Review: 76958 Dilophosaurus Ambush
Posted by CapnRex101,
75916 Dilophosaurus Ambush was produced in 2015, including a new Dilophosaurus, alongside an off-roader, outwardly influenced by the iconic Jeep Wranglers featured in Jurassic Park. 76958 Dilophosaurus Ambush has arrived eight years later, offering a proper Jeep Wrangler!
The memorable scene of Dennis Nedry's brutal demise is faithfully depicted here, featuring an accurate and newly-decorated Dilophosaurus, with an updated Nedry minifigure. However, the Jeep Wrangler's appearance in a reasonably affordable set could prove even more appealing because the vehicle looks fantastic.
Summary
76958 Dilophosaurus Ambush, 211 pieces.
£20.99 / $19.99 / €26.99 | 9.9p / 9.5c / 12.8c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Even though the Jeep Wrangler could be improved, this set is successful overall
- Excellent minifigure and dinosaur
- Good Jeep Wrangler, on the whole
- Exclusive Barbasol can
- Limited space inside Jeep
- Some missing details
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigure
75936 Jurassic Park: T. rex Rampage introduced an outstanding Dennis Nedry minifigure, but this version is perhaps even better. The sand blue jacket and yellow raincoat are very similar to the earlier minifigure, although this iteration features a more accurate dark blue shirt underneath his jacket. Fortunately, the Jurassic Park logo and lanyard on the front remain intact.
However, the previous figure also included a Jurassic Park logo on his back, which is correctly omitted on this occasion. The dark tan legs and black hair element are unchanged though and both suit the character. In addition, I love the new double-sided head, which displays a worried expression on one side, while the other is splattered with Dilophosaurus venom.
Dennis conceals the stolen dinosaur embryos in a trick Barbasol can, which accompanies the minifigure! Even though a dark blue cylinder would probably have sufficed, the designers have instead created two printed parts specifically for the can, which looks superb. The 1x1 round tile placed on top was a pleasant surprise, in particular.
The Completed Model
LEGO dinosaurs are often oversized and the original Dilophosaurus undoubtedly occupied that category. Fortunately, an updated version was introduced in 75394 Dilophosaurus on the Loose and returns here, measuring 9cm long and appearing nearer to minifigure-scale. The olive green and dark green colours are unique and seem realistic, with attractive red and yellow accents on the creature's frills.
The sculpting of these frills and the Dilophosaurus' twin crests looks great and even the notch in their upper jaw is recreated, which shows amazing attention to detail. The dinosaur's jaw opens, but it otherwise lacks any articulation. Some arm or leg motion would have been lovely, but this static stance is cleverly designed to appear fairly dynamic.
Dennis intends to deliver the embryos to the East Dock, but becomes disoriented in the storm and crashes his Jeep into a sign, which is included with some vegetation here. The leaves are simple, although they provide a nice backdrop for the sign and I like their different colours. The sign itself is assembled primarily from Technic pieces, with three stickers applied.
The proportions of this sign vary somewhat from its onscreen appearance. The stickers match the source material though, including siting the East Dock on the western coast of Isla Nublar. The whole sign can be knocked over and the arrow spins freely, as shown onscreen. A white frog completes this section of the set and has only appeared a few times before in this colour.
After waiting for several years for LEGO to produce the classic Jeep Wrangler with its Jurassic Park livery, the classic vehicle appears twice in 2023! Unsurprisingly, the Jeep found in 76960 Brachiosaurus Discovery is similar to this example, which measures 15cm in length and does capture the essential features of the original vehicle, notably including its rather angular shape.
There are unexpected differences between the two though. Beyond one being fully enclosed, as shown onscreen, the construction of the sides also varies. Whereas Jeep 12 includes standard bricks beside the driver, Jeep 18 features stickered tiles attached using brackets, which allows more space for minifigures to sit side by side inside the cab.
