RAWR!!!!
I’ve learned that having a kid makes it more socially acceptable for me as an adult to just scream random noises out.
And even then, I get strange looks. Unless I’m holding a light up dinosaur!
Yeah, you’re right. I still get the strange looks…
Quick Thoughts
Laser Pegs Dinosaurs Building Kit is an excellent mixture of building blocks, flashy lights, and thunder lizards.
Parents and toy reviewers both agree kids have much fun building and re-building the 24 dinosaurs that have been designed with this set. And, kids can always come up with their own!
Pros
- Compatible with other building blocks (though Lego purists may cringe!) which allows other building sets to light up
- User-friendly, visual building instructions for 24 dinosaurs
- Transparent blocks allows for easy viewing of the circuitry
- Offers two power sources: USB and 3 AA batteries
Cons
- Only one set of instructions included in box (T-Rex; others available on Laser Pegs website)
- Though user-friendly, some dinosaurs require quite a few steps
- Snapping some pieces can be difficult for tiny hands and solid connections are required for the light to work
Laser Pegs National Geographic Dinosaurs Building Kit
Recommended Ages: 5 – 15 years old
MSRP: $69.99
Laser Pegs Dinosaur Building Kit Product Description
The Laser Pegs Dinosaur Building Kit offers kids 191 tinted construction bricks, 27 laser pegs, and a triangle power base that can be combined to create 24 different dinosaurs that stand between 12″ and 15″ tall.
The triangle power base offers four different modes: on, flash, flash faster, and sound activation.
Laser Pegs Dinosaur Building Kit Product Discussion
Online reviewers and parents seem to have favorable views toward this dinosaur building kit.
Though not specifically listed by the manufacturer, all blocks are compatible with Lego and other building blocks. This allows kids to add the colorful laser pegs to any of their block creations.
The overwhelmingly common complaint, though, is that the blocks do not easily snap together. Though clearly not everyone, some adults and children alike have expressed difficulty connecting them. With this set, solid connections are even more important than traditional building blocks due to the electrical component.
The occasional difficulty connecting blocks contributes to the feeling that the sets take a relatively long time to complete (e.g., some builders have indicated 3 hours to complete the tyrannosaurus rex build).
While some have complained about the time required, others view it as a feature. The difficulty increases the enjoyment and provides opportunity for collaborative efforts between child and parent.
This video simultaneously gives you a better idea of the dinosaur’s dimensions and demonstrates that the set can be constructed in much less than 3 hours.
The lack of a comprehensive instruction booklet is a bit confounding, but the company does at least provide easy access to the other 23 dinosaur builds through their webpage. They can be downloaded or viewed on site.
Overall, I am rather impressed with the set. At worst case, it is an awesome night light that pulls double duty as a functional toy. While I have not personally constructed this set, I have used the Laser Pegs pieces before and have not experienced many problems connecting pieces together.
The most common experience is that the pieces will appear to have fit together but actually need an additional push to make a tight connection.
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