It is no secret that I love Jurassic Park. Consequently, any time the LEGO® Group sends an offer containing dinosaurs my way, I jump at the chance. In April 2022, they sent me a number of sets from the Jurassic World Dominion Wave. However, the collection I got was a little incomplete. Giganotosaurus and Therizinosaurus Attack followed shortly after the initial shipment, and I bought a few others I have yet to build. However, the LEGO® Group also eventually sent me Blue and Beta Velociraptor Capture (76946).
I sat on the review for a long while, thinking I might like to do a Jurassic Week for the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Jurassic Park in June… but then the LEGO® Group dropped the news of an entire wave of sets based on the first film! Feeling the need for a dinosaur fix after the reveal, I decided to build Blue and Beta Velociraptor Capture now. After all, there will be no shortage of dinosaur sets to build this summer 😉
NOTE: The LEGO® Group provided this set for review. However, the provision of products does not guarantee a favorable review. True North Bricks’ usual rating system applies (click here for more information).
BLUE & BETA VELOCIRAPTOR CAPTURE SUMMARY
- NAME: Blue and Beta Velociraptor Capture
- SET #: 76946
- THEME: Jurassic World
- COST: $44.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 181
- MINIFIGURES: 2
- OF INTEREST: 1 adult and 1 baby velociraptor
- RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2022
BLUE & BETA VELOCIRAPTOR CAPTURE QUICK REVIEW
- VALUE: 55% (Really high cost/brick and expensive build time.)
- BUILD: 60% (Generic design.)
- MINIFIGURES: 99% (Wonderful, detailed characters.)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 75% (New coloring of an old figure doesn’t offer collectors much.)
- OVERALL SCORE: 72% (Satisfactory set.)
| What I liked | What I didn’t like as much |
|---|---|
| Blue’s new coloring The new baby raptor mold Detailed minifigs The new color of Maisie’s hair/hat piece | The price The bland build Lack of scenery to compliment the truck Little curb-appeal beyond hardcore Jurassic World fans |
VALUE: 55%
This set costs $44.99 in Canada and consists of 181 bricks. The resulting cost/brick is $0.25. While that is not the worst value I have ever seen in the Jurassic World theme, it is a close second. Of course, that should come as no surprise. Based on all the Jurassic sets I have built, the theme clocks in around $0.18/brick. Comparatively, all the LEGO® sets ever reviewed here at True North Bricks sit around $0.14/brick. So, Jurassic World is an expensive theme. It is licensed and comes with large dinosaur figurines. Both factors likely up the price of these sets considerably. Even so, I rate the cost/brick at 45%. This set is expensive even for the theme.
On top of that, you do not get a lot of build time. I assembled this set in 35 minutes while simultaneously watching TV… I am a notorious uni-tasker, so I was not building at full speed. With that in mind, each minute of build time still cost a whopping $1.29. By comparison, the Jurassic World theme averages around $1.06, while LEGO® sets in general are more like $0.85/minute in my experience. I rate the build time at 64%. Averaging this with the cost/brick gives an overall value rating of 55%.
BUILD: 60%
Blue and Beta Velociraptor Capture is not a very inspiring build. The set includes two smaller assemblies, namely a cage for Beta and a somewhat useless ramp. Neither one interested me much. The cage is flimsy and has no top. Meanwhile, the ramp is supposed to look natural and log-like. However, the design does not use the printed 2×2 round log tile. Instead, it simply employs a regular brown one. I would scrap the ramp build entirely and include a nicer cage design if given the choice.
The set’s main build is a pickup truck. This is one of two pickups in the Dominion wave of Jurassic World sets. The other came in Triceratops Pickup Truck Ambush. I didn’t hate that truck, but I didn’t like it a lot either. I feel the same about the Blue and Beta Velociraptor Capture pickup. Firstly, this wave did not need two pickup sets. Secondly, it certainly did not need two generic pickup builds. Incidentally, this wave also included a Biosyn SUV in Pyroraptor and Dilophosaurus Transport. While I liked that car design quite a bit, there are simply too many similar sets in the Dominion wave.