Of course, this vehicle features different colours as well, incorporating a few medium nougat pieces to represent mud. The printed radiator grille remains the same and looks superb, but I dislike the round headlights flanking the radiator, as they should be square. Additionally, I wish the winch was more prominent, given Dennis Nedry actually tries to use the winch during this scene.
Several stickers are applied on the Jeep Wrangler, including those identifying this as Jeep 12, which corresponds with the film. The stickers applied on either side look good, but I prefer the stickers on the Jeep in 76960 Brachiosaurus Discovery, with enlarged digits and Jurassic Park logos. However, my favourite stickers are those on the running boards, which present minifigure and Dilophosaurus footprints.
The interior is reasonably spacious, although certainly not big enough for the Dilophosaurus to clamber inside. Sadly, there is not enough room for a second minifigure alongside Nedry either, which feels like a missed opportunity in a vehicle of this size. You could place another character in the back though, leaning back to accommodate the roof on top.
Dark tan elements enclose the Jeep Wrangler correctly and the light bar above the windscreen looks perfect. The rear bodywork leaves something to be desired though. The rear wheels, for example, are not covered from behind, which is another area in which the vehicle from 76960 Brachiosaurus Discovery is superior. Even so, the trans-red and trans-orange lights look great, on either side of the spare wheel.
Overall
Dennis Nedry's ill-fated encounter with a Dilophosaurus provides ideal inspiration for LEGO and this set is impressive, on the whole. The updated Dennis Nedry minifigure is splendid, while the Dilophosaurus also looks marvellous. I appreciate the inclusion of the printed Barbasol can too, which is not highlighted on the front of the box, remarkably.
The weakest part of this set is the Jeep Wrangler, although even that is quite appealing. I think the general shape looks good, but favour the more spacious design from 76960 Brachiosaurus Discovery. Also, the cleaner version includes greater detail, despite the presence of some extra stickers here. Nevertheless, 76958 Dilophosaurus Ambush is an enjoyable set and the price of £20.99, $19.99 or €26.99 seems fair.
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45 comments on this article
I like the set and I like the price, but I'm baffled why they would make this jeep simpler than the other one, removing the side-by-side seating.
No nerds were harmed in making this review^^
Price in € seems a bit high but still a great set.
Admit it: you were neutral on this set until you saw the Barbasol can.
I bought this set and the other four yesterday. They all look great and with such great minifigs and dinosaurs though the gaps in the brachiosaurus's neck are disappointing
"No wonder you're extinct!"
I always remember that from the scene when I saw this first in the cinema. I have to get this!
"The stickers match the source material though, including siting the East Dock on the western coast of Isla Nublar."
The heck? This movie is three decades old, and this is the first I’ve heard of this?
Also, I _just_ saw an ad for Barbasol on TV…
This may be my first jurassic park/world set. Mainly because it's a good vehicle at a reasonable price. And good dino!
I like the use of the white frog to represent a dollop of shaving cream.
I just bought it today at the store, really cool set overall.
I would much rather have an oversized Dilophosaurus that can be customised, than a smaller one thats like this.
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
"Admit it: you were neutral on this set until you saw the Barbasol can."
Personally, this is true for me. I bought it yesterday for one of my kids, but didn’t give it a second thought. Now? I love it.
This one is on my list to get.
I don't collect this theme, but I might get this set as it is cheap ($25 in Canada) and represents a movie moment. Would probably rework the jeep to be a little closer to the one in the brachiosaur kit. The roof seems unfinished, and I would add more tiles to make it look consistent.
Newman!
The best set if the wave.
not really fazed about jurrasic park to be honest, although I respect that a lot of people hold it close to their hearts. personally I really like the jeep build though, and the dino is cool. just wish we could get some vehicles like that in speed champions.
funnily enough, a Transformers/Jurassic Park two pack just got announced with a Dilophosaurus and a Jeep Wrangler
(Suddenly, a Dilophosaurus starts stalking him)
Nedry: Hello?
