Random set of the day: Helicopter
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 7031 Helicopter, released during 2003. It's one of 28 World City sets produced that year. It contains 88 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$10/£7.99.
It's owned by 1,375 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you should find it for sale at BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $20.00, or eBay.
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31 comments on this article
Ah 2003, some of us were still using VHS tapes... I wonder how good an image that camera could really produce.
HELICOPTER HELICOPTER
(Pretend I was singing that in an Indian accent)
I really like the look of this one. I’ve got it in the back of my mind to get one off eBay soon.
@MCLegoboy said:
"Ah 2003, some of us were still using VHS tapes... I wonder how good an image that camera could really produce."
Media used to use a beefier tape. I took a TV Productions class in high school, and they had some oddball stuff in the editing room. One was probably a U-Matic tape, which is maybe 50% larger than a VHS cassette. U-Matic used a 3/4" ribbon, compared to VHS at 1/2", but it had half the resolution. Computer discs went through a similar shift, going from huge 8" discs, to 5-1/4", and finally 3-1/2", and each of these size reductions actually came with a storage increase. Now, the important thing to remember here is, that this cassette is approximately the size of a minifig's leg. You'd be lucky if that had enough resolution to make a light blink on and off.
Alternately, it's a film camera, in which case the resolution is terrible, because they forgot to put the cover on and the entire reel is overexposed.
I find 2003 sets fascinating because it was the final days of old light gray, old dark gray, and old brown (of which this set has parts in the first two colors).
Decent-looking helicopter, although the end of the tail is strangely huge and the entire thing has that late-'90s/early-'00s Lego design language where the helicopters are all trying to look like jet planes with rotors.
@tmtomh said: "I find 2003 sets fascinating because it was the final days of old light gray, old dark gray, and old brown (of which this set has parts in the first two colors)."
I do as well, but it's because of the mix of old-fashioned Lego System pieces, and all the odd, new parts that came out in the 00s.
I picked up three of these for sone reason. It’s a great set, if a little larger a helicopter.
This was one of the sets with disintegrating stickers. I only used the stickers for one helicopter, and after some years they cracked and just fell off the parts. Stickers from the other two sets didn’t fare much better, even though I used them in space MOCs.
It’s a shame because I really liked the designs.
Nice little Easter egg with the set number on the side of the chopper.
This set is over 50% Technic by piece count, including the rotor mechanism, the tail support piece, and the entire structure of the skids. Overreaction to Town Junior?
World City was gritty and short-lived until ‘regular’ City supplanted it, and my opinion most of it was pretty good. City started with the black and white police colours like this, but later transitioned to blue and white. World City also one of the themes from which I personally have almost nothing. The sets seem to be rare to find in bulk bins. The best success I’ve ever had with this theme was finding a train.
PurpleDave: You mentioning eight-inch floppies reminds me of the class I took in college, in a room referred to as the "hack lab." There was a cabinet in that classroom that had a case of those, as well as other assorted obsolete computer equipment, including a huge (physically speaking) drive with a transparent cover that let you see the platter, which was bigger around than an LP record. I don't remember what the instructor said the storage capacity was, but I'm pretty sure it was less than a thee-and-a-quarter-inch floppy.
@WemWem: That sort of thing at least used to be pretty common, I haven't really paid enough attention to know if it still is. For instance, 5510's license plate number was "MT 5510."
@WemWem said:
"Nice little Easter egg with the set number on the side of the chopper."
That's been pretty common in City/World City sets ever since; license plate numbers have been a frequent place. For a recent example, see the wanted poster in 60417.
Is this the worst helicopter LEGO has released? Definitely in the running. Looks crap.
First time I see this, but I like it for its unorthodox shape. The cabin looks sleeker than traditional Lego helicopters. The tail is a bit too bulky though.
This set has one really neat LEGO geometry technique with how the rear tail is supported by an angled Technic axle.
Oh, and it isn't shown in the main image, but it does come with a winch mounted on the other side of the helicopter, opposite of the video camera.
@gunther_schnitzel said:
"Is this the worst helicopter LEGO has released? Definitely in the running. Looks crap."
