Review: 42198 Bush Plane
Posted by benbacardi,
One of next year's mid-sized Technic sets (with a pleasing 333 parts) is 42198 Bush Plane, available from January 1st.
Similarly to 42201 Deep-Sea Research Submarine, it's nice to see an different kind of vehicle than the usual ground-based cars and trucks. The last Technic plane was 42152 Firefighter Aircraft in 2023, which is a completely different type of vehicle to this smaller set.
Summary
42198 Bush Plane, 333 pieces.
£22.99 / $27.99 / €27.99 | 6.9p/8.4c/8.4c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A great introduction to Technic sets, this fantastic little plane has a simple but effective propeller mechanism that really enhances the play.
- The perfect size for play
- Accurate design to a real bush plane
- Simple and effective propeller mechanism
- None
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The model aircraft is a small high wing taildragger with a four-cylinder piston engine, in the style of those used in remote areas such as the Australian outback or African safaris. The plane is primarily white, with black struts and supports that match the zebra-striped pattern on the stickers applied to its wings and fuselage. Bright yellow accents highlight the tips of the wings, the engine cover, and a stripe down the body.
The propellor at the front has three large blades, two wheels sit beneath the cockpit, and a third is located at the tail of the plane beneath the rear wing—thus giving the "taildragger" name to this type of aircraft. A single sticker is affixed to each wing, with very good detail—a zebra stripe pattern (alluding to the wildlife safari nature of the plane) along with various aircraft-related signage similar to that you'd see on a real wing.
A beam that runs along the trailing edge of each wing can be flapped up or down, replicating the ailerons and flaps you'd find on a real plane. According to a pilot friend of mine, ailerons are on the half of the wing furthest from the plane, and flaps nearer the fuselage, but a single control surface such as those found in this model is known as a flaperon.
Likewise, shorter beams on the tail of the plane replicate the motion of the rear elevators, and a couple more stickers continue the zebra striping. Sadly, the vertical stabiliser doesn't have a moving part, so this plane has no rudder.
The yellow stripe that runs down the fuselage is emblazoned with the words "Wildlife Service" and an icon of a rhino's head (why not a zebra?), indicating the role these planes play in wildlife conservation efforts around the globe. Further detailing is included with more zebra stripe stickers.
This being a Technic set, it wouldn't be complete without some gears! The body of the plane houses a mechanism that allows you to press a lever into the side of the fuselage just behind the wings, which spins the propeller. Due to a clever arrangement of the gears, the propellor spins freely after a single push, the lever springs back, and repeated pushes will keep the blades turning.
In addition to the spinning prop, the four pistons move back and forth, two either side of the nose of the plane. The lid can be lifted for a better view of the simple mechanism inside that makes this happen.
Finally, a simple view of the gear mechanism beneath the plane that transfers the motion of the lever (the yellow 1x1 attached to the grey and black beams) into the propeller shaft.
This plane is fantastic. It feels great in the hand, is the perfect size to swoop around, and rolls nicely on its three wheels. The internal gear mechanism is simple, but very effective, and it's a lot of fun to press the lever and spin the propeller in a way that's hard to describe.
There's a bunch of stickers, which is off-putting for some, but personally I think it really helps the plane's appeal and they're really not that hard to apply.
A relatively small set, it's a perfect starter set to get primary school aged children into Technic without the daunting task of building one of the larger sets that, while more impressive, punish hard-to-spot mistakes in the assembly more than this one.
42198 Bush Plane will be available at LEGO.com from January 1st for £22.99 / $27.99 / €27.99.
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19 comments on this article
Is one of the blades *supposed* to be flipped the opposite direction?
Is the mechanism to make the propellor spin the same as that on 8232 Chopper Force? In that set you can push a ratcheted beam on the side repeatedly to make the propellors spin as well. If so, it's great to see such a mechanism again after all those years! This is what makes Technic what it is, so it's great that they focussed on something like that again!
You can see how it works on Technicopedia: http://technicopedia.com/8232.html
There's even a gif in case you want to see what it looks like in motion.
@Alia_of_AGL said:
"Is one of the blades *supposed* to be flipped the opposite direction?"
That’s the first thing I noticed too!
I'm really not a Technic fan, but I kinda love this. I'm a sucker for a mechanism that keeps the propellor or rotors turning as you swoosh it about. For that price I may have to pick it up.
It's not a car or a helicopter for once.
@Alia_of_AGL said:
"Is one of the blades *supposed* to be flipped the opposite direction?"
Nope! Like any good dad, I will place the blame squarely on my six-year-old's shoulders!
That mechanism seems cool indeed, and I like how it looks. But a single function in a €28 set? I think the least they could have done was a simple mechanism to operate the ailerons and maybe even the elevators. And no, unlike Lego, I don't consider every non-fixated piece a "function".
BTW, what happened with the MJ ThunderROARus review? I did see it popup for a short while a few days ago, but just as quickly disappear....
Splendid little set, at a 20% discount or more.
This is a fun set! If I were still into Technic I’d definitely be adding this to my collection.
@WizardOfOss said:
"That mechanism seems cool indeed, and I like how it looks. But a single function in a €28 set? I think the least they could have done was a simple mechanism to operate the ailerons and maybe even the elevators. And no, unlike Lego, I don't consider every non-fixated piece a "function".
BTW, what happened with the MJ ThunderROARus review? I did see it popup for a short while a few days ago, but just as quickly disappear...."
We decided to reschedule it as there was another review going live that day.
More like a Zebra plane. I dont see any leaves on there :P
Yes I know a bush plane is a small plane that can take off quickly on rough terrain :)
Looks good for a Technic. Even up close.
That looks really neat! I like that cool mechanism, and I’m a big of the the rumbling cylinders. They put that on that tilt-to-steer off road car from earlier, and it is all kinds of fun to play with.
Looks like a cool little set which I’ll definitely be picking up.
I only wish the fuselage and wingspan were another 4 or 6 studs longer and wider, but it still looks cute with its Twchnic-ified proportions so that’s not a deal breaker. If I really cared I’d just buy some parts and fix that myself. That’s the power of Lego!
Starting this review I thought I could surely build this with the Technic pieces I have (be it in different colors) until I saw the inside photo of what's under the hood... what are those weird wheel things?!
Were those zebra stripes printed, I'd be getting this. Same issue as the Safari Off-Roader 60267-1
@twentythree said:
"Were those zebra stripes printed, I'd be getting this. Same issue as the Safari Off-Roader 60267-1"
Personally, I prefer having some spare zebra stripes on stickers to use somewhere else! I think the plane will be just as nice without them.
I like having the functioning flaperons as well; just because they can't be controlled with a single lever doesn't make them non-functional IMO! This is the sort of small Technic set I have always adored. Thank you for bringing it to my attention with this review!
Roughly what scale is the plane built in?
A plane in the hand is worth two in the bush. ;)