Jurassic World Rebirth Lab Lockdown Tyrannosaurus Rex Figure Review

I'm at this point in my toy collecting where I pretty much have everything I want. Haven't checked any Marvel Legends lately. G.I. Joe: Classified Series already gave me what I wanted. So, I don't usually go "I need to have this" with toys.

And then Mattel announced the Jurassic World Rebirth Lab Lockdown Tyrannosaurus rex. And as a dude who thinks dinosaurs are one of the best things to have ever been created in this life...

I needed it.

I mean, look at this thing.

I am in love.

As this is a store exclusive, I lost all hope of getting this in my country. Thankfully, some collectors I met recently shared Shopee links to an overseas seller that was selling this at a price I couldn't pass up. Salamat, Shopee!

Now let's see what I got myself into. Will I be disappointed? Will I be sent into heights of euphoria? Read on!

Lab Lockdown Tyrannosaurus rex is around 18 inches long and features a brand-new sculpt, which earmarks it for "white whale" status for fans. I've handled my share of T. rex toys, and even just having it in hand makes me think this is Mattel's best T. rex figure yet. It's in that satisfying spot where you get an amazing sculpt and useful articulation without needing to buy a premium Hammond Collection version.

Speaking of sculpt, it's easy to get lost poring over this figure.  Every inch of this T. rex is packed with detail, from the powerful musculature to the folds in the skin. The proportions are also on the realistic side and reflect the film version well. This is a satisfyingly chunky boi.

Paint-wise, there isn't much to write home about. Lab Lockdown T. rex is cast in dark brown plastic except for its greyish brown jaw, with dark grey bands painted over its face, neck, and back. The same greyish brown is painted under its neck but doesn't go past the chest. Now you run out of paint?

At least there's a small yet significant upgrade to the figure: proper T. rex arms! Gone are the puny, useless stick arms of previous Tyrannosaurus rex iterations—in its place are Lab Lockdown T. rex's sturdy, meaty arms ending in strong-looking claws. Finally, a T. rex toy that brought guns to the Jurassic period!

A sculpt this good means sacrifices were surely made. The Lab Lockdown T. rex has some serviceable articulation in the neck, arms, hips, and tail that allows you to give this T. rex some personality. At the size it's at and at the price they're selling it for, I'm satisfied that we have this range of motion without sacrificing this beautiful sculpt. 

I'm a fan of toy gimmicks. Not a fan of toys that are nothing but gimmicks. I've put off getting all the recent Tyrannosaurus rex toys that Mattel have put out due to them having unwieldy gimmicks that break sculpts and break immersion when on display. Lab Lockdown T. rex thankfully has an unobtrusive and well-hidden play feature, which you can access by pressing the button on its spine.

Press the button and Lab Lockdown T. rex opens its jaws in mighty chomping action! With the mouth open, a burst of color hits you in the form of the gums, palate, and tongue. Cast in shiny red plastic, it adds a welcome realism to the figure.  Also revealed are rows of teeth that look scary sharp despite being soft plastic. Well done!

Size-wise, the Lab Lockdown Tyrannosaurus rex is big enough to be an imposing sight in any display and provide a lot of play value. If you're looking for an appropriately large T. rex for your X-Men to fight, you're better off getting the Super Colossal T. rex in the Jurassic World Rebirth line. I'm good with this more affordable version, thanks!

The T. rex is my favorite dinosaur of all time, so I'm over the moon to know my T. rex figure collection found its crowning jewel so soon. The Jurassic World Rebirth Lab Lockdown Tyrannosaurus rex strikes the perfect balance between looks and playability, all at a pretty fair price point.

I hope you found this review helpful. What's your favorite dinosaur? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading and stay safe out there.