I would say its one of the best helicopters lego has made, it's quite unique with ita 3blade rotor and big canopy.
Blimey look at that tail array; it looks chunkier and heavier than the cockpit! I’d be expecting the whole chopper to tilt over backwards every time it landed
Notably one of the few sets to include white Technic half-bushes, until Lego reintroduced them a couple years ago.
@gunther_schnitzel said:
"Is this the worst helicopter LEGO has released? Definitely in the running. Looks crap."
I honestly think that's a bit of an over-reaction. I like this helicopter purely because it is so different, there's not many other Lego helicopters that look anything like it.
And given that, these days, Lego just releases the exact same police and fire sets every six months on rotation, I appreciate the moments in the past when they tried to give us something a little bit different.
I don't love it, but I like the unique take this set did on a helicoper. It's a bit funky, but it's an enomous leap from anything we've seen before!
Fun fact: this set uses the original 2x2x2 rotational ratchet joint bricks in white for the camera and winch mounts.
Yes, the same part used to mount the arms in 4789, the previous RSotD.
When World City came out, I really didn't know what to think of it.
It seemed that the days of juniorization for Town were over, but at the same time this did not feel like the old stuff at all, way too much visible Technic parts and curve slopes. City, two years later did a way better job at picking up where they left in 1996.
Now I think of the theme a bit more positive due to it's rather unique aesthetic.
It was kind of weird how World City is so utterly police-focused, even by Lego City/Town standards. This always gave it some not-so-distant dystopian future feeling...
@Atuin said:
"
It was kind of weird how World City is so utterly police-focused, even by Lego City/Town standards. This always gave it some not-so-distant dystopian future feeling..."
AFAIK, there were only a handful of police sets in WORLD CITY. I think there were more train sets than police sets. Have to disagree that police-focused = dystopian though.
@Belboz said:
" @Atuin said:
"
It was kind of weird how World City is so utterly police-focused, even by Lego City/Town standards. This always gave it some not-so-distant dystopian future feeling..."
AFAIK, there were only a handful of police sets in WORLD CITY. I think there were more train sets than police sets. Have to disagree that police-focused = dystopian though.
"
I am mostly referring to the impression the 2003 catalogue gave, as most of these Trains sets are either promotional releases or Shop-at-Home exclusives.
The second year added to this, with the only non-train release that was civil being a kind of crook hideout.
Also it's not so much about police itself, but the way World City was the first to put police into a bit of a different direction, with armored vehicles and 'men in black' type minifigs.
Also the entire imagery and color scheme was noticeably less bright then what we had before or after.
The FBI van in 7032 contributes to the dystopian feel for me, that's a pretty wild subject for a Lego set. 7035 also has a prisoner in prison orange, which is, I dunno, "grittier" that the usual stripes?
7042 was probably my first ever set, so I've got some fondness for World City. And clearly this is one of Lego's best helicopters, just look at those white half bushings!
@gunther_schnitzel said:
"Is this the worst helicopter LEGO has released? Definitely in the running. Looks crap."
Are you forgetting Jack Stone? Three JS helicopters have been RSotD so far, so the line shouldn't have been pushrd that far into the cracks of your memory. The most recent one, 1437, was only last September. 4607 and 4618 have also been in this feature. I defy you to tell me any of those three is a better-looking helicopter than this.
@Binnekamp said:
"I don't love it, but I like the unique take this set did on a helicoper. It's a bit funky, but it's an enomous leap from anything we've seen before!
Fun fact: this set uses the original 2x2x2 rotational ratchet joint bricks in white for the camera and winch mounts.
Yes, the same part used to mount the arms in 4789, the previous RSotD."
Not to mention that the cockpit top and bottom pieces were both introduced in Mission Deep Sea.
Kinda looks like something out of that one Tom Cruise movie, Oblivion.
One things for sure, there's blank and white aplenty, and a complete absence of trans neon green.
Well, I can't argue with the name. That certainly is a helicopter.
@ElephantKnight: I have to wonder what your reaction would be if there were TNG aplenty. A police vehicle with a Blacktron color scheme just blow your mind.
Gives me some serious Ray Bradbury vibes, and I don’t know why.