Compared to most LEGO Themes of the time, LEGO Dino Attack was considerably Darker and Edgier. The LEGO Group, the company that once refused to produce green bricks in fear that kids would built military vehicles (yes, seriously
), was now churning out sets featuring tanks and helicopters (admittedly not realistically-colored ones) battling dinosaurs in a post-apocalyptic city. And not just any dinosaurs, but evil mutants that can shoot lasers out of their eyes, breathe fire, and shoot lightning.
The story is simple. In 2010, dinosaurs (which may be mutants or Ambiguous Robots) come the heck out of nowhere and wreck major cities, and four survivors (Specs the all-around scientist, Digger the thrilling paleontologist, Shadow the emotionally-driven hunter, and Viper the drafted racer) form the Dino Attack team and use the latest military technology and weapons to combat the dinosaurs and drive them out of the city.
At least... in North America, Japan, and Australia.
European countries got a similar-but-different line titled Dino 2010, which moved the apocalyptic setting to the jungle, dropped all references to the dinosaurs being mutants, and changed the premise from a band of survivors fighting to reclaim a city to a team of hunters deployed to recapture escaped dinosaurs. The most notable difference between Dino Attack and Dino 2010 sets is that Dino 2010 removed all of Dino Attack's over-the-top weaponry and replaced it with chains, grappling hooks, and cages. For instance, Dino Attack's Iron Predator, which is clearly supposed to be a tank, lost its cannon and gained a large T-Rex cage attached on a trailer and was renamed the Dino Track Transport.
In 2012, a Spiritual Successor to Dino Attack was released in the form of LEGO Dino, which many fans of Dino Attack and Dino 2010 have nicknamed "Dino 2012".
Not related to Dinosaurs Attack!, a much bloodier (but still marketed to kids) franchise about dinosaurs attacking cities.
LEGO Dino Attack and Dino 2010 contain examples of:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: When Dino Attack and Dino 2010 first came out in 2005, their 2010 setting was five years into the future.
- After the End: Dino Attack takes place in an apocalyptic city. However, as seen in one of the comics, the city is already being rebuilt by Christmas time, so the end might not be as ending as it might appear.
- All There in the Manual: The Dino Attack website had biographies of the four main characters and descriptions of each mutant dinosaur's capabilities. Other bits and pieces of information can be found throughout the website; for example, one of the short stories on the website is the only source confirming that Specs is the leader of the Dino Attack team. This is also the only major source that refers to the larger dinosaurs as Ambiguous Robots, even though other marketing materials call them mutants. However, what is not explained is the origins of the dinosaurs; the final story entry still comments on the fact that the dinosaurs' origin is a mystery.
- American Kirby Is Hardcore: While Europe gets sets about hunters recapturing escaped dinosaurs in a jungle, America gets a post-apocalyptic battle between survivors and rampaging mutants in a ruined city. This is actually an Inversion, seeing as Dino 2010 was made specifically for the European market after Dino Attack was deemed too violent.
- Apocalypse How: Given how quickly reconstruction efforts begin afterward (it is Built with LEGO, after all), this seems to be Class 1 at worst. However, while only the city is focused upon in Dino Attack (implying a Regional scope), an animation on the Dino Attack website suggested a Planetary scope, and a story summary on the back of the sets' boxes◊ states that multiple cities across the globe were affected by the outbreak.
- Bowdlerise: Dino 2010 dropped all of Dino Attack's weaponry and post-apocalyptic setting.
- Chromosome Casting: Dino 2010 had a cast consisting entirely of four men. Dino Attack just barely averts this with the appearance of Dr. Nicole Soscia in one of the online stories, but the sets still only contain the same four male characters.
- Crossover:
- In one of the LEGO Brickmaster Magazine comics, Dino Attack participates in a crossover with LEGO City, LEGO Creator, and LEGO Racers (with Knights' Kingdom making a cameo on one of the billboards in the background).
- Shadow, Digger, and Viper crossed over with LEGO Adventurers through My LEGO Network, in which they are networkers and join forces with fellow networker Dr. Kilroy in search of the legendary Jeweled Triceratops. By extension, Dino Attack can be considered to have crossed over with LEGO Alpha Team, LEGO Agents, LEGO Universe, and LEGO Factory, which also have delegates working as networkers on My LEGO Network.
- Darker and Edgier: Dino Attack is the only post-apocalyptic LEGO theme and has a heavy focus on the military and weapons. It may very well be the Darkest and Edgiest LEGO theme, aside from BIONICLE.
- Deadline News: In the online story, the TREX radio station is in the middle of a news broadcast about rumored dinosaur sightings when a pteranodon attacks the transmission tower, cutting off the report with static.Reporter: Wait! I can see it now! It's right outside! It's heading for our transmission tower and - Kkzzzzkkk kkhsszzgzzzzzzzzkkkazzzzz
- Death from Above: The T-1 Typhoon is a military helicopter outfitted with impressive weaponry.
