Review: 71514 Dino Jet
Posted by benbacardi,
Of the five sets released as part of this year's DREAMZzz range, 71514 Dino Jet sits squarely in the middle in terms of size, with just over 1,000 pieces. As usual, two models are provided, this time giving the builders a choice between two popular dinosaurs—a brontosaurus or a stegosaurus.
One of the many sets focusing on the Dream Catchers, the clear red and orange theme gives a hint to one of the hero minifigures—Cooper—and the two main antagonists are also included. I've taken a deeper look at the two dinosaur models and their accompanying flying jets to see how this set stacks up alongside the other designs in this pretty strong wave!
Summary
71514 Dino Jet, 1,007 pieces.
£89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 | 8.9p / 9.9c / 9.9c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A colourful DREAMZzz set with two striking dinosaur mechs and great minifigures.
- Excellent minifigure design
- Great colour scheme
- Impressive dinosaur mechs
- Limited neck movement
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
The two Dream Catches included in the set are Logan and Cooper. They're both available in other sets in this wave, Logan in 71512 Crocodile Submarine and Cooper in 71513 Nightmare Scorpion Digger. Logan is in his "beast" form, with blue skin and yellow or red eyes, and a tattered blue shawl over detailed armour, with a small hourglass emblem on the left of his chest. Cooper's red outfit is just as detailed, with gold detailing on the jacket and trousers, and a red and gold hourglass.
Unlike in the Scorpion set, Cooper's jacket comes with a hood, whereas Logan sports his usual swept-back blue hairstyle. Both faces are dual printed, allowing you to choose between a smile and an angry grimace for Logan, and full or partial metal for Cooper.
The main antagonists this series are the Nightmare Emperor and Arika, and both are included in this set. I've said in previous reviews that the Nightmare Emperor is one of my favourite minifigures, with highly detailed prints and an excellent multi-eyed headdress. Arika appears here in full minifigure form, with legs rather than a spider-like bottom half, and their accompanying Grimspawn has a very cute pair of horns on his head.
As usual for DREAMZzz minifigures, the prints are highly detailed and continue onto the backs of the torsos.
Logan and Cooper are equipped with their new oversized swords, with silver hilts and blades in colours that match their personalities—trans-blue for Logan, and trans-orange for Cooper.
The Nightmare Emperor is wielding his version of the sword—trans-pink with a yellow eye on the black hilt—and Arika holds a long scythe-like weapon in each hand. The Grimspawn holds a spear.
Finally, two Treasure Creatures are included—one blue, one orange. A blue diamond egg sits on its usual patch of rocky ground.
Brontosaurus and Jet
With the 2-in-1 nature of DREAMZzz sets, they often begin with a common "core" build that is extended in different ways depending on which build you pick. Unusually, this particular set includes two such builds, the first of which is the small single-occupant jet that accompanies the dinosaur.
At the front of the jet is a small cockpit designed to house one of the Treasure Creatures, made using one half of the transparent diamond crystal that makes up their "eggs". It's flanked by a pair of stud shooters. Behind this, set slightly higher, is a more traditional cockpit shape, with room inside for a single minifigure. A clever compact arrangement of clips and bars allows for an interesting angled shape either side of the cockpit, with plenty of studs left exposed to be customised differently depending on which model is chosen to build.
The jet that accompanies the brontosaurus is completed by adding various greebling to the sides and rear, including the use of four trans-orange hexagonal panels adorned with detailed stickers on both sides as wings and rear flaps.
The small jet looks excellent, and the four panels can be angled on their bar connections to provide a variety of poses for flight.
Cooper can sit happily inside the cockpit, which has a single bar posing as a control stick. There's nowhere to store his large sword, though.
Folding down the front and removing the diamond opens up the space designed for the Treasure Creature to sit within once rescued from their egg.
The poor creature can't see much when the cockpit is closed, however!
Jet complete, the body of the dinosaur mech is built next. This comprises a symmetrical solid central core with lots of SNOT-work to provide the variety of curved slopes that make up the body. A pair of stud shooters on either side face forwards, and there are six attachment points—two for the rear legs, two for the forelegs, and the neck and head.
A sauropod, the brontosaurus is a distinctive dinosaur with a squat body on four thick legs, and a long sweeping neck and tail—what a sight they would have been in real life! This dream-based mech equivalent does a good job of replicating the silhouette, though with some distinctly inauthentic details!
The neck comprises primarily of large trans-orange "macaroni" pieces, joined by sections studded with 1x1 pyramid pieces. The head is attached with a pair of ball joints set in a vertical line, allowing some lateral movement compared to the top of the neck. The eyes are printed, and the brick-built snout with sharp teeth in both its upper and lower jaw looks suitably fearsome.
Connected to the body as it is, the neck can move up and down at its base, but no other direction.
The legs are mirror images of each other, as you'd expect. The four feet are identical, and connect to the end of each leg with a single ball joint. The smaller forelegs join the body with a rotating joint, allowing a small amount of movement before the foot can no longer sit flat against the floor. They are covered in mech-like detailing in a combination of greys and trans-orange, and the hip joint is hidden by a small hinged panel.
The rear legs are quite a bit larger than the front, and the large trans-orange panel that hides the solid hip joint is printed with grey armour with a glowing orange core, a design that matches that of the jet's wing panels. Similar greebling to the forelegs adorn the rear, and a similar amount of movement is possible before the model becomes unbalanced.