(The creature suddenly appears behind the tree Dennis is pulling rope to)
Nedry: (Nervous) Oh that's nice. Gotta go.
(Dennis heads back to the Jeep, but the creature continues following him)
Nedry: (Scared) Nice boy...NICE BOY!
@Lordmoral said:
"The best set if the wave. "
Starring the hero of the movie. And also Nedry.
I hadn't realized the Dilophosaurus wasn't the old design until I read the review. Still demonstrates how out-of-scale Lego can be, but makes me want it more.
@iwybs said:
"I like the set and I like the price, but I'm baffled why they would make this jeep simpler than the other one, removing the side-by-side seating."
Possibly a cost thing? This set does stand out for seeming weirdly inexpensive relative to the others.
It's really neat they've got the Barbasol branding on the can of shaving cream. I wonder how that licensing works.
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
"Admit it: you were neutral on this set until you saw the Barbasol can."
You are 100% correct on that point.
Is the Wrangler licensed? If so, that would make three licenses in one set.
Is it just me or does the UK and EU pricing seem askew?
Bought this set today for each of my sons. They LOVE it and my oldest changed the headlights to clear angled squares and added a 4x2 plate under each wheel assembly to ‘lift’ it just a bit. BIG thumbs up from our house!
Definitely not a 'no frills' set..
@PurpleDave said:
"The stickers match the source material though, including siting the East Dock on the western coast of Isla Nublar.
The heck? This movie is three decades old, and this is the first I’ve heard of this?..."
I don't think the signs are ment to represent the exact locations, though.
They are just a logo, not a map. (Hence also the need to add 'East Dock' to it, since the North Dock would probably have the exact same 'logo' on its signpost)
You can see in other (similar) signs that the pictogram is always in the same place
(like on the signs for the dilophosaur and t-rex paddocks and the bathroom sign).
Speaking of which; pity that there is no Dilophosaur paddock sign in this set.
I know it's not the right scene for it, but since we got a Brachiosaurus and a T-Rex one in the other sets, it would have been nice to get one for every kind of LEGO dinosaur that's been released so far.
Jeep seems too chunky. Found a design on rebrickable that seemed much more mini-fig like.
I dislike the mold marks on all transparent 1x1 these days, looks really bad in most sets. Very visible here on the orange headlights.
Just got this set yesterday and can’t wait to build, however going forward I am hoping the Jurassic Park/World line will find some more small/medium dinos to feature in smaller sets that aren’t so repetitive.
I tend to only buy Jurassic sets under $50, and this is my 3rd Dilophosaurus…
Can’t believe this set is only $20. This set is it just in time for Father’s Day too.
@Ridgeheart: To paraphrase Ian Malcolm: Just because you could do it, doesn't mean you should.
@PurpleDave said:
[[[[The stickers match the source material though, including siting the East Dock on the western coast of Isla Nublar.]]
The heck? This movie is three decades old, and this is the first I’ve heard of this?
Also, I _just_ saw an ad for Barbasol on TV…]]
The signage icons are all in the same location over the map, regardless of the location they're indicating. They're more "this is what you're looking for" than "you are here."
OG Day One fan here, to the point of studying InGen's design language and iconography...
I can't find one of these in any stores near me.
Such a fantastic scene. I love children’s horror films like Gremlins, Poltergeist, Ghostbusters etc. Always a treat to see a LEGO set made about something that’s really very scary.
@Ridgeheart said:
"So we just rewatched JP on Netflix yesterday. It still really holds up, but unfortunately now I kind of want to buy this set, cutting an even deeper wound into my Lego-budget for 2023.
Don't rewatch the movie. It'll make you want to spend more money."
My kids just got the LEGO Jurassic World game and are playing it on their Nintendo Switch. As it appears, it surprisingly has a whole part of levels dedicated to the one and only original Jurassic PARK, so uhm, if i wasn't already, now i'm definitely sold to buy all the new JP sets. And certainly this Nedry jeep as well, oh ànd the 4+ set with Robert Muldoon... Poor wallet.