- Family-Friendly Firearms: See those giant machine guns? They're actually sonic beam emitters. They definitely don't fire bullets or anything like that.
- Fun with Acronyms: The Dino Attack team is alternatively referred to as "D.I.N.O. Force" in a Toy Fair 2005 press release and the website's ad for the online game. The press release also refers to the theme itself as "D.I.N.O. Attack". What "D.I.N.O." stands for, on the other hand, is never revealed.
- Gatling Good: The Twin Quintronic Beam Emitters on the T-1 Typhoon resemble enormous Gatling guns.
- Ghost City: Considering how bustling most LEGO towns and cities normally appear, the city is devoid of any life in Dino Attack. Presumably, the city was evacuated so the squad could go after the dinosaurs.
- Inconsistent Spelling:
- The name of the Dino Attack ATV is a confusing issue. In the LEGO Shop At Home Catalogues, the Summer 2005 issue labels it the "Steel Sprinter", but the November 2005 issue refers to it as a "Street Sprinter". The July/August 2005 LEGO Brickmaster issue calls it the "Steel Sprinter", but the September/October issue calls it the "Street Sprinter". The set's box is labeled "Street Sprinter", so that appears to be its definite name, but most people familiar with the early press material still call it the Steel Sprinter.
- The team's name is alternatively formatted as "Dino Attack team" or "DINO ATTACK team" in most media, depending on whether the theme's name is likewise stylized in all-caps. However, the Fall 2005 Shop At Home catalog combines the two and refers to the team as "DINO Attack team", as though DINO is an acronym (as was the case in the Toy Fair 2005 press release).
- Intrepid Reporter: J. Theano travels with Dino Attack team during their battles to broadcast news stories for the WDNO station, which is also called Dino Radio.
- Lighter and Softer: Dino 2010, in comparison to Dino Attack. Whereas Dino Attack is a post-apocalyptic battle with militaristic weapons used to combat an army of rampaging mutants, Dino 2010 is merely a team deployed to recapture some escaped dinosaurs in the jungle.
- Lost World: While unconfirmed, this may be the setting of Dino 2010, which depicts the hunters capturing dinosaurs in a jungle.
- Market-Based Title: Dino Attack in North America, Dino 2010 in Europe.
- Never Say "Die": Despite its heavy emphasis on military combat in a post-apocalyptic setting, Dino Attack shies away from directly stating that any death occurs. Product descriptions refer to Dino Attack team needing to "stop", "defeat", "bring down", etc. the dinosaurs. The dinosaurs' bios describe their ability to attack buildings, vehicles, and weapons, but nothing about killing people. Shadow's backstory describes his neighborhood being completely destroyed but explicitly mentions that his family survived with no mention of other casualties. In the online game, the Dino Attack team shoots the dinosaurs with heavy weaponry until they collapse and lie perfectly still on the ground; according to the score screens upon clearing a stage, these defeated dinosaurs are described as "captured", not killed.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: J. Theano of station WDNO is presumably named after Jay Leno.
- No Endor Holocaust: According to Shadow's backstory, his home was flattened by the mutant dinosaurs. Don't worry, because his family escaped without a single casualty.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Viper, Shadow, Specs and Digger are all likely codenames.
- Shown Their Work: Despite all the inaccuracies regarding the dinosaurs in the sets, a LEGO Brickmaster Magazine article on dinosaurs (featuring, naturally, the local paleontologist Digger in a Q&A section) showed that LEGO actually does know a fact or two about the real things.
- Sonic Stunner: Dino Attack's Sonic Screamer weapon, Quintronic Sonic Beam Emitters, and Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher's sonic mode all presumably use sound waves to stun dinosaurs.
- The Squad: The Dino Attack team is a small crack team of fighters specifically geared to hunt dinosaurs.
- Tank Goodness: The Iron Predator resembles a military tank.
- Tanks, but No Tanks: But what kind of tank is the Iron Predator supposed to be, exactly?
- Title by Year: The Market-Based Title Dino 2010 of Europe, as it was released in 2005 and is set in 2010.
- Urban Warfare: The setting of Dino Attack is a major city after it's been overrun by dinosaurs.
- Voodoo Shark: Dino Attack begged the unanswered question: where did the dinosaurs come from? According to LEGO designer Mark Stafford, they were essentially animatronics and robots at a theme park (described as Westworld Meets Jurassic Park) that got out of control and went on rampage. This only raises further questions, such as "Who would program robots with Eye Beams, Deflector Shields, and Shock and Awe powers for a theme park?", "Why do robots have nests and eggs?", and "Where do the Mutant Lizards fit into this?"
- Weaponized Car: The Fire Hammer is a jeep with a massive Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher turret mounted on the back.
