In July 2019, the LEGO® Group released an animated mini-series based on the Jurassic World franchise, called The Legend of Isla Nublar. Shortly thereafter, a new wave of sets came out. Jurassic World sets are always a highlight for me. I love the franchise, and I love the LEGO® dinosaur figurines. Baryonyx Face-Off (75935) made my wish list early on because it features a new dinosaur, not just a repaint of an older one (well, sort of). Additionally, the jeep-like car looked decent from the images. I picked this set up not long ago during a double VIP points event. Let’s see if it lives up to my expectations.
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Baryonyx Face-Off (75935) Summary
- NAME: Baryonyx Face-Off: The Treasure Hunt
- SET #: 75935
- THEME: Jurassic World
- COST: $79.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 434
- MINIFIGURES: 4
- OF INTEREST: 1 Baryonyx and 1 dog
- RELEASE DATE: August 2, 2019
Baryonyx Face-Off (75935) Quick Review
- VALUE: 74% (Really expensive cost-per-brick, average build-time.)
- BUILD: 60% (Too many insufficiently detailed builds.)
- MINIFIGURES: 96% (Nice, detailed characters with loads of accessories.)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 70% (Not much for adult collectors here, but kids will like it.)
- OVERALL SCORE: 75%
Baryonyx Face-Off (75935) Review
VALUE: 74%
Baryonyx Face-Off retails for $79.99 in Canada. With 434 pieces, the cost-per-brick boils down to a whopping $0.18. Comparatively, my current average cost-per-brick is $0.14. Therefore, you are paying a lot for each piece in this kit. However, that seems to be the case for this theme in general. While I have not collected every set, the average cost-per-brick for the six Jurassic World sets that I have reviewed is $0.17. Sadly, Baryonyx Face-Off performs poorly in this category, earning a score of 68%.
This set took me one hour and 35 minutes to build (95 minutes total). At $79.99, the resultant cost-per-minute is $0.84. That is just about on average. Currently, my average cost-per-minute is $0.83. Therefore, Baryonyx Face-Off earns a build-time score of 80%. Averaging this with the cost-per-brick score gives an overall value grade of 74%.
BUILD: 60%
Baryonyx Face-Off consists of three small assemblies. The first is a Jeep-like car. This build most interested me when I first saw pictures of this set. Immediately after building it, my initial feeling was disappointment. It looked nicer in the pictures. Without Minifigures sitting in the seats, the overhead and side views of the car are a little bland and under-detailed. Adapting a design reminiscent of the car from Dilophosaurus Ambush would have given this vehicle a more complete look. With that said, I really like that seating two Minifigures side-by-side is possible. Additionally, the car has actual opening doors (Dilophosaurus Ambush did not), and the front view of the car is great. In the end, this build is okay, but it did not live up to my expectations. If rated as a stand alone set, I give it a rating of 8/10 (80%).
Click here to read about Dilophosaurus Ambush.
The jungle scene in this set is a little lack-luster.
Second, you piece together a little jungle scene with a hidden treasure chest. While this build is part of the set’s namesake, I could have done entirely without it. The build has no substance. It is supposed to be two mounds of rock in a pool of water. One of the mounds adapts a helicopter windshield in an interesting new water display. However, there is no hint of a stream anywhere else, so the water just juts out of a rock. The other mound has a play feature. Pressing on a brick-built lever flips some hinged plants out of the way, revealing a treasure chest. I am okay giving this set points for the new use of the windshield, and the functional play feature. Additionally, I like how the palm tree attaches on an angle. But, my love for this build ends there. Alone, I rate this at 3/10 (30%).
The trailer is fun, but needs more detail.
The final build is a trailer. Two of the five visible sides are a little bland. Interior access is via a hinged wall. Inside, there is a bed as well as a computer. While the computer screen is a sticker, it is an interesting one. There is a game of solitaire in one window, which a new one for me. This trailer needs more detail, but I do not hate it. At the very least, it needs stairs leading up to the door and a kitchenette to improve the score. By itself, I rate this build at 7/10 (70%).
