have just been happy with a moulded head, Avatar-style," said redditor ToaPaul. "The payakan's specialised headpieces are massive and far less reusable than a Mosasaurus head mould (as incredible as those Tulkan headpieces are)."

"I was hoping the dinos would go in the same direction as the Avatar animals where they had specialised heads but the rest is brick-built," agreed Riparian72 in the comments of the same post on reddit.

'The more brick-built, the better'

There are certainly still moulded dinosaurs on the way – but there are also those on Team Brick-Built. The selling point of LEGO sets for many people is the very fact that you build them, rather than getting ready-made action toys. Indeed, there are plenty of brands out there selling detailed models of Jurassic World dinosaurs and the brick-built parts of LEGO creatures is what makes them stand out.

"The more brick-built the better," wrote Black_and_Purple on reddit. "I'm feeling kind of the opposite [to those who are anti-mould]. LEGO isn't supposed to be a pre-fab, action-figure type toy."

Perhaps in an attempt to keep both camps happy, it doesn't look like LEGO Jurassic World is going all in either way just yet. The four LEGO dinosaurs revealed ahead of the sets feature both moulded and brick-built elements, so there should be something for everyone.

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