Step 1 of 10
Add: 2 × yellow 4 × 8 plate
Lay two yellow 4 × 8 plates side by side, making an eight-column-wide square.
See the model
Dinosaur fossil dig
Two grassy covers hide a white bone pattern in a shallow dig. Lift the covers away and discover the skull, ribs and long backbone.
Download PDFThis guide is included offline.
Before you build
Find the right shape
Match the shape, size and colour to the parts pictures. A stud is a round bump on top. Count rows and columns from one edge.
Follow the pictures
New pieces keep their full colour. Earlier pieces are lighter. Keep the front of the model facing you unless a step says to turn it.
Build and play together
Gather all the pieces first, then take each step at your own pace. Help your child press pieces together and lift removable parts gently.
The bone pattern is a simplified pretend fossil, not an anatomical reconstruction.
The covers lift off separately. The white bones stay attached to the tray.
All covers and bones are included in the parts list.
Gather pieces
Everything you need
Colours show the pictured version. Brown represents Reddish Brown. Match shapes and quantities first; other colour choices have not been checked for this edition.
Shape-only checklist
- 4 × 4 × 8 plate
- 4 × 2 × 3 curved brick
- 1 × 2 × 6 brick
- 2 × 2 × 8 plate
- 2 × 2 × 4 plate
- 2 × 2 × 2 brick
- 14 × 1 × 2 double-height wall brick
Total: 29 pieces
Build
One step at a time
New pieces are in colour. Earlier pieces are lighter.
Step 2 of 10
Add: 1 × white 2 × 6 brick
Join the floor plates with a white 2 × 6 brick down the middle. Leave one clear row at the back and front.
Step 3 of 10
Add: 1 × white 2 × 4 plate
Put a white 2 × 4 plate across the backbone, one row in from its back end. It projects one column on each side to make a pair of ribs. Leave the next row of the backbone clear before the skull.
Step 4 of 10
Add: 2 × white 2 × 2 brick
Put two white squares side by side across the front two rows of the backbone.
Step 5 of 10
Add: 6 × brown 1 × 2 double-height wall brick
Close the back and front with three brown narrow wall bricks across each end, fitting between the side walls.
Step 6 of 10
Add: 1 × white 2 × 4 plate
Join the front rows of the white skull squares with a white 2 × 4 plate across them. Its front row projects over the front wall.
Step 7 of 10
Add: 8 × brown 1 × 2 double-height wall brick
Stand four brown narrow wall bricks down each outside edge of the tray, end to end.
Step 8 of 10
Add: 2 × brown 2 × 8 plate
Cover each side wall with a brown 2 × 8 plate. Line up its outside edge with the tray; the inner column projects over the opening.
Step 9 of 10
Add: 1 × green 4 × 8 plate; 2 × brown 2 × 3 curved brick
Lay a green 4 × 8 plate over the left half of the tray. Add two brown curved rocks on its outside half, with their rounded ends facing opposite ends of the tray.
Step 10 of 10
Add: 1 × green 4 × 8 plate; 2 × brown 2 × 3 curved brick
Cover the right half with another green 4 × 8 plate. Add two brown curved rocks on its outside half, matching the first cover.
Ready to play
Make a little story
- Lift one cover at a time and describe what you find.
- Point out the skull, backbone and paired ribs.
- Draw the dinosaur you imagine these pretend bones belonged to.
Sources and credits
Geometry: LDraw Parts Library. Part sources · Model and inventory · Render record
Revision 651b4e9d8843924247ed5c5a9b13582e517bc526260aed6dbda7c251e1f8d752
These new revisions have digital checks. They do not carry a new physical-test claim.