Overall, Baryonyx Face-Off suffers from the same issues as a great many other LEGO® sets. Namely, there is a focus on quantity over quality. This set tries to be too many things. Cutting either the jungle scene or the trailer from this set frees up bricks for added detail in other areas. More bricks allow for a more detailed trailer or jungle scene, depending on which designers want to focus on. My vote in this case is a more detailed trailer. Averaging the scores in this section gives an overall build score of 60%.
MINIFIGURES: 96%
Baryonyx Face-Off contains four Minifigures and a dinosaur. If we count the Baryonyx as a figurine in the brick-to-figure ratio, you get one character for every 87 bricks. As a point of reference, my current average ratio is 143:1. Therefore, you are getting quite a few figurines for a set of this size. I rate the ratio at 91%.
Though not a Minifigure, I will mention the Baryonyx in a little more detail here. Of all the dinosaurs that I have gotten so far, this is my least favorite. The only new part is the head piece. Otherwise, you are getting a repaint of the Indoraptor’s body. This was a poor design choice. The new head piece has a bit of nick molded to it in order to make the neck longer and more accurate to the species. However, attached to the Indoraptor’s body, the neck joint is in the middle of the neck. The result here looks odd. A new body mold with a longer neck and the head attachment seen on past dinosaurs would have looked much nicer. I am still happy to have a new species, and the paint job is great here. But, the use of the Indoraptor body was bit of a copout.
The Baryonyx has a nice paint job, but an odd neck joint.
In terms of the actual Minifigures, you get the same old Owen and Claire from every other Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom set. However, I do not rate Minifigures based on how tired they feel since not everyone will collect all, or even several, sets from the theme. Each of the four characters in this set comes with all the standard Minifigure parts. Also, all of them have front and back torso printing. All except one have double-sided faces, while two have leg printing. Additionally, the Sinjin Prescott character is unique to this set, while Danny Nedermeyer is a unique variant. Sinjin features a recolored version of the torso seen a couple of years back in the City jungle exploration sets. I rate the design of these characters at 45/60 (75%).
Baryonyx Face-Off also comes with several accessories. There are two machetes, a wrench, a backpack, a hat, a mug, a frying pan, a dart gun, two darts, a video camera, a treasure chest, and several jewels. However, the most interesting accessories are the new, unique ones. First, there is a printed tile featuring a partial map of Isla Nublar. Second, there is a printed tile of a VHS cassette. Finally, there is a new color variant of the husky. This one looks like a German shepherd. These accessories easily bring the design score up to 100%. Averaging the design and ratio scores gives an overall Minifigure rating of 96%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 70%
As an adult collector, I am disappointed with this set. I wanted the car and Baryonyx, but both left me unsatisfied. As previously mentioned, the Baryonyx felt like a copout, and the car was not the display piece I was hoping for. Additionally, I have no use for the jungle scene provided. I will recycle Baryonyx Face-Off for pieces, though aspects of the car have inspired me to try a new Jeep MOC. However, the Baryonyx does add a new species to my dinosaur collection, and the Minifigs and accessories are good. I rate the AFOL score at 3/5 (60%).
Imagining myself as a kid with this set makes it fare a little better. The jungle scene still wastes bricks though. I can imagine a lot of fun play scenes with the car and trailer, reminiscent of the Lost World. Dinosaurs are always fun too, even if this one is not the best in the theme. As a KFOL score, this set earns 4/5 (80%). Averaging this with the AFOL score gives an overall entertainment rating of 70%.
OVERALL SCORE: 75%
As a dinosaur enthusiast, I needed this set. However, I felt let down by it. Baryonyx Face-Off is expensive for the brick count as well as for the build time. Additionally, you do not actually have something display worthy in the end. The set contains a new dinosaur, but it is only a new head mold. The rest is a repaint of the Indoraptor. As a result, the dinosaur is not anatomically correct and looks odd in the neck region. On the plus side, the Minifigures are pretty good, as are their accessories. A sale of 30% off on Jurassic World sets is rare, but not unheard of. However, that is price that makes this set worth it for me. Do you feel differently? Feel free to comment below or send me a message on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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