Review: 60411 Fire Rescue Helicopter
Posted by SetToBuild,
Helicopters of this scale are more often found within larger sets, but notably, the biggest set in this wave, 60414 Fire Station with Fire Truck, features an empty helipad. Here, 60411 Fire Rescue Helicopter acts as an expansion pack, offering a supplemental helicopter to complete your LEGO City fire department’s arsenal.
With no further side builds or story, this set only features a single ‘fire’ which needs to be used creatively to make your own play scenarios. This flexibility keeps the size of the set down, but the lack of further prompts could be unwelcome at this price, particularly for the 5+ target age range.
Summary
60411 Fire Rescue Helicopter, 85 pieces.
£8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 | 10.6p/11.8c/11.8c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
This mid-size helicopter ‘expansion pack’ also stands alone as a basic set.
- An optional expansion to 60414
- Easily scratched windshield
- Not a strong standalone playset
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
This Chase McCain lookalike’s tousled hair looks more like a surfer’s than a firefighter’s. In fact, this well-used hair piece was introduced in tan in 8684 Surfer and has been used in nine beach-themed sets since. The figure wears standard firefighter overalls that have been around since the 2013 LEGO City Fire sets, making him overall very unremarkable.
His accessories are slightly more up-to-date, with a recoloured helmet and a relatively rare visor. It’s a shame that the breathing apparatus wasn’t included—not that an oxygen mask makes much sense for a helicopter pilot, but it’s a cool piece.
The Completed Model
Since the last time Brickset visited the Fire subtheme in 2021, a lot has stayed the same. However, the most noticeable change has been the introduction of vibrant yellow. If you’ve got an ultraviolet torch handy, you’ll see that this colour lives up to its name.
For the size and the price, the construction is still very simple and doesn’t have any noteworthy techniques to highlight. There are some updated parts used, such as the 1x1 curved slopes and long-handled weapon hilts to show details of the helicopter’s exhaust. Every great LEGO set has containers to store accessories, so there are two compartments on either side of the helicopter to store extra water tiles and the figure’s hairpiece.
The blue water tanks and vibrant yellow accents tie nicely into the rest of the wave. Commonly found in dark stone grey, the helicopter’s landing skids are available here in black for the first time since 2009. Another change that I didn’t notice until recently is how the stud shooters now come pre-assembled.
The wobbling fire technique makes another appearance. It’s a clever use of the boat studs and it makes me happy to see the classic fire shape live on to this day. The only extra piece is a 1x1 round tile. They’re the ammunition used to shoot out the flames.
Conclusion
The price point of this set is reasonably unique, as we’ve typically seen helicopters in either a <£5 polybag (eg. 30566 Fire Helicopter) or a larger £15-20 set (eg. 60405 Emergency Rescue Helicopter) in recent years. Despite the storage boxes winning me over, I’m struggling to see the value this brings over a polybag. 60275 Police Helicopter is its nearest comparator; this was slightly cheaper, but had two figures and at least a basic ‘story’, both of which our lonely helicopter lacks.
60411 Fire Rescue Helicopter feels like simply an add-on pack to 60414 Fire Station with Fire Truck. I’m glad they took £10 off of the cost of the fire station, and am interested to see how that is received, but this set doesn’t stand alone very well. Do you think people will buy this to complete their fire station, or as an independent set?
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38 comments on this article
As an American I was thrown off by the "ultraviolet torch" part. I was like, "blacklight fire? What?"
I suspect this will be a popular stocking stuffer / birthday present for younger kids. It's got a bit more heft to it than a polybag set would.
Props to Lego for not only including an extra hair piece but also somewhere to store it!
".....to store extra water tiles and the figure’s hairpiece."
I was already wondering how on earth that dude could fit all that hair underneath that helmet...well, he obviously doesn't :-)
Seems like a decent set, though a bit underwhelming for the price point, Lego tends to do just a bit better here. I wouldn't necessarily want a side build, but I feel with a few more pieces the helicopter itself could have been slightly better. Especially that tail beam looks a bit too minimalistic, and I'd rather see that 1 stud wide and 2 plates high than this flat thing.
"Commonly found in dark stone grey, the helicopter’s landing skids are available here for the first time in black..."