Ignoring the lack of cab doors on the pickup, there is nothing wrong with this car. It is just generic. However, my collection has too many generic cars already, so this is a recycle kit for me. Additionally, the set doesn’t offer any interesting or novel build techniques or bricks. I will say that the truck is movie accurate though. The scene is also pivotal to the plot, so it makes sense to produce the set. But, I’ve always thought the LEGO® Group produces too many vehicles and not enough scenes and buildings. This set would have been way more awesome with the bridge and river from the film. I’m underwhelmed, but I don’t hate this build. Consequently, I rate the build at a passable 60%.
MINIFIGURES: 99%
Blue and Beta Velociraptor Capture includes two Minifigures. Each consists of all the standard parts. This is the only set from the Dominion wave to include Maisie, and she is a wonderful minifig. She has a double-sided face, as well as awesome front and back torso printing. However, my favorite part is the recolored hair/hat piece from Hidden Side’s Parker character. While we’ve seen recolors of this piece before, I like the more natural hair color of this one.
The other Minifigure is Rainn Delacourt. He was also available in the T. rex and Atrociraptor Breakout set. However, this set’s version has different torso printing. I find that quite interesting given that the LEGO® Group seems to love rehashing the same Owen minifig across sets and even waves. If you can make a new Rainn, why not a new Owen? Otherwise, Rainn’s face and leg printing are the same as the other variant.
In terms of accessories, the kit includes two raptors, a mountain bike, a tranquilizer gun, two darts, and a turkey leg. Taking these into account alongside the Minifigure designs, I rate the character design in this kit at 100%. These are nicely detailed Minifigures (we’ll chat about the dinosaurs later).
Two minifigs and one poseable dinosaur gives you three articulated characters in this 181-piece kit. That is an excellent character count for a set this size. You get 60 bricks/fig. It is even better if you count the Beta figurine. Beta is larger and more detailed than previous baby raptor figs. However, I will leave her out of the calculation since we generally only include figs with moving parts in this assessment.
In any case, compared to LEGO® in general, the fig count is amazing. All the sets reviewed at True North Bricks average around 172 bricks/fig. The Jurassic World theme tends to give a lot of characters though. Our theme specific average is 122 bricks/fig. Either way, you get a lot of characters. I rate the ratio score at 97%. Averaging this with the design score gives an overall Minifigure grade of 99%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 75%
The Jurassic World theme is all about the dinosaurs for me. Truthfully, I find most of the sets mediocre at best. Granted, we get the occasional gem like T. rex Rampage. Then, others serve as inspiration for more detailed MOCs, like Indominus rex VS Ankylosaurus. But overall, I buy these sets for the dinosaurs. Blue and Beta Velociraptor Capture comes with two. I’ve already mentioned Beta. I really like this little raptor, and I hope to see more of them in the future in other colors. That way, the older baby raptors can serve as compys in a MOC park.
As for Blue, she is the standard raptor mold we’ve seen over and over since the 2011 Dino theme. As such, the “main” dinosaur in this set does bring much to the table for collectors. We’ve seen Blue before in past waves of Jurassic World sets as well. However, this variant features a new color scheme that is actually quite nice and true to the film. I wish the eye patterning was the same on both sides of the head, but I won’t deduct marks for that since that’s how Blue appears in the movie.
I like this version of Blue more than older ones. I also love Beta. Both are currently exclusive to this set. That might make Blue and Beta Velociraptor Capture appealing to some Jurassic World fans. However, given that raptor figurines in general are a dime a dozen, this set does not offer a huge draw for most people. With that said, if unlike me, you don’t already have a bazillion raptors, this is the only classic raptor figurine currently on store shelves. I rate my entertainment through this set at 75%.
OVERALL SCORE: 72%
If I’m being honest, I would not buy Blue and Beta Velociraptor Capture at full price. I would buy it if I found a good sale though. At full price, the value is terrible, and the build is lack-luster. Additionally, you don’t get much in the way of new dinosaurs. We’ve seen this raptor figurine several times before. With that said, I do like Blue’s new coloring, and Beta is a new mold even if it is a small one. Both Minifigures are nicely detailed too, and Maisie comes with a great new recolor of an existing hat/hair piece. As a Jurassic World fan, I’m happy to have this Blue variant, and I am thrilled with Beta. However, I don’t see the appeal of a bland build and rehashed dino mold for most collectors. What do you think? Reach out in the comments below or on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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