The first set in the Lego Town Shell Promotional series is the Lego Town Helicopter. Comprised of 25 Lego elements, the set is easy to build and makes a great accessory for any City, Town or Police play scene. Most of the time these smaller sets are overlooked and taken for granted – that is until they become hard to find. I received all six sets in this mini-series from an online brick vendor that deals in purchasing sets in volume. He knew I was on the lookout for small sets that could be used within a city scene and sent me the series to check out. If you like to build these types of scenes, this is a great set to try and track down since it has a ton of uses. With a few small modifications you can turn this into a news or traffic chopper or add some yellow pieces to it to make it into a rescue vehicle.

Helicopter

One of the smallest flight crafts from the Lego designers, this is an impressive little helicopter. The first thing you might notice is the blade assembly on the top of the unit – it consists of one single blade instead of two. This is party due to the fact that the set is small but mostly the fact that if it did have a twin blade it would take away from the aesthetics of the helicopter. If you have other Lego sets or spare parts, you can easily add 2 flat 6 x 1 pieces to give you two twin blades. I played around with the design a bit and found that it looks better with the additional pieces but makes it a little harder to spin. The levers that control the functions of the helicopter are a nice accent but they are a little hard to get into the figures hands. You might need to move the semi circle grip of the figure to snap into place so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get into the correct position the first time.

The only thing that could possibly be considered a drawback to the helicopter is the fact that there are no outer markings on it. Most of the other police or rescue vehicles have at least a small logo or stenciled image on them. If you really want to add a little more to this helicopter you can check the internet for brick brokers and vendors that sell surplus Lego pieces to see if there are any you like. If not, you can always purchase the stickers that came with older Lego Police sets and apply them to this helicopter. I suggest that you build the copter according to the directions and see what it looks like – then you can play around with the design and add or remove what ever pieces you desire.

Police Officer

The Lego figure included with this set is pretty cool. His black uniform consists of a black underlay, gray stenciled zipper design and the Lego Police logo on his chest. He’s sporting stenciled sunglasses and a nice grin, but most of the time these details are hidden under his blue transparent visor that is attached to his white helmet. The visor is removable so you can easily swap it out with a clear visor or my person preference – a completely black one. If you are going to change the visor you might also want to change the helmet as well – it gives it a great look when the officer is in ‘all black’. The officer fits snuggly into the front portion of the copter and with a little bit of work you can maneuver his hands to grasp the tiny lever controls within the cockpit. The office doesn’t come with any accessories however the gray light batons on the sides of the helicopter can easily be removed and used in the officers’ hand as a flashlight or makeshift nightstick.

Instructions

Don’t expect too much from the instructions provided with this set. They will give you the basics and walk you through the construction but outside of that you are on your own. Sometimes the smaller sets have photos of alternative designs but not this one. The single instruction sheet will take you through the construction of the helicopter and police office as well as show you the other sets in this mini series. As basic as they are, the instructions are well illustrated and will allow even the youngest of Lego fans the ability to assemble this set without any problems.

The Bottom Line

I am sure that the boys will have a great time adding this to their city project. As I mentioned earlier, this small set has a lot of potential if kids are given the freedom to explore alternative designs. I am hoping to pick up at least ten more of these sets so they can use the extra pieces to build different type of helicopters. With a few small modifications you can change the overall look of the copter to make it more compatible with the scene you are building. As with all Lego sets you should make sure that the smaller pieces are kept away from younger children since these pose a very real choking hazard. The suggested age range is ages 6 – 12 but use your own judgment after looking over the pieces that are included in this set. If you like this set, you might want to check out the other sets in this mini-series - Patrol Car [1247], Fire Boat [1248], Tri-Motorbike [1249], Dragster [1250] and the Go Cart [1251].


The Stats

Set Name: Helicopter
Family Set: Lego Town
Lego Set: 1246
Number of Pieces: 25
Age Recommendation: 5 - 12
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 5 minutes
Cost: $ 1.99

Original UPC Code: 5 702012 005015
Revised UPC Code: 42884 01246 5

[The above information about UPC codes is provided for collectors wishing to validate the authenticity of a set within this series. Once these sets were removed from the Shell stations the UPC codes were changed. The small bar code sticker that was applied directly over the original box printed UPC code enabled the set to be sold at retail stores rather than just the Shell family of gas and convenience stations.]


As always, thanks for the read!

^V^ Freak ^V^

© 2002 Freak369



Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): See Review
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family