I had to check this because no way this set was the first to use this part in that color. I was sure it was the most common color for that piece next to dark bluish gray. And yes, it appeared in black in numerous sets since 1999, debuting with 6464 and 6425 (in fact, black is one of the first colors for this piece, along with the old light gray). What may caused this impression is the fact that there was a 15 year hiatus since the last appearance in black (set 8969).
reminds me vaguely of 7238!
I got this set to top up a gift-with-purchase threshold and gave it to my 5yo son. He built it easily and then, soon after, disassembled it to build a bigger helicopter with his other parts. I think it was a good purchase, even if the price-per-part is not great.
@SetToBuild Element 6126 "Dragons Fire" retired in 2016 this new element does have the the same fire shape but the pin at the bottom is different
The rotor build is NPU but that's all, so skip
@ao_ka said:
""Commonly found in dark stone grey, the helicopter’s landing skids are available here for the first time in black..."
I had to check this because no way this set was the first to use this part in that color. I was sure it was the most common color for that piece next to dark bluish gray. And yes, it appeared in black in numerous sets since 1999, debuting with 6464 and 6425 (in fact, black is one of the first colors for this piece, along with the old light gray). What may caused this impression is the fact that there was a 15 year hiatus since the last appearance in black (set 8969)."
It's another case of multiple element numbers for the same or nearly identical molds. The original part listing is at https://brickset.com/parts/4116839/undercarriage-12x6x1-1-3 and shows it came in 20 sets from 1999 to 2009.
@watcher21 said:
" @SetToBuild Element 6126 "Dragons Fire" retired in 2016 this new element does have the the same fire shape but the pin at the bottom is different
The rotor build is NPU but that's all, so skip"
Yes, exactly! I love that they still use the same shape from the days of yore :)
@BCii said:
" @ao_ka said:
"I had to check this because no way this set was the first to use this part in that color."
It's another case of multiple element numbers for the same or nearly identical molds. The original part listing is at https://brickset.com/parts/4116839/undercarriage-12x6x1-1-3 and shows it came in 20 sets from 1999 to 2009."
They love doing that don't they! Thank you both for the clarification! I made a slight edit to the article to reflect this info.
I bought this one from Target since I didn't see some at my local Walmart, which is weird...
For the price of the Fire Station, including a helicopter should be a given, let alone a measly one like this.
Absurd to ask the customer to buy a second set to complete the other one.
When I was a kid, you got a complete station (Police in that case) in the form of 381-2, yet you could also buy the helicopter separately if you wanted (645).
Ah, yes, one of those sets that will be readily found in bulk buys.
I quite like this set. Small little helicopter builds like this always seem to catch my eye. But I won't be getting it. I'm too focused on the Speed Champions and Star Wars sets this year.
It's a quite OK chopper, nice to see an almost fully enclosed helicopter cockpit in the $10 price range.
By the way, the hairpiece's first appearance wasn't in 7346 , but in the first Collectable Minifigs series 8683-6 (Skater Guy) :D
@SetToBuild said:
" @watcher21 said:
" @SetToBuild Element 6126 "Dragons Fire" retired in 2016 this new element does have the the same fire shape but the pin at the bottom is different
The rotor build is NPU but that's all, so skip"
Yes, exactly! I love that they still use the same shape from the days of yore :)"
But not as useful.
All the 2024 Fire logos and fire vehicle numbers are PRINTS this year, and also the fire people get helmets and hairpieces, so LEGO is learning.
Also this helicopter is the right size imo.
2021-2022 : 60281 : Fire Rescue Helicopter , 30566 : Fire Helicopter
2022-2023 : 60318 : Fire Helicopter , and the small helicopter with 60320 : Fire Station .
2023 did not have a new fire helicopter
2024 has this.
So people who did not collect any 2022 LEGO, this will still go well with helicopter-less fire stations like 60375: Fire Station and Fire Engine (kids obviously) and 60414: Fire Station with Fire Truck
@tisi said:
"By the way, the hairpiece's first appearance wasn't in 7346 , but in the first Collectable Minifigs series 8683-6 (Skater Guy) :D"
Ehhh according to Brickset's database, it was 7346 , and that's where we're at currently. I met you in the middle and made an edit to say the first instance in tan was the surfer guy! (´v`)
"Not a strong standalone playset"? I played a lot with my copters in the 80s and had not trouble making my own fire or crime scene, and we didn't even have fire pieces or crook clothes!
The elongated cockpit, the sigle piece skids and the rotor assembly all remind me very much of my most beloved childhood Lego chopper, 6773 Alpha Team Helicopter from 2001. Glad to see Lego hasn't changed that much in some ways.