The tail uses a similar trans-orange macaroni piece and joint to the neck, but is tipped with two trans-orange flame parts attached in a pincer-like manner—although they cannot close, but they can rotate in tandem with each other. The tail is attached in the opposite orientation to the neck—it can swish from side to side, but not change its vertical angle.
Finally, a Technic axle and pin protrude from the top of the dino's back, providing a connection point for the jet…
…which can settle down onto the creature quite securely.
Once attached, the mech is complete. The jet can easily be removed for "swooshing", or reattached as necessary.
The six stud shooters on the model all point in the same direction, and come perilously close to the dinosaur's neck when fired!
Stegosaurus and Jet
Perhaps you are not a sauropod fan, in which case you can choose to build a stegosaurus instead. The jet is different, foregoing the use of the hexagonal panels and utilising the flame pieces as elaborate exhausts.
I prefer the other design, this particular one feels like something is missing. I do like the compactness of the ship, though, and it is fun to fly around.
Using the same central body shape with the six connection points, the stegosaurus has a much shorter neck and a slightly longer tail than the brontosaurus.
The head is very similarly built to the brontosaurus, although with more of a snub-nose. The neck consists of a single trans-orange macaroni piece, giving the dinosaur a hunched-over look.
The four wing panels from the previous jet have been repurposed as the stegosaurus' bony spinal plates, and look excellent in this arrangement.
The tail uses the rest of the macaroni pieces to bring it much lower to the ground than before, and it ends not in the traditional thagomizer typically found on a stegosaurus, but more of a spiky club like that of an anyklosaurus. Inaccurate or not, the design looks great (apart from the tiny slither of blue Technic pin visible beneath the club).
The legs bear a very similar design to the brontosaurus, with minor adjustments to the greenling, and the feet are identical.
Unlike the brontosaurus, the jet cannot connect to the stegosaurus or ride on its back.
Verdict
The DREAMZzz line-up seems primarily about large mech versions of various creatures, and both dinosaur options here are excellent. The stegosaurus just edges it for me over the brontosaurus, as a more satisfying design with the plates along the spine and the club at the end of the tail, even if it's not the most accurate—but after all, the whackiness of the dream versions is the appeal.
It's a shame the jet is not such an interesting design, or that it cannot attach to the stegosaurus as it can with the brontosaurus. I would also liked to have seen more flexibility of movement for the neck in both dinosaurs, but I imagine the weight would be too much for a single ball joint, even a large one.
As usual, the minifigures are amongst some of the most highly detailed LEGO produces, and they continue to be of excellent quality for both the Dream Catchers and their Nightmare enemies. DREAMZzz continues to be a truly fantastic source of colourful, fun designs in both builds and minifigures.
71514 Dino Jet is available at LEGO.com for £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99.
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12 comments on this article
All the new line of Dreamzzz sets look good-to-great individually, it’s the range (and the lack of range in it) I have a problem with. Where’s the Izzie set? Where’s the Zoe set? Where’s Astrid, Mrs Castillo, Nova? The buildings? The vehicles? Compared to previous seasons it’s very one note and very boy-centric, and I’m not thrilled with either of those things.
(That being said I will show up for every single shark they make, so. Possibly I am part of the problem.)
Zoid vibes
@Hiratha said:
"All the new line of Dreamzzz sets look good-to-great individually, it’s the range (and the lack of range in it) I have a problem with. Where’s the Izzie set? Where’s the Zoe set? Where’s Astrid, Mrs Castillo, Nova? The buildings? The vehicles? Compared to previous seasons it’s very one note and very boy-centric, and I’m not thrilled with either of those things.
(That being said I will show up for every single shark they make, so. Possibly I am part of the problem.)"
THIS. I love all five sets of this final wave (3 of them sit in my collection to boot) but gender balance is sorely missing. It would have been super easy to produce two more treasure kittens in trans-purple and trans-pink for an owl carrier plane and a bunny speeder bike. Damn.
But I also own all Dreamzzz flagship sharks so I'm also driving the problem. :'(
The eyes are not printed... My biggest pet peeve with these new dreamzzz sets, getting them symmetrically aligned is awful.
Fun looking toy!
We built this this weekend (father+son) and really enjoyed it. You mention in the first part there isn't a place to put the sword, but the flyer has a clip on the back that will hold the big sword?
Another thing that we really appreciated were the illustrations in the instructions, they are really pretty and tell a great story.
One of my favorites so far for 2026!
Dreamzzz sets look so fun, so much creative approach to those. It's a pity I haven't bought any of them yet. But everytime I see a cool one im like, I'm gonna wait for a discount. And when the discount happens I don't have the mood or the money to buy. One of those memorable themes from lego that I respect and like but have zero sets from it.
So this is Mrs. Castillo's final form? Well, forms.
@benredstar said:
"Zoid vibes"
That’s been my thought since I first saw this set. I loved Zoids in the 1980s. Definitely getting this set. It can fight my Ultrasaurus.
This looks like the Biolizard from Sonic.
I hope we get something amazing after Dreamzzz... that theme don't know what it is.
I hear "Dino Jet" and I think of Sky Lynx (https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Sky_Lynx_(G1)), even if he's a dragon space shuttle, which isn't quite the same thing. Also, I love that Thag Simmons' name lives on in an informal scientific term.
@Hellscream said:
"The eyes are not printed... My biggest pet peeve with these new dreamzzz sets, getting them symmetrically aligned is awful."
The eyes *are* printed, though.