Review: 42120 Rescue Hovercraft
Posted by Huw,
The just-released 42120 Rescue Hovercraft is only the fourth Technic hovercraft that LEGO has produced as a primary model, and the first single-seater one since 2013. Perhaps the reason for this is that there is not much functionality that can be incorporated into such vehicles.
Unfortunately, as you will see, the major function built into this one is flawed...
One particularly interesting aspect of the set is that it's a rescue hovercraft, just like the ill-fated 42113 Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey was supposed to be a rescue aircraft, and both models share the same stylised 'R' in their 'Rescue' logo.
I did not apply the stickers because it looks fine without them.
Construction is straightforward as there's little in the way of mechanisms to grapple with whilst building.
Unlike real craft, this one has wheels underneath to enable it to be 'hovered' along the table. The lime green rear wheels are linked to the rear fans which causes them to rotate when it's pushed. The front ones are connected to a steering mechanism operated by a gear above the cab that turns them and the fans from side to side in unison.
With the front wheels straight the two orange beams leading to the back are level. When the wheels are turned, one orange beam is pushed and the other pulled which twists the fan housings (which have not yet been added)
The lower black section represents the flexible skirt that fills out with air to keep the craft afloat. I do not like that the sides of it are vertical fore and aft, but curved in the middle There are suitably sized 7x3 flat panels available now which would have enabled a more uniform look.
As it's pushed across the table the blue lights behind the cab and the fans rotate, but unfortunately the 6-wide parabolic reflectors used here as fan guards turn as well, which somewhat defeats the object of having them.
The fan in the bow, used to inflate the skirt, is not connected to anything so needs to be turned by hand.
The design of the hovercraft does not look to be too practical for use in rescue scenarios: there's nowhere for the rescued to sit or stand, and I suspect getting in and out of the cab to offer assistance while the vessel is at sea would be difficult.
Civilian rescue hovercraft do exist in real-life although those used in the UK by the RNLI are much larger than this and will accommodate a crew of up to four, with plenty of room for stricken seamen or swimmers.
The rotation of the fan guards in unison with the fans is a major flaw, and it bothers me, and I'm not too enamoured with the design of the skirt, either.
However, overall it's a good-looking model, but one that will appeal to kids more than adults, as they are more likely to overlook its shortcomings.
Price-wise, £30/$30 doesn't seem too bad, but you'll find more bang for your buck elsewhere in LEGO's assortment.
Here's a modified version with flat skirt sides. I didn't have any black 3x7 panels so used a 3x11 and some 1x3 beams. Does it look better? I think so.
Thanks to LEGO for providing this set for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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26 comments on this article
This set is a real 'meh' for me.
Definitely looks better with the modification!
@GarethMoore said:
"Definitely looks better with the modification!"
I agree.
I think I'll pick this one up soon enough. It's a good orange parts pack for a start.
My irritation is with the lime green wheels. They could have included them in black, or even Orange and it would have improved the looks of the B model. Clearly an excess they had left in the parts bin.
Those satellite dish - like rings come in 8 - wide as well? Are they new, or is it just hard to tell the difference in an image?
^ Sorry, my mistake. They are 6 wide.
Maybe it just needs more goats?
I bought this set online but it hasn't shipped yet. I really like what I see here for an inexpensive technic model that isn't a car or truck.... there's got to be some way to lock those fan covers in place, though.
As a someone who is on the look out for a not too expensive current Technic set, does anyone have any suggestions on a set that would be better than this set?
@Wake425c said:
"As a someone who is on the look out for a not too expensive current Technic set, does anyone have any suggestions on a set that would be better than this set?"
Skid steer, race plane, tractor of getaway truck.
Most of them I own =)
I actually quite like this, though I think it would have made more sense to have the turning wheels at the rear.
Am I the only one who likes the suggested mods? Mods and goats will keep Brickset's reviews fresh and relevant for years to come! (As if they weren't excellent already, which they were)
^ I'm glad you appreciate them.
"unfortunately the 6-wide parabolic reflectors used here as fan guards turn as well, which somewhat defeats the object of having them"
I am sorry, why is that a problem?
They are guards, to prevent people inadvertently putting limbs into the fans. If they rotate as well then they don't serve that purpose.
On real craft they'd be a finer mesh.
@Huw said:
"^ I'm glad you appreciate them."
I agree. I love the little mods! Any chance you could try some for ninjago city gardens? Maybe a goat pen on the top....
As for the set, I think this is a great set, but it’s not a great hovercraft. I would love too see a massive transport hovercraft, like the one from I think it was 2018. I love massive hovercrafts!
The propellers are held in by round pins with no cross so unable to rotate on their own. They should have really used parts 41530 or 6041 which have a cross to allow this to happen independently of the guard, which is also needed in the B model of a twin propeller plane. Just wished they had connected the front horizontal fan as well which would have been cool.
@Huw said:
"They are guards, to prevent people inadvertently putting limbs into the fans. If they rotate as well then they don't server that purpose.
On real craft they'd be a finer mesh."
I think I worked out the confusion (I had it myself). I think it may be that TheHacker had the same initial reading as I did in that the "guards" moving in the same direction as the engines (i.e. from left to right) was considered incorrect, not realising initially that it's their rotation with the fan around the shared connection that is the issue. In other words it'd be like if the guard around your desk fan spun with the fanblades.
^ Yes, exactly. Thanks for helping to clarify. Perhaps my language was not clear. All this talk of turning and rotating is confusing for anyone :-)
The mod makes this look a lot better, good job!
Still kind of a meh set sadly.
It looks nice, but as is pointed out above, it's clearly NOT a rescue hovercraft, that happens to come with a sheet of 'Rescue' stickers. Very much like the Osprey.
Coming next from LEGO, the FV4034 Challenger 2 'Rescue Tank', featuring a rotating turret with 55-calibre 'Rescue Cannon'.
@Joefish said:
"It looks nice, but as is pointed out above, it's clearly NOT a rescue hovercraft, that happens to come with a sheet of 'Rescue' stickers. Very much like the Osprey.
Coming next from LEGO, the FV4034 Challenger 2 'Rescue Tank', featuring a rotating turret with 55-calibre 'Rescue Cannon'."
Ironically, some tanks and armored personnel carriers have been converted to firefighting use, albeit it's something I don't understand--wouldn't all the armor make them an oven? FMC used the running gear of the M2 Bradley to produce a logging machine called a "skidder".
Interestingly enough, the "firefighting vehicle" in 4430 looks very much like a modern wheeled APC.
At first I wasn't too fussed about this set, but $30 for such a bulky craft is a steal
for a moment i thought lego has used some "flexsystem-like" movement mechanism for the propellers, as those black "light sabre" things going into pinholes look like they might be used to do the transition of steering to the propellers' angle. But it's just for the looks obviously.
what a meh thing ... technic, please surprise me ... maybe next year?
Single seater? I see two seats in the cockpit.
Honestly, while I don't exactly like Huw's end picture with the entire flat sides, I think the uniformity of having the sides either completely flat or completely rounded would make the model look better. It looks kind of messy with both the flat panels on the front and back, then curved on the sides.