"a lot has stayed the same"
Fire/police = money saved
@Pollywanna said:
"The elongated cockpit, the sigle piece skids and the rotor assembly all remind me very much of my most beloved childhood Lego chopper, 6773 Alpha Team Helicopter from 2001. Glad to see Lego hasn't changed that much in some ways."
/ages into dust
Kind of a cool little set! I’d like to imagine some kid some day will remember it with the same fondness I have when I think of sets like 7741. Canopy should’ve been in trans black though imo.
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"As an American I was thrown off by the "ultraviolet torch" part. I was like, "blacklight fire? What?""
As much of an Anglophile as Iam, I still have to occasionally remind myself that on the other side of the pond, a "torch" is only on fire if there's a wiring issue.
@Andrusi said:" @Pollywanna said:"The elongated cockpit, the sigle piece skids and the rotor assembly all remind me very much of my most beloved childhood Lego chopper, 6773 Alpha Team Helicopter from 2001. Glad to see Lego hasn't changed that much in some ways."
/ages into dust"
Considering that they're talking about a set that came out the year I reached drinking age, I know what you mean. I don't quite feel old enough to yell at clouds or tell kids to get off of my lawn, but I do know what you're talking about.
This one reminds me of my first set 6531 :D
@Ridgeheart said:
"It very slightly reminds me of 6923, which was awesomely useless and uselessly awesome. I love that set, so having a slimmer, more modern lookalike available that I can convert into a fleet of COMPLETELY USELESS SPACE-HELICOPTERS does spark a lot of joy for me."
PARTICLE IONIZER!!! Space set names used to be so good back in the day! Galactic Mediator, Solar Snooper, Nebula Outpost, Vector Detector, Sub Orbital Guardian, Spectral Starguider, Cosmic Creeper, Ice Tunnelator... :')
@SetToBuild said:
" @Ridgeheart said:
"It very slightly reminds me of 6923 , which was awesomely useless and uselessly awesome. I love that set, so having a slimmer, more modern lookalike available that I can convert into a fleet of COMPLETELY USELESS SPACE-HELICOPTERS does spark a lot of joy for me."
PARTICLE IONIZER!!! Space set names used to be so good back in the day! Galactic Mediator, Solar Snooper, Nebula Outpost, Vector Detector, Sub Orbital Guardian, Spectral Starguider, Cosmic Creeper, Ice Tunnelator... :')"
Don't forget "Galactic Enforcer".
What a name.
And of course "Interstellar Starfighter", "Aerial Intruder" and one of the best: "Mega Core Magnetizer."
:-)
Speaking of names for Classic Space sets, interestingly the first monorail 6990 was called "Galax-Star-Express" in the German catalogue.
I like how this expands the Fire Station, but there is a minor niggle there: the vehicles in this wave of fire sets are numbered, as are their respective landing pads/garages. The sticker by the landing pad in 60414 indicates the chopper here should be number 3 in the fleet, but as we see here it is in fact number 4.
Edit: The truck in 60414 is the number 1 vehicle, the 4x4 in 60412 is the number 2 vehicle, and the small boat it tows is the actual number 3. The plane in 60413 is number 5.
I like how the rotors are built like 6773 Alpha Team Helicopter.
Overall a classic type of set. I'm no going to get it or aything, but it's good that it's there. The hairpiece and storage are great too!3
My son (age 5) picked out this set at the Lego store last weekend. He wanted this helicopter over any other set in the store! (Well, his first choice was actually Orient Express, but I nixed that idea based on price.) He loves helicopters and he loves rescues...so this was right up his alley.
So, yes...it DOES work as a standalone set even if you don't have 60414.
@watcher21 said:
" @SetToBuild Element 6126 "Dragons Fire" retired in 2016 this new element does have the the same fire shape but the pin at the bottom is different
The rotor build is NPU but that's all, so skip"
The first time I encountered the new version was in 2009 Fantasy Era and Pirates II sets (both old and new transparent oranges). I really haven't seen the original one in sets since then.
@AustinPowers said:
" @SetToBuild said:
" @Ridgeheart said:
"It very slightly reminds me of 6923 , which was awesomely useless and uselessly awesome. I love that set, so having a slimmer, more modern lookalike available that I can convert into a fleet of COMPLETELY USELESS SPACE-HELICOPTERS does spark a lot of joy for me."
