As a child and young teenager, Lego sets were my staple choice of toys. I had sets from Castle, Pirate, Space, and Town themes, but the airplane and helicopter sets always had a special place in my collection. However, I always felt that the vehicles were not to proper scale, in that they were too small to be taken seriously (refer to sets 6354 and 6387 for examples of typical Lego helicopters). Now that I am a father and my son is building his own collection, I was more than ecstatic to see this helicopter that boasts a scale that makes almost all other Lego helicopters look like silly R/C models. And the Coast Guard Helicopter isn't just big, but it is a very functional set that has high playability. Plus, its appeal to me, as an adult, allows me to really get involved in playing with my son and helping him to grow his own imagination.

Pros

• Size. This thing is massive and dwarves all other helicopters made to date. Some collectors may dislike larger sets due to the inability to store or display them in smaller spaces, but this is definitely not a concern for me.
• Color Scheme. Although US Coast Guard helicopters do not employ the orange/blue/white scheme modeled here, what makes this color arrangement so attractive to me is that it has a look unique to itself and no other aircraft and is really eye-catching when placed alongside other sets.
• Construction/Detail. Both the raft and the helicopter were designed with great care and attention to detail. Little space is wasted on either and, especially the raft, pieces are hinged and assembled in a means that surpasses even my imagination and really highlights what wonderful toys Legos are, given their near infinite possibilities. The addition of the "power winch" to the helicopter is a significant plus over having to manually re-wind the line. The helicopter's lines and shape borrow heavily from the Sikorsky S-61 Sea King, which was one of my favorite helicopters as a child, hence some of my bias towards the set.

Cons

• Stickers. I know that Lego will probably never stop making them, so there is little value in complaining, but this set is very heavy on sticker usage - perhaps the most of any set I've ever built - and some of the stickers are hard to place on straight. The raft door stickers, in particular, were a real pain.

I was lucky to snatch this set used off eBay for what was essentially the original new price (it's a hard set to get cheap), and it is definitely one of my all-time favorite City/Town sets. My only wish is that Lego had made this set sometime in the early '90s during my building heyday, because then I would have 20 years of fond memories of playing with it along with all my other sets. I guess I'll just to have make the most of the next two decades to come.

Okay, i wonder why the dude looks like that. They just took the guy from the City Harbor and put a different head on. And I wish that the Helicopter was stronger and that the hook area didn't fall apart. The cocpit was nice, not to mention cramped. The top propellor was a bit confusing to build at first.

Pros~
- Shark
- Windshield
- weird element on bottom of raft
- castaway torso
- raft flaps

Cons~
- Not really any major ones

Great set. 99.99/100

When I first picked up this set I had high expectations. When I finished building it I was astonished. Heres my review broke up into sections.

Raft: The raft has a very good color scheme. The orange really stands out. However, the amount of room in the raft is rather small. However, the minifigure can still fit in. The raft is a easy build but fun.

Helicopter: From my point of view this is one of the best lego helicopters ever produced. The color scheme is fantastic. The blue white and orange mesh perfectly together. This helicopter is also nice because of the doors on either side. When you open these up youll see a nice vast open room with a stretcher. Inside there is also a moterized winch which can be used to rescue the stranded man at sea. The downside about the winch is that it cant lift the life raft which is dissapointing. Also the rope for the winch is very very short.

I would definetely reccomend this set to city fans. Im thinking of getting another copy of this set just because how great it is.

The Picture on the box does no justice to this wonderful set. The life raft is so much bigger than one would think from this picture.
Pros: Huge Helicopter
cockpit can fit two figs side by side
opening doors on each side
4 min. figs
cool life raft
Cons: NONE

Did anyone else notice that the kit number spells BELL when you turn it over? That's a very cute oblique reference to the Bell Helicopter company. :-)

No other additions to the other reviews except that we love this kit!