Ahh, the memories of watching this for the first time. Your first thought is that the dinosaur is cute, but in the back of your mind you know it will not end well. The scene is dark, yet is comedy at the same time. The set is fairly faithful to the scene. Too bad that Barbasol can is licensed and likely will not make it to the online Pick a Brick section. I would like to have a few more of those.
@YanVanLan:
@Diamondback_Six:
So it's being used more as an icon than a map? If this was a real theme park, I would expect them to use some sort of "You Are Here" map. Then again, it is a strictly guided experience (under ideal conditions), so maybe not.
@Fandabidozi:
I never would have considered Poltergeist to be a children's film, but I guess they did argue it down from R to PG. Gremlins is famously one of the two films Spielberg used to argue that the MPAA needed an intermediary rating (PG-13), and a lot of people believe Ghostbusters would have landed a PG-13 if it had come out one year later. Maybe Poltergeist would have received an uncontested PG-13 as well.
@lORDoFtHEbOARD:
If this is the one that released back when the first JW film came out, that had a really interesting day/night function, and at one point when walking through the boardwalk area during the nighttime setting, I got hit with some serious nostalgia, but I don't know what for. The two most likely sources were either Cedar Point or Disneyland, since those are the only two major amusement parks I can remember going to as a young kid.
That's one of my most favourite scenes in the film. Maybe the most favourite, actually.
@Huw and @CapnRex101 reading the Jurassic Park reviews I've discovered an error with the Brickset database.
I went to the Jurassic Park set entries (e.g. 76958 ) and noticed the listed availability dates are for example 14 Mar 2023 to now. Obviously these sets have only been available to purchase from 1 June.
It's an easy enough assumption that the dates in the database are automatically populated when a listing goes live on Lego.com not when it's available to purchase.
I haven't done any further checks but I imagine this inaccuracy occurs with other sets an themes that are listed on Lego.com months before they become available to buy.
It's only really a problem for posterity's sake when looking back through the database at retired sets and finding the inaccuracy.
@rebelpilot said:
" @Huw and @CapnRex101 reading the Jurassic Park reviews I've discovered an error with the Brickset database.
I went to the Jurassic Park set entries (e.g. 76958 ) and noticed the listed availability dates are for example 14 Mar 2023 to now. Obviously these sets have only been available to purchase from 1 June.
It's an easy enough assumption that the dates in the database are automatically populated when a listing goes live on Lego.com not when it's available to purchase.
I haven't done any further checks but I imagine this inaccuracy occurs with other sets an themes that are listed on Lego.com months before they become available to buy.
It's only really a problem for posterity's sake when looking back through the database at retired sets and finding the inaccuracy.
"
This is a known issue and it happens because the data we receive from LEGO does not contain actual availability information, sets are either in it, or not.
@PurpleDave :
That is how I always interpreted it; they are icons, not 'you are here' location maps.
As I understand it there is also a big difference between the orignal Jurassic Park and the later Jurassic World. Where the latter was a modern style, even somewhat futuristic, theme park; the former was more a safari style park.
This is made more clearly in the book, but is also referenced in the film.
So yes, I do believe the signs where ment for staff to find their way around and not so much for the guests, since those would be driven around by staff...
@Diamondback_Six :
I was wondering: Am I right in thinking the Brachiosaurus paddock sign is incorrectly depicted in that set?
It has a red colour for the background of the pictogram, but I think that should be green.
@PurpleDave: Considering the scene with the female ghost who visits Ray at night (which is as far as I will describe it, as there may be children reading) and some other scenes, I wouldn't consider Ghostbusters a kid's film either, even if they made a kid's show out of it. But then, they made a lot of kid's shows out of movies that weren't for kids in the '80s. But then, the '80s were weird. After all, this is the decade that gave us Weird Science and Weird Al.
The name of this vehicle is called the Bush Devil Jeep Tracker.