PARTICLE IONIZER!!! Space set names used to be so good back in the day! Galactic Mediator, Solar Snooper, Nebula Outpost, Vector Detector, Sub Orbital Guardian, Spectral Starguider, Cosmic Creeper, Ice Tunnelator... :')"
Don't forget "Galactic Enforcer".
What a name.
And of course "Interstellar Starfighter", "Aerial Intruder" and one of the best: "Mega Core Magnetizer."
:-)
Speaking of names for Classic Space sets, interestingly the first monorail 6990 was called "Galax-Star-Express" in the German catalogue. "
You're both forgetting Deep Freeze Defender.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @SetToBuild said:
" @Ridgeheart said:
"It very slightly reminds me of 6923 , which was awesomely useless and uselessly awesome. I love that set, so having a slimmer, more modern lookalike available that I can convert into a fleet of COMPLETELY USELESS SPACE-HELICOPTERS does spark a lot of joy for me."
PARTICLE IONIZER!!! Space set names used to be so good back in the day! Galactic Mediator, Solar Snooper, Nebula Outpost, Vector Detector, Sub Orbital Guardian, Spectral Starguider, Cosmic Creeper, Ice Tunnelator... :')"
Don't forget "Galactic Enforcer".
What a name.
And of course "Interstellar Starfighter", "Aerial Intruder" and one of the best: "Mega Core Magnetizer."
:-)
Speaking of names for Classic Space sets, interestingly the first monorail 6990 was called "Galax-Star-Express" in the German catalogue. "
You're both forgetting Deep Freeze Defender."
The problem is that most of those cool sounding names I only found out about through Brickset, since in the German catalogues they had completely different names, as with 6990. I would have to look up what the Deep Freeze Defender was called in Germany, but my collection of old LEGO catalogues is still at my mother's house. I'll check next time I'm there.
EDIT: I just googled the catalogue. Actually the German name for 6973 is about the most boring they could have come up with. Its full name was "Ice Planet Tripel-Raumtransporter", which simply translates as Ice Planet Triple-Space-Transport". I just saw that all the Ice Planet sets had totally boring names over here.
Other sets in that catalogue have better names though. Note that all of these have English names even in the German catalogue:
6813 "Space Police Cop Hopper"
6984 "Space Police Commander Corvette"
6981 "Blacktron Spy Intruder"
6832 "Blacktron Deltaswinger"
Addendum: I wonder why in the case of sets like these last four LEGO specifically chose English names, but not the ones used internationally.
Interesting also that the official Space set names of that era included the name of the theme as part of the set name. Then again this wasn't always the case, since for example the Futuron sets like 6990 did not include the preface Futuron in their set name.
@AustinPowers said:
"6813 "Space Police Cop Hopper" "
This one in particular is interesting (or rather, stands out in its dullness) because it sounds like they missed that the minifig was meant to be someone important.
@Andrusi said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"6813 "Space Police Cop Hopper" "
This one in particular is interesting (or rather, stands out in its dullness) because it sounds like they missed that the minifig was meant to be someone important."
How so? Was there an accompanying TV show in the US, or some other kind of backstory? In the German catalogue there wasn't anything of the kind, and I don't recall there having been any other tie-in media.
@AustinPowers said:"6813 "Space Police Cop Hopper"
6984 "Space Police Commander Corvette"
6981 "Blacktron Spy Intruder"
6832 "Blacktron Deltaswinger" "
I'll admit, those are pretty cool names. "Cop Hopper" reminds me of The Lego Movie. "Release the Copper Choppers!" Still wish they'd done one of those as a set...
@AustinPowers said:
" @Andrusi said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"6813 "Space Police Cop Hopper" "
This one in particular is interesting (or rather, stands out in its dullness) because it sounds like they missed that the minifig was meant to be someone important."
How so? Was there an accompanying TV show in the US, or some other kind of backstory? In the German catalogue there wasn't anything of the kind, and I don't recall there having been any other tie-in media. "
The figure piloting it had epaulets, so (as indicated by the English set name) was supposed to be the chief.
@TheOtherMike : interesting, I never noticed that. And despite the fact that I own this set. Strangely enough I have never opened it to this day. One of only two sets I have from that era that are still MISB (both very small sets though, the other being 6901-2).
Interesting also that this special figure came in both the smallest and the largest set of that wave.