I bought this set as my first LEGO Technic since I was a teenager over a decade ago. I was full of anticipation and was not disappointed in any way and I still enjoy looking at it every day I see it in my office. I found this set to be a great value for any AFOL. It's design is ideal for display, having a retractable landing gear and a 3-point top rotor allowing for placement very close to wall e.g. narrow bookshelf.

The build was very enjoyable and took about 90 minutes, if you take your time.

Pros

• Very fun build
• Great differential on rotor knob - blades will spin quite quickly
• Retractable Landing wheels instead of skids are awesome
• Pretty large appearance for a 400+ pc set
• Looks great on display

Cons

• Tail is only suggestive
• Gahhh! Stickers (however, the model does look great without)
• Hook on a string is lame (but let's be honest, aren't they all?)

I recommend this set to anyone who is looking for some down time - you'll have a great display when your done that you can show off to your friends.

The Rescue Helicopter is a very cool set. I am bit disappointed that it didn't have a motor to spin the blades though so i bought a lego motor and put it in. The instructions were long but extremly helpful in the sense that i did not get confused. The cockpit would have been cooler if there were a lever or two or something elese besides stickers. Overall it was a cool set and i got it on sale so I would say it was worth  the price of $27.98.

Purchase:

I swung by a local toy retailer that tends to carry a pretty random collection of Lego's in the hope of finding some of the more rare sets that big box retailers don't carry. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see that they had improved their selection quite a bit and even had some Technics sets, which are almost impossible to find in the area! The three sets they had were 8065 - Mini Container Truck (which I already own), 8067 - Mini Mobile Crane and 8068 Rescue Helicopter. I decided to go big and pick up the Rescue Helicopter as it was a very nice looking model and I have a love of all things airplanes and helicopter! My first impression on looking at the box was that it seemed like a small box and the back did not do a very good job of explaining functionality. In particular I had doubts about the tail rotor being linked to the main rotor and other core motion functions. I purchased the set for $39.99 and went on my way.

Build:

At 408 pieces, the box was pretty full. The model had 12 of the larger "panel" pieces used to give the model its shape. The model took about an hour to put together and the build was quite fun. There were a couple times were the instructions did not specifically point out where small pieces went and it took a few minutes to figure it out by comparing the page to previous ones, otherwise the instructions were fine. The model also has 10 stickers, all which are of moderate to large size and of odd shape that go on panels with lots of angles and curved surfaces. I was pleasantly surprised to see the model was larger than I thought it would be and ends up being a very well built and substantial model.

Details and Functions:

Of course the best part about Technics is their various functions. This model has four functions. The three landing gear elements retract via a gear knob on the side. This function is very smooth and well done using a worm gear to provide a 90 degree mesh with a small gear that then provides movement via a shaft to unique four point knobs that provide another 90 degree mesh and actually move the gear up and down. All three gear move together and are very sturdy when deployed. My only complaint is none of the gear pivot (mainly the nose landing gear would need to pivot and the others stay fixed) so the model does not really make turns on its gear. The next and most important feature is the rotors. The main rotor (which is very nicely built and feels well proportioned) and the tail rotor both spin together via another gear know located on the same side and directly above the landing gear knob. This action is completed by three 90 degree gear meshes using the small 90 degree yellow gears. The action is smooth and solid. The tail rotor guard is made out of the flex pieces and due to this it doesn't quite line up right around the rotor itself, but it otherwise looks fine and I don't know if there was really a better way to do this. The other functions are both very simple, a spool with string and a hook at the end is attached to the same side as the other two two gear knobs and provides the rescue feature and on both sides of the main cabin are doors that swivel up on hinges. The detailing is nice, especially in the cockpit where there are two adjustable seats, a detailed control panel (using two more stickers) and the panels that make up the body of the helicopter provide just enough shape and enclosure to really define the helicopter and give it a solid look and feel.

Alternate Model:

The alternate model is a much smaller and less substantial light helicopter. It only uses a small number of panels and has two functions. The functions are the rotor assembly and another crank to lift cargo. I have not built the alternate model. If your interested in seeing it, let me know and I will put it together.

Final Notes:

Overall I was very pleased with this model. It was fun to build, had lots of great detailing and functions which makes it great looking and fun to play with. I would highly recommend "Rescue Helicopter"!

Check out my website for detailed pictures of the model, link is in my profile!

Hi, I got this on sale from amazon for about £20, which at the price is fair value, but a bit disappointed with the model, the only moving parts are a wheel to raise and lower the landing gear and a wheel to spin the blades. The winch is just on a stub.

Box/Instructions

Instructions are good but long as with the new sets

Parts

No standout great additions to your collection,

Minifigures

None

The build

Ok, fairly simple, and no impressive engineering

The completed model

Model is in good proportion, but just lacks some wow factor.

Summary

If you can get this model 40% or more off its a nice little addition, but nothing too exciting

When I created the Technic Choppers Bricklist in 2010 I wrote: "Looking at the list I'd say a good helicopter set is long overdue!". So when this set was released I had to buy it. A little patience was rewarded and I ended up getting it for €29,99 from Argos.

Box/Instructions

Nothing remarkable about the box. Following the recent trend it's a bit smaller than it would have been in recent years and as a result it's fairly full.

Instructions come in two books; one for the main model and one for the alternative. It takes a whopping 81 pages to put the 408 pieces together...

Parts

The set contains 408 parts and while that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that 1/4 of that are pins and another 70 or so are axles. After that there's a typical mix of beams and connectors, 6 pairs of panels, some flex axles and flex tube and a spoked wheel hub cap for the tail rotor. The colour scheme is red and white with a few blue pieces for the seats. A decent selection then for 30 euro.

The build

Building is not especially difficult but it's definitely not a set for a beginner in Technic. There aren't many mechanisms in this model (see below) but it's quite compact. The instructions are clear but to my taste way too long. 81 pages for 408 parts means an average of 5 parts per page.

The completed model

When you're finished the model looks the part. The cockpit has a nice shape made up of some panels and flex tubes, the colour scheme is well done and it's instantly recognisable as a Coast Guard or Search And Rescue helicopter, even if you don't apply the stickers that say 'Rescue'. Speaking of which, all but two of the panels are covered in stickers. While they add a bit to the looks they also make it harder to reuse the panels.

I was disappointed with the functionality. Obviously both rotors spin. The landing gear retracts, although two of the three retracted wheels are still in full view. There's a winch (nothing more than a spool on a pin, no mechanism involved) and two side 'doors' (a beam and a panel) swing up to reveal an interior with no floor. All functions are operated with 12-tooth gears.

The alternative model

The alternative model for this helicopter is.... another helicopter. A smaller type of helicopter, still with the same rudimentary winch but no landing gear this time.

What could have been

Summary