Create Your Own Dinotopia With Duplo’s Dinosaur Babies
Written: Sep 07 '03 (Updated Apr 07 '04)
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Pros: Sturdy pieces, colorful, encourages use of imagination.
Cons: Limited number of Duplo sized bricks.
The Bottom Line: A great mid sized set for the little ones to enjoy. Can be used as a stand-alone or combined with others for hours and hours of fun.
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| Freak369's Full Review: DUPLO - Dinosaur Babies |
To a four year old boy, there’s nothing cooler than dinosaurs, that is unless it’s a Duplo set of dinosaur babies. It seems like only yesterday that I picked up various sets in the Duplo Dinosaur series for my two youngest boys. Hours upon hours were spent with these sets and with some help from the older two, they were able to learn the basics of making a “quality scene” [one that won’t fall apart]. Even after all these years, we still have the Duplo blocks and assorted extras that came with the sets. In the true form of a Lego junkie, I just can’t part with them. From time to time one of the boys will pick up one of the dino babies and play around with them but for the most part, these are mine now. They are in good company on my computer desk and monitor and are among my favorite pieces.
A majority of the sets in this series were released between 1997 and 2000, which means that a few of the older ones might be hard to find on retailers shelves. Toys ‘R Us and KB Toys are great places to find these sets since they often have overstock or backstock items that get misplaced in warehouses. It’s a hit or miss type thing, sometimes you come across a ton of these sets, other times you’ll come up with nothing. There are various online toy vendors that deal with older Lego and Duplo sets, normally they charge about the same price you would have paid for when it was released – other times they just want o get rid of them and will give you a great price if you agree to purchase several or all of the sets they have on hand.
Duplo Dinosaur Babies
If you have a child that loves dinosaurs, this is a great set to pick up for them. When it was release it was priced between $9.99 and $12.99 and the set is worth every penny. The set doesn’t come with any instructions, most of the Duplo sets that don’t have a complex theme often have a small booklet of other products or other sets in the series. The box serves as a good guide for smaller kids to mimic and it is a good starting point for them. Form there they can explore other building options and when combined with other sets, make a whole new scene. All of the elements in this set are of Lego quality meaning they are built to last. The dinosaur babies are seamless – meaning they are made of one solid piece of plastic. The large dinosaurs in other sets have a center seam where the two molds are joined. While it might not seem like a big deal, smaller kids love things that are smooth and because these lack seams there’s less of a chance of them breaking or cracking if stepped on.
The Dino Babies
This set features for dinosaur babies; all have slotted feet [meaning they can be attached to bricks], a good bit of detail and stenciling to them and are extremely durable. If I had to voice one drawback of the set it would be that the animals arms and legs are not moveable. In other sets you’ll find that the larger figures [the parents] have moveable necks, but that’s the only thing that moves. Even with this small design flaw, the dinosaurs are still extremely cute and a blast to play with. Now that the boys have out grown these sets, the various dino babies from this and other sets sit proudly atop my computer monitor or on one of the shelves. These figures are extremely cute and are perfect for introducing this extinct species to younger kids. You can do a little research to find out their sizes, how long they lived, what they ate, if they were aggressive etc. It’s never too early to combine entertainment and education and with sets like this, it makes it easy to explore “the caveman times” with your child.
I’m not a dinosaur expert but I did spend a little time trying to figure out exactly which species were included with this set. After contacting Lego and being told they were just ‘basic’ dinosaur figures, I set out to get the correct names. A have a few friends that run a cyber toy store and I contacted them for the information. Thanks to Joshua from the Dino Emporium for setting me straight on the two that I had wrong.
Brontosaurus – yellow
Tyrannosaurus Rex – blue
Pterodactyl - red
Iguanodon – green
Cave People
These are the standard Duplo sized people that are featured in almost all the sets. The difference between these and others is the stenciling and ‘cave man appeal’. Their clothing is basic and all their bits are covered, their feet are pegged so they can be placed on top of bricks or added to base plates to prevent tipping over. Since their feet are large and chunky, they rarely tip over but it does happen when kids really get into playing with them and have the dinosaurs chase through the scene or setting. The heads turn from side to side and the are bendable at the waist. They are one solid piece with no accessory items [like in regular Lego sets] and there is no real chance of the head coming off the body unless its pried off with a screwdriver. The backpack is nice, but its mostly for show since the only thing that you can fit into it is one of the small flowers and even that is a chore. This can be slipped off and on one of the figures with only a little trouble but smaller kids might get frustrated with it.
Accessory Pieces
Two of the coolest pieces in this set are the hollowed out log and the tree. The log is primarily used as a bench has a lot of other uses if you combine this set with others. One of the coolest things the boys built was a campfire, several of the logs were placed around the fire pit and all the little cavemen and cavewomen sat around it. While that might not sound thrilling to you, they were pretty proud of their little scene. The various bricks that are included with the set are nice, but unless you have others to add it them, there really isn’t a lot you can do outside of boosting up the tree or stacking the dinosaurs on them. The tree itself is one solid piece that has a pegged bottom so you can add bricks to it. It has a nice textured feel to it and looks great with or without the leafy green top. If you have other Duplo sets, this can also double as a cactus for those Wild West fans and collectors. There is a grass backdrop piece that can double as a coral door or be placed in front of the tree. Usually the boys used this as something for the dinosaurs to munch on. There’s only one stenciled brick, the yellow tall thin 2x1 with strawberries.
The Duplo Dinosaur Series
Included in this series are the following sets. All age appropriate for ages 1 1/2 through 5, have colorful, sturdy and safe pieces and are interchangeable with other Duplo and Explore Together sets: Brontosaurus Family [2600], T-Rex Dinosaurs [2601], Dinosaur Village [2602], Dinosaur Bulk Tub [2603], Dino World [2604], Dinosaur Park [2605], Dinosaur Babies [2803], Mini Dino Set [2806], Dinosaur Fun Forest [2821]. Other recommended sets and accessories include: Duplo Bucket Assortment [1086], Duplo Boxed Set [2261], Duplo Building Plate [2304], Duplo Large Assortment [3099].
The Bottom Line
This is a great set for the younger kids who have an attraction to blocks and love dinosaurs. All of the pieces are well made, stand up well to a lot of use and encourage the use of their imagination. Since this is a medium sized set, it would be the perfect gift for a child that doesn’t have a lot of blocks, there’s more than enough here to keep a small child busy for hours. Even though this is rated for kids 1 1/2 through 5, the small plastic flowers might be a little tempting for them to munch on so a little parental supervision is needed. On a side note, the dinosaur babies do get extremely dirty. Make sure you clean them every so often with a mild soap and a paper towel, never use a scrubber on these or you will ruin the glossy finish and take off the stenciled detail.
The Stats
Set Name: Dinosaur Babies
Family Set: Duplo Dinosaur
Lego Set: 2803
Number of Pieces: 19
Age Recommendation: 1 1/5 - 5
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Cost: $ 9.99
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Duplo and Lego Explore Sets …
Racing Lion
Racing Leopard
Racing Tiger
Explore Together - Campsite
Action Wheeler Helicopter Rescue
